Interesting world, characters were funny, but overall I just ended up feeling meh about it. I do think it was very clever to have these demons work in a corporate lifestyle, part of the entire reason I requested an ARC in the first place of this!

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OH MY GOD. I have to start off hollering, I enjoyed this immensely! The hierarchy of demons in this curse keeper was so interesting! I loved following our MDC (main demon character), Laszlo, and seeing how he got things done while trying to play that he doesn't care about our two main human characters. Maggie and Lump are fantastically written as well! They are so opposite in how they appreciate the world they never had a chance to explore outside of their remote home. It was lovely seeing their growth in those experiences. Maggie, I think, in particular, was so wonderful to read. I can't say too much without spoiling things, but it just hit me right in my feelings. I personally can't wait to pick up a physical copy of this and absolutely recommend everyone get their hands on this book when it comes out!

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t cozy horror. I’m glad I gave The Witchstone a try. The dynamic between Maggie and Lazlo was a highlight and offered a refreshing dose of camaraderie and humor. Their interactions added warmth and depth to the storyline.

Moreover, the road trip aspect infused with hints of "Men in Black" vibes added an exciting dimension to the plot and kept me engaged throughout.

This was so so charming. Maybe it’s because I just binged Helluva Boss, but this was exactly what I needed it to be. The synopsis summed this up perfectly: merciless. A perfect blend of giggles and full body shivers. Hilarious and randomly horrifying (in ways that I can appreciate), I enjoyed every second.

This was a fun and humorous urban fantasy! Really interesting premise and likeable and unique characters

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

I need to read more Henry H. Neff. The Witchstone is a spectacular scavenger hunt with a lazy con-demon, a cursed Catskill family, and a possible path to revocation.

So, I was feeling fairly positive about this book when I first requested it, as it was one of two, similar-sounding books that I had slotted for review this spring. Unfortunately, the other one was “How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying” which…I didn’t love. Even worse, that was the one I had more confidence in simply because I’d read other books by the author that I’d enjoyed. On the other hand, this one was largely an unknown. But I’m happy to report that this one came through in every way I wanted!

There’s so much to love about this book, it’s hard to know where to start! But let’s first touch on the world-building and overall tone of the story. I don’t want this review to turn into a 1:1 comparison between this and “Dark Lord,” but this was one aspect of the storytelling that was starkly different between the two. Where the latter was banging the reader over the head with “jokes,” this one had a much better balance between its humor and the other notes the story was hitting. And, notably, when it was funny, it was actually, you know, funny. There were numerous points where I was laughing out loud, even in the middle of otherwise horrifying scenes. Much of this comes down to Lazlo himself, who was an enigma of narcissism, snobbery, and secretly, a being who cared about those around him, despite himself, almost. He is the kind of character that is just a riot to travel through a story alongside.

But, importantly, while the comedic aspects were on point, the laughs, and Lazlo himself, were counterbalanced by the much more serious “straight man” character, Maggie. It is her story where the heart of the plot really lies, the curse that her family has suffered through, and her determination to finally bring it to an end. She was the perfect foil to Lazlo, as well as an avatar to the reader, seeing this world of demons and magic for the first time as well (curse itself aside).

There were also notable side characters, including a work colleague of Lazlo’s, a demon with a shark’s head, who was frankly hilarious. As well as Maggie’s younger brother, Lump, the sort of encyclopedic “smart kid” character who could have quickly fallen into clichés and not much else. Indeed, when we were first introduced to this character and his gimmick, I pretty much dismissed him. But as the story continued, the author included several very heart-felt scenes between brother and sister that solidified Lump as a fully-realized character in his own right. Even down to the simple, child-like fact that he didn’t like Maggie swearing.

The pacing and plotting were also tight throughout. The story drew me in immediately and we were quickly off to the races, travelling through New York and into Europe to track down the curse-breaking components. However, the action never overwhelmed the character arcs at the heart of the story, and the author always managed to neatly transition from focus to the other. And things ultimately came to a head with a true “final battle” type climax at the end of the book where the fantastical elements became larger-than-life.

I loved this book, and it was such a surprise! This is exactly what I was looking for in the realm of fantasy and comedy combined. Notably, while it was funny, it was also heartfelt, tragic, and touched on the twisted nature of different family dynamics. I definitely recommend this one to pretty much all fantasy fans, especially those who are looking for a good dose of humor in their story.

Rating 9: Fantastic! Fast-paced, hilarious, but full of heart!

(Link will go live on The Library Ladies on June 26)

Many thanks to @netgalley, @blackstonepublishing, and the author for allowing me to read this eARC. The opinions presented in this review are my own.
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⭐ 4 / 5

Mirthful, dark, and amusing!

The past year I have been hooked on the adrenaline high roller coaster that is epic fantasy - the call to action, the stumbles along the journey, the burgeoning relationships, the betrayals, the defeats, the darkest of days, the hero’s triumphant comeback, love conquerors all, etc. etc. Cut, paste, repeat.

Lately, I have needed a break from the nail-biting tension and realm-ending stakes. The Witchstone certainly was a different order. Sure, I didn’t stray far - demons, magic, a curse, and the journey to break it - and sure, it certainly has elements of the monstrous. The stakes seem undoubtedly high. Yet, the infusion of humor, irreverence, and straight-up silliness lessens the tension to a manageable level. It was the palate cleanser I needed.

The introduction to Lazlo hooked me immediately. Lazlo is a mid-level, pencil-pushing, slacker of a demon who is the “Keeper” of a four-century-old curse on the Drakeford Family. He is witty and charming when he wants to be but also entitled and indolent. I loved his sarcasm and the idea of Hell as a bureaucratic corporation and I have to be honest, I was kind of hoping for the demon version of The Office, but when Lazlo gets a new overseer who promptly “crucibles” a few of his co-workers, I had my moment of “WTF am I reading?” It was gruesome, yet somehow funny??

Then the story pans to Maggie Drakeford, a nineteen-year-old showing early signs of her family’s curse. The curse upon the family is unique, grotesque, and devastating. Their experience living as outcasts outside a small country community in the Catskills is harrowing. However, soon after Lazlo shows up on her family’s doorstep, Maggie’s character seems to flatten. If it weren’t for the back-and-forth bickering with Lazlo and her brother Lump’s child exuberance, I’m not sure she would hold her own weight. Certainly, she is dealing with some gnarly sh*t, but her personality is plain white toast comparatively.

The trio’s escapades around Europe are amusing, and even if the story drags a little at times, it definitely holds interest. I really enjoyed the ending, not just the action-packed finale, but the epilogue. It was perfectly fitting. I would totally read what comes next if the story were to continue.

The Witchwood is a humor-infused urban fantasy with a lighthearted take on some dark themes. It is a fun read and if you need a break from the heaviness of standard epic fantasy or the heart-wrenching drama of romantasy, you should give it a try. It may be the reprieve you are looking for.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
This is the most fun I’ve had with a book in a long time. This tale of a family curse and a race against time is dark, witty, and incredibly funny. Main protagonist Lazlo, a slacking demon forced to pick up said slack on a centuries old curse or face his own demise, ends up on a race against time alongside the current generation of curse bearers. Lazlo’s snarky attitude reminded me a lot of Chris McClain from the Total Drama Island cartoon (if that makes sense). If you like American Gods and Supernatural, I’d highly recommend this book.

I love the cover of this book, and it has a very fun premise. It has a humorous voice, which makes it feel almost cozy. I can imagine lots of readers enjoying this. Unfortunately, humor is very subjective, and I'm not sure a Deadpool-like voice translates well to European sensibilities. I just didn't vibe with the humor enough to continue past the opening chapters.

5 star read! The Witchstone was the funniest book I’ve read in years. It is witty, intelligent, and takes you on the most exciting adventure with a Curse Keeper, Laszlo, and his clients, the cursed.

I immediately fell in love with all the characters and their personalities. This book starts off strong and it remains captivating until the very last page. There are books that you can just see being made into a movie and I can clearly see this one on the big screen. To me it was a blend between Good Omens and the Paramount+ series Evil.

Do yourself a favor and read this book!!

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion! WHAT A FUN AND CRAZY READ!!!! All the reviews I've seen for this book are phenomenal, and it is SO deserved!!! This book is so "Good Omens" coded, if you enjoyed that novel you will go crazy for this one too. I will definitely be reading more books by this author, every aspect of this novel is just amazing and I hope the book is a roaring success when it releases!

I absolutely ate this book up, loved the plot and the humor. The sass and jokes were done so thoughtfully where they didn’t subtract from the storyline or story.(sometimes authors are good at writing humor but it takes away from the plot) I would recommend this to LITERALLY anyone

The Witchstone had my attention from the moment I started it to the moment I finished. The switching of perspectives to build a double layering of dramatic irony of what is kept from the characters and what is kept from the reader was intriguing. It allowed us to see the characters caught by surprise while still remaining in suspense for the end result. While nothing happened in the story that I found truly unpredictable, it was still exciting to see how everything panned out.

I will say, I found the several tone shifts from the classic "YA teen girl and her younger brother against the world" to intense body horror and right back to be quite jarring. While I loved having Lump, and I think he added some sorely needed joy to the trio, the age gap between him and Maggie tended to draw the age of the story telling down, making the more intense elements of the story seem out of place. I'm not certain who the exact target audience is, as I feel that many readers would be somewhat alienated by one tone or the other.

Despite this, Witchstone is an enjoyable read with a satisfying ending. Thank you to NetGalley and Henry H. Neff for a copy of The Witchstone in exchange for my thoughts on it.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the chance to read this thoroughly delightful ARC!

What a fun, funny and surprisingly thoughtful romp this book was. It had all the cheeky charm of Good Omens but with a sharper, more acerbic edge. The action was compelling and moved along at a breathless pace, and the wit was sparkling throughout, but what really held this marvelous book together was the depth that the author has invested in his characters. So often with deliberately funny books the characters seem almost superfluous to the humor, but what made this really sing for me was that even at its funniest, you feel for all the characters involved. The three leads have real depth and pathos, but even the more peripheral characters were fully drawn and felt real and you cared about them and were interested in what was going to happen to them.

Honestly it’s a treasure that I will probably come back to reread again. Bravo!

Well that I simply adored.

A quest. Administrative hell. Demons. Faith. Betrayal, double crosses, triple crosses, pop culture references and Lazlo may look like Paul Newman but I'd bet anything he could play piano with a British accent in LA. All the characters were fantastic. What a fun ride.

<strong>Big Fat DNF/Early Release Provided Ny NetGalley</strong>

This book was an immense struggle in and from the beginning. In early releases, I tend not to look at reviews, from my desire to read it completely unimpeded by the opinions of others.

At not quite 20% into it, I couldn’t resist though, and I was unable to fight the urge to see if I was the only person feeling this way.
I was completely stumped at the number of 5 star reviews this has received.

I have an intense struggle with not finishing books, especially when I’ve willingly taken on the responsibility to do a pre-review of an unreleased body of work. But this one, whew!

Where do I even begin??
The childish, immature style of writing was beyond horrible.
The "jokes" fell flat, and were definitely on the insensitive scale at times.
There’s not one single character I felt any connection, draw, or even empathy for.
Maggie, the MC heroine, is presumptive, ignorantly rude to her parents, and at times comes across as pompous.
Lazlo, the villainous character of the book, is weak, in more ways than one, he’s appalling, obnoxious, disgusting, and harsh. From the beginning he’s over the top, in an unbelievably exaggeratedly unamusing way.

I just could not complete this, let alone even rate it 1 star. I would have absolutely no audience I would even consider recommending this for. I strongly advise a pass to anyone contemplating picking this up.

Note: I received early access from NetGalley, for this manuscript, and have at my own discretion and opinion, chosen to post a review.

Do you like stories with high stakes and a lot of humor? If so, this is for you. The Witchstone is a standalone urban fantasy where a demon is tasked with increasing his mortal despair ratings in order to save his own skin. In order to achieve this, he has to convince the Drakefords that the curse that turns them into monsters can be broken.

Across Earth and Hell, Neff does a great job of creating characters with a lot of depth and individuality. The pacing is great and you’re in for a fun ride from the first chapter. Even with how humorous it was, there was one scene with some pretty intense body horror that definitely made me squirm, which I haven’t experienced often or recently. Not a knock on the writing at all, just a heads up and example of how visceral the story was.

Even considering some of the heavy themes and squirm-inducing scenes, I think this is a perfect book for some lighthearted fun while still having a complete, interesting story. I definitely recommend it if you are looking for a good urban fantasy, need a break from long-running series, or just a palate cleanser.

Wow, what a ride! I absolutely loved diving into this book! Laszlo's existential crisis in the depths of demon bureaucracy had me nodding along like an office drone... in hell, of course. And Maggie's determination to break her family's ancient curse added such depth to the story. The blend of lore and magic kept me hooked, and the character development was surprisingly profound. The pacing was spot on, with just the right balance of world-building and action. Plus, the relationships felt genuine and relatable, avoiding common fantasy pitfalls. While I wished for a bit more exploration in certain areas, it didn't detract from the overall experience. Here's hoping this isn't the last we see of Laszlo and company!

I just finished this book, and it was both more and less than I expected. Both of those are good, so don’t get me wrong. As I don’t like spoilers, I’ll try to keep this a little bit vague. Laszlo is a very intriguing character as well as Maggie and Lump. They all are different in their own ways, I quite enjoyed their journeys to who they really are, a couple more surprising than the other. While this dragged a bit in the middle of their adventure to find objects, the beginning and the end just flew by in a very good way. Ending the way this did left me wanting more, and I wasn’t sure I was going to feel that way. A well-written, engaging, fun fantasy story, I really want more. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.