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A review by visceralreads
Damned If You Do by Alex Brown
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Damned If You Do centers around Cordelia Scott, who wished for her father to disappear when she was 10. Skip to the present, where her new guidance counselor is actually the demon who granted her wish and doomed Cordelia's father to Hell. Now Fred, the counselor, wants her to do her part in the bargain--help him trap his rival demon in a Precious Moments Maleficent figurine. This book contains revelations, betrayals, guilt, and aswangs (a filipino mythological shape-shifting creature).
As soon as I read the synopsis I knew I had to get this book. I mean, filipino folklore!?? And queer too?? This is literally the book for me (I'm filipino and I actually have never learned much about our folklore because I was raised abroad and my parents didn't introduce me to it, yadda yadda) First and foremost, Amielynn Abellera's narration was Amazing! I loved the different voices for each character, even though there were some voices that were hard to listen to (Dustin's grating wobbly voice). I also the filipino accents for Cordelia's mom and mrs Dominguez, they're kind of like how i'd imagine fil parents who lived abroad for more than 10 years.
This book is marketed as a horror comedy, but I felt that the comedy part was a little corny and awkward, especially when it kind of spoiled the serious parts of the book. Some dialogues felt quite sitcom-y and ruined the mood. The horror aspect was brilliant though, I love the gruesome body horror and the overall atmosphere.
I like how the characters are ready to slay demons and stuff, but wouldn't a little sense of self-preservation be nice too? (Yeah, Dustin 'I want in' Jones.) I love Cordelia's determination and bravery, Veronica's steadfastness (and badassery!!), and Dustin actually grew on me at the end. There were genuinely funny moments in this book -- Fred's live laugh love poster, the existence of Novitiate/Sister annabelle, verdelia being cockblocked so many times. This is a solid one, and I think this'll be a great series in the future!
Big thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As soon as I read the synopsis I knew I had to get this book. I mean, filipino folklore!?? And queer too?? This is literally the book for me (I'm filipino and I actually have never learned much about our folklore because I was raised abroad and my parents didn't introduce me to it, yadda yadda) First and foremost, Amielynn Abellera's narration was Amazing! I loved the different voices for each character, even though there were some voices that were hard to listen to (Dustin's grating wobbly voice). I also the filipino accents for Cordelia's mom and mrs Dominguez, they're kind of like how i'd imagine fil parents who lived abroad for more than 10 years.
This book is marketed as a horror comedy, but I felt that the comedy part was a little corny and awkward, especially when it kind of spoiled the serious parts of the book. Some dialogues felt quite sitcom-y and ruined the mood. The horror aspect was brilliant though, I love the gruesome body horror and the overall atmosphere.
I like how the characters are ready to slay demons and stuff, but wouldn't a little sense of self-preservation be nice too? (Yeah, Dustin 'I want in' Jones.) I love Cordelia's determination and bravery, Veronica's steadfastness (and badassery!!), and Dustin actually grew on me at the end. There were genuinely funny moments in this book -- Fred's live laugh love poster, the existence of Novitiate/Sister annabelle, verdelia being cockblocked so many times. This is a solid one, and I think this'll be a great series in the future!
Big thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.