Dami, the genderfluid demon from The Wicked Bargain, has had a taste of humanity but feels it slipping away. In order to tether their soul to earth and become fully human, they must cancel every deal they've ever made. And that's going to be tricky, because the last deal they must unravel is one they made with Silas, a young man with a family curse that will cause him to die young without this deal. But if Dami can help Silas destroy this family curse by finding lost pirate treasure, the deal will be broken.

This sequel to The Wicked Bargain brings back the pirate lore and the magic, as well as a favorite character. Dami's journey (including flashbacks) is a fascinating and challenging one, and if you loved Dami in the first book, you will definitely enjoy their growth here. Much of their growth comes from interactions with Silas, someone whose family curse might be on hold through the deal with Dami but who suffers from the curse of the deal anyway, as well as from building a friendship with Marisol, a young trans woman they meet on the island where they seek the buried treasure. The adventures the three have are gripping and hair-raising, and they have to learn how to trust and overcome conflict in order to survive.

There's a lot I really liked about the book, but where it really disappointed me was in the pacing. The book started off frustratingly slow, picked up speed when Dami and Silas reached the island, and crammed so much into the last 50 pages that it felt really rushed. So while I was glad to see Dami get a satisfying ending to their journey, I struggled with it along the way, and it didn't grab me as completely as Wicked Bargain did. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you, Random House Children's Books and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I think I loved this even more than the first book, and I do really like that you don't have to read one to enjoy the other. I thought this had a fun, engaging plot and interesting characters, and I loved that Novoa wrote a trio without turning it into a love triangle. I definitely hope he continues writing books set in this world!