Soul of a Gentleman Witch

by David Ferraro

Perpetually seventeen, Callum the witch has been in the service of Lucifer, collecting souls, as his own soul is indebted to the devil until he completes 666 tasks for him.

Summoned to Hell on assignment, Lucifer tells Callum that completing his next task will wipe the remaining tasks from his ledger and he will return Callum’s soul to him upon completion. All Callum must do is ensure his latest charge, Augustus, makes it from London to America, by the next blood moon.

As they journey across the sea, Callum grows to care for Augustus “Auggie”. Auggie seems unlike any mark Callum has ever been charged with and Callum wonders why such a noble boy would sell his soul to the devil.

Upon reaching New York, Callum discovers that Auggie never sold his soul to the devil at all but is an innocent. But is Callum willing to forfeit his own freedom to save Auggie?

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Queer, LGBT, Witches, Romance, Magic

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication January 20, 2026

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Page Street YA for the chance to read the ARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

✨️ YA fantasy
🐈‍⬛ cozy vibes
✨️ found family
🐈‍⬛ flying, fire-breathing cat familiar
✨️ witches
🐈‍⬛ MM romantic subplot
✨️ deals with the devil
🐈‍⬛ maybe the real magic was the friends we made along the way

This was such a fun read! I'm not a cozy fantasy type of person, but in this case the cozy vibes throughout the story worked perfectly. Reading this book is like drinking a warm cup of tea (except instead of sugar cubes it's filled with human teeth, but that's totally normal and wholesome 🥰).

While the plot is rather tense, the vibes remain lighthearted from start to finish. The way the writing adds humour into every situation made for a really fun read. The romance subplot is also really sweet! I'd say the book is 90% fantasy and 10% romance. The magic in the story is very whimsical rather than a complicated system, which worked perfectly with the humour and overall vibes.

I definitely recommend this for cozy fantasy enjoyers and epic fantasy enjoyers who want a more lighthearted read ✨️

[Alex Drzewiecki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.75/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

This was a very fun and cute read! Callum was fun as an MC, even with his faults, and the sense of humor he brought to his narration was truly the highlight for me.

I wish I had gotten more of Callum and Auggie together, as their feelings towards each other felt a bit abrupt and hollow due to the flow of the plot. But I still thought it was an enjoyable read with a colorful cast of characters. I also liked the complex issue of witches and humans both seeing themselves as victims and the other as cruel.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley and Page Street YA for providing an e-copy of this novel!

I read David Ferraro's novel, A Vile Season, early this year and absolutely loved it! So, I was ecstatic when I was approved to read Soul of a Gentleman Witch before the release date. While I prefer A Vile Season, I still really enjoyed this novel! I liked Ferraro's writing style. It is pretty simple and easy to read, but still does a good job of "showing not telling."
This is especially apparent in the characters. While we are told that Auggie is meant to be this kind and selfless person, we also get to see him regularly putting others before himself. I thought this was done best with Callum. I don't want to go too into detail to avoid spoilers, but this book is in first-person perspective. So, Callum describes himself a certain way, but his actions do a better job of actually showing his character.
For the characters in general, I liked Callum the most. He was just the most developed of everyone. Even though we have a relatively large cast of characters, we don't really learn that much about the others. I would even go so far as to say that Auggie is pretty underdeveloped as a character. He is definitely more of a plot device than anything else. However, I didn't really mind this, as the focus is mainly on Callum and his journey. I also liked the other side characters. I was worried that Narcissa and Therese would come to annoy me, but luckily they weren't that present in the narrative. Therese did kind of freak me out a bit though. She is supposed to be 7 in this novel and that is SO young. I would be reading and having a good time and then suddenly remember how young Therese is and get weirded out.
I wouldn't recommend giving this book a read if you are only interested in the romance. Like I mentioned earlier, Auggie isn't really that present in the story, so the romance is a bit flat. However, I do think it is worth the read for Callum's story and character arc.

[Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Page Street and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I completely consumed this book! Callum is a green witch who spends his time creating potions for other witches, and occasionally humans. Though he doesn’t really care for humans, as he views them as all bloodthirsty. He also sold his soul to the devil and still has to complete three more tasks of the required 666 tasks before he gets his soul back. So when Lucifer offers to wipe out the rest of the tasks and all he has to do is make sure a human named Auggie gets from London to New York by the blood moon. Two weeks to complete a simple task and then he’s free. When he meets Auggie he’s enamored by his beauty and his sense of selflessness. Though it is a bane of Callum’s existence. Soon though, he realizes this is no simple task, as someone is going against the devils wishes and wants Auggie for themselves. He’ll have to face dangerous witches and necromancers all set to take Auggie. But with a ragtag group of friends he’s determined to accomplish his task. Only the longer he’s with Auggie, the more he wonders what this wonderful man could have done to put him on Lucifer’s radar. And the more he seems to fall the more he has to ask himself could he really turn Auggie over to the devil? A page turner from start to finish! I loved the adventure and excitement! Callum, Auggie, and the others were all so much fun! David Ferraro writes a heartwarming story with magic, danger, and a little bit of romance!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really whimsical and fun. I loved the MC, Callum. His personality and growth throughout the story was so fun to read. I liked Auggie, too. He and Callum were a nice contrast and I loved how they showed each other a different perspective. Other things I liked was Narcissa, and Theresa. And of course the romance with Callum and Auggie. The ending was sweet too, as Callum finds he wants friends and people in his life. But at the same time, I just didn't personally find the plot very interesting. There were also times it seemed to meander and drag in ways but at the same time there was too much going on and too many characters coming and going. I went into this expecting more on the romance as they travelled together, but instead it was an action adventure thing and Callum and Auggie didn't spend that much time together. I'm sure someone who likes heavier fantasy/action plots will enjoy this a lot more.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy!

[beyondthebookcase95 · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by publisher and NetGalley all thoughts are my own

A delightful tale that winded its way through to the end. Some of the reveals were fairly predictable but I was fine with that as well. I think at certain points there was a lot new characters introduced and I had trouble catching up to who was where. But overall a fun story and the second book of Ferraro’s that I have read and enjoyed.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book by David Ferraro, although I've heard of A Vile Season. The premise of this book was really interesting, and I enjoyed how the author wove together the magic elements with the setting. The character concepts were interesting, and I enjoyed the plot and the different conflicts the characters faced. The only thing that's stopping me from rating the book higher is the writing style. It felt more "telling" than "showing" and made it hard to get fully immersed in the story. The romance was sweet, but I didn't really feel the chemistry between the two characters. Overall it was an interesting story, but I wasn't as gripped as I wished I was.

[Madison]

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