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The Witchstone
An unforgettable, high-stakes, laugh-out-loud funny novel, The Witchstone blends the merciless humor of The Good Place with the spellbinding fantasy of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.
Meet Laszlo, eight-hundred-year-old demon and Hell’s least productive Curse Keeper. From his office beneath Midtown, he oversees the Drakeford Curse, which involves a pathetic family upstate and a mysterious black stone. It’s a sexy enough assignment—colonial origins, mutating victims, et cetera—but Laszlo has no interest in maximizing the curse’s potential; he’d rather sunbathe in Ibiza, quaff martinis, and hustle the hustlers on Manhattan’s subway. Unfortunately, his division has new management, and Laszlo’s ratings are so abysmal that he’s given six days to shape up or he’ll be melted down and returned to the Primordial Ooze.
Meet Maggie Drakeford, nineteen-year-old Curse Bearer. All she’s ever known is the dreary corner of the Catskills where the Drakeford Curse has devoured her father’s humanity and is rapidly laying claim to her own. The future looks hopeless, until Laszlo appears at the Drakeford farmhouse one October night and informs them that they have six days—and six days only—to break the spell before it becomes permanent. Can Maggie trust the glib and handsome Laszlo? Of course not. But she also can’t pass up an opportunity to save her family, even if it means having a demon as a guide ...
Thus begins a breakneck international adventure that takes our unlikely duo from a hot dog stand in Central Park to the mountains of Liechtenstein, a five-star hotel in Zurich, and even the time-traveling vault of a demonic crime boss. As the clock ticks down, tough-as-nails Maggie and conniving Laszlo will uncover a secret so profound that what began as a farcical quest to break a curse will eventually threaten the very Lords of HelL
Meet Laszlo, eight-hundred-year-old demon and Hell’s least productive Curse Keeper. From his office beneath Midtown, he oversees the Drakeford Curse, which involves a pathetic family upstate and a mysterious black stone. It’s a sexy enough assignment—colonial origins, mutating victims, et cetera—but Laszlo has no interest in maximizing the curse’s potential; he’d rather sunbathe in Ibiza, quaff martinis, and hustle the hustlers on Manhattan’s subway. Unfortunately, his division has new management, and Laszlo’s ratings are so abysmal that he’s given six days to shape up or he’ll be melted down and returned to the Primordial Ooze.
Meet Maggie Drakeford, nineteen-year-old Curse Bearer. All she’s ever known is the dreary corner of the Catskills where the Drakeford Curse has devoured her father’s humanity and is rapidly laying claim to her own. The future looks hopeless, until Laszlo appears at the Drakeford farmhouse one October night and informs them that they have six days—and six days only—to break the spell before it becomes permanent. Can Maggie trust the glib and handsome Laszlo? Of course not. But she also can’t pass up an opportunity to save her family, even if it means having a demon as a guide ...
Thus begins a breakneck international adventure that takes our unlikely duo from a hot dog stand in Central Park to the mountains of Liechtenstein, a five-star hotel in Zurich, and even the time-traveling vault of a demonic crime boss. As the clock ticks down, tough-as-nails Maggie and conniving Laszlo will uncover a secret so profound that what began as a farcical quest to break a curse will eventually threaten the very Lords of HelL
350 pages, Hardcover
First published June 18, 2024
464 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 953 reviews
May 19, 2024
This is a fun and compelling story. The premise is original, the stakes are high and the pacing is pretty fast.
It's funny and reads almost like a movie with a lot of banter and body horror.
But the main characters felt a little flat and archetypal, even though I still managed to root for them.
It was a nice read but I expected a little more character development.
Thank you Blackstone Publishing for this ARC.
It's funny and reads almost like a movie with a lot of banter and body horror.
But the main characters felt a little flat and archetypal, even though I still managed to root for them.
It was a nice read but I expected a little more character development.
Thank you Blackstone Publishing for this ARC.
June 7, 2024
A really crazy and fun read.
I listened to the audiobook which was very well read by Ramiz Monsef. He had a great delivery, didn't put on radically different voices but the delineation between characters was clear. No melodrama which was excellent for me. My one tiny criticism is that Elizabeth Drakeford did sound a little like Bill Murray putting on a silly voice - but she's barely in it. I really enjoyed the reading.
Maggie Drakeford and her family are cursed. The curse goes back to the 16th century when her ancestor burned a witch. It condemns Maggie's family to a horrible death as they become responsible for the sins of others condemning their bodies to turn into sludgy messes - a fate that has already befallen her father and now is coming straight for Maggie.
Lazlo is a Grade 3 demon and he's also the son of Baalzebul, one of the most powerful lords of evil. Needless to say every family has to have a hopeless, lazy playboy content to wander through their long lives - that's pretty much Lazlo. However he's also the Keeper of Maggie's curse which means he's supposed to be striking constant despair into the family but instead he's gambling, fooling around with the ladies and generally messing with humans. Daddy has finally had enough. Lazlo is given 6 days to mend his ways or he's going to be melted down into the primeval ooze.
Of course Lazlo isn't going to admit to Maggie what his real plans are - he's going to tell her he wants her to break the curse, raising her hopes only to dash them to oblivion. His stock will sky rocket and he'll be promoted with any luck. Who cares what happens to the Drakefords after that.
Sadly for Lazlo he hasn't counted on Maggie being quite so skeptical or her little brother, George, being quite so resourceful or smart. What happens next is an absolutely bonkers race across Europe to find the answer to kill the curse. With Maggie's curse increasing in strength, Lazlo's inherent cowardice and a whole bunch of people determined to stop them all it's going to be a wild ride.
And it is. The action is pretty much non-stop. The characters are well developed throughout the book and are all (even Lazlo) very likeable. Having a demonic curse as the premise for the book gives you licence to write almost anything and some of the adventures are absolutely nuts. But it is amusing all the same and I enjoyed it almost to the end.
The bit that got the last star knocked off was the overly drawn out end of the book where there is an explanation of the entire curse despite the fact that it had come piecemeal throughout the book. I'm afraid it drove me a bit batty since time was a factor and I had to wade through a very long explanation (taking way more time than I thought the family had left) until we got to a breakneck speed ending.
Still, I would recommend it if you like slightly off the wall adventures with some great (but often immoral) characters.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing Audio for the advance review copy.
I listened to the audiobook which was very well read by Ramiz Monsef. He had a great delivery, didn't put on radically different voices but the delineation between characters was clear. No melodrama which was excellent for me. My one tiny criticism is that Elizabeth Drakeford did sound a little like Bill Murray putting on a silly voice - but she's barely in it. I really enjoyed the reading.
Maggie Drakeford and her family are cursed. The curse goes back to the 16th century when her ancestor burned a witch. It condemns Maggie's family to a horrible death as they become responsible for the sins of others condemning their bodies to turn into sludgy messes - a fate that has already befallen her father and now is coming straight for Maggie.
Lazlo is a Grade 3 demon and he's also the son of Baalzebul, one of the most powerful lords of evil. Needless to say every family has to have a hopeless, lazy playboy content to wander through their long lives - that's pretty much Lazlo. However he's also the Keeper of Maggie's curse which means he's supposed to be striking constant despair into the family but instead he's gambling, fooling around with the ladies and generally messing with humans. Daddy has finally had enough. Lazlo is given 6 days to mend his ways or he's going to be melted down into the primeval ooze.
Of course Lazlo isn't going to admit to Maggie what his real plans are - he's going to tell her he wants her to break the curse, raising her hopes only to dash them to oblivion. His stock will sky rocket and he'll be promoted with any luck. Who cares what happens to the Drakefords after that.
Sadly for Lazlo he hasn't counted on Maggie being quite so skeptical or her little brother, George, being quite so resourceful or smart. What happens next is an absolutely bonkers race across Europe to find the answer to kill the curse. With Maggie's curse increasing in strength, Lazlo's inherent cowardice and a whole bunch of people determined to stop them all it's going to be a wild ride.
And it is. The action is pretty much non-stop. The characters are well developed throughout the book and are all (even Lazlo) very likeable. Having a demonic curse as the premise for the book gives you licence to write almost anything and some of the adventures are absolutely nuts. But it is amusing all the same and I enjoyed it almost to the end.
The bit that got the last star knocked off was the overly drawn out end of the book where there is an explanation of the entire curse despite the fact that it had come piecemeal throughout the book. I'm afraid it drove me a bit batty since time was a factor and I had to wade through a very long explanation (taking way more time than I thought the family had left) until we got to a breakneck speed ending.
Still, I would recommend it if you like slightly off the wall adventures with some great (but often immoral) characters.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing Audio for the advance review copy.
July 30, 2024
Laszlo is an 800 year old Curse Keeper. His feckless, lazy existence has finally caught up with him and he is in danger of meeting a gruesome fate unless he completes a mission in the next 6 days. He and the 2 Drakeford children wind up on a quest for the special objects needed to reverse the curse on the Drakeford family.
This book wasn’t as much fun as I hoped. The book was trying very hard to be funny and Laszlo was occasionally amusing. The younger Drakeford child was also sort of cute, but I wasn’t charmed by 19 year old Maggie. For a 6 day mission, this book felt very long and it took me a relatively long time to finish because I didn’t look forward to continuing it. The author was good at describing creepy body transformations and battles with opposing contingents of demons. Maybe I just like my demons to be more demonic and genuinely witty. There is no cliffhanger, but the ending of the book leaves room for a sequel. 3.5 stars
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.
This book wasn’t as much fun as I hoped. The book was trying very hard to be funny and Laszlo was occasionally amusing. The younger Drakeford child was also sort of cute, but I wasn’t charmed by 19 year old Maggie. For a 6 day mission, this book felt very long and it took me a relatively long time to finish because I didn’t look forward to continuing it. The author was good at describing creepy body transformations and battles with opposing contingents of demons. Maybe I just like my demons to be more demonic and genuinely witty. There is no cliffhanger, but the ending of the book leaves room for a sequel. 3.5 stars
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.
June 16, 2024
Mixing a dash of supernatural mischief with a sprinkle of sardonic wit, 'The Witchstone' is a whirlwind adventure that entangles an unlikely duo in a race against time, blending the charm of urban fantasy with the thrill of a caper.
Laszlo, our demon protagonist, would rather be anywhere but at his day job as Hell's most lackadaisical Curse Keeper. You can think of him as your least favorite coworker, but with more fire and brimstone. Meanwhile, Maggie Drakeford, our young Curse Bearer, brings a dose of reality to the curse-laden fantasy, though she takes her time coming out of her narrative shell.
The Witchstone is a fun and very enjoyable read, but what is perhaps most interesting about it is not the story that it is, but the story that it could have been. It's incredibly easy to imagine the bones of this story being assembled into something completely different than its current incarnation, which, at its essence is mostly a caper of sorts. It could have just as easily been heavily focused on Laszlo and his job as a Curse Keeper resulting in a satire of Corporate America. It also could have been more focused as a quest from Maggie's perspective and her family's struggle with the curse. This isn't to say it would have been better served as something other than what it is, but as I reflect back, I can't help but wonder what those versions would have looked like. It's a credit to the author that the foundation is so solid that the story seemingly could have been taken in a number of directions with relative ease.
If I had one minor quibble, it would be with the character development, especially for Maggie. Towards the end, we get to see real glimpses of a standout character, but she never quite breaks through. Still, the book remains a delightful and quick romp through a world where managing curses is just another day at the office.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC.
Laszlo, our demon protagonist, would rather be anywhere but at his day job as Hell's most lackadaisical Curse Keeper. You can think of him as your least favorite coworker, but with more fire and brimstone. Meanwhile, Maggie Drakeford, our young Curse Bearer, brings a dose of reality to the curse-laden fantasy, though she takes her time coming out of her narrative shell.
The Witchstone is a fun and very enjoyable read, but what is perhaps most interesting about it is not the story that it is, but the story that it could have been. It's incredibly easy to imagine the bones of this story being assembled into something completely different than its current incarnation, which, at its essence is mostly a caper of sorts. It could have just as easily been heavily focused on Laszlo and his job as a Curse Keeper resulting in a satire of Corporate America. It also could have been more focused as a quest from Maggie's perspective and her family's struggle with the curse. This isn't to say it would have been better served as something other than what it is, but as I reflect back, I can't help but wonder what those versions would have looked like. It's a credit to the author that the foundation is so solid that the story seemingly could have been taken in a number of directions with relative ease.
If I had one minor quibble, it would be with the character development, especially for Maggie. Towards the end, we get to see real glimpses of a standout character, but she never quite breaks through. Still, the book remains a delightful and quick romp through a world where managing curses is just another day at the office.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC.
January 31, 2024
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC
Oh. My. God. When I tell you this is the most fun I've had with a book in a while? It's making me reconsider every other book I've crowned 5 stars. This book is in a league of its own. I review ARCs with the intention of offering constructive criticism to authors before the book is officially published, but after finishing this book (and promptly yelling about it in the DMs of several friends) I can't think of anything that I could genuinely provide criticism on.
The Witchstone is an exciting urban fantasy that follows well-fleshed-out, deeply imperfect characters in an easy-to-read and page-turning manner. I adored all of the characters and found them unique and interesting, and set in a super intriguing worldly backdrop. Neff finds the perfect balance between dialogue and exploring the surrounding scene and offers witty dialogue and descriptions that make this book humorous and a fun read.
I was SUCH a fan of the fact Laszlo and Maggie remained an entirely platonic friendship. Too many books push romantic relationships on their FMC and MMC and I wouldn't have been here for the weird power dynamic Laszlo/Maggie would have had. I just had to talk about it for a second. I loved their friendship so much.
Ultimately, The Witchstone has become one of my favourite reads of 2024. I wish Neff nothing but success on release day.
Oh. My. God. When I tell you this is the most fun I've had with a book in a while? It's making me reconsider every other book I've crowned 5 stars. This book is in a league of its own. I review ARCs with the intention of offering constructive criticism to authors before the book is officially published, but after finishing this book (and promptly yelling about it in the DMs of several friends) I can't think of anything that I could genuinely provide criticism on.
The Witchstone is an exciting urban fantasy that follows well-fleshed-out, deeply imperfect characters in an easy-to-read and page-turning manner. I adored all of the characters and found them unique and interesting, and set in a super intriguing worldly backdrop. Neff finds the perfect balance between dialogue and exploring the surrounding scene and offers witty dialogue and descriptions that make this book humorous and a fun read.
I was SUCH a fan of the fact Laszlo and Maggie remained an entirely platonic friendship. Too many books push romantic relationships on their FMC and MMC and I wouldn't have been here for the weird power dynamic Laszlo/Maggie would have had. I just had to talk about it for a second. I loved their friendship so much.
Ultimately, The Witchstone has become one of my favourite reads of 2024. I wish Neff nothing but success on release day.
March 21, 2024
Y’all. This book was SO 👏🏻 MUCH 👏🏻 FUN 👏🏻
The quest to break the curse was dark and exciting; all the excitement of an epic fantasy video game. It was so mild and humorous at times that the grotesque and emotional scenes caught me off guard and were super effective. The airplane scene 🤢 Good lord.
I loved the corporate Hell atmosphere. There’s something so funny and accurate about Hell being a corporate office job 🤣 Laszlo was great - so nonchalant, funny and clever, while simultaneously being lazy and kind of an asshole. I’m obsessed with him. Maggie and Lump were great characters, too. A great brother-sister dynamic. Tough as nails. The demons though. THE DEMONS. So cool. Signora Bellascura. Like, gimmie a whole book about this B.
I genuinely hope this is the start of a super fun series. But, if it’s not, that’s okay because this book was brilliant on its own.
The quest to break the curse was dark and exciting; all the excitement of an epic fantasy video game. It was so mild and humorous at times that the grotesque and emotional scenes caught me off guard and were super effective. The airplane scene 🤢 Good lord.
I loved the corporate Hell atmosphere. There’s something so funny and accurate about Hell being a corporate office job 🤣 Laszlo was great - so nonchalant, funny and clever, while simultaneously being lazy and kind of an asshole. I’m obsessed with him. Maggie and Lump were great characters, too. A great brother-sister dynamic. Tough as nails. The demons though. THE DEMONS. So cool. Signora Bellascura. Like, gimmie a whole book about this B.
I genuinely hope this is the start of a super fun series. But, if it’s not, that’s okay because this book was brilliant on its own.
October 20, 2024
This was so fun! A fabulously fun October read.
The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff felt like Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch with some of the body horror of Hell Followed With Us. The Witchstone follows a 800-year-old demon bureaucrat named Laszlo and the family whose curse he manages - the Drakefords. Laszlo has been fairly lax on his curse keeping, and when his department comes under new management he is told he has six days to maximize misery, stop a curse breaking, or bargain for a human soul, or he'll be broken into composite pieces. Laszlo comes up with the diabolic plan to help the Drakefords gather the materials necessary to break their curse, before stopping them at the last minute. Bam! Maximum despair and curse breaking interrupted. Unfortunately, the young Drakefords he teams up with to do this - 19-year-old Maggie and her 11-year-old brother, Lump - have a certain bumpkin charm that appeals to Laszlo against his better judgement. In the romp that follows, as they steal a magic porridge pot and hunt for crown jewels and holy relics, Laszlo will have to decide if maximizing misery, and getting that corner office, is worth it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 - 4.5 Stars. Somewhere between I really liked it and I loved it!
✅ Demons
✅ Curses (and hopefully curse-breaking!)
✅ Mild body horror
✅ Transcontinental adventuring
✅ Children/young adult main characters in an adult book
📅 - The Witchstone is available now!
🙏 Thank you so much to Henry H. Neff & Blackstone Publishing for this ARC through NetGalley! All opinions are my own.
The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff felt like Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch with some of the body horror of Hell Followed With Us. The Witchstone follows a 800-year-old demon bureaucrat named Laszlo and the family whose curse he manages - the Drakefords. Laszlo has been fairly lax on his curse keeping, and when his department comes under new management he is told he has six days to maximize misery, stop a curse breaking, or bargain for a human soul, or he'll be broken into composite pieces. Laszlo comes up with the diabolic plan to help the Drakefords gather the materials necessary to break their curse, before stopping them at the last minute. Bam! Maximum despair and curse breaking interrupted. Unfortunately, the young Drakefords he teams up with to do this - 19-year-old Maggie and her 11-year-old brother, Lump - have a certain bumpkin charm that appeals to Laszlo against his better judgement. In the romp that follows, as they steal a magic porridge pot and hunt for crown jewels and holy relics, Laszlo will have to decide if maximizing misery, and getting that corner office, is worth it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 - 4.5 Stars. Somewhere between I really liked it and I loved it!
✅ Demons
✅ Curses (and hopefully curse-breaking!)
✅ Mild body horror
✅ Transcontinental adventuring
✅ Children/young adult main characters in an adult book
📅 - The Witchstone is available now!
🙏 Thank you so much to Henry H. Neff & Blackstone Publishing for this ARC through NetGalley! All opinions are my own.
July 29, 2025
3.5⭐️ Lekkie czytadło z gatunku urban fantasy. Faktycznie trochę czuć vibe Lucyfera ;)
———————————————
[ współpraca reklamowa @mustread.wydawnictwo ]
“The Witchstone. Klątwa Drakefordów” Henry’ego H. Neffa to ciekawa propozycja dla fanów serialu “Lucyfer”. Poznajemy w niej demona Laszlo, który zajmuje się zarządzaniem klątwą ciążącą na rodzie Drakefordów. Gdy zostaje on postawiony przed ulitmatum, musi wyruszyć w podróż razem z dziewiętnastoletnią Maggie Drakeford. Z tej podróży każde z nich będzie chciało wynieść jednak co innego.
Początkowo po zobaczeniu okładki myślałam, że będzie to książka z gatunku romantasy. Nic bardziej mylnego! Jest to pełna wartkiej akcji przygoda dwójki rodzeństwa i demona, który chce ich wykiwać. Szalona podróż po Europie, pełna zwrotów i upadków, opowiadająca o zdradzie i budowaniu zaufania. Są w niej momenty zabawne, ale nie brakuje również tych niebezpiecznych i trzymających w napięciu, a nawet poruszających serducho.
Jest to książka raczej z tych, które sprawiają mi radość podczas czytania, ale które nie zostaną ze mną na dłużej. Niemniej są świetnym odstresowaniem po ciężkim dniu. Choć udało mi się przewidzieć zakończenie, niektórych rozwiązań fabularnych nie domyśliłam się i wyszły nawet lepiej niż mogłam się tego spodziewać. Natomiast lekkie i rozrywkowe pióro autora sprawiło, że czytało mi się ją błyskawicznie i zupełnie nie czułam jej objętości.
Powieść Neffa to pozycja idealna dla fanów urban fantasy, bądź osób, które dopiero zaczynają swoją przygodę z fantastyką.
———————————————
[ współpraca reklamowa @mustread.wydawnictwo ]
“The Witchstone. Klątwa Drakefordów” Henry’ego H. Neffa to ciekawa propozycja dla fanów serialu “Lucyfer”. Poznajemy w niej demona Laszlo, który zajmuje się zarządzaniem klątwą ciążącą na rodzie Drakefordów. Gdy zostaje on postawiony przed ulitmatum, musi wyruszyć w podróż razem z dziewiętnastoletnią Maggie Drakeford. Z tej podróży każde z nich będzie chciało wynieść jednak co innego.
Początkowo po zobaczeniu okładki myślałam, że będzie to książka z gatunku romantasy. Nic bardziej mylnego! Jest to pełna wartkiej akcji przygoda dwójki rodzeństwa i demona, który chce ich wykiwać. Szalona podróż po Europie, pełna zwrotów i upadków, opowiadająca o zdradzie i budowaniu zaufania. Są w niej momenty zabawne, ale nie brakuje również tych niebezpiecznych i trzymających w napięciu, a nawet poruszających serducho.
Jest to książka raczej z tych, które sprawiają mi radość podczas czytania, ale które nie zostaną ze mną na dłużej. Niemniej są świetnym odstresowaniem po ciężkim dniu. Choć udało mi się przewidzieć zakończenie, niektórych rozwiązań fabularnych nie domyśliłam się i wyszły nawet lepiej niż mogłam się tego spodziewać. Natomiast lekkie i rozrywkowe pióro autora sprawiło, że czytało mi się ją błyskawicznie i zupełnie nie czułam jej objętości.
Powieść Neffa to pozycja idealna dla fanów urban fantasy, bądź osób, które dopiero zaczynają swoją przygodę z fantastyką.
October 30, 2024
I can no longer remember if I saw this book a few days ago amongst GR's recommendations or in my timeline when a friend reviewed it. No matter. I'm glad something about it caught my eye and the blurb sounded enticing, because I would have otherwise missed out on what turned out to be one of the best Spooktober reads of the year!
Laszlo is not having a good week. He might be the son of a Duke of Hell, but he's the youngest and only a 3rd class demon, thus having very limited power. Not that that has ever really bothered him. He's not a career demon after all. He prefers to be a scoundrel and thoroughly enjoy himself via various escapades.
However, bureaucracy is everywhere, even in Hell. Laszlo's boss demands better performance, and in a week or less even, or he will be annihilated - his dad signed off on it.
Which brings us to him not having a good week. For he is given a very specific task for which he needs a few cursed humans. The problem being that they need him as much as he needs them so he finds himself on a road trip / quest throughout the world in a race to break the family curse ... or fulfill his task to save his own life.
The one thing that immediately struck me about this book was the humour. Be it situational comedy, the zingers, or the unbelievable oddness, I cackled from page one and only stopped in between when the action was too riveting, sweeping me along like a strong river.
Moreover, the author managed to invoke a wonderfully lively world reminiscent of the best UF while populating it with charmingly bickering protagonists, a very entertaining assortment of demons with hilarious names, a surprisingly amicable catholic priest, and really wonderful magic.
Fantastic story!
Laszlo is not having a good week. He might be the son of a Duke of Hell, but he's the youngest and only a 3rd class demon, thus having very limited power. Not that that has ever really bothered him. He's not a career demon after all. He prefers to be a scoundrel and thoroughly enjoy himself via various escapades.
However, bureaucracy is everywhere, even in Hell. Laszlo's boss demands better performance, and in a week or less even, or he will be annihilated - his dad signed off on it.
Which brings us to him not having a good week. For he is given a very specific task for which he needs a few cursed humans. The problem being that they need him as much as he needs them so he finds himself on a road trip / quest throughout the world in a race to break the family curse ... or fulfill his task to save his own life.
The one thing that immediately struck me about this book was the humour. Be it situational comedy, the zingers, or the unbelievable oddness, I cackled from page one and only stopped in between when the action was too riveting, sweeping me along like a strong river.
Moreover, the author managed to invoke a wonderfully lively world reminiscent of the best UF while populating it with charmingly bickering protagonists, a very entertaining assortment of demons with hilarious names, a surprisingly amicable catholic priest, and really wonderful magic.
Fantastic story!
August 14, 2024
EXCELLENT. Great characters, story, humor, and I didn't want it to end. Would love this to be a graphic novel.
June 25, 2024
This book was an absolute hoot, and I devoured it like the perfect extra dirty martini. "The Witchstone" is a captivating fantasy novel that effortlessly weaves together humor, adventure, magic, and mystery. Neff's storytelling prowess shines through in his richly imagined world and well-developed characters, each with their own unique quirks and motivations. I laughed out loud several times at Lazslo's quips and antics. Overall, "The Witchstone" is a must-read for fans of sardonic demon main characters offering a spellbinding journey that leaves a lasting impression.
***Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. ***
***Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. ***
May 9, 2025
Opisałabym tą książkę jako demoniczny akcyjniaczek z motywem treasure hunt, klimatem Anety Jadowskiej jakby ją wymieszać z “Potwory i spółka” 😆 bardzo przyjemna, wypełniona akcją - nie wiem czy zostanie ze mną na długo ale bawiłam się świetnie 🙌🏼
Read
March 10, 2025An absolute HOOT. Definite shades of Good Omens, but grittier and more jaded.
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
September 17, 2024
This was fun. Great characters, interesting plot and unexpected outcomes. Not as funny as advertised, but still amusing, mostly-light and entertaining. There was also a distinct lack of instalove or romance between the two main characters, which I appreciate very much. It's the author's first adult novel, but has a mild Young Adult tone.
Laszlo is an 800-year-old demon who is rather lazy and apathetic when it comes to his job as Curse Keeper. The new management demon has given Laszlo a hell-week (i.e. 6 days) to rectify his ratings, or he will be crucibled - melted down and returned to the Primordial Ooze. Enter the Drakeford family, who are the curse bearers. Maggie Drakeford is desperate to break the curse and save her family from the very unpleasant generational curse affliction. So, she jumps at the chance offered by Laszlo, even though she is not too sure about trusting a demon - especially one that sounds like a salesman and needs a therapist. Breaking the curse requires a scavenger hunt for specific items, and this results in a fast-paced adventure involving the kobolds' magic-porridge pot, the Lichtenstein crown jewels, demon goons, an adorable shark-headed demon named Clarence, a rather large secret, and Laszlo's father. The narrative is a little uneven in places and the lengthy semi-infodump near the end a tad long, but overall this was just plain fun - a mildly amusing and entertaining escapade with some interesting twists at the end.
PS: I'm not really sure why it's classified as horror. Maybe because there are demons involved? Or because the curse turns people into monsters piecemeal (i.e. body horror)? Or inferior demons get turned into goo? No idea. The novel is rather tame compared to nearly all the fantasy novels I read as a teenager.
Laszlo is an 800-year-old demon who is rather lazy and apathetic when it comes to his job as Curse Keeper. The new management demon has given Laszlo a hell-week (i.e. 6 days) to rectify his ratings, or he will be crucibled - melted down and returned to the Primordial Ooze. Enter the Drakeford family, who are the curse bearers. Maggie Drakeford is desperate to break the curse and save her family from the very unpleasant generational curse affliction. So, she jumps at the chance offered by Laszlo, even though she is not too sure about trusting a demon - especially one that sounds like a salesman and needs a therapist. Breaking the curse requires a scavenger hunt for specific items, and this results in a fast-paced adventure involving the kobolds' magic-porridge pot, the Lichtenstein crown jewels, demon goons, an adorable shark-headed demon named Clarence, a rather large secret, and Laszlo's father. The narrative is a little uneven in places and the lengthy semi-infodump near the end a tad long, but overall this was just plain fun - a mildly amusing and entertaining escapade with some interesting twists at the end.
PS: I'm not really sure why it's classified as horror. Maybe because there are demons involved? Or because the curse turns people into monsters piecemeal (i.e. body horror)? Or inferior demons get turned into goo? No idea. The novel is rather tame compared to nearly all the fantasy novels I read as a teenager.
February 8, 2024
ARC from NetGalley
How to describe... George Costanza, the kid from Up, and a highly unimpressed teen girl with a mean right hook go on a road trip.
Laszlo has a rather high opinion of himself, being the son of a relatively high up demonic noble, though he begrudgingly admits that he's only a level 3 demon. He is the kind of person who works in order to avoid working. He's a schmoozer. He's a car salesman. He's completely untrustworthy but also has a titch of conscience rounding things out. He'll borrow your car and return it with an empty tank and expect you to thank him for it.
Laszlo is gainfully employed as the curse keeper for the Drakeford curse. Ideally, he would be involved with the family, trying to build their hopes up so they can come crashing down and otherwise trying to maximize the misery the curse brings. However, he can't be assed to actually do his job, so he's been coasting by for years, having never met the family, looked at the details of the curse, or really given a single shit about the whole thing.
Then the management changes. We get a new guy, a keener who wants to make a name for himself, and he is whipping the department into shape. Laszlo has 6 days to bring his numbers up or he's getting placed into a scalding magical funnel which will slowly and painfully turn him into Laszlo jam.
We follow him as he meets the Drakefords and tries his best to fuck them over all the while convincing them that he's their saviour.
Maggie is fucking done. She's had to watch her dad slowly turn into what I picture as a human cow pie/jabba, knowing all the while that this is a fate which awaits her as well. She's had little to no exposure/experience with the outside world aside from the hateful townsfolk of the immediate area who pay her family to eat their sins upon their deaths. Let's just say, I'm surprised the family had electricity. They have a drop down shitter in the back yard. She's bitter, jaded, and suspicious, all of which are completely reasonable given her situation.
Together, they set off to try and track down all the items required to break the curse. Unfortunately, Maggie's little brother stows away to come with. So, they're stuck with an impressionable 11-year-old with encyclopedic knowledge of utterly random things who doesn't like swearing. He is fucking adorable, and I picture him exactly as the kid from Up.
They go on a grand adventure around the world, meet many different types of demons, nearly die several times, and Laszlo is shoehorning in as much hedonism as he possibly can all the while.
I loved this world. It's set in the modern day, but there are magical aspects and beings hiding in plain sight, which gave me some Men in Black vibes. You have your magical pawn shop, glamoured khlav kalash vendor, etc. Laszlo can barely open his mouth without cracking some kind of a dead-pan joke, which was delightful, though honestly I had to skim some parts because the Costanza cringe was deep in him, and I struggle with cringe.
I chuckled throughout, but it was at the 99% mark that I laughed out loud.
Consulfants.
Do recommend.
How to describe... George Costanza, the kid from Up, and a highly unimpressed teen girl with a mean right hook go on a road trip.
Laszlo has a rather high opinion of himself, being the son of a relatively high up demonic noble, though he begrudgingly admits that he's only a level 3 demon. He is the kind of person who works in order to avoid working. He's a schmoozer. He's a car salesman. He's completely untrustworthy but also has a titch of conscience rounding things out. He'll borrow your car and return it with an empty tank and expect you to thank him for it.
Laszlo is gainfully employed as the curse keeper for the Drakeford curse. Ideally, he would be involved with the family, trying to build their hopes up so they can come crashing down and otherwise trying to maximize the misery the curse brings. However, he can't be assed to actually do his job, so he's been coasting by for years, having never met the family, looked at the details of the curse, or really given a single shit about the whole thing.
Then the management changes. We get a new guy, a keener who wants to make a name for himself, and he is whipping the department into shape. Laszlo has 6 days to bring his numbers up or he's getting placed into a scalding magical funnel which will slowly and painfully turn him into Laszlo jam.
We follow him as he meets the Drakefords and tries his best to fuck them over all the while convincing them that he's their saviour.
Maggie is fucking done. She's had to watch her dad slowly turn into what I picture as a human cow pie/jabba, knowing all the while that this is a fate which awaits her as well. She's had little to no exposure/experience with the outside world aside from the hateful townsfolk of the immediate area who pay her family to eat their sins upon their deaths. Let's just say, I'm surprised the family had electricity. They have a drop down shitter in the back yard. She's bitter, jaded, and suspicious, all of which are completely reasonable given her situation.
Together, they set off to try and track down all the items required to break the curse. Unfortunately, Maggie's little brother stows away to come with. So, they're stuck with an impressionable 11-year-old with encyclopedic knowledge of utterly random things who doesn't like swearing. He is fucking adorable, and I picture him exactly as the kid from Up.
They go on a grand adventure around the world, meet many different types of demons, nearly die several times, and Laszlo is shoehorning in as much hedonism as he possibly can all the while.
I loved this world. It's set in the modern day, but there are magical aspects and beings hiding in plain sight, which gave me some Men in Black vibes. You have your magical pawn shop, glamoured khlav kalash vendor, etc. Laszlo can barely open his mouth without cracking some kind of a dead-pan joke, which was delightful, though honestly I had to skim some parts because the Costanza cringe was deep in him, and I struggle with cringe.
I chuckled throughout, but it was at the 99% mark that I laughed out loud.
Consulfants.
Do recommend.
January 4, 2025
Overall I had a fun time with it for the first 2/3 or so, but had one major issue of sexual assault and mocking the victim to intentionally cause harm that made the rest of it unpleasant.
I felt an adventure lacking more depth would’ve been stronger with a shorter length. I found my initial enthusiasm lagging by around 80%. The writing comes off as fairly YA, sometimes over-explaining things or “telling” in a way that felt more juvenile, but with the inclusion of references to drugs, sex, etc.
*more detail on the major issue: the teen girl who is cursed is essentially taken over by the curse which makes her attempt to force a frightened man to penetrate her. It started as him pursuing her thinking she was a SW and then seeing the curse doing creepy body horror and wanting to not have sex. Nor does she want to have sex and is not in control of her body. So both parties are essentially sexually assaulted, which seems completely unnecessary (the situation could’ve been interrupted earlier so it was less disturbing).
It was very much in contrast to the juvenile and light writing style (like haha he’s bad at his job he gets a bad parking spot, haha he’s mean to his coworker, haha the child is better at magic than him). While the horrors of a curse determined to continue through generations could be handled by a thoughtful darker story centering the victim of said curse, this wasn’t it.
If that wasn’t bad enough, it’s brought up later by the MC to taunt and shame the teen victim in front of her mother and her child brother, in order to maximize the amount she suffered emotionally and talked about how she was going to spread her legs to get pregnant as much as possible etc. he really just described an incredibly disturbing lifetime of trauma, rape, and forced birth due to the curse ahead of this teen, that the curse would force her to seek out or initiate.
While it’s later justified that he had to upset them as much as possible to complete his goal of not getting killed by the demon bosses, he also brags that he completed all 3 criteria despite only needing to complete one, which meant he actually didn’t need to traumatize her with a hypothetical life of pure trauma and hell as he did. It was literally unnecessary to the plot and incredibly disturbing.
The narrator did a great job, except for the voice for the mom, which sounded like a 70 year old voice not a presumably 40-50 year old, and was unpleasant to hear.
I would be open to more books narrated by the narrator. I would likely only be open to something else by the author if it was shorter and didn’t include sexual assault being bragged about for bonus points by the MC.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and am providing an honest review.
I felt an adventure lacking more depth would’ve been stronger with a shorter length. I found my initial enthusiasm lagging by around 80%. The writing comes off as fairly YA, sometimes over-explaining things or “telling” in a way that felt more juvenile, but with the inclusion of references to drugs, sex, etc.
*more detail on the major issue: the teen girl who is cursed is essentially taken over by the curse which makes her attempt to force a frightened man to penetrate her. It started as him pursuing her thinking she was a SW and then seeing the curse doing creepy body horror and wanting to not have sex. Nor does she want to have sex and is not in control of her body. So both parties are essentially sexually assaulted, which seems completely unnecessary (the situation could’ve been interrupted earlier so it was less disturbing).
It was very much in contrast to the juvenile and light writing style (like haha he’s bad at his job he gets a bad parking spot, haha he’s mean to his coworker, haha the child is better at magic than him). While the horrors of a curse determined to continue through generations could be handled by a thoughtful darker story centering the victim of said curse, this wasn’t it.
If that wasn’t bad enough, it’s brought up later by the MC to taunt and shame the teen victim in front of her mother and her child brother, in order to maximize the amount she suffered emotionally and talked about how she was going to spread her legs to get pregnant as much as possible etc. he really just described an incredibly disturbing lifetime of trauma, rape, and forced birth due to the curse ahead of this teen, that the curse would force her to seek out or initiate.
While it’s later justified that he had to upset them as much as possible to complete his goal of not getting killed by the demon bosses, he also brags that he completed all 3 criteria despite only needing to complete one, which meant he actually didn’t need to traumatize her with a hypothetical life of pure trauma and hell as he did. It was literally unnecessary to the plot and incredibly disturbing.
The narrator did a great job, except for the voice for the mom, which sounded like a 70 year old voice not a presumably 40-50 year old, and was unpleasant to hear.
I would be open to more books narrated by the narrator. I would likely only be open to something else by the author if it was shorter and didn’t include sexual assault being bragged about for bonus points by the MC.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and am providing an honest review.
June 25, 2024
I don't really know about this. It wasn't bad, it wasn't really good, it was fine. Too long, too many fetch quests to here and there and back again, and the ending devolved into a lot of "punch punch fight punch" stuff that got tedious and boring.
August 5, 2024
Laszlo the demon is in big trouble with his superiors for neglecting his duties as a cursekeeper for Drakeford family and their curse. They have become too used to the curse such that while they are not happy they are not in the required despair. Now he has to raise their hope or a demon overseer will deintegrate him.
Maggie the eldest Drakeford daughter is doing her best to support her family consisting of her mother,her little brother and their father whose body is ...not as it once was and getting worse everyday. When Laszlo appears at the familys home explaining that there is a way to break the curse Maggie is skeptical and distrustful of the demon. But still harboring some hope that its possible she agrees to accompany him (along with her younger brother Lump who stowed away)
Laszlo was like a mix of Rincewind from Discworld,Crowley and a rich douche. Not a sucessful mix for character and his attitudes abd quips grew tiresome. Now I am well aware that well he is a demon and so not supposed to be good but I just had a hard time finding him interesting. I ponder that if he had been less middling douche human and more douchy demon it might have been better. His vices were just like ordinary human vices although he was a bit less shameless about it.
The person who I felt most connected to in this book was Maggie wich I also feel was the authors intention.
I question why the author felt the need to have her be sexually assaulted twice in this book. Its stated to be a side effect of the curse that compells Drakefords to have children young as to carry on the life of the curse before they were unable to do so because of their bodies degenerating.
I felt less repulsed by the body horror in this book than by the forced sexual encounter (even if compelled by a curse) wherein our female protagonist has her first kiss by an older gross man who thought she was a hooker. Ick!
My favorite parts of this book were when we were in Maggies head, and the final chapters.
Good omen meets Lovecraft vibes was my intial impression of this book and now that I have finished the book I feel as if thats still true but that Good omens fans expecting a similar book might be disappointed. The authors style feels more like Tom Holt or Justin Lee Andersons Carpet DiemCarpet Diem or Heide Goody.
I also feel as if people who are drawn to read this book simply based on the stylish cover a la Noma Bar will be disappointed as there is no refined martini drinking goat headed man in this book.
As it is I cant recommend this book as such but if you are a fan of those authors writing styles then it might be for you.
Maggie the eldest Drakeford daughter is doing her best to support her family consisting of her mother,her little brother and their father whose body is ...not as it once was and getting worse everyday. When Laszlo appears at the familys home explaining that there is a way to break the curse Maggie is skeptical and distrustful of the demon. But still harboring some hope that its possible she agrees to accompany him (along with her younger brother Lump who stowed away)
Laszlo was like a mix of Rincewind from Discworld,Crowley and a rich douche. Not a sucessful mix for character and his attitudes abd quips grew tiresome. Now I am well aware that well he is a demon and so not supposed to be good but I just had a hard time finding him interesting. I ponder that if he had been less middling douche human and more douchy demon it might have been better. His vices were just like ordinary human vices although he was a bit less shameless about it.
The person who I felt most connected to in this book was Maggie wich I also feel was the authors intention.
I question why the author felt the need to have her be sexually assaulted twice in this book. Its stated to be a side effect of the curse that compells Drakefords to have children young as to carry on the life of the curse before they were unable to do so because of their bodies degenerating.
I felt less repulsed by the body horror in this book than by the forced sexual encounter (even if compelled by a curse) wherein our female protagonist has her first kiss by an older gross man who thought she was a hooker. Ick!
My favorite parts of this book were when we were in Maggies head, and the final chapters.
Good omen meets Lovecraft vibes was my intial impression of this book and now that I have finished the book I feel as if thats still true but that Good omens fans expecting a similar book might be disappointed. The authors style feels more like Tom Holt or Justin Lee Andersons Carpet DiemCarpet Diem or Heide Goody.
I also feel as if people who are drawn to read this book simply based on the stylish cover a la Noma Bar will be disappointed as there is no refined martini drinking goat headed man in this book.
As it is I cant recommend this book as such but if you are a fan of those authors writing styles then it might be for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2024
Wonderful.
I didn't quite know where to place this, considering that it has considerable humor, but only to UF levels, or that it feels like a horror that could easily go the full-out, everyone-gets-hurt, path.
But in reality? Laslo the demon is a rogue with a heart of gold, and the two kids he goes on a road trip around the world with are pretty cool peeps. Breaking a curse was never so much fun.
There are lots of cool demons, adjacents, and normal people populating these pages -- and even a cool priest. The hearts (literal and figurative) are the best parts.
I think this is a pretty great, light, fun read. I may have teared up a bit at the end.
See? Demons really ARE the victims of a bad PR campaign. Or not. Whatever. Individuals are individuals. :)
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.
Arctunn.com
I didn't quite know where to place this, considering that it has considerable humor, but only to UF levels, or that it feels like a horror that could easily go the full-out, everyone-gets-hurt, path.
But in reality? Laslo the demon is a rogue with a heart of gold, and the two kids he goes on a road trip around the world with are pretty cool peeps. Breaking a curse was never so much fun.
There are lots of cool demons, adjacents, and normal people populating these pages -- and even a cool priest. The hearts (literal and figurative) are the best parts.
I think this is a pretty great, light, fun read. I may have teared up a bit at the end.
See? Demons really ARE the victims of a bad PR campaign. Or not. Whatever. Individuals are individuals. :)
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.
Arctunn.com
January 26, 2024
I enjoyed the story and the characters, but this book kind of read like Crowley (of the Good Omens variety) fan-fiction, in more ways that one.
The writing style was pretty juvenile.
The characters were really hit or miss, scene to scene. They would have touching or insightful moments and then say or do the absolute most stupid shit. Continuity was a bit of a mess all around.
The plot was interesting and kept me reading, but it was told in a way that was kind of disjointed and jumbled.
Somehow, Palpatine showed up in this book.
Overall, I enjoyed it enough to read through to the end, and was invested in what happened to the characters. With some heavier editing, this book could be fantastic, but as it is, it's a bit lackluster.
The writing style was pretty juvenile.
The characters were really hit or miss, scene to scene. They would have touching or insightful moments and then say or do the absolute most stupid shit. Continuity was a bit of a mess all around.
The plot was interesting and kept me reading, but it was told in a way that was kind of disjointed and jumbled.
Somehow, Palpatine showed up in this book.
Overall, I enjoyed it enough to read through to the end, and was invested in what happened to the characters. With some heavier editing, this book could be fantastic, but as it is, it's a bit lackluster.
August 7, 2025
pls das war soooo gut i loved the characters so much😭🥹 muss das unbedingt irl besitzen für meine bibliothek!!!!
July 11, 2025
What a fun read this one was! I adored Laszlo and Maggie and Lump a ton. Their interactions with one another ranged from touching to hilarious. I absolutely enjoyed entering the world Henry Neff created. It was deep in moments, but mostly quirky, creative and FUN! This was a great reading experience!
July 24, 2024
I give it 5 stars! It's a really original book. Great characters and story, and several plot twists to keep you guessing. The book reminds me of an early Christopher Moore type book. This is high praise as he's one of my all time favorite authors. The plot is pretty big, but not hard to follow, it's not that complex. The page length was 587 pages (I think) which seemed to me the right amount, the book didn't seem to long or too short. (I started reading Terry Haye's "Year of the Locust" and OMG what a mess of a book! Read the first 50 pages--out of 780-and there is constant new story lines followed by characters making long winded speeches. It obviously was never edited.) Anyway, this book THE WITCHSTONE is nothing like that! It's about a family in rural NY state that is cursed and the easy going but terminal liar demon named Lazlo who's case it's been to supervise, which he hasn't been doing because he's super lazy. Good book, highly recommended!
PHIL KUHN
PHIL KUHN
June 28, 2024
Wow I thought I wasn’t into reading anymore but it turns out I just needed a good book. This one had me hooked, even reading it in the morning before work. It’s creative, brilliant and humorous. Full of interesting characters, settings and a fast pace. Definitely recommend, this is the book that will get you back into reading.
March 25, 2025
This was the most fun I’ve had with a book in a while and I’d definitely read more of Laszlo and Maggie’s curse breaking adventures.
I don’t usually find side characters memorable but everyone in this book was hit. I’d strongly recommend the audio book for all the accents.
I don’t usually find side characters memorable but everyone in this book was hit. I’d strongly recommend the audio book for all the accents.
October 4, 2025
So apparently I have more than one favorite book of this year becuz this one was insanely good!!! I think my 1st place fav goes to The Warsaw Orphan but as far as the fantasy genre this story definitely takes the cake!! It drew me in and gripped me tight, leaving me hanging on EVERY word!!! It had fantasy, adventure, and horror aspects which worked so well together! I definitely want to read more from this author. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!
August 2, 2024
This was so fun to read. There is so much this book has to offer.
July 9, 2024
The hilarious, cozy, adventure fantasy books just keep coming this year but The Witchstone may be one of my favorites of the year though!
I had so much fun reading this book ( I smiled during the entire epilogue) but the substance was not lacking at all. The story follows Laszio, a nepo-baby demon who works for the society of curse keepers (think of Hell like a corporation) and Maggie Drakeford, a human who is next in line to be cursed by the very curse that Laszio keeps. Laszio is in some tough shit at work so he decides to “work with” Maggie and her brother, Lump, to save himself. The partnership leads to a laugh out loud, descriptive adventure that takes our characters all over the world.
Some how Neff is able to create an incredible story and world while also developing Laszio, Maggie, and Lump! Maggie’s development over the course of the story was so wonderful, and there were moments that felt so real and true. The supernatural elements and supporting characters are also so well done and add to the story in every single way. Finally, this book is ridiculously funny- not only just the dialogue but also the character description (Clarence will always be my fav)!
Thank you to Edelweiss for a copy of this book!
I had so much fun reading this book ( I smiled during the entire epilogue) but the substance was not lacking at all. The story follows Laszio, a nepo-baby demon who works for the society of curse keepers (think of Hell like a corporation) and Maggie Drakeford, a human who is next in line to be cursed by the very curse that Laszio keeps. Laszio is in some tough shit at work so he decides to “work with” Maggie and her brother, Lump, to save himself. The partnership leads to a laugh out loud, descriptive adventure that takes our characters all over the world.
Some how Neff is able to create an incredible story and world while also developing Laszio, Maggie, and Lump! Maggie’s development over the course of the story was so wonderful, and there were moments that felt so real and true. The supernatural elements and supporting characters are also so well done and add to the story in every single way. Finally, this book is ridiculously funny- not only just the dialogue but also the character description (Clarence will always be my fav)!
Thank you to Edelweiss for a copy of this book!
April 19, 2025
Laszlo is an eight-hundred-year-old demon and Hell’s least productive Curse Keeper. Laszlo doesn't believe in working, but believes in living it up, and right now, Laszlo is living it up in New York. When there's a new manager at work reviewing Laszlo's performance, the new manager is not impressed and wants to obliterate Laszlo. By some miracle, Laszlo gets six days to impress the manager. Now, all Laszlo has to do is figure out what exactly the Drakeford Curse is and how he can gather information to save his neck.
Maggie Drakeford is a nineteen-year-old who lives in Catskills, a backwater of a town with barely any population, with her younger brother, George, and their parents. Maggie's family has been cursed for centuries, and with each passing generation, the curse is getting stronger and accelerating the Drakeford family's demise. Maggie's father is severely affected by the curse, and Maggie is getting indications each day that the curse is coming for her next, and very soon. She doesn't have long until she loses all her senses, and she's desperate to try anything to lift, stop, or slow down the curse. So, when Laszlo shows up at the Drakefords' doorstep, the Drakefords are equally ecstatic and livid to learn of Laszlo's existence, as Laszlo never once checked up on the family in all these years. Are Laszlo's promises of lifting the curse sincere, or is there something sinister hiding behind Laszlo's plans?
Laszlo and the Drakefords come together with a plan to stop the curse once and for all. First, Laszlo and Maggie travel to New York, where they find out that George also tagged along, and they don't have any time to take him back. They also learn that George's magic powers can come in handy for them. The next step is to go all the way to Europe, where the curse is suspected to have started, but it is easier said than done, as there are obstacles along the way, such as Hell assassins after them, Laszlo's own father wants them to fail, to name a couple. Every step of the way, someone is trying to stop them. With such a short time, would they succeed?
To be honest, I did not expect much from this. Sure, I loved the cover and the blurb sounded alright, but my expectations were very low because I hadn't read anything from Henry H. Neff, but this hilariously surprised me. It was different. My god, it was different and I was so glad, especially as we have been getting the same recycled stuff over and over again. I also loved the writing. It's witty, straightforward, engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable. The plot, although simple, is action-packed.
I loved Laszlo. His laid-back, better-than-everyone-else persona was amusing. Laszlo's father is a powerful demon, but Laszlo is the black sheep of his family, hence, he's slumming it at his curse-keeper job. His constant need to have a one-up on his companions added laugh-out-loud moments.
I liked Maggie; I didn't love her as much as Laszlo, but she was a strong character who was ready to fight for anything and everything. George was good, too.
Overall, I loved it. I also loved the fact that no romantic relationship was pushed between Laszlo and Maggie. I also loved how all the characters were imperfect and in the grey area. The only complaint I have is that it was dragged a little toward the end otherwise, it was a fun story. A special shoutout for the cover.
And, I would love a sequel Henry H. Neff.
4 stars
Maggie Drakeford is a nineteen-year-old who lives in Catskills, a backwater of a town with barely any population, with her younger brother, George, and their parents. Maggie's family has been cursed for centuries, and with each passing generation, the curse is getting stronger and accelerating the Drakeford family's demise. Maggie's father is severely affected by the curse, and Maggie is getting indications each day that the curse is coming for her next, and very soon. She doesn't have long until she loses all her senses, and she's desperate to try anything to lift, stop, or slow down the curse. So, when Laszlo shows up at the Drakefords' doorstep, the Drakefords are equally ecstatic and livid to learn of Laszlo's existence, as Laszlo never once checked up on the family in all these years. Are Laszlo's promises of lifting the curse sincere, or is there something sinister hiding behind Laszlo's plans?
Laszlo and the Drakefords come together with a plan to stop the curse once and for all. First, Laszlo and Maggie travel to New York, where they find out that George also tagged along, and they don't have any time to take him back. They also learn that George's magic powers can come in handy for them. The next step is to go all the way to Europe, where the curse is suspected to have started, but it is easier said than done, as there are obstacles along the way, such as Hell assassins after them, Laszlo's own father wants them to fail, to name a couple. Every step of the way, someone is trying to stop them. With such a short time, would they succeed?
To be honest, I did not expect much from this. Sure, I loved the cover and the blurb sounded alright, but my expectations were very low because I hadn't read anything from Henry H. Neff, but this hilariously surprised me. It was different. My god, it was different and I was so glad, especially as we have been getting the same recycled stuff over and over again. I also loved the writing. It's witty, straightforward, engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable. The plot, although simple, is action-packed.
I loved Laszlo. His laid-back, better-than-everyone-else persona was amusing. Laszlo's father is a powerful demon, but Laszlo is the black sheep of his family, hence, he's slumming it at his curse-keeper job. His constant need to have a one-up on his companions added laugh-out-loud moments.
I liked Maggie; I didn't love her as much as Laszlo, but she was a strong character who was ready to fight for anything and everything. George was good, too.
Overall, I loved it. I also loved the fact that no romantic relationship was pushed between Laszlo and Maggie. I also loved how all the characters were imperfect and in the grey area. The only complaint I have is that it was dragged a little toward the end otherwise, it was a fun story. A special shoutout for the cover.
And, I would love a sequel Henry H. Neff.
4 stars
June 21, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advance listeners' copy.
The concept and general plot is interesting, and I like the logic of the ending. But I couldn't care about any of the characters, they felt very basic to me. I was struggling to get into this, even before the uncomfortable sexual assualt scene between Maggie and a complete stranger, where neither was in full control of themselves. And the ending, while being well thought out, went on for too long. It was only because of a long car trip that I finally powered through. The audiobook was fine, the narrator did a good job, I just wish I enjoyed the story more than I did.
The concept and general plot is interesting, and I like the logic of the ending. But I couldn't care about any of the characters, they felt very basic to me. I was struggling to get into this, even before the uncomfortable sexual assualt scene between Maggie and a complete stranger, where neither was in full control of themselves. And the ending, while being well thought out, went on for too long. It was only because of a long car trip that I finally powered through. The audiobook was fine, the narrator did a good job, I just wish I enjoyed the story more than I did.
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