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Demonology for Overachievers
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Expected 22 Sep 26Dark academia takes a fresh twist in this YA novel, where a determined high school senior strikes a bargain with a demon to win a coveted scholarship—only to discover her rival has made the same deal.
Merritt Maldonado has done everything right. But for every club she’s founded, tree she’s planted, and sport she’s played, her academic nemesis Linus Lexington has been right there. By her side. Copying her every move.
And now they're neck and neck for a coveted full ride scholarship. Desperate to gain an edge, Merritt finds herself making a deal with a demon. But when other applicants start dying in gruesome ways, Merritt realizes the demon is killing off her competition. And to make matters worse, she finds the demon’s mark on Linus.
Now Merritt and Linus' souls are tied to the same deadly demon. With bodies piling up, they have to work together to break the pact, stop the killings, and maybe admit that the bond they share isn't just supernatural...
Merritt Maldonado has done everything right. But for every club she’s founded, tree she’s planted, and sport she’s played, her academic nemesis Linus Lexington has been right there. By her side. Copying her every move.
And now they're neck and neck for a coveted full ride scholarship. Desperate to gain an edge, Merritt finds herself making a deal with a demon. But when other applicants start dying in gruesome ways, Merritt realizes the demon is killing off her competition. And to make matters worse, she finds the demon’s mark on Linus.
Now Merritt and Linus' souls are tied to the same deadly demon. With bodies piling up, they have to work together to break the pact, stop the killings, and maybe admit that the bond they share isn't just supernatural...
- GenresYoung AdultParanormal
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 22, 2026
About the author
Lily Anderson
12 books833 followersLily Anderson is the author of THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU, NOT NOW NOT EVER, and UNDEAD GIRL GANG. A former school librarian, she is deeply devoted to Shakespeare, fairy tales, and podcasts. Somewhere in Northern California, she is having strong opinions on musical theater. Find her online at www.mslilyanderson.com
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
“Demonology for Overachievers” by Lily Anderson is what happens when dark academia meets college application stress, throws in demon summoning, and somehow still manages to be hilarious.
The premise is already great: Merritt Maldonado is determined to win a full-ride scholarship because her family seriously needs the money, and she’s spent basically her entire high school career building the world’s most exhausting résumé to make it happen. We’re talking clubs, leadership positions, endless extracurriculars (some of which are so ridiculous they become one of the funniest running jokes in the book; shoutout to all the clubs she founded where she was literally the only member).
But when her academic rival, Linus Lexington, is once again right there competing for the same scholarship, Merritt panics and does what any stressed-overachiever would obviously do: makes a deal with a demon.
As one does.
The book leans more into dark comedy than straight horror, and honestly, that works really well. There is some blood and gore, especially once the demon starts “helping” by killing off the competition, but this is definitely more sarcastic supernatural chaos than terrifying demon horror. If you go in expecting nonstop scares, you’ll probably be disappointed. If you go in expecting messy teen decisions, awkward demon problems, and a lot of jokes, you’ll have a much better time.
Merritt is a really strong main character. She’s relatable in that painfully realistic overachiever way as she is trying to live up to impossible standards, carrying family expectations, and convincing herself that taking the easy way out is somehow justified. She’s also a larger goth girl, which makes her feel refreshingly different from the typical YA heroine, and that representation is handled really nicely.
Linus starts off as kind of annoying, not going to lie. He’s the classic academic rival with a talent for being smug and occasionally making jokes that absolutely do not land. But as the story goes on, he gets a lot more depth, and once he and Merritt are forced to work together to stop the demon from murdering everyone, the rivalry-to-romance arc gets way more fun. It’s pretty obvious early on that he likes her long before she notices, which is frustrating but also entertaining.
One thing I really liked was the found family vibe that develops with the other scholarship finalists. Instead of everyone just being cutthroat competition, Merritt starts building real relationships with them, and it adds a lot of heart to the story. It makes the stakes feel bigger when the demon starts targeting people.
There’s also a mystery element as Merritt and Linus try to figure out how to break the demon pact before more people die, which helps balance out the romance and comedy. That said, the pacing does slow down a bit in the middle, and I definitely wished there were more horror moments throughout. The demon itself is creepy when it shows up, but the book often chooses humor over actual fear.
The biggest weakness is probably the ending; it wraps up a little too neatly and feels slightly anticlimactic considering how much chaos came before it. I wanted the final confrontation to hit a little harder.
Still, the emotional payoff works. Merritt gets solid character growth, especially as she learns that success isn’t about destroying yourself to meet everyone else’s expectations. A big theme here is learning that messing up doesn’t make you a failure, and that maybe you shouldn’t base your entire future on trying to live out someone else’s dream.
Overall, “Demonology for Overachievers” is funny, weird, and surprisingly heartfelt. It’s less “terrifying demon horror” and more “what if your college anxiety became a literal demon,” which honestly feels pretty accurate. If you like dark academia, rivals-to-romance, and supernatural disasters caused by bad teenage decisions, this one is a really fun time.
“Demonology for Overachievers” by Lily Anderson is what happens when dark academia meets college application stress, throws in demon summoning, and somehow still manages to be hilarious.
The premise is already great: Merritt Maldonado is determined to win a full-ride scholarship because her family seriously needs the money, and she’s spent basically her entire high school career building the world’s most exhausting résumé to make it happen. We’re talking clubs, leadership positions, endless extracurriculars (some of which are so ridiculous they become one of the funniest running jokes in the book; shoutout to all the clubs she founded where she was literally the only member).
But when her academic rival, Linus Lexington, is once again right there competing for the same scholarship, Merritt panics and does what any stressed-overachiever would obviously do: makes a deal with a demon.
As one does.
The book leans more into dark comedy than straight horror, and honestly, that works really well. There is some blood and gore, especially once the demon starts “helping” by killing off the competition, but this is definitely more sarcastic supernatural chaos than terrifying demon horror. If you go in expecting nonstop scares, you’ll probably be disappointed. If you go in expecting messy teen decisions, awkward demon problems, and a lot of jokes, you’ll have a much better time.
Merritt is a really strong main character. She’s relatable in that painfully realistic overachiever way as she is trying to live up to impossible standards, carrying family expectations, and convincing herself that taking the easy way out is somehow justified. She’s also a larger goth girl, which makes her feel refreshingly different from the typical YA heroine, and that representation is handled really nicely.
Linus starts off as kind of annoying, not going to lie. He’s the classic academic rival with a talent for being smug and occasionally making jokes that absolutely do not land. But as the story goes on, he gets a lot more depth, and once he and Merritt are forced to work together to stop the demon from murdering everyone, the rivalry-to-romance arc gets way more fun. It’s pretty obvious early on that he likes her long before she notices, which is frustrating but also entertaining.
One thing I really liked was the found family vibe that develops with the other scholarship finalists. Instead of everyone just being cutthroat competition, Merritt starts building real relationships with them, and it adds a lot of heart to the story. It makes the stakes feel bigger when the demon starts targeting people.
There’s also a mystery element as Merritt and Linus try to figure out how to break the demon pact before more people die, which helps balance out the romance and comedy. That said, the pacing does slow down a bit in the middle, and I definitely wished there were more horror moments throughout. The demon itself is creepy when it shows up, but the book often chooses humor over actual fear.
The biggest weakness is probably the ending; it wraps up a little too neatly and feels slightly anticlimactic considering how much chaos came before it. I wanted the final confrontation to hit a little harder.
Still, the emotional payoff works. Merritt gets solid character growth, especially as she learns that success isn’t about destroying yourself to meet everyone else’s expectations. A big theme here is learning that messing up doesn’t make you a failure, and that maybe you shouldn’t base your entire future on trying to live out someone else’s dream.
Overall, “Demonology for Overachievers” is funny, weird, and surprisingly heartfelt. It’s less “terrifying demon horror” and more “what if your college anxiety became a literal demon,” which honestly feels pretty accurate. If you like dark academia, rivals-to-romance, and supernatural disasters caused by bad teenage decisions, this one is a really fun time.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"Demonology for Overachievers" by Lily Anderson wears many hats. It is a YA paranormal dark academia novel with Poe and Mary Shelley's vibes. It takes the classic deal-with-the-devil motif (think Faust) to another level.
Told in the first person, the story follows Merritt Maldonado, a seventeen-year-old introverted girl who, in her own words, is "a fat goth Afro-Latina orphan." Raised by her grandmother after losing her parents, Merritt is a loner with social anxiety and only one good friend, Fancy. Determined to win the Lexington Scholarship and secure a place at a good college, she creates bogus clubs to pad her résumé.
Her fiercest competition comes from her academic nemesis, Linus Lexington, who is charismatic and outgoing. Afraid of failure, she strikes a bargain with a demon in the hope of securing the scholarship. Little does she know that Linus has the same idea. The plot thickens when other scholarship applicants start dropping dead in bizarre accidents, forcing the two rivals to work together to break their pacts before more people die.
I enjoyed the book immensely and found it a quick read. It is well written, with an engaging storyline and well-rounded characters. I loved the concept, the way the demon's name is marked with dashes, and the representation. I loved both protagonists. They're both overachievers, but I especially appreciated that Merritt isn't the typical heroine. At the same time, I felt that she made some very stupid choices for someone so smart. Every time she made a dumb decision, I wanted to shake her.
The story was largely believable, well, as believable as a paranormal novel can be, but one scene felt particularly ridiculous. In the middle of trying not to get caught in a dorm room, the protagonists somehow found time to kiss instead of running away. The scene that followed that was brillant, though.
The horror leans more toward an eerie atmosphere than outright terror, although there are a couple of graphic deaths that made me wince. The author also gives enough detail to make the side characters memorable. I liked Fancy's personality, a transgender girl who is accepted by everyone, and disliked one of the other side characters. I also found the nickname Merritt is given rather cruel. But then, kids can be cruel.
The book explores themes of found family, learning from mistakes, choices and their consequences, not judging people by appearance or lineage, and how far one will go to succeed. Merritt learns that there is no such thing as a free lunch and that everything comes at a price. If I were to sum up the message in one sentence, it would be: be careful what you wish for.
Overall, I loved the book. I came for the demons and stayed for the plot. If you love dark academia, rivals to lovers, a strong heroine, and light horror vibes, this is the book for you. The romance is a subplot and never overshadows the mystery. There is no spice, making it appropriate for YA readers. I definitely recommend it. Full stars from me!
* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.
* Review on my blog: https://galibookish.blogspot.com/2026...
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A very sweet YA read, quick and predictable but entertaining with a unique storyline. I found the parts of the story outside of the demon very relatable for YA and the emotions driving the story felt genuine. I would read another book by Lily Anderson; her slasher novel Showstopper is being added to my TBR for sure.
Merritt Maldanado is a high school senior being raised by her grandmother after her parents passed away years ago in a car accident. Her whole life is structured around what she thinks would make them proud, doing whatever it takes to work at LexCo in the R&D department, where they worked and met. First on the list is to score the coveted LexCo scholarship, a full ride to any school she gets into, a necessity with the way her grandmother scrimps to keep them afloat. But Linus Lexington (Of the LexCo family) is also in the running, and Merritt isn't sure her long list of clubs, sports, and academic achievements will outweigh his, especially since they've been neck and neck their entire high school career. So, when her friend and mentor Sloane tells her she can summon a demon and solve all of her problems, Merritt doesn't ask too many questions. But when the other finalists for the scholarship start dying in gruesome ways, Merritt can't pretend she doesn't know what's going on, and she quickly learns that Linus may know more than he is letting on as well. The two must work together to stop the deaths, break the pact, and maybe admit that they enjoy spending time together.... a lot.
Thank you to Net Galley for an eARC of this novel.
Merritt Maldanado is a high school senior being raised by her grandmother after her parents passed away years ago in a car accident. Her whole life is structured around what she thinks would make them proud, doing whatever it takes to work at LexCo in the R&D department, where they worked and met. First on the list is to score the coveted LexCo scholarship, a full ride to any school she gets into, a necessity with the way her grandmother scrimps to keep them afloat. But Linus Lexington (Of the LexCo family) is also in the running, and Merritt isn't sure her long list of clubs, sports, and academic achievements will outweigh his, especially since they've been neck and neck their entire high school career. So, when her friend and mentor Sloane tells her she can summon a demon and solve all of her problems, Merritt doesn't ask too many questions. But when the other finalists for the scholarship start dying in gruesome ways, Merritt can't pretend she doesn't know what's going on, and she quickly learns that Linus may know more than he is letting on as well. The two must work together to stop the deaths, break the pact, and maybe admit that they enjoy spending time together.... a lot.
Thank you to Net Galley for an eARC of this novel.
August 17, 2026
This book was such a fun, chaotic ride, and I absolutely ate up the Final Destination meets demon contract vibes. There was this constant underlying feeling of okay, but what’s going to happen next?! that kept me hooked and flying through the pages.
The character development was definitely one of the strongest parts for me. I loved watching the characters grow as the story progressed and seeing how their choices, relationships, and circumstances shaped them. There was enough emotional depth to make me genuinely invested in what happened to them while still keeping that dark, slightly unhinged energy that made the premise so much fun.
The only thing keeping this from being a full five stars was that I wanted more world building and more development from some of the side characters. The concept was so interesting that I found myself wanting to dig even deeper into the world, its rules, and the people surrounding the main characters.
Overall, Demonology for Over Achievers was addictive, dark, clever, and incredibly entertaining. If you like supernatural stories with complicated characters, demon contracts, and that looming Final Destination-style sense that consequences are coming, definitely pick this one up!
4.5 ⭐️
The character development was definitely one of the strongest parts for me. I loved watching the characters grow as the story progressed and seeing how their choices, relationships, and circumstances shaped them. There was enough emotional depth to make me genuinely invested in what happened to them while still keeping that dark, slightly unhinged energy that made the premise so much fun.
The only thing keeping this from being a full five stars was that I wanted more world building and more development from some of the side characters. The concept was so interesting that I found myself wanting to dig even deeper into the world, its rules, and the people surrounding the main characters.
Overall, Demonology for Over Achievers was addictive, dark, clever, and incredibly entertaining. If you like supernatural stories with complicated characters, demon contracts, and that looming Final Destination-style sense that consequences are coming, definitely pick this one up!
4.5 ⭐️
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
🖤😈 Demonology for Overachievers 😈🖤
While I enjoyed this book, I was really hoping it would be a 5 star read.
I'm giving it 4 stars because I loved almost everything about it except our FMC. She drove me absolutely nuts for most of the book and there were quite a few moments where I found myself frustrated with her attitude.
🔮What to Expect
• Dark Academia
• Academic Rivals
• Demon Bargain
• Scholarship Competition
• Supernatural
• Murder Mystery
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: September 22, 2026
Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
While I enjoyed this book, I was really hoping it would be a 5 star read.
I'm giving it 4 stars because I loved almost everything about it except our FMC. She drove me absolutely nuts for most of the book and there were quite a few moments where I found myself frustrated with her attitude.
🔮What to Expect
• Dark Academia
• Academic Rivals
• Demon Bargain
• Scholarship Competition
• Supernatural
• Murder Mystery
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: September 22, 2026
Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Overall, this was really enjoyable, funny, and just an easy read. I don't, however, agree with it being marketed for 14 and up due to the frequent mention of monster erotica, threesomes, poly relationships and the mentions of a room in the school dedicated to jacking off. 😅 I think these parts should be made more aware before diving into the book, so parents or the child could decide if this is material they're comfortable with reading.
Aside from that, I enjoyed it overall.
Aside from that, I enjoyed it overall.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Nothing says "meet cute" like pacts with demons and watching your classmates die. 🤣 This book was a lot of fun.
As you may know, deals with devils have a special place in my heart. This presents an entertaining twist on the trope as two rivals make the same pact with the same devil causing havoc, gruesome death, and a race to break their crossroads contracts before all of their competition goes kaput.
I had fun reading this one. Check it out!
As you may know, deals with devils have a special place in my heart. This presents an entertaining twist on the trope as two rivals make the same pact with the same devil causing havoc, gruesome death, and a race to break their crossroads contracts before all of their competition goes kaput.
I had fun reading this one. Check it out!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you so much NetGalley for the chance to read this early.
I had a GREAT time with this. The setting was phenomenal and lord knows I love a competitive dark academia. Throw in some demons and now it’s perfect.
I had a GREAT time with this. The setting was phenomenal and lord knows I love a competitive dark academia. Throw in some demons and now it’s perfect.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Review forthcoming in SLJ.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Young adult horror comedy 2pov 4.5*
This was a pretty level read overall. I'm not sure I really cared for how the author hid the demons name with dashes. I think some kind of odd type of text or something might have worked better in this instance. Besides that the story was very good but twist and turns and I enjoyed how it had nice wide representation. Happy pride month everyone 🌈
This was a pretty level read overall. I'm not sure I really cared for how the author hid the demons name with dashes. I think some kind of odd type of text or something might have worked better in this instance. Besides that the story was very good but twist and turns and I enjoyed how it had nice wide representation. Happy pride month everyone 🌈
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews