Deal with the Devil: Underworld University Book One Author Bex Deveau
Book Review
4.5 out of 5 stars!
"So, what? My eternity is. . .math class?" - Olivia
One moment you're doing runs for the famiglia's money and the next moment you're in Hell. How do you explain to Nonna that you didn't get that ticket into Heaven?
Olivia finds herself in the middle of an academy with demons and humans alike. Who knew demons were actually a real thing?! Oh, and Hell really exists but it's different. Navigating her new life gets even more complicated when Olivia discovers that failing or being dead last in her freshman class is NOT an option. But to rise in ranks she has to make deals. . .be mindful of your wording or the phrasing may just bite you in the rear!
"You just need to be quick on your feet and figure out how to work the system." - Mouse
Having strict parents has helped to teach me the art of loopholes. Olivia's life has also helped to train her in the mastery of such things. You don't exactly relax when your family has a front, they show legal parties but under the table it's a little different. . . She can do this but this time the games and agreements are harder because she's not simply dealing with humans. Olivia has to figure out her new afterlife and how to pass math class!
On top of all of that she's managed to catch the eyes of several demons within her class. Some eyes being wanted and some she can't quite figure out if it's a good thing or not. I loved how strong Olivia was and how she caught onto things quickly, adapting fast. She doesn't back down easily and will go toe to toe with the big, bad demons. She's very intelligent and stands up for the people she deems as family, regardless of whether or not they can sprout horns or wings.
I enjoyed watching her arc throughout the story and how she's taking it all in. The dynamic of the school/gambles being made reminded me of two anime, "Kakegurui" and "Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun". The vibes of how deals were made and sought out and then just being surrounded by demons but somehow stunning them all. Olivia's underestimated a few times and it's very comical when she comes out on top.
"How much trouble could she be?" - Dice
This is a why choose/polycule dark romance series and I loved the different interests who were presented. I would have to say my two top ones would have to be Poison and Riot! Poison reminded me of myself in many ways and I loved the representation of them being nonbinary! The writing around the character and just the truths under the surface. If I was in this book setting, I would want to be like Poison and have their abilities!
Riot's going through a lot, she also has anger issues that I can relate to! I really loved the complexity of her character picking up on her subtleties pretty quickly and how to read her. There's more to her then meets the eye but I don't want to give anything away! Just one of my favorite scenes was when Olivia had to confront Riot over a matter. I was grinning like an idiot and easily reading between the lines.
I of course loved much of the cast of this book! But I don't want to go through every character and potentially spoil things for first time readers of this book! There were some characters that grew on me, and I am really eager to see how they develop within the next installments. The "villains" of the story were also well written and will have you feeling a multitude of emotions. This book does end on a cliffhanger that had me smiling wide. I kind of knew some of the ending was going to happen.
This is a darker read with an academy setting. There's language, violence and some gore because of the "touch her and find out" vibes along with some matters that had to be dealt with when Olivia was alive. We have some past traumas and characters being treated differently or looked down upon. Some of the dynamics between the MCs and love interests are on the line of bullying. We get to have witty banter in this read and there is MF and FF action. "Good girl", biting, some backdoor play, intimacy, and a few anatomy surprises.
I appreciated how with the love interests there are different burn rates and some just straight up being complicated and drama filled. The guy falls first with a couple of the dynamics, and I loved having the multiple POVs to see what's really going on behind the facade some of the MCs put up. Olivia's bisexual and not afraid to show it. Loved the different personalities and seeing how things will slowly come together and how the MCs will complement each other.
Enjoy this read with spice, demons, deals, and so much more! Don't forget to give the author some stars!
Bex Deveau | creating modern LGBTQ+ friendly fantasy romance | Patreon
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