Welcome to my stop on TBR & Beyond Tours’ book blog and Instagram tour for Damned if You Do by Alex Jones! I’ll be sharing my review to celebrate, but be sure to check out the full tour schedule here for content from all the other hosts!
About Damned if You Do
Author: Alex Brown
Publisher: Page Street YA
Release Date: August 1st, 2023
Page Length: 345 Pages
Genres: Young Adult Horror, Paranormal, LGBTQ+ Stories
Purchase Link: Bookshop.org, Libro.FM, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, StoryGraph, IndieBound
Synopsis of Damned if You Do
Queer Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Filipino folklore in this horror comedy about a high school stage manager who accidentally sells her soul to a demon.
Seven years ago, Cordelia Scott’s abusive father left without a word, and life has been normal ever since. The seventeen-year-old spends her days stage managing the school play (which is going great, if anyone asks), pining over her best friend, Veronica, and failing one too many pop quizzes.
She’s never been sad that her father left, but she knows something is…missing. When her school guidance counselor, Fred, reveals during a session that he’s actually a demon, she learns that something is indeed missing: a piece of her actual soul. Why? She unwittingly made a deal with him to make her father disappear – then bargained to have the memory erased. To make matters worse, Fred is here to make another bargain: Help him with a “little” demonic problem, or she’s doomed to spend eternity in Hell with her father.
The deal? Help Fred neutralize a rival demon, who means to do more harm in her hometown than your average demon deal.
My Review of Damned if You Do
My first read of August was Damned if You Do, a queer young adult horror novel, which is a little outside my usual reading comfort zone. I quite enjoyed the story, though, and I am very glad I gave it a chance!
As I mentioned earlier, young adult horror is not a genre that I typically read, but I made an exception for Damned if You Do for two reasons. Firstly, because I am willing to give anything a chance if it has got sapphic representation. Secondly, the main character in Damned if You Do is a stage manager for theatre, a job that I personally have experience doing. This got me very excited about the book, as there are very few stories out there centering theatre technicians, let alone stage managers. These two reasons were what made me pick up Damned if You Do, but I stayed for the cinematic storytelling and the excellent character writing! The pacing of the story is quick and keeps you engaged through the whole book!
In addition to reading a physical copy of Damned if You Do, I also listened along to the audiobook. At first, I was not completely enjoying Amielynn Abellera’s narration style, specifically the voices she did for the male characters. However, as the story progressed, I adjusted to her narrative style and ended up really enjoying the audiobook! It would be a great one to listen to on a road trip or while at work!My Recommendation-
If you love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, books about theatre people, or exciting young adult novels, you should grab a copy of Damned if You Do! This book would be great for anyone needing a thrilling novel to capture their interest right now!
About the Author
Alex Brown (she/her) is a queer biracial Filipino American writer who loves to root for the final girl–especially if she’s a monster. Alex’s YA Comedy-Horror debut, DAMNED IF YOU DO, will be out Fall 2023. She also has a short story in the YA Folk Horror anthology THE GATHERING DARK, which will be out Fall 2022. Alex is also the co-creator of The Bridge, a sci-fi/horror narrative fiction podcast that’s had over 1,000,000 downloads to date!
Alex lives in Los Angeles with her partner and two extremely chaotic cats.
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