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Startup Hell
Not yet published
Expected 19 May 26A hilarious contemporary fantasy about a junior sales witch stuck in corporate hell, who has to evade devilish pacts and her kickass, world-saving, demon-slaying mum to save a (surprisingly hot) demon, and work out how to hit her quarterly target. From the New York Times-bestselling author of Dreadful and The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association.
Morgan Blackwater's mother is a kickass, world-saving, demon-slaying Shadow Council wizard. As for Morgan? Morgan's a junior salesperson at a tech startup that can't even decide what its product is. But with magic dyslexia and a disinclination to kick ass, Morgan is doing her best carving out a niche for herself in the mundane world.
Leaving work late one night, she discovers her boss dead from the effort of summoning a demon to trade his soul in order to make his quarterly target. The disturbingly-attractive demon, Lucareoth (Luke for short), is trapped here until he finds someone to sell their soul. While trying to sneak Luke out of the building, Morgan runs into her infamous mother. Apparently, someone has been summoning demons and she's here to get to the bottom of it.
Trying to protect Luke from her mother, Morgan gets sucked into the Infernal Plane and discovers hell really is a corporate nightmare. She only gets back home with a promise to deliver a human soul of her own. While her coworkers are really annoying, she's not willing to sacrifice their souls. The company's tech bro CEO, though, is another story.
With Caitlin Rozakis's signature wit, STARTUP HELL is a contemporary fantasy that exposes the demonic nature of the corporate world.
Morgan Blackwater's mother is a kickass, world-saving, demon-slaying Shadow Council wizard. As for Morgan? Morgan's a junior salesperson at a tech startup that can't even decide what its product is. But with magic dyslexia and a disinclination to kick ass, Morgan is doing her best carving out a niche for herself in the mundane world.
Leaving work late one night, she discovers her boss dead from the effort of summoning a demon to trade his soul in order to make his quarterly target. The disturbingly-attractive demon, Lucareoth (Luke for short), is trapped here until he finds someone to sell their soul. While trying to sneak Luke out of the building, Morgan runs into her infamous mother. Apparently, someone has been summoning demons and she's here to get to the bottom of it.
Trying to protect Luke from her mother, Morgan gets sucked into the Infernal Plane and discovers hell really is a corporate nightmare. She only gets back home with a promise to deliver a human soul of her own. While her coworkers are really annoying, she's not willing to sacrifice their souls. The company's tech bro CEO, though, is another story.
With Caitlin Rozakis's signature wit, STARTUP HELL is a contemporary fantasy that exposes the demonic nature of the corporate world.
432 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 19, 2026
6244 people want to read
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Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"Whatever the demonic equivalent of Slack is can cross the planar boundaries?" She'd cursed being tethered to her phone by late-night messages often enough.
"Nothing is slack, it's extremely tense," he said. "My boss is not happy".
Caitlin Rozakis' Startup Hell follows Morgan as she navigates the worst of two worlds - a marketing job for a tech startup and a forced deal with a demon overlord, using only her wits in a magical world with a thin line between venture capitalists and vampires.
Morgan finds unexpected camaraderie, with the demon Lucareoth, an Infernal Plane version of a sales executive, as they support each other in stressful jobs, not to mention trying to prevent a new 'disruption' that might as well be labeled dystopian. Rozakis' by now trademark humour (see Dreadful and The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association) is deftly woven into the quickly pivoting startup world, the danger beyond death of the magical world and the budding romance. The weird 'alpha male' behaviour of the tech bros might seem exaggerated, if one isn't familiar with tech/ tech adjacent companies, and the prevalence of imposter syndrome in these work environments. The character sketches definitely add to the whole story, though the end is a bit too contrived.
On the whole, recommended as a fun rom-com, with witty hints of the real world. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
🌟🌟🌟1/2🌟
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; 3/4 star for the character sketches and growth; 1/2 star for the story arc; 3/4 star for the writing; 3/4 star for the world-building - 3 1/2 stars in total, rounded up to 4 stars.]
"Nothing is slack, it's extremely tense," he said. "My boss is not happy".
Caitlin Rozakis' Startup Hell follows Morgan as she navigates the worst of two worlds - a marketing job for a tech startup and a forced deal with a demon overlord, using only her wits in a magical world with a thin line between venture capitalists and vampires.
Morgan finds unexpected camaraderie, with the demon Lucareoth, an Infernal Plane version of a sales executive, as they support each other in stressful jobs, not to mention trying to prevent a new 'disruption' that might as well be labeled dystopian. Rozakis' by now trademark humour (see Dreadful and The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association) is deftly woven into the quickly pivoting startup world, the danger beyond death of the magical world and the budding romance. The weird 'alpha male' behaviour of the tech bros might seem exaggerated, if one isn't familiar with tech/ tech adjacent companies, and the prevalence of imposter syndrome in these work environments. The character sketches definitely add to the whole story, though the end is a bit too contrived.
On the whole, recommended as a fun rom-com, with witty hints of the real world. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
🌟🌟🌟1/2🌟
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole book; 3/4 star for the character sketches and growth; 1/2 star for the story arc; 3/4 star for the writing; 3/4 star for the world-building - 3 1/2 stars in total, rounded up to 4 stars.]
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December 16, 2025A big thank you to the editor and publisher for an ARC of the book!
STARTUP HELL explores the hellish nature of the corporate world, quite literally, through slapstick humour and entertaining absurdity while illuminating moral ambiguity and the way desire might result in detrimental consequences but also wholesome, and sometimes chaotic, connections. Rozakis brings us on a journey of navigating a first job and finding faith in ourselves, especially when facing conflicts we aren't well-equipped to handle.
STARTUP HELL explores the hellish nature of the corporate world, quite literally, through slapstick humour and entertaining absurdity while illuminating moral ambiguity and the way desire might result in detrimental consequences but also wholesome, and sometimes chaotic, connections. Rozakis brings us on a journey of navigating a first job and finding faith in ourselves, especially when facing conflicts we aren't well-equipped to handle.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I LOVED The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association and I recommend it to customers all the time. So, I was excited to read the author's next book. There was a lot to like here, but in the end, I just felt like this story was too much. I got really tired of the actual startup talk. A lot of it was fairly incomprehensible to me and it got old after a while. I did enjoy the general story and some of the characters. But by 2/3 of the way through, I was ready to be done.
May 3, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan book for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I went into “Startup Hell” by Caitlin Rosakis curious, but ultimately had to DNF it. Unfortunately, I requested it and was approved right as I started to read “Dreadful” by Rosakis, which I ultimately DNF’d.
The writing itself isn’t the issue—it’s the world it lives in. The novel is so drenched in startup culture (which was promised in the blurb, so it shouldn’t have been surprising- that’s on me). Words like, “quotas”, “SQL,” “multipliers,” “investors,” abounded, and office politics were a main feature to the narrative. Unfortunately, I felt completely disconnected from it. I think that lifestyle may, in fact, be my version of hell… well, that and extended goodbyes.
Reading it felt like sitting in on a conversation not meant for me. It’s the same feeling someone outside education might have if I wrote a novel packed with education-related acronyms (IEPs, 504, PLCs, DOE, FAST, and ELLs) without much context - or used sections of the narrative to explain them, which would have been better spent focusing on creating emotional tension between Morgan and Luke. That aspect could have been much stronger.
For people in that space, I can see how the characters, especially Morgan and Luke, might feel relatable or even painfully real. But for me, none of it landed.
The world building was solid, it just wasn’t a world I had any interest in spending time in.
I went into “Startup Hell” by Caitlin Rosakis curious, but ultimately had to DNF it. Unfortunately, I requested it and was approved right as I started to read “Dreadful” by Rosakis, which I ultimately DNF’d.
The writing itself isn’t the issue—it’s the world it lives in. The novel is so drenched in startup culture (which was promised in the blurb, so it shouldn’t have been surprising- that’s on me). Words like, “quotas”, “SQL,” “multipliers,” “investors,” abounded, and office politics were a main feature to the narrative. Unfortunately, I felt completely disconnected from it. I think that lifestyle may, in fact, be my version of hell… well, that and extended goodbyes.
Reading it felt like sitting in on a conversation not meant for me. It’s the same feeling someone outside education might have if I wrote a novel packed with education-related acronyms (IEPs, 504, PLCs, DOE, FAST, and ELLs) without much context - or used sections of the narrative to explain them, which would have been better spent focusing on creating emotional tension between Morgan and Luke. That aspect could have been much stronger.
For people in that space, I can see how the characters, especially Morgan and Luke, might feel relatable or even painfully real. But for me, none of it landed.
The world building was solid, it just wasn’t a world I had any interest in spending time in.
Did Not Finish
May 8, 2026DNFd
* no chemistry
* Slow pacing
* Not funny
* Lots of marketing jargon
Arc from NetGalley
* no chemistry
* Slow pacing
* Not funny
* Lots of marketing jargon
Arc from NetGalley
Want to Read
July 27, 2025Hell Yeah!
...to a literal corporate hell AND new Caitlin Rozakis book!
...to a literal corporate hell AND new Caitlin Rozakis book!
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April 28, 2026Start up Hell was a fun concept. Morgan works at a tech startup with all that entails; tech bros, constant ‘pivoting’ of the product, irritating colleagues, a job she doesn’t even really like and the disappointment of her mother. And then add in the demon she accidentally gets stuck with who works for a demon overlord in what is essentially a sales job, trying to get people to sell their souls (And he’s terrible at it) and you’ve got the recipe for something entertaining.
Lucearoth ‘Luke’ and Morgan have far more in common that they expected and they find themselves supporting and helping one another easily. The friendships grows naturally with the romance having a sweeter, heartfelt undertone. Challengers are thrown their way until things start escalating rapidly into something that’ll have real world consequences. I wasn’t expecting the stakes to get so high but I was here for it. Morgan is relatable and human about everything, she gets tempted to take the easy way out, has a lot on the line but the book sticks to its cosier more heartfelt themes and resolutions.
Its set in the same world as Rozakis’s Grimoire Grammar School where the magical world lives adjacent to the mundane. I love the blend of normal human life with the secret magical world and how Morgan fits (or doesn’t) into it all and discovering how different magical people work and have adapted.
It has a slower build up but it was fun and witty - Rozakis’s signature humour is easily my favourite part of the book. The characters were entertaining and though the tech start up bros were a little exaggerated, it worked well to bring that tech world to life. A fun rom com with a cool set up and a magical world I really like. Morgan was a highlight in that her character arc was more about quieter contentment than big splashy dreams and goals which made for a nice change.
However, after absolutely loving Grimoire Grammar School (easy five star!) I had high hopes for this one, unfortunately I think it was just too romance based for me and whilst I liked the startup / tech driven story it didn’t hold the same sparkle and interest as Grimoire did for me. It took a while to build up story and I much preferred the wider cast and internal struggles of explored in Grimoire. It dragged on a little/ I’d had sufficient of the start up issues after a while so I wish it had been a bit more condensed. Still enjoyable and great for the right audience
Lucearoth ‘Luke’ and Morgan have far more in common that they expected and they find themselves supporting and helping one another easily. The friendships grows naturally with the romance having a sweeter, heartfelt undertone. Challengers are thrown their way until things start escalating rapidly into something that’ll have real world consequences. I wasn’t expecting the stakes to get so high but I was here for it. Morgan is relatable and human about everything, she gets tempted to take the easy way out, has a lot on the line but the book sticks to its cosier more heartfelt themes and resolutions.
Its set in the same world as Rozakis’s Grimoire Grammar School where the magical world lives adjacent to the mundane. I love the blend of normal human life with the secret magical world and how Morgan fits (or doesn’t) into it all and discovering how different magical people work and have adapted.
It has a slower build up but it was fun and witty - Rozakis’s signature humour is easily my favourite part of the book. The characters were entertaining and though the tech start up bros were a little exaggerated, it worked well to bring that tech world to life. A fun rom com with a cool set up and a magical world I really like. Morgan was a highlight in that her character arc was more about quieter contentment than big splashy dreams and goals which made for a nice change.
However, after absolutely loving Grimoire Grammar School (easy five star!) I had high hopes for this one, unfortunately I think it was just too romance based for me and whilst I liked the startup / tech driven story it didn’t hold the same sparkle and interest as Grimoire did for me. It took a while to build up story and I much preferred the wider cast and internal struggles of explored in Grimoire. It dragged on a little/ I’d had sufficient of the start up issues after a while so I wish it had been a bit more condensed. Still enjoyable and great for the right audience
May 11, 2026
Thank you Tantor Audio and Titan books for the ALC/ARC!
I switched between the audio and digital copies of this book, and I think reading them in either format is equally enjoyable! I listed to the audio around 2.5-3x speed, which is on the faster side for me so it DOES have a slower narration. But I really enjoyed the narrator and think it was a well done audiobook!
Overall, this was fun--your mom is a demon slayer, you're trying to make a career for yourself on your own in corporate America, and happen to stumble upon a demon who's now trapped unless you can help him get back to his own realm. If you work in corporate America, especially sales or middle management, it's going to make you laugh because of how true things are. I mean, selling your soul to reach quarterly targets or land a big client? We've all met the person who'd be willing to do that. And, honestly, they suck.
While this was a fun and fast read, I liked it but didn't LOVE it. There were a LOT of pop culture references and other location/place call outs that didn't really seem necessary and are just going to date the book in a few years. Did we NEED to know it was Starbucks? Saying the coffee chain with the burnt coffee would have been good enough. It kept jarring me out of the story because of how random/frequent it was, and I didn't really love it. I also thought the side story of her mother tracking a demon could have either been cut entirely, or expanded upon. For most of the story, she's just chatting with her mom via phone about the demon as a way to create urgency for getting Lucareoth home. It wasn't really necessary, I think there was a better option here.
Overall if you're looking for something fun and fast to read, this was a good pick! I don't think I'll read it again, but I enjoyed it while I read it.
I switched between the audio and digital copies of this book, and I think reading them in either format is equally enjoyable! I listed to the audio around 2.5-3x speed, which is on the faster side for me so it DOES have a slower narration. But I really enjoyed the narrator and think it was a well done audiobook!
Overall, this was fun--your mom is a demon slayer, you're trying to make a career for yourself on your own in corporate America, and happen to stumble upon a demon who's now trapped unless you can help him get back to his own realm. If you work in corporate America, especially sales or middle management, it's going to make you laugh because of how true things are. I mean, selling your soul to reach quarterly targets or land a big client? We've all met the person who'd be willing to do that. And, honestly, they suck.
While this was a fun and fast read, I liked it but didn't LOVE it. There were a LOT of pop culture references and other location/place call outs that didn't really seem necessary and are just going to date the book in a few years. Did we NEED to know it was Starbucks? Saying the coffee chain with the burnt coffee would have been good enough. It kept jarring me out of the story because of how random/frequent it was, and I didn't really love it. I also thought the side story of her mother tracking a demon could have either been cut entirely, or expanded upon. For most of the story, she's just chatting with her mom via phone about the demon as a way to create urgency for getting Lucareoth home. It wasn't really necessary, I think there was a better option here.
Overall if you're looking for something fun and fast to read, this was a good pick! I don't think I'll read it again, but I enjoyed it while I read it.
May 8, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
Firstly Thankyou to Titan books for this ARC!
“No ethical consumption under capitalism.”
But is taking the souls of people who deserve it really that different?
*Startup Hell* was such a unique concept — part contemporary fantasy, part corporate satire, part rom-com chaos.
Morgan is a junior salesperson at a struggling tech startup when a workplace accident involving demon summoning leaves Lucareoth (Luke for human) trapped on the mortal plane. The only way to get him home? Meet a soul quota. Naturally.
Meanwhile, Morgan’s trying to survive corporate life, hide a literal demon from her badass demon-hunter mother and the Shadow Council, and maybe fall for him a little along the way.
The strongest part of this book was definitely its humour. The comparisons between corporate culture and demon bureaucracy were genuinely clever, impossible quotas, terrible bosses, soul-crushing work environments… honestly the line between startup and hell gets very blurry.
That said, this book is *very* corporate heavy. A lot of the dialogue, structure, and conflict revolves around startup culture and sales environments, which personally just wasn’t fully my thing. I can absolutely see this being a hit for readers who work in corporate and enjoy fantasy with a modern, satirical edge though.
Overall: a fun, quirky urban fantasy with a cheeky romance and a really original premise — just not quite the perfect fit for me.
Firstly Thankyou to Titan books for this ARC!
“No ethical consumption under capitalism.”
But is taking the souls of people who deserve it really that different?
*Startup Hell* was such a unique concept — part contemporary fantasy, part corporate satire, part rom-com chaos.
Morgan is a junior salesperson at a struggling tech startup when a workplace accident involving demon summoning leaves Lucareoth (Luke for human) trapped on the mortal plane. The only way to get him home? Meet a soul quota. Naturally.
Meanwhile, Morgan’s trying to survive corporate life, hide a literal demon from her badass demon-hunter mother and the Shadow Council, and maybe fall for him a little along the way.
The strongest part of this book was definitely its humour. The comparisons between corporate culture and demon bureaucracy were genuinely clever, impossible quotas, terrible bosses, soul-crushing work environments… honestly the line between startup and hell gets very blurry.
That said, this book is *very* corporate heavy. A lot of the dialogue, structure, and conflict revolves around startup culture and sales environments, which personally just wasn’t fully my thing. I can absolutely see this being a hit for readers who work in corporate and enjoy fantasy with a modern, satirical edge though.
Overall: a fun, quirky urban fantasy with a cheeky romance and a really original premise — just not quite the perfect fit for me.
May 5, 2026
Okay this was my first book by this author and wow I was pulled in immediately. Like I know you’re not supposed to judge by the cover but I did and I was right because I ended up loving it.It’s about Morgan who’s basically the black sheep of her super powerful magical family. Her mom is this legendary demon slaying wizard and meanwhile Morgan is just trying to survive her very normal corporate job. Then one night she finds her boss dead after trying to summon a demon to hit a sales target and now she’s stuck dealing with that demon who is annoyingly attractive. While trying to keep him hidden her mom shows up to investigate, things spiral, and Morgan ends up literally in hell making a deal she does not want to keep.The whole thing is such a fun mix of fantasy and corporate satire. Like it’s genuinely funny but also painfully relatable if you’ve ever had a terrible job. Morgan was super easy to love lol and I loved the dynamic with the demon.I just had a really good time reading this. It’s clever, a little unhinged, and just a really fun take on demons and corporate life. Definitely makes me want to check out more from this author.
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March 29, 2026It’s not easy growing up in the shadow of a demon-slaying Mother, but Morgan has done her best to make her way in the mundane world without magic. Things change fast when she inherits custody of a demon summoned by her boss. Before she knows it, Morgan’s up to her ears in supernatural anarchy as she’s thrown headfirst into the ruthless market for human souls.
'Startup Hell' was my first time reading Caitlin Rozakis, and I really enjoyed her talent for balancing slapstick scenes with bone-dry humour. It works brilliantly in this book where chaotic fantasy is seamlessly woven into the mundanity of corporate life.
As far as demonic entities go, Luke was an absolute delight. I didn’t have “Cinnamon roll demon” on my bingo card for this year, but he filled the story with so much heart. Similarly, I found that Morgan’s search for self-identity and confidence brought a grounding relatability her journey, which I really enjoyed.
As someone from outside the corporate world, the heavy focus on the minutiae of marketing in a startup sometimes slowed the pace for me. It was however balanced by a vibrant, entertaining cast of otherworldly characters, who infused so much fun and energy into the story.
If you are burnt out on corporate life and are looking for a fun, fantasy escape, 'Startup Hell' might just be the antidote you’re seeking. It’s out in Australia on 19 May 2026.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia for gifting me an ARC for review.
'Startup Hell' was my first time reading Caitlin Rozakis, and I really enjoyed her talent for balancing slapstick scenes with bone-dry humour. It works brilliantly in this book where chaotic fantasy is seamlessly woven into the mundanity of corporate life.
As far as demonic entities go, Luke was an absolute delight. I didn’t have “Cinnamon roll demon” on my bingo card for this year, but he filled the story with so much heart. Similarly, I found that Morgan’s search for self-identity and confidence brought a grounding relatability her journey, which I really enjoyed.
As someone from outside the corporate world, the heavy focus on the minutiae of marketing in a startup sometimes slowed the pace for me. It was however balanced by a vibrant, entertaining cast of otherworldly characters, who infused so much fun and energy into the story.
If you are burnt out on corporate life and are looking for a fun, fantasy escape, 'Startup Hell' might just be the antidote you’re seeking. It’s out in Australia on 19 May 2026.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia for gifting me an ARC for review.
April 4, 2026
Review of an advanced copy
This was delightful. Being someone who has “quotas” and KPIs to constantly hit it was nice to be in a book world where this mattered too but didn’t do “overkill” on it. It’s really relevant to our world today and I hope people will enjoy it when it comes out in May!
I really hope we can get more books from this author in this world. Because I want more from Morgan and Luke!
This was delightful. Being someone who has “quotas” and KPIs to constantly hit it was nice to be in a book world where this mattered too but didn’t do “overkill” on it. It’s really relevant to our world today and I hope people will enjoy it when it comes out in May!
I really hope we can get more books from this author in this world. Because I want more from Morgan and Luke!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The concept for this book was great. The execution was not. A lot of that is because the startup world is, honestly, shitty. The only people who really seem to *want* to be there are the Brads of the world -- everyone else is just there because they think they can get something out of it or they don't have another option. And let's be real -- Brad is a huge asshole and becoming a is better than he actually deserved. (If you're in the startup world, this book may work better for you. I read the author's Grimoire Grammar School, which is in the same universe, right after my kid started school and it basically hit every button for me.)
Beyond the setting being too niche and also crappy, this book tried to do too many things and didn't ever get any of them quite right.
- Morgan and Luke. There wasn't really romance. This was not really a romance book. Morgan thought he was hot (in any form), but the emotional side wasn't really there. They shared a lot of time and adventures, but I never felt like there was a bond -- until there suddenly just *was*. Also, Luke had almost no characteristics except for being hot (per Morgan) and not very good at his job.
- Morgan and Fiona. This part of the story was honestly the best, though it look more of the book to get there than it should have. Fiona and Morgan are the classic opposite mom/daughter pairing. Fiona is elegant and exciting and magical. Morgan is not. But Fiona absolutely loves Morgan and would literally kill for her. She just has a different way of showing it. I was happy to see them start to communicate more and eventually have a good relationship.
- The startup side characters. I never really kept them straight (and not just Josh/Justin). I still don't know which is Kelly and which is Haley. Carter is... some guy? I don't even know. There were too many of them and they blended together.
- The supernatural plot and world. I liked all the parallels between the Infernal Plane and the corporate world. It was just the right side of too much. I wanted a bit more overlap with the characters from GGS once I realized that was happening. The world is interesting. The supernatural characters are much more interesting than the mundane ones.
- Bigger picture statements. There were a lot of statements about how bad the corporate world and consumerism and capitalism are, but they ended up just being throw away lines to give Morgan a little bit more depth while she was ogling Luke.
- Writing. This book was kind of hard to read. There were a lot of scenes (action scenes mostly, but others as well) where I just couldn't follow what was going on. Who was talking? Were they still in that same room? No, they've moved but it was never mentioned. It was rough. I also think the book might have worked better as first person (which I rarely say) since everything was from Morgan's POV. The storytelling lacked a connection to Morgan, which first person might have helped with.
This book reminded me a lot of the Brimstone and Roses comic (in a good way). I recommend that if you want more of the same vibe.
Beyond the setting being too niche and also crappy, this book tried to do too many things and didn't ever get any of them quite right.
- Morgan and Luke. There wasn't really romance. This was not really a romance book. Morgan thought he was hot (in any form), but the emotional side wasn't really there. They shared a lot of time and adventures, but I never felt like there was a bond -- until there suddenly just *was*. Also, Luke had almost no characteristics except for being hot (per Morgan) and not very good at his job.
- Morgan and Fiona. This part of the story was honestly the best, though it look more of the book to get there than it should have. Fiona and Morgan are the classic opposite mom/daughter pairing. Fiona is elegant and exciting and magical. Morgan is not. But Fiona absolutely loves Morgan and would literally kill for her. She just has a different way of showing it. I was happy to see them start to communicate more and eventually have a good relationship.
- The startup side characters. I never really kept them straight (and not just Josh/Justin). I still don't know which is Kelly and which is Haley. Carter is... some guy? I don't even know. There were too many of them and they blended together.
- The supernatural plot and world. I liked all the parallels between the Infernal Plane and the corporate world. It was just the right side of too much. I wanted a bit more overlap with the characters from GGS once I realized that was happening. The world is interesting. The supernatural characters are much more interesting than the mundane ones.
- Bigger picture statements. There were a lot of statements about how bad the corporate world and consumerism and capitalism are, but they ended up just being throw away lines to give Morgan a little bit more depth while she was ogling Luke.
- Writing. This book was kind of hard to read. There were a lot of scenes (action scenes mostly, but others as well) where I just couldn't follow what was going on. Who was talking? Were they still in that same room? No, they've moved but it was never mentioned. It was rough. I also think the book might have worked better as first person (which I rarely say) since everything was from Morgan's POV. The storytelling lacked a connection to Morgan, which first person might have helped with.
This book reminded me a lot of the Brimstone and Roses comic (in a good way). I recommend that if you want more of the same vibe.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5⭐️
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Startup Hell follows Morgan, a magically stunted daughter of a badass demon-slaying mother, who accidentally walks in on the aftermath of her boss trying to sell his soul. He’s been killed and the demon is left behind, unsure how to get back to his plane. What follows is their attempts to get him home, avoid selling Morgan’s soul while she metaphorically sells her soul in a junior role at a tech start-up company. Various other magical beings flit in and out of the story and Morgan and the demon end up becoming much closer than they expected.
When I read the synopsis for this I was SO excited to read this book. It sounded so fun, so unique and I couldn’t wait. I did end up struggling significantly more than I expected to though, because of the huge amount of technical marketing terminology used consistently throughout the book. I loved the story, I loved the interactions between characters, the humour was great and there was a layer of emotion and depth too. But this really great content was just constantly broken up by heavy marketing jargon and it was so frustrating. I wanted more of the story, the characters, the humour. I understand the main character worked in that world and her job was directly relevant to the story, but it seemed unnecessary to have such a constant, heavy layer of technical speak so constantly. It did unfortunately have quite an impact on how much I enjoyed the book.
The non-marketing elements of the book were absolutely fantastic though. Morgan is such a relatable character and her desire to get more from her life is something most of us have probably felt. Her relationship with her mum was also quite relatable but her mum being a heroic demon-slayer made those interactions so entertaining and often quite funny. Luke was such a sweet character and watching him discover the world like a small child would, was so lovely and such a nice contrast. Morgan’s co-workers were all so relatable as I’m sure we’ve all worked with one or two Brads or Kellys in our lifetimes! It was so clever how the author managed to make magical characters, situations and even magic itself often seem so mundane and transactional. The plot was very clever too, the direction the author ended up taking it in surprised me and isn’t something I’ve ever seen before. A lot of the elements of this book aren’t things I’ve typically seen before, or at least not done in this way.
The excessive marketing talk is unfortunately the reason for the slightly lower rating, I just struggled too much. But I would still recommend the book to others, just mentioning this is the case. Because the overall story, characters and world are wonderful and there is a lot of humour, depth and entertainment there.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Startup Hell follows Morgan, a magically stunted daughter of a badass demon-slaying mother, who accidentally walks in on the aftermath of her boss trying to sell his soul. He’s been killed and the demon is left behind, unsure how to get back to his plane. What follows is their attempts to get him home, avoid selling Morgan’s soul while she metaphorically sells her soul in a junior role at a tech start-up company. Various other magical beings flit in and out of the story and Morgan and the demon end up becoming much closer than they expected.
When I read the synopsis for this I was SO excited to read this book. It sounded so fun, so unique and I couldn’t wait. I did end up struggling significantly more than I expected to though, because of the huge amount of technical marketing terminology used consistently throughout the book. I loved the story, I loved the interactions between characters, the humour was great and there was a layer of emotion and depth too. But this really great content was just constantly broken up by heavy marketing jargon and it was so frustrating. I wanted more of the story, the characters, the humour. I understand the main character worked in that world and her job was directly relevant to the story, but it seemed unnecessary to have such a constant, heavy layer of technical speak so constantly. It did unfortunately have quite an impact on how much I enjoyed the book.
The non-marketing elements of the book were absolutely fantastic though. Morgan is such a relatable character and her desire to get more from her life is something most of us have probably felt. Her relationship with her mum was also quite relatable but her mum being a heroic demon-slayer made those interactions so entertaining and often quite funny. Luke was such a sweet character and watching him discover the world like a small child would, was so lovely and such a nice contrast. Morgan’s co-workers were all so relatable as I’m sure we’ve all worked with one or two Brads or Kellys in our lifetimes! It was so clever how the author managed to make magical characters, situations and even magic itself often seem so mundane and transactional. The plot was very clever too, the direction the author ended up taking it in surprised me and isn’t something I’ve ever seen before. A lot of the elements of this book aren’t things I’ve typically seen before, or at least not done in this way.
The excessive marketing talk is unfortunately the reason for the slightly lower rating, I just struggled too much. But I would still recommend the book to others, just mentioning this is the case. Because the overall story, characters and world are wonderful and there is a lot of humour, depth and entertainment there.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
After devouring The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association last year, I knew Caitlin Rozakis was becoming a must-read author! Startup Hell has some different vibes from Grammar School, but still hits that great combination of fantasy, funny, and full of feeling.
Morgan was raised within the magical community, but unlike her parents, she has no magical abilities. Morgan spends her days working in a tech startup, occasionally fielding phone calls from her mother (a magical badass) who more closely resembles your standard fantasy heroine. This totally doesn't bother Morgan at all *enter sarcasm here*. Her work is a disaster, but it's a living, until she walks in on her dead boss-who just summoned a demon. Obviously things can't get worse, right? Ha. Morgan's life, and this book, is a classic tale of "if it can get worse, it WILL get worse". The only good news? The demon doesn't particularly want to be here either and he is HOT. What ensues is a tale of shenanigans, disaster, and just maybe... love.
Morgan was a compelling heroine, even if I wanted to shake her at times to call the (magical) authors. However, her character is developed in such a way that it's completely believable why she wouldn't. Morgan has an independent streak a mile wide and mommy issues to put others to shame. Which to mention, I felt the writing of Fiona-Morgan's mother-was particularly well done. I immediately liked her, but you can see exactly why Morgan struggles with her. Fiona did her best, but what she thought was best wasn't necessarily what Morgan needed.
While Morgan is our single POV lead, we also follow demon-and potential love interest-Luke (short for Lucareoth). He's sweet and funny and totally charming. I love a fish out of water situation with supernatural creatures, where you have to explain all the random things about how our human world works. The burn is slow, and not featured enough to categorizes this as romantasy, but definitely present (and certainly enjoyed by me).
Fantasy fans will definitely want to check out Startup Hell. If you've read Grammar School, there are some fun easter eggs hidden in here, but it's not necessary (but also read Grammar School because it's also amazing). The author infused many of her own experiences in tech startups into the book and it absolutely shows. Startup Hell does a great job of mixing the batshit crazy with more hopeful idealism. It got me in my feelings a few times (especially Morgan's relationship with her mother) and also had me laughing out loud. My arc is full of highlights of truly ridiculous lines that I wish I could share with everyone. All in all, I highly recommend Startup Hell!
Morgan was raised within the magical community, but unlike her parents, she has no magical abilities. Morgan spends her days working in a tech startup, occasionally fielding phone calls from her mother (a magical badass) who more closely resembles your standard fantasy heroine. This totally doesn't bother Morgan at all *enter sarcasm here*. Her work is a disaster, but it's a living, until she walks in on her dead boss-who just summoned a demon. Obviously things can't get worse, right? Ha. Morgan's life, and this book, is a classic tale of "if it can get worse, it WILL get worse". The only good news? The demon doesn't particularly want to be here either and he is HOT. What ensues is a tale of shenanigans, disaster, and just maybe... love.
Morgan was a compelling heroine, even if I wanted to shake her at times to call the (magical) authors. However, her character is developed in such a way that it's completely believable why she wouldn't. Morgan has an independent streak a mile wide and mommy issues to put others to shame. Which to mention, I felt the writing of Fiona-Morgan's mother-was particularly well done. I immediately liked her, but you can see exactly why Morgan struggles with her. Fiona did her best, but what she thought was best wasn't necessarily what Morgan needed.
While Morgan is our single POV lead, we also follow demon-and potential love interest-Luke (short for Lucareoth). He's sweet and funny and totally charming. I love a fish out of water situation with supernatural creatures, where you have to explain all the random things about how our human world works. The burn is slow, and not featured enough to categorizes this as romantasy, but definitely present (and certainly enjoyed by me).
Fantasy fans will definitely want to check out Startup Hell. If you've read Grammar School, there are some fun easter eggs hidden in here, but it's not necessary (but also read Grammar School because it's also amazing). The author infused many of her own experiences in tech startups into the book and it absolutely shows. Startup Hell does a great job of mixing the batshit crazy with more hopeful idealism. It got me in my feelings a few times (especially Morgan's relationship with her mother) and also had me laughing out loud. My arc is full of highlights of truly ridiculous lines that I wish I could share with everyone. All in all, I highly recommend Startup Hell!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Having read this author's previous two books and enjoyed them, I was quite excited to review her latest book, "Startup Hell."
The blurb promised: "What would happen if Buffy's daughter were normal and had to work in an office?"
To a 90s girl, obsessed with BTVS, this was the ultimate clickbait.
Sadly, the book failed to live up to the hype of either my imagination or the potential: it was all iPhone and no headphone jack.
First of all, the positives were our characters, all of them. From our FMC, Morgan and our MMC, Luke, all the way to those characters who only have a small amount of page time. I found them all to be brilliantly written, and, indeed, that is something I have noted with Rozakis’ other books.
The author is able to make the mundane aspects of personality so engaging that even the side characters are sympathetic, despite some of them being very awful people. Morgan's mother, Luke's infernal boss and even the many tentacled creature from HR were all so deliciously varied and engaging. I could have just read a book with them gossiping at the water cooler.
The plot of the book was very disjointed and not really what I was expecting. The pacing was all over the place as well, with some sections akin to an Intel processor, whilst others felt like waiting for dial-up.
The romance aspect also seemed like a hidden feature; we didn't get much build-up between "he's hot" and "my buns are burning."
Although perhaps the blame for that might be mine, I am so used to romantasy books where the romance is at the forefront. This was a fantasy with elements of romance, and in that case, that is on me for my expectations.
Finally, what, for me, really let the book down was the excessive technical jargon. I understand that the entire book is about a tech startup company and the (rather belaboured) metaphor of the corporate world being like hell. But I neither understood nor particularly cared about quantum data sets, HRI, sales techniques and the other million things you seem to have to know to make the text make sense. There was a whole page that could have been written in Martian for all the sense it made to me. I understood none of it, and I nearly DNFed twice.
The only benefit to all this techno-jargon I could see was that I sort of, but only just barely, understood the somewhat farcical "final battle". However, even if someone held a knife to my Android, I couldn't explain it to anyone else.
I'm still uncertain about the motivations behind certain characters' actions, and indeed the way they seemingly came out of nowhere and yet had such a major impact on the plot.
Perhaps if you have a more in-depth knowledge of tech startups and the corporate world in general, there will be some hilarious in-jokes that I missed, but all in all, this was quite a let-down.
I gave it 2.5 stars but rounded up to three because it was ok, just not her strongest book.
The blurb promised: "What would happen if Buffy's daughter were normal and had to work in an office?"
To a 90s girl, obsessed with BTVS, this was the ultimate clickbait.
Sadly, the book failed to live up to the hype of either my imagination or the potential: it was all iPhone and no headphone jack.
First of all, the positives were our characters, all of them. From our FMC, Morgan and our MMC, Luke, all the way to those characters who only have a small amount of page time. I found them all to be brilliantly written, and, indeed, that is something I have noted with Rozakis’ other books.
The author is able to make the mundane aspects of personality so engaging that even the side characters are sympathetic, despite some of them being very awful people. Morgan's mother, Luke's infernal boss and even the many tentacled creature from HR were all so deliciously varied and engaging. I could have just read a book with them gossiping at the water cooler.
The plot of the book was very disjointed and not really what I was expecting. The pacing was all over the place as well, with some sections akin to an Intel processor, whilst others felt like waiting for dial-up.
The romance aspect also seemed like a hidden feature; we didn't get much build-up between "he's hot" and "my buns are burning."
Although perhaps the blame for that might be mine, I am so used to romantasy books where the romance is at the forefront. This was a fantasy with elements of romance, and in that case, that is on me for my expectations.
Finally, what, for me, really let the book down was the excessive technical jargon. I understand that the entire book is about a tech startup company and the (rather belaboured) metaphor of the corporate world being like hell. But I neither understood nor particularly cared about quantum data sets, HRI, sales techniques and the other million things you seem to have to know to make the text make sense. There was a whole page that could have been written in Martian for all the sense it made to me. I understood none of it, and I nearly DNFed twice.
The only benefit to all this techno-jargon I could see was that I sort of, but only just barely, understood the somewhat farcical "final battle". However, even if someone held a knife to my Android, I couldn't explain it to anyone else.
I'm still uncertain about the motivations behind certain characters' actions, and indeed the way they seemingly came out of nowhere and yet had such a major impact on the plot.
Perhaps if you have a more in-depth knowledge of tech startups and the corporate world in general, there will be some hilarious in-jokes that I missed, but all in all, this was quite a let-down.
I gave it 2.5 stars but rounded up to three because it was ok, just not her strongest book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 stars.
Wow, wow, wow! I absolutely loved this book. It's incredibly funny and painfully real while being a sweet rom-COM (heavy on the comedy). Our main girl, Morgan, is the magic-less daughter of a witch/demon-hunter family who's stuck working in, well, start-up hell. While her mom is off fighting battles and saving the world, Morgan is trying to sell shitty tech products to other companies that definitely don't want to hear her pitch. When one of her coworkers dies while summoning a demon to get an edge in his job, Morgan is forced to take Luke (the demon that was summoned) under her wing while trying to meet the quarter's sale targets. Luke also has to meet his sale quota, and unfortunately that means securing a contracts with humans for their souls. So, we have corporate politics, interplane demon-human politics, and politic-politics to deal with.
I was laughing or smiling every other page. Even though I don't work in a corporate setting, I still related heavily to Morgan. I very much enjoyed the interweaving of modern-day issues and references (and I did feel a bit pained realizing I am waaayyy too online). Also the fact Morgan was using LinkedIn to solve crimes? Genius, hilarious, and a little horrifying to read some of those posts.
Some of my favorite quotes (note that these are from the ARC version of the book and might not be the same in the officially published work) were:
I just loved this book, and every time I picked it up to read my day got a little better. Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.
Wow, wow, wow! I absolutely loved this book. It's incredibly funny and painfully real while being a sweet rom-COM (heavy on the comedy). Our main girl, Morgan, is the magic-less daughter of a witch/demon-hunter family who's stuck working in, well, start-up hell. While her mom is off fighting battles and saving the world, Morgan is trying to sell shitty tech products to other companies that definitely don't want to hear her pitch. When one of her coworkers dies while summoning a demon to get an edge in his job, Morgan is forced to take Luke (the demon that was summoned) under her wing while trying to meet the quarter's sale targets. Luke also has to meet his sale quota, and unfortunately that means securing a contracts with humans for their souls. So, we have corporate politics, interplane demon-human politics, and politic-politics to deal with.
I was laughing or smiling every other page. Even though I don't work in a corporate setting, I still related heavily to Morgan. I very much enjoyed the interweaving of modern-day issues and references (and I did feel a bit pained realizing I am waaayyy too online). Also the fact Morgan was using LinkedIn to solve crimes? Genius, hilarious, and a little horrifying to read some of those posts.
Some of my favorite quotes (note that these are from the ARC version of the book and might not be the same in the officially published work) were:
Re the coworker dying: "'Gonna be some great LinkedIn content there, real inspo stuff. I've got dibs, no posting about the same event, you know?' 'Wouldn't dream of it,' [Morgan] promised [....] Mostly because it had never occurred to her to categorize a coworker's death as 'inspo'."
Re making a deal with a demon: "'You're not hallucinating," Luke assured [the CEO of shitty tech company]. 'Your world is much bigger than you dreamed. And your competitors are taking advantage of that.'"
Re big-boss demon on capitalism: "[...] Our entire model depends on you fools wanting things so badly that you're willing to sacrifice a chunk of your afterlife for it. Why would we ever do something that decreased the net amount of misery on your plane?"
I just loved this book, and every time I picked it up to read my day got a little better. Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
i don’t know how i’ve never come across anything caitlin rozakis has written, but now i feel like i want to read everything she’s written. startup hell was so incredibly hilarious, whimsical, and just such a fun fantasy read. the writing style had me hooked by the end of the first paragraph. as someone deathly afraid (not joking) of the corporate/start-up lifestyle, rozakis perfectly captures what i think it’s like to work in one of those start-ups. in other words, hell lmaooo.
morgan was such a great and compelling main character. fiercely independent and with a bunch of mommy issues, she felt very relatable and easy to connect with. after all, her slogging through at work and suffering because of hellish bosses (figurative and real) is something that we all can understand. she’s an outlier in her family and feels like one at work, too. i loved the way her character developed over the course of the story and how she stood for herself, courageous in the face of a demon boss and brad. we all hate brad.
and there’s luke (short for lucareoth, which is a pretty cool name). he’s a demon who accidentally gets summoned to the human world. he’s so charming and sweet, and so hilarious with how he deals with getting stuck in the human world. spoiler - he doesn’t cope well for the most part. the romance between him and morgan is a slow burn, much slower than i was expecting it to be, but somehow it works. and who wouldn’t want to date a hot demon? i only wish we’d have gotten his perspective in the book. i feel like that would have elevated the book higher for me.
startup hell starts slow, but the pace picks up pretty quickly as you continue to read through. rozakis does an incredible job at blending the hell that is corporate life (and all the wild things that happen at a startup), and the very real hell (or, as it’s called in the book, the infernal plane) and its demons, who also have a host of problems. the ending feels so hopeful, and overall, this was so much fun and i look forward to reading all of caitlin rozakis’ backlist!!!
thank you titan books for sending me an e-arc!
morgan was such a great and compelling main character. fiercely independent and with a bunch of mommy issues, she felt very relatable and easy to connect with. after all, her slogging through at work and suffering because of hellish bosses (figurative and real) is something that we all can understand. she’s an outlier in her family and feels like one at work, too. i loved the way her character developed over the course of the story and how she stood for herself, courageous in the face of a demon boss and brad. we all hate brad.
and there’s luke (short for lucareoth, which is a pretty cool name). he’s a demon who accidentally gets summoned to the human world. he’s so charming and sweet, and so hilarious with how he deals with getting stuck in the human world. spoiler - he doesn’t cope well for the most part. the romance between him and morgan is a slow burn, much slower than i was expecting it to be, but somehow it works. and who wouldn’t want to date a hot demon? i only wish we’d have gotten his perspective in the book. i feel like that would have elevated the book higher for me.
startup hell starts slow, but the pace picks up pretty quickly as you continue to read through. rozakis does an incredible job at blending the hell that is corporate life (and all the wild things that happen at a startup), and the very real hell (or, as it’s called in the book, the infernal plane) and its demons, who also have a host of problems. the ending feels so hopeful, and overall, this was so much fun and i look forward to reading all of caitlin rozakis’ backlist!!!
thank you titan books for sending me an e-arc!
April 30, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley and Titan books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a lovely book genre, something that sits between fantasy and cosy fantasy, I think the author mentioned it was contemporary fantasy and that sounds perfect. It’s got the gritty bits of real life and some gore while layering on a very realistic fantasy world.
Usually the fantasy worlds I read help me escape from real life, but this one did the exact opposite! I was reading about webinars and slide decks and “pivoting” and having major flashbacks to my own job and the worst bits of it! (This is probably the only reason it’s not quite a five star for me, personally I get a bit stressed and avoid reading something if it reminds me too much of my real life)
I loved the characters though, even the ones we were absolutely meant to hate (a love to hate them relationship!) and Morgan is such a cool main character to read about. Her take on life and what she wants out of it felt very unique for a book character but very normal for a human.
Some people don’t need to monetise their hobby, they just need it in their life to add a bit of joy, like Morgan and her baking. And some people never find a career they’re passionate about, but they build up their private life with passions to help offset that.
Brad was a great character to hate, an endless pit of greed and someone who seems to never think about anyone but themselves - a perfect villain that I think a lot of people will have worked for at some time or another.
The stakes were high and deadlines tight but nothing felt really rushed to me - we didn’t quite get to see enough of Morgan’s mum Fiona, but that’s only a personal preference from a lifetime Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. Maybe she’ll get her own spin-off book!
Luke was a lovely golden retriever of a person/demon - I was worried he’d be the usual snarky kind of moody demon who eventually lets down his guard to fall for Morgan, but he was actually a very soft and kind person who just wanted to be able to feel safe and wanted. Lovely main guy energy.
I think Caitlin is another of my “will always buy” authors!
This is a lovely book genre, something that sits between fantasy and cosy fantasy, I think the author mentioned it was contemporary fantasy and that sounds perfect. It’s got the gritty bits of real life and some gore while layering on a very realistic fantasy world.
Usually the fantasy worlds I read help me escape from real life, but this one did the exact opposite! I was reading about webinars and slide decks and “pivoting” and having major flashbacks to my own job and the worst bits of it! (This is probably the only reason it’s not quite a five star for me, personally I get a bit stressed and avoid reading something if it reminds me too much of my real life)
I loved the characters though, even the ones we were absolutely meant to hate (a love to hate them relationship!) and Morgan is such a cool main character to read about. Her take on life and what she wants out of it felt very unique for a book character but very normal for a human.
Some people don’t need to monetise their hobby, they just need it in their life to add a bit of joy, like Morgan and her baking. And some people never find a career they’re passionate about, but they build up their private life with passions to help offset that.
Brad was a great character to hate, an endless pit of greed and someone who seems to never think about anyone but themselves - a perfect villain that I think a lot of people will have worked for at some time or another.
The stakes were high and deadlines tight but nothing felt really rushed to me - we didn’t quite get to see enough of Morgan’s mum Fiona, but that’s only a personal preference from a lifetime Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. Maybe she’ll get her own spin-off book!
Luke was a lovely golden retriever of a person/demon - I was worried he’d be the usual snarky kind of moody demon who eventually lets down his guard to fall for Morgan, but he was actually a very soft and kind person who just wanted to be able to feel safe and wanted. Lovely main guy energy.
I think Caitlin is another of my “will always buy” authors!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rating: 3.5 stars
Caitlin Rozakis’ Startup Hell is a contemporary fantasy comedy following Morgan, a marketing/sales employee of a tech startup in New York City. Morgan is the daughter of a legendary demon hunter, which comes in handy when a demon is summoned in her office and her boss ends up dead. The demon, Luke, ends up being a relatively nice guy, and the two form a friendship and then something more as they try to figure out how to get Luke back home.
This was my first book by Rozakis, though I’ve always intended to get around to her others. The book pulls from Rozakis’ experience as a marketing executive in tech startups, though I hope her experience was better than Morgan’s. The story really leans into the out-of-touch-genius stereotypes for the CEO, Brad, who starts to solve their problems but then ends up causing a bunch more.
The story was very fun, with quips throughout and lots of appropriate modern culture references. Morgan has a good bit of growth throughout the story, which is nice, but also learns about her own limitations. I’m not quite sure why Morgan’s first response to seeing a demon is to befriend the demon—I’m not sure that it was ever explained enough why she started to trust Luke. The author did a good job of making Luke a sympathetic character, and showing parallels between Luke and Morgan’s situation.
So many of the references in this book seemed centered in the modern tech bro startup culture, and it was hard to enjoy the nuances without knowing them. As someone who has not been part of that world, I think they were specific enough that some of the references went over my head. I appreciated the variety of characterizations of both the female and male characters, which did align with some of my experiences in small businesses (but not corporate tech startup America).
Altogether, if you’re a fan of Rozakis’ writing or want a fantasy comedy about tech startups, this is a good book for you! However, I think the specificity of the references made the book less enjoyable for me (though I can see that someone from that world would really vibe with it).
This advanced reader copy was provided to me by the publisher.
Caitlin Rozakis’ Startup Hell is a contemporary fantasy comedy following Morgan, a marketing/sales employee of a tech startup in New York City. Morgan is the daughter of a legendary demon hunter, which comes in handy when a demon is summoned in her office and her boss ends up dead. The demon, Luke, ends up being a relatively nice guy, and the two form a friendship and then something more as they try to figure out how to get Luke back home.
This was my first book by Rozakis, though I’ve always intended to get around to her others. The book pulls from Rozakis’ experience as a marketing executive in tech startups, though I hope her experience was better than Morgan’s. The story really leans into the out-of-touch-genius stereotypes for the CEO, Brad, who starts to solve their problems but then ends up causing a bunch more.
The story was very fun, with quips throughout and lots of appropriate modern culture references. Morgan has a good bit of growth throughout the story, which is nice, but also learns about her own limitations. I’m not quite sure why Morgan’s first response to seeing a demon is to befriend the demon—I’m not sure that it was ever explained enough why she started to trust Luke. The author did a good job of making Luke a sympathetic character, and showing parallels between Luke and Morgan’s situation.
So many of the references in this book seemed centered in the modern tech bro startup culture, and it was hard to enjoy the nuances without knowing them. As someone who has not been part of that world, I think they were specific enough that some of the references went over my head. I appreciated the variety of characterizations of both the female and male characters, which did align with some of my experiences in small businesses (but not corporate tech startup America).
Altogether, if you’re a fan of Rozakis’ writing or want a fantasy comedy about tech startups, this is a good book for you! However, I think the specificity of the references made the book less enjoyable for me (though I can see that someone from that world would really vibe with it).
This advanced reader copy was provided to me by the publisher.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
😈💁♀️💻🔥 Startup Hell by Caitlin Rozakis
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 432 pages
Pub Date: May 19, 2026
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Summary (from Amazon):
Morgan Blackwater's mother is a kickass, world-saving, demon-slaying Shadow Council wizard. As for Morgan? Morgan's a junior salesperson at a tech startup that can't even decide what its product is. But with magic dyslexia and a disinclination to kick ass, Morgan is doing her best carving out a niche for herself in the mundane world.
Leaving work late one night, she discovers her boss dead from the effort of summoning a demon to trade his soul in order to make his quarterly target. The disturbingly-attractive demon, Lucareoth (Luke for short), is trapped here until he finds someone to sell their soul. While trying to sneak Luke out of the building, Morgan runs into her infamous mother. Apparently, someone has been summoning demons and she's here to get to the bottom of it.
Review:
I am a pretty big fan of Caitlin Rozakis's books and also of her writing style in the contemporary fantasy genre. I did love the premise of this book so much with Luke as a misunderstood character and how Morgan was able to bond with him even though they were from such different worlds (planes/species). There was also a great theme of found family here with Morgan's roommate bestie, Gisele. I also loved how the story also was a satire on corporate America and climbing the workplace ladder, even at the cost of one's soul. Definitely lots of good themes to be drawn to here! The reason I ended up giving this one only 3 stats is because there was a bit too much business/corporate lingo and description for my taste, but if you are in this type of work, this book would probably be more relatable to you. I think the beginning and end of the book were definitely stronger than the middle, but the plotline and idea for the story was fun to read from a fantasy angle.
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 432 pages
Pub Date: May 19, 2026
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Summary (from Amazon):
Morgan Blackwater's mother is a kickass, world-saving, demon-slaying Shadow Council wizard. As for Morgan? Morgan's a junior salesperson at a tech startup that can't even decide what its product is. But with magic dyslexia and a disinclination to kick ass, Morgan is doing her best carving out a niche for herself in the mundane world.
Leaving work late one night, she discovers her boss dead from the effort of summoning a demon to trade his soul in order to make his quarterly target. The disturbingly-attractive demon, Lucareoth (Luke for short), is trapped here until he finds someone to sell their soul. While trying to sneak Luke out of the building, Morgan runs into her infamous mother. Apparently, someone has been summoning demons and she's here to get to the bottom of it.
Review:
I am a pretty big fan of Caitlin Rozakis's books and also of her writing style in the contemporary fantasy genre. I did love the premise of this book so much with Luke as a misunderstood character and how Morgan was able to bond with him even though they were from such different worlds (planes/species). There was also a great theme of found family here with Morgan's roommate bestie, Gisele. I also loved how the story also was a satire on corporate America and climbing the workplace ladder, even at the cost of one's soul. Definitely lots of good themes to be drawn to here! The reason I ended up giving this one only 3 stats is because there was a bit too much business/corporate lingo and description for my taste, but if you are in this type of work, this book would probably be more relatable to you. I think the beginning and end of the book were definitely stronger than the middle, but the plotline and idea for the story was fun to read from a fantasy angle.
January 22, 2026
thank you to netgalley for this arc!!
this book was super witty and funny going into it. i really liked the plot that the fl had to help a demon who accidentally wound up there after a ritual gone wrong. the premise was super funny and the first 20% of the book made me super positive i would like it.
morgan wasn't a hero, which was a breath of fresh air. she had a lot of complexes both with herself and family. i enjoyed reading about her navigations between the magic and mortal world. complex family dynamics are always a favourite trope of mine, and although her and her mother didn't have too much time together, the scenes they did have were super relatable.
i loveddd luke and rix! the two of them made the book so much more entertaining. luke was genuinely such a sweet and thoughtful character and i loved it. they had a good relationship and i loved reading luke's loyalty and outright devotion. he was so funny and precious, 10/10 my favourite character in the book. the romance took a backburner and it wasn't fully in your face so i lowkey wanted more, but they were refreshing either way.
the side characters were super witty and the inner monologue morgan had about them were so entertaining so i loved reading the comedic parts. however, the book did kinda lose me at some points with the nature of this book. morgan works in an office with a lot of marketing. the company jargon went over my head a lot and it explained so many keywords about things like startups that i wasn't really interested in. the plot took a while to take off so you're stuck with a lot of company talk for most of the book. i can't fault it given the setting of the book but it wasn't too interesting for me to read.
loved the banter and the comedic bits, but i realized throughout the book that i could never be an office worker girlie. best believe i'd be lost 24/7. if you're into kinda office romances with a side plot of demons then i'd recommend!
this book was super witty and funny going into it. i really liked the plot that the fl had to help a demon who accidentally wound up there after a ritual gone wrong. the premise was super funny and the first 20% of the book made me super positive i would like it.
morgan wasn't a hero, which was a breath of fresh air. she had a lot of complexes both with herself and family. i enjoyed reading about her navigations between the magic and mortal world. complex family dynamics are always a favourite trope of mine, and although her and her mother didn't have too much time together, the scenes they did have were super relatable.
i loveddd luke and rix! the two of them made the book so much more entertaining. luke was genuinely such a sweet and thoughtful character and i loved it. they had a good relationship and i loved reading luke's loyalty and outright devotion. he was so funny and precious, 10/10 my favourite character in the book. the romance took a backburner and it wasn't fully in your face so i lowkey wanted more, but they were refreshing either way.
the side characters were super witty and the inner monologue morgan had about them were so entertaining so i loved reading the comedic parts. however, the book did kinda lose me at some points with the nature of this book. morgan works in an office with a lot of marketing. the company jargon went over my head a lot and it explained so many keywords about things like startups that i wasn't really interested in. the plot took a while to take off so you're stuck with a lot of company talk for most of the book. i can't fault it given the setting of the book but it wasn't too interesting for me to read.
loved the banter and the comedic bits, but i realized throughout the book that i could never be an office worker girlie. best believe i'd be lost 24/7. if you're into kinda office romances with a side plot of demons then i'd recommend!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Morgan Blackwater has always felt like a disappointment, especially with a mother who is a badass demon and rogue mage hunter for the Shadow Council. Compared to that, being a magicless sales rep in the mundane world feels like rock bottom.
That is, until she stumbles across a very hot and very stranded demon in her office.
One bad decision later, Morgan finds herself trapped in the Infernal Plane and reluctantly roped into helping him collect souls. As the two navigate hellish bureaucracy, questionable deals, and an inconvenient attraction, Morgan has to decide what she is willing to trade to finally get ahead.
This is my third book from Caitlin Rozakis, and I’m starting to notice a pattern in my own reading experience. I’m always pulled in by the concept. Her ideas are genuinely unique, the worldbuilding stands out, and she knows how to deliver an ending that brings everything together in a satisfying way.
But the middle is where I tend to struggle.
I found myself pushing through to see how everything would wrap up, more out of curiosity than emotional investment.
And I think part of that comes down to me as a reader. I usually turn to reading as an escape, and while I knew going in that this leans heavily into modern trends and real-world struggles, that constant tie to reality made it harder for me to fully sink into the story.
The characters also felt a bit more constructed than natural at times, with dialogue that felt carefully shaped rather than flowing organically.
That said, I can’t deny how strong the premise is or how well the ending lands. It’s fun, clever, chaotic, and full of sharp commentary, even if it didn’t fully pull me in the whole way through. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Pub Date: May 19, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
That is, until she stumbles across a very hot and very stranded demon in her office.
One bad decision later, Morgan finds herself trapped in the Infernal Plane and reluctantly roped into helping him collect souls. As the two navigate hellish bureaucracy, questionable deals, and an inconvenient attraction, Morgan has to decide what she is willing to trade to finally get ahead.
This is my third book from Caitlin Rozakis, and I’m starting to notice a pattern in my own reading experience. I’m always pulled in by the concept. Her ideas are genuinely unique, the worldbuilding stands out, and she knows how to deliver an ending that brings everything together in a satisfying way.
But the middle is where I tend to struggle.
I found myself pushing through to see how everything would wrap up, more out of curiosity than emotional investment.
And I think part of that comes down to me as a reader. I usually turn to reading as an escape, and while I knew going in that this leans heavily into modern trends and real-world struggles, that constant tie to reality made it harder for me to fully sink into the story.
The characters also felt a bit more constructed than natural at times, with dialogue that felt carefully shaped rather than flowing organically.
That said, I can’t deny how strong the premise is or how well the ending lands. It’s fun, clever, chaotic, and full of sharp commentary, even if it didn’t fully pull me in the whole way through. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Pub Date: May 19, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Media / Tantor Audio for giving me access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I just returned from a 12+ hour road trip and picked this gem as my entertainment. I was not disappointed! Caitlin Rozakis has quickly become a go-to author for me, with her hilarious blend of monsters, magic, and wit, I trust that every book she writes will be good.
Startup Hell brings a certain honesty to the adage that ‘work is hell’ when Morgan’s co-worker summons a demon to the office. The same Morgan who is the daughter of a famous Demon-hunter. The same Morgan who is barely staying afloat at a company she doesn’t necessarily care about. To Morgan, a job is a job, though it would be nice if her co-workers respected her at all.
Now because of a co-worker’s lack of follow-through, Morgan is hiding a Demon named Lucareoth (Luke) while trying to find a way to get him back to his realm before anyone realizes what’s going on - without losing her soul, letting Luke take anyone else’s but also helping him somehow meet his quota (who knew Demons had quotas, too).
The start of this book is absolutely hilarious. From Morgan’s self-deprication to Luke’s very literal understanding blended with business lingo, honestly I was laughing out loud every other minute. The humor slows down a bit when the stakes ramp up. Lucareoth really does need souls and Morgan really needs to keep her job. And Morgan’s boss may be the least moral of them all.
Startup Hell is great for fans of John Scalzi (Starter Villain), Drew Hayes (Vampire Accountant), and Hannah Nicole Maehrer (Assistant to the Villain). Humor with some real potential consequences. Oh, and did I mention hellhounds? Because he’s a highlight of this book for me!
TW: death, gambling / making deals, religious interpretation, loss of agency, threat of harm, family drama, some spice
I just returned from a 12+ hour road trip and picked this gem as my entertainment. I was not disappointed! Caitlin Rozakis has quickly become a go-to author for me, with her hilarious blend of monsters, magic, and wit, I trust that every book she writes will be good.
Startup Hell brings a certain honesty to the adage that ‘work is hell’ when Morgan’s co-worker summons a demon to the office. The same Morgan who is the daughter of a famous Demon-hunter. The same Morgan who is barely staying afloat at a company she doesn’t necessarily care about. To Morgan, a job is a job, though it would be nice if her co-workers respected her at all.
Now because of a co-worker’s lack of follow-through, Morgan is hiding a Demon named Lucareoth (Luke) while trying to find a way to get him back to his realm before anyone realizes what’s going on - without losing her soul, letting Luke take anyone else’s but also helping him somehow meet his quota (who knew Demons had quotas, too).
The start of this book is absolutely hilarious. From Morgan’s self-deprication to Luke’s very literal understanding blended with business lingo, honestly I was laughing out loud every other minute. The humor slows down a bit when the stakes ramp up. Lucareoth really does need souls and Morgan really needs to keep her job. And Morgan’s boss may be the least moral of them all.
Startup Hell is great for fans of John Scalzi (Starter Villain), Drew Hayes (Vampire Accountant), and Hannah Nicole Maehrer (Assistant to the Villain). Humor with some real potential consequences. Oh, and did I mention hellhounds? Because he’s a highlight of this book for me!
TW: death, gambling / making deals, religious interpretation, loss of agency, threat of harm, family drama, some spice
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really liked the setting and humor of this book, but unfortunately, the plot felt bland and slow to me.
Morgan is a low-powered witch working long hours at a startup. One night, while staying late at the office, she discovers that one of her bosses has died while attempting to summon a demon. The demon, Luke, is successfully summoned—but since her boss dies before completing the deal, Luke can’t claim his soul and ends up stranded on Earth. To return home, he needs to find someone else willing to sell their soul. Morgan helps him hide his true identity, and he poses as a new intern at her company. Together, they try to secure another soul so Luke can finally go back.
On the positive side, the book has some lighthearted humor, especially in its satire of startup culture. The exaggerated depictions of founders blatantly lying in demos or constantly pivoting their business plans just to impress investors felt sharp and very true. It also pokes fun at how some companies provide all kinds of healthy snacks or yoga classes to showcase—or pretend—to be a trendy tech company, while not wanting to spend time and energy actually getting their product ready. There is also a very cute hellhound in the book. I also really liked Morgan’s roommate—she was unexpectedly funny and added some great moments to the story.
However, many of the jokes were repeated too often. The startup theme, while amusing at first, can only carry the story so far. It didn’t feel strong enough to support an entire novel. Much of the book focuses on Morgan’s daily work life and Luke’s experiences at the office. While initially entertaining, it quickly became repetitive and lost its appeal for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Titan Books, and the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Morgan is a low-powered witch working long hours at a startup. One night, while staying late at the office, she discovers that one of her bosses has died while attempting to summon a demon. The demon, Luke, is successfully summoned—but since her boss dies before completing the deal, Luke can’t claim his soul and ends up stranded on Earth. To return home, he needs to find someone else willing to sell their soul. Morgan helps him hide his true identity, and he poses as a new intern at her company. Together, they try to secure another soul so Luke can finally go back.
On the positive side, the book has some lighthearted humor, especially in its satire of startup culture. The exaggerated depictions of founders blatantly lying in demos or constantly pivoting their business plans just to impress investors felt sharp and very true. It also pokes fun at how some companies provide all kinds of healthy snacks or yoga classes to showcase—or pretend—to be a trendy tech company, while not wanting to spend time and energy actually getting their product ready. There is also a very cute hellhound in the book. I also really liked Morgan’s roommate—she was unexpectedly funny and added some great moments to the story.
However, many of the jokes were repeated too often. The startup theme, while amusing at first, can only carry the story so far. It didn’t feel strong enough to support an entire novel. Much of the book focuses on Morgan’s daily work life and Luke’s experiences at the office. While initially entertaining, it quickly became repetitive and lost its appeal for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Titan Books, and the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
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February 27, 2026Thank you so much Netgalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to review an early copy of this book!
I want to make clear that this is my personal opinion and in no case a judgement on the author - it just wasn’t for me, it doesn’t mean that it won’t work for other readers.
DNF - 30%
Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. As someone who’s worked in tech for years and who loves fantasy and romance stories, I thought this one would be right down my alley. But I’m afraid it just didn’t do it for me.
I couldn’t get attached to the characters, their interactions not feeling natural at all and just creating a negative atmosphere overall. When on the same page Morgan talks about her best friend and roomate to say that ‘she expected her to react way worse than she actually had’ about two different interactions, it just makes me feel things are happening for the sake of happening, not because they take the story further. It gives the impression that the main character just expects the worst of everyone but she doesn’t learn from it. It only makes her sound like super negative and whiny most of the time.
The side characters all feel so similar to one another, making it extremely hard to keep track of who is who. And the tech jargon… Yes, I guess if that’s going to be setting, it’s important to talk about the job itself, but an extremely detailed explaination of what angel investors are when the idea of using them is discarded right after without even a discussion? Again it really felt like space wasting. It made me feel like I was just reading a dry school book without a real goal or objective.
On paper this story had everything I would have like but it just felt flat for me. I started not looking forward to continuing the story so I decided to stop there.
I want to make clear that this is my personal opinion and in no case a judgement on the author - it just wasn’t for me, it doesn’t mean that it won’t work for other readers.
DNF - 30%
Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. As someone who’s worked in tech for years and who loves fantasy and romance stories, I thought this one would be right down my alley. But I’m afraid it just didn’t do it for me.
I couldn’t get attached to the characters, their interactions not feeling natural at all and just creating a negative atmosphere overall. When on the same page Morgan talks about her best friend and roomate to say that ‘she expected her to react way worse than she actually had’ about two different interactions, it just makes me feel things are happening for the sake of happening, not because they take the story further. It gives the impression that the main character just expects the worst of everyone but she doesn’t learn from it. It only makes her sound like super negative and whiny most of the time.
The side characters all feel so similar to one another, making it extremely hard to keep track of who is who. And the tech jargon… Yes, I guess if that’s going to be setting, it’s important to talk about the job itself, but an extremely detailed explaination of what angel investors are when the idea of using them is discarded right after without even a discussion? Again it really felt like space wasting. It made me feel like I was just reading a dry school book without a real goal or objective.
On paper this story had everything I would have like but it just felt flat for me. I started not looking forward to continuing the story so I decided to stop there.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Startup Hell follows Morgan Blackwater, daughter to a Buffy-esque, bad ass, demon-slaying member of the Shadow Council, and is from a prestigious line of magic wielders.
Unfortunately, Morgan hasn't got a magic bone in her body and has ultimately left the world of magic and has become...a junior salesperson at a tech startup.
However, after working late one night, she finds her manager dead and the demon he was in the process of summoning trapped in our world. Morgan decides to help Lucareoth get back to the Infernal Plane while avoiding detection from her mother.
Startup Hell had a good start; however, around the time Morgan had the bright idea to integrate 'Luke' into the office in an attempt to figure out the exact spell to send him back, the plot slowed to a glacial pace and soon became a slog to get through. It dropped almost all the magical elements in the story and placed a larger focus on startups and corporate life. I finished the book but was a bit bitter that 2/3 of it is just corporate jargon and office hijinks that I didn't sign up for. I found myself skimming quickly over pages just to get through it.
Morgan's demon-slaying mum was showcased as the plot's big motivation for Morgan helping Luke and keeping him safe. There was so much talk around what her mum would do if Luke were ever discovered – yet in the end she's completely fine with it and helped Luke and Morgan.
All in all, the synopsis does a great job of reeling you in, but ultimately I felt the plot didn't deliver in the end. It does a great job of making me never want to work in a startup though, so there's at least that?
[This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion]
Unfortunately, Morgan hasn't got a magic bone in her body and has ultimately left the world of magic and has become...a junior salesperson at a tech startup.
However, after working late one night, she finds her manager dead and the demon he was in the process of summoning trapped in our world. Morgan decides to help Lucareoth get back to the Infernal Plane while avoiding detection from her mother.
Startup Hell had a good start; however, around the time Morgan had the bright idea to integrate 'Luke' into the office in an attempt to figure out the exact spell to send him back, the plot slowed to a glacial pace and soon became a slog to get through. It dropped almost all the magical elements in the story and placed a larger focus on startups and corporate life. I finished the book but was a bit bitter that 2/3 of it is just corporate jargon and office hijinks that I didn't sign up for. I found myself skimming quickly over pages just to get through it.
Morgan's demon-slaying mum was showcased as the plot's big motivation for Morgan helping Luke and keeping him safe. There was so much talk around what her mum would do if Luke were ever discovered – yet in the end she's completely fine with it and helped Luke and Morgan.
All in all, the synopsis does a great job of reeling you in, but ultimately I felt the plot didn't deliver in the end. It does a great job of making me never want to work in a startup though, so there's at least that?
[This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion]
May 4, 2026
This funny fantasy novel mixes magic with marketing and demons with desk jobs. It will resonate deeply with anyone in their twenties navigating corporate life and career aspirations.
It follows Morgan, the magicless daughter of two demon-hunting legends. She is just trying to get by in her entry-level sales role. In a world where hardly anyone knows about magic, she has to act quickly when her colleague summons a demon (in a desperate bid to meet his quota). When the demon - a surprisingly sweet and attractive being just as swept up in his job as Morgan - becomes trapped on the Earthly plane, Morgan must get him home without alerting her colleagues or her mother, and without risking too many souls.
I devoured this. As someone who has worked in marketing, the nods to the daily tasks and stresses made me smile, and the way the fantasy is woven in (investors who are literally angels, an office hellhound, deadlines that require supernatural intervention to meet) is incredibly clever and funny. I will say that if you’re unfamiliar with sales/marketing/tech/startup jargon, it may feel a little overwhelming at times, but so many of us will relate to at least some of the content and/or characters that this is a minor point.
Witty and smart commentary on capitalism and consumerism is mixed with a supportive romance built on acts of kindness. The character growth is brilliant too, focusing on holding on to who you are, your relationships, your values and dreams, despite the daily grind and the relentless pressure to progress.
Overall, I fully recommend this to anyone who has ever felt burnt out by their office job or like they’re too unaccomplished to make a difference.
Thank you to @titanbooks and @caitlin.rozakis for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
It follows Morgan, the magicless daughter of two demon-hunting legends. She is just trying to get by in her entry-level sales role. In a world where hardly anyone knows about magic, she has to act quickly when her colleague summons a demon (in a desperate bid to meet his quota). When the demon - a surprisingly sweet and attractive being just as swept up in his job as Morgan - becomes trapped on the Earthly plane, Morgan must get him home without alerting her colleagues or her mother, and without risking too many souls.
I devoured this. As someone who has worked in marketing, the nods to the daily tasks and stresses made me smile, and the way the fantasy is woven in (investors who are literally angels, an office hellhound, deadlines that require supernatural intervention to meet) is incredibly clever and funny. I will say that if you’re unfamiliar with sales/marketing/tech/startup jargon, it may feel a little overwhelming at times, but so many of us will relate to at least some of the content and/or characters that this is a minor point.
Witty and smart commentary on capitalism and consumerism is mixed with a supportive romance built on acts of kindness. The character growth is brilliant too, focusing on holding on to who you are, your relationships, your values and dreams, despite the daily grind and the relentless pressure to progress.
Overall, I fully recommend this to anyone who has ever felt burnt out by their office job or like they’re too unaccomplished to make a difference.
Thank you to @titanbooks and @caitlin.rozakis for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Caitlin Rozakis writes such fun books. They're always humorous, lighthearted, and heartwarming, and this one is no exception. I won't say that it's my favorite of her novels — that would be Dreadful and it's seriously one of my top five high fantasy novels of all time — but I'd probably rank it second, just ever so slightly ahead of The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association. I mean, it has a hot demon and an adorable hellhound and a kale juicer, and what more could you possibly ask for in a book? (Okay, fine, maybe the kale juicer isn't really much of a selling point.)
This isn't a super deep read — it's fluffy and a little predictable and I daresay I don't need to tell you whether our main character and the hot demon wind up together at the end. But it was the perfect story for cleansing my brain after reading One Hundred Years of Solitude (not one bit of pedophilia in this one, you guys!), and it definitely scratches that cozy urban fantasy itch. And did I already mention that there's a pet hellhound?? There are also vampires and demons and demon hunters and an angel and tech bros (again, perhaps not really a selling point, but whatever) and a crow named Murder, and if they ever make this into a movie, I desperately need Misha Collins to be cast as the angel even if he's not blond because duh. Chris Hemsworth can be sexy demon Luke.
So, yeah. This was cute. It's not Shakespeare, but do any of Shakespeare's plays include hellhounds? I think not.
3.99 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is May 19, 2026.
This isn't a super deep read — it's fluffy and a little predictable and I daresay I don't need to tell you whether our main character and the hot demon wind up together at the end. But it was the perfect story for cleansing my brain after reading One Hundred Years of Solitude (not one bit of pedophilia in this one, you guys!), and it definitely scratches that cozy urban fantasy itch. And did I already mention that there's a pet hellhound?? There are also vampires and demons and demon hunters and an angel and tech bros (again, perhaps not really a selling point, but whatever) and a crow named Murder, and if they ever make this into a movie, I desperately need Misha Collins to be cast as the angel even if he's not blond because duh. Chris Hemsworth can be sexy demon Luke.
So, yeah. This was cute. It's not Shakespeare, but do any of Shakespeare's plays include hellhounds? I think not.
3.99 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is May 19, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Corporate hell is literal, and honestly? That tracks.
Morgan Blackwater is the black sheep of a demon-slaying dynasty—her mother is a legendary Shadow Council wizard, but Morgan has magic dyslexia and zero interest in kicking ass. She's made peace with her mundane life as a junior salesperson at a tech startup so chaotic it can't even define its own product. It's fine. She's fine.
Then her boss dies mid-demon-summoning (quarterly targets are brutal, right?), and suddenly Morgan is trying to smuggle a trapped—and inconveniently attractive—demon named Luke out of the building while dodging her mother, who's arrived to investigate the whole mess. One accidental trip to the Infernal Plane later, Morgan owes Hell a human soul and has to figure out how to deliver without sacrificing her annoying-but-innocent coworkers.
The tech bro CEO, though? Him she could maybe part with. That's who I would pick, just saying.
Caitlin Rozakis has a gift for mining absurdity without losing heart. The satire of startup culture is razor-sharp—the meaningless jargon, the performative hustle, the soul-crushing (literally) pursuit of metrics—but Morgan grounds the chaos with genuine vulnerability. She's not a chosen one. She's just a woman trying to survive capitalism and family expectations, and that's deeply relatable even before you add demons to the mix.
The romance simmers nicely, the pacing chugs along, and I laughed out loud more than once. If the worldbuilding occasionally takes a backseat to the comedy, I didn't mind—the voice carries everything.
Corporate hell is literal, and honestly? That tracks.
Morgan Blackwater is the black sheep of a demon-slaying dynasty—her mother is a legendary Shadow Council wizard, but Morgan has magic dyslexia and zero interest in kicking ass. She's made peace with her mundane life as a junior salesperson at a tech startup so chaotic it can't even define its own product. It's fine. She's fine.
Then her boss dies mid-demon-summoning (quarterly targets are brutal, right?), and suddenly Morgan is trying to smuggle a trapped—and inconveniently attractive—demon named Luke out of the building while dodging her mother, who's arrived to investigate the whole mess. One accidental trip to the Infernal Plane later, Morgan owes Hell a human soul and has to figure out how to deliver without sacrificing her annoying-but-innocent coworkers.
The tech bro CEO, though? Him she could maybe part with. That's who I would pick, just saying.
Caitlin Rozakis has a gift for mining absurdity without losing heart. The satire of startup culture is razor-sharp—the meaningless jargon, the performative hustle, the soul-crushing (literally) pursuit of metrics—but Morgan grounds the chaos with genuine vulnerability. She's not a chosen one. She's just a woman trying to survive capitalism and family expectations, and that's deeply relatable even before you add demons to the mix.
The romance simmers nicely, the pacing chugs along, and I laughed out loud more than once. If the worldbuilding occasionally takes a backseat to the comedy, I didn't mind—the voice carries everything.
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