With a title like this, I was hoping for fun and entertainment, with low expectations for substance. And honestly, I got exactly what I wanted (and needed) from it! 

 

Well, the title really sets up the story well. Cinnamon lives in a small town, working on her family's spice farm, and one night after drinking with a friend, ends up accidentally saving a demon's life. Said demon, Fallon, is (inconveniently) quite attractive and, against Cin's wishes for a quiet life, convinces her to come along on a quest to bring down the evil witch who has been passing herself off as a goddess, and enslaving demons, for generations. It turns into quite the adventure, not least because Fallon seems to have decided that he and Cin are meant to be together (as much more than just travel partners). 

 

Yup, this was so fun. It was such a fast read. And that was partially because it was an easy story, one that I wanted to fly through quickly, and partially because (if I'm being honest) the writing was pretty basic. There were some points where sentences were a bit repetitive (as far as word choice), some points where transitions between scenes/sentences were a bit choppy, some points where the development and writing itself felt a bit juvenile. However, the dialogue (interpersonal and inner) was one of the best pieces of the writing, and that's a make or break for me (I can put up with a lot if the dialogue seems natural), so I made it through without too much complaint/exasperation.  

 

I do love a “normal” heroine and Cin is really giving that, but with sarcasm and super millennial responses to stuff (like immediately trying to shoot a fireball with her hands after learning she might have…absorbed…magic that might let her do that), so that’s peak character vibes for me, a snarky millennial myself. And overall, she had some really happy-go-lucky vibes for the amount of violence and death she was around/involved in and I found myself pretty into that combo. It felt like reading a "cozy" fantasy, but with the violence of regular fantasy...the light delivery tempered it and kept the fun high. The tension and romantic build between Cin and Fallon was pretty fast (not surprising for a romantasy), but about as well developed as it could have been, under the "easy" reading quality of the novel. And the spicy scenes we got were quite good. 

 

So basically, juvenile-ish writing aside, Cin was relatable and Fallon was an excellent romantasy crush, the plot and world-building were simple but adventure-filled, and in the end, I just enjoyed the hell out of reading this. Spectacular escapism. 

 

 “Don’t you just want to go feral?” 

 

“Her logic was simple and just made changing one's entire worldview seem like a mundane occurrence. Maybe it should be. As much as I'd rather stay out of conflict and live out my life in peace, I don't think I could walk away from someone suffering right in front of me.” 

 

“Why is the bed covered in cheese? / You don't remember? [...] Last night, you demanded we bring you cheese and then state that you were the cheese queen.” (well this is just too real, LOL)