*may container slight spoilers*

I genuinely ADORED this book. I wasn't sure that I would, but I did! It was brilliantly written and so well done. If you like Gaiman and Prachett's "Good Omens" or are a fan of the "Red Dwarf" series, you'll definitely appreciate it.

It's humorous and comical but has a ton of heart. I'll admit the ending is slightly predictable, but honestly, there was a moment there when I thought I had been wrong, and it wasn't going to play out like I had expected.

The characters in this book are entirely lovable and just so much plain fun. Even the side characters are amusingly awesome. Haha.

I don't want to go too much into plot because A. the book's description does that and B. anything else could spoil the fun.

But suffice it to say this is a real winner. I loved every second of and can't wait for the next book to come out. As for narration, it, too, was fine. No obvious errors or bad editing. I listened on 2x speed, so the original was obviously a bit slow for me, but that's nothing new. I listen to most books on 2x speed.

If you love a little fantasy with your humor, this is the book for you.

This book and audiobook was so fun. I loved the storyline and how everything played out. Laszlo was such a fun and interesting character to follow along on this journey. It was smart, twisty, dark, hopeful and unexpected. The writing was great woth so many funny and interesting things that happen.

This is a pretty entertaining and comical fantasy story. The beginning took a while to get going, but the end went very quick.

I was a little nervous when I realized the length of this book and the beginning was pretty slow, but I’m glad I stuck with it. I will say, this book could shed a bunch of pages and that would help the story progress a lot better.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator definitely kept me entertained with his different voices and his delivery. I would definitely listen to him again.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher to the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

It is getting hot, and as the temperatures rise, so does my snark. Fortunately, THE WITCHSTONE by Henry H Neff gave me some company, for which I am grateful.

Expertly narrated by Ramiz Monsef, I was swept into the demon, Laszlo's quest to keep himself from the crucible. His goal of creating despair instead of resignation from a cursed family brings about a series of events he didn't foresee. Maggie and her little brother, "Lump," are part of the curse bearers and join Laszlo to try and end this for their family providing heart and childhood innocence to offset the demon's darker sides.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit! I could see where this story might go, but that didn't impede my delight in the journey. In fact, it made me want to cheer them all on even more. The narration was an added aspect for me, giving a very theatrical demon!

Thank you to @blackstonepublishing & @netgalley
for sharing this fun story that broke me out of my grumpy mood! This did publish June 18th, so grab it now if you need a witty tale full of heart to pull you out of any summer doldrums.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"For a moment, Lazlo almost felt guilty about what he was going to do to them...The moment passed."

"A little misdirection goes a long way."

What a fun time I had listening to the uproariously quick witted satirical urban fantasy quest, The Witchstone, by smart comedic genius author Henry H. Neff.

Lazlo is a low level 800 year old curse keeper demon. He's part charming con man, sleazy salesman, snarky showoff and maybe more human than he cares to admit. When hell gets a new swarmy manager Lazlo has 6 days to prove his worth or lose it all.

His notorious plan is to give the current sufferers of the Drakeford Curse false hope and then rip it from them, "It's the act of losing hope that generates despair." Despair is the goal of curse keepers.

He tells 19 year old Maggie Drakeford, who is starting to painfully suffer from the curse, he can break the curse placed on her ancestors who killed a vengeful witch. They need to find various items, like a self making porridge pot, crowned jewels and more; then bring it all to the magic Witchstone in 6 days or the curse will stay. Lazlo has no intention of removing the curse.

Through the masterful world building of a Hell run like Good Omens on steroids, quests equal to any favorite video game, and original exciting side characters like loyal frantic Clarence, fierce Signora Bellascura, and innocent Father Angelo, voice actor Ramiz Monsef brings to life the author's vivid imagination with impeccable comedic timing, fiery fury, and tender tones of revelations.

The ending was everything I wanted and I need this to be a series, books and TV. I need more Lazlo Prime Video! The Witchstone is laugh out loud magic.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Blackstone Publishing via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Witchstone by Henry H Neff (@henryhneff) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5

Thanks to @Netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for giving me this audiobook ARC. It’s a good one!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It’s a little bit like Good Omens meets Supernatural. It centers around a demon named Lazlo who would rather enjoy fancy drinks in new york city rooftop bars than check in on the centuries old family curse he’s supposed to be managing.
Maggie Drakeford, the latest of her family to inherit the terrible curse that is slowly turning her into a hideous eldritch creature, just wants to escape the horrible village she and her family are trapped in.
When a threat of being melted down into ooze forces Lazlo to get out and do some curse keeping he finds himself teaming up with Maggie to try to help her break the curse. But what starts out as a simple adventure to gather spell components turns out to be so much more. As demonic assassins chase them and Lazlo weighs his options he realizes his situation is so much more complex than anyone ever thought and it might just threaten to overturn Hell itself.

Favorite Parts - OMG, Maggie’s little brother Lump is adorable, loved him, Lazlo doing the absolute bare minimum that he has to do whenever possible, but then actually doing helpful things, Maggie taking absolutely no shit from anyone!

Read This If You - Love a curse breaking adventure, lazy entitled bisexual demons who might not be so bad as they pretend to be, Adventure Siblings, Determined Young woman protagonist who might not know everything but DAMNIT is getting this shit done!

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#arc #netgalley #BlackstonePublishing #HenryHNeff

The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff and narrated by Ramiz Monsef is nigh on 18 hours of literary and performance excellence! Before I even begin the review, the narrator Ramiz Monsef is an exceptional talent, easily shifting from humour to drama, character to character and narrating with a smooth cadence that I can listen to all day and by eckers, at a glorious 18 hours, what a treat!

Secondly, the dialogue, the writing, the character development, storylines, perfection! I was hooked, stayed hooked, and while it took me a few sessions to get through it; A. I looked forward to each and every session. B. I was entertained at every turn. c. Kept listening right to the end of the acknowledgements and authors note. That is just how good this book was!

Author and narrator are defo two talents to keep an eye on as they are outstanding

So, the story. In the synopsis, The Witchstone is described as blending the "merciless humor of The Good Place with the spellbinding fantasy of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods" but oho, it is this and so very much more! (I am a huge fan of Gaiman so do not say that lightly). Let's look at Lazlo Baal, our anti-hero. He is Archer meets Bojack Horseman, and one of the many children of the Archduke of Hell (misnamed Beelzebub, an irksome error that Lazlo cannot abide)

Lazlo is a Curse Keeper, a level 3 demon. He's pulled up in front of his boss under fear of being crucibled into ooze for failing in his duties, but due to his father, is given a weeks respite, to ensure that the Drakefords, the accursed, lose all hope.

Maggie Drakeford is 19 and a sin-eater. (Imagine Kickass meets Wednesday Addams, with a twist) Her family is the accursed, doomed to live within spitting distance of "the Witchstone". Maggie is bitter. Her father is already succombing to the curse, his body becoming something inhuman, unable to walk or talk. The family has suffered at the hands of their local community, treated like pariahs, even by the local priest who uses Maggie for Sin Eating. Now Maggie has found a mark on her arm, is she going to to suffer the same fate? How will she escape?

A special nod to Lump (Maggies little brother and part-time genius), Clarence, the Goblin Shark (I was HOWLING at the voice), Dmitri and the cast in Rome

I absolutely loved this rollicking good adventure from the deepest darkest annuls of Heck, to the Catskills and across Europe. Not just for the unlikely friendship that develops between the Drakefords and their curse-keeper, but the supporting cast, even the pursuers!

Humour that will have your sides AND face aching, drama and pursuit that will draw you in and keep you rapt, brilliant research, lovable heroes and anti-heroes, and by eckers, the action scenes! You will uttely adore this audiobook and likely listen to it/ read it more than once. Well worth it and I cannot recommend it highly enough!

Perfect for fans of Gaiman, Kevin Smith even Tom Holt and Terry Pratchett. This book deserves to appeal to and be seen by all genres!

Thank you to Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks, the author Henry H Neff and narrator Ramiz Monsef for this incredible ALC! My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

This was SO much fun!! The pacing was good, the silly dialogue, the horror- I think it couldn’t been shorter as it started to drag a little towards the end but such a fun read :)

This was a fun and quirky story that was a quick read. My only complaint is that the characters lacked depth at times and I found myself missing an element of character development.

A modern "Good Omens'-esque read!

The 'Society', a hellish corporation that capitalizes off of human suffering has demons paper-pushing in cubicles in modern time. Laszlo, a curse keeper, a play-boy and lover of all things debauchery is jolted from his cushy post when an overseer barges in and demands to see results-- more human misery. To avoid the chopping block Laszlo sets out on meeting his curse bearers, the Drakefords, and the wild adventure ensues.


"The Witchstone" is a fun story, filled with comedy, mishaps, monsters, and demons with day jobs. They're just like us!

I highly recommend this story to adult readers who are fans of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, and who are looking for a 'fun' read. The plot moves itself from one adventure to the next so there is no dull point of the book.

Thank you for the great story Henry H. Neff, and thank you NetGalley and thank you to Blackstone for providing this title to us listeners/readers!

This was a great read. Emotional ups and downs. Characters which are complex and simple at the same time. Some mythical, some fantasy, some mundane every day stuff.

I really really enjoyed this, it was a lot of fun to listen to. It’s a blend of humour and fantasy, fast paced with high stakes, I had a hard time putting it down. The world building was really good, blending fantasy elements within a contemporary setting. All of the characters were well developed and I was invested in almost all of them. I think there could have been a bit more about the Drakeford family in the beginning but I think that’s just my personal preference. The narrator did a really great job setting the tone of the story. Overall a really interesting read with a unique plot.

Thanks to NetGalley, Henry H Neff and Blackstone Publishing Audio for this ALC

Maggie Drakeford is the newest Curse Bearer in the 400 year old Drakeford Curse. Every Drakeford bears the burden of becoming a pain-wracked deformed monster.

Lazlo is an 800 year old lazy, indulgent demon tasked with being the Drakeford’s Curse Keeper. But Lazlo has a new boss, and 6 days to get improve his numbers and earn his keep.

This is a madcap buddy novel, a horror fantasy, a coming of age novel, an epic caper, and a study of friendship and redemption with a fantastic cast of characters.

Lazlo, Maggie and Maggie’s little brother Lump, travel the world in their haste to break the spell and free the Drakeford family.

This book had a smattering of National Treasure, a dash of Lord of the Rings and a sprinkle of Blacktongue Thief.

A fun summer read, fast-paced, exciting, well-written with laughs and tears. Skillfully narrated, with charm and depth and snarky wit.

Thank you @NetGalley and @blackstonepublishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was a great book. Modern-era fantasy, with a lot of humour woven into a pretty serious plot. Trigger warning for sexual assault. I feel like the female lead's character development seemed to stall and then short forward and regress... which is fine because it's life as a nineteen-year-old. The male lead didn't really have a character arc until the last moment and it felt like an afterthought. Honestly, the ending of the book wouldn't have changed all that much if he'd remained an arsehole.

The ending was great, tied up all the loose ends making to this a great stand-alone fantasy, with an opening for a sequel that isn't a cliffhanger.

This is a straight-up fantasy adventure and not hidden, cliche romance which I loved because is purely written for older teens and adults. There was a detail at the end that felt a little too much like "And they all lived happily ever after" that cost it a star. I would have liked to see a little of the grit we had through the novel. The fantasy/humour genre is flooded with love stories and I really liked that this book broke that mould and focused on the plot.

A audiobook with brilliant character development and an epic storyline. I really enjoy fantasy that is quick-paced, silly, and well-written, and this book met all of those requirements. The narrator did a good job and added to the GOOD experience. I particularly loved the character development of Laslo and Maggie and how they evolved throughout the story. My only critique is that I found the ending a bit rushed, and I think there was too much explanation about the family curse. However, overall, it's a fantastic debut novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks to netgalley, editors, audiobook productions for let me access to this audiobook.

Devilishly fun and delightfully wicked, this book was an absolute joy to read. For the people who like their fantasy on the sillier side, this brought so much humor to a heartfelt story.

What a fun adult debut novel! I thought this book was very creative and entertaining. Laslow's dry, sarcastic personality was a hilarious complement to Maggie's very serious, mature personality. Maggie's brave little brother was a great edition to their globe-trotting team.

Charming and witty. Highly enjoyable book that will make you chuckle from the humor. If you are a fan of Neil Gaiman, you will definitely love this book.

The Drakeford family curse has lasted for centuries, Nineteen year old Maggie Drakeford is the latest family member to fall under the effects of the curse. Her father is a shell of his former self, her mother is stone cold and is more focused on the well being of her brother, George, AKA Lump. Lump is an enthusiastic kid that is very smart and good hearted. The Drakeford’s have accepted their life and have not attempted or even thought it was possible to break the curse. That is until Laszlo shows up on their doorstep with their file, explaining that there are ways to break the curse. He should know because he is their curse keeper……..and a demon. Laszlo has been their curse keeper for decades but hasn’t really cared. He has been gallivanting around the world enjoying himself. Laszlo ‘s numbers are terrible and his new boss gives him 6 days to turn things around or he will be melted into goo. His motives for helping Maggie are not as noble as they seem.
So the quest begins—an adventure to get the items needed to break the curse with an ever looming deadline. Maggie cannot trust the demon but takes the risk knowing she could end this curse once and for all.

This was such a fantastic surprise. This was a fast paced adventure filled with danger, humor and compelling characters. I loved every minute of it!! The narration for the audiobook was done very well breathing life into this crazy cast of characters. I never thought I would like a demon as much as I liked Laszlo.

5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. .
#NetGalley #theWitchstone #HenryNeff

Wow. I think this is the best book I've read this year. I didn't want it to end!

Laszlo is an extremely lazy demon who is Curse Keeper for the Drakeford family in the Catskills. He has absolutely no ambition, much to his father's chagrin, and is given six days to maximize his curse ratings or he gets zapped into primordial ooze. Maggie Drakeford is the current Curse Bearer, as her father's humanity was claimed by the curse and she's starting to show signs of it taking hold. Laszlo, Maggie, and her little brother Lump (George) start a worldwide race to break the curse before it becomes permanent (or at least that's what Laszlo SAYS they're doing...)

What a fun book. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ramiz Monsef, and he did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life. The characters were compelling, hilarious, menacing, endearing- all of it. I entered this one with a little trepidation, because so many of these types of books are disappointing, but this one was spectacular. I didn't want it to end. What a treat.