What do you think?
Rate this book
Soul Proprietor
The afterlife’s most profitable innovation? Renting souls to the living.
Tiffani Lutatio, a top salesfiend for Hell's Soul Exchange, needs 142 more rentals to claw her way into Hell's C-suite—with Fred, her fire-breathing dachshund, in tow. But in her rush to the bottom, she accidentally rents out a porn star’s recalled soul, violating one of Hell’s commandments. To retrieve it before Hell’s Information Agency finds out and stops her promotion, Tiffani must accept a humiliating grant her customer three favors.
In present-day Portland, Oregon, where demons and angels haunt dive bars alongside the living, Tiffani and her band of misfit celestials and delinquent mortal teenagers stumble onto Hell’s most classified secret. There’s something far more dangerous for her career than even Hell’s worst a conscience.
Soul Proprietor is a darkly funny romp through a fantastical afterlife on Earth, where capitalism is eternal, good and evil are up for a rebrand, and redemption might finally be possible.
Tiffani Lutatio, a top salesfiend for Hell's Soul Exchange, needs 142 more rentals to claw her way into Hell's C-suite—with Fred, her fire-breathing dachshund, in tow. But in her rush to the bottom, she accidentally rents out a porn star’s recalled soul, violating one of Hell’s commandments. To retrieve it before Hell’s Information Agency finds out and stops her promotion, Tiffani must accept a humiliating grant her customer three favors.
In present-day Portland, Oregon, where demons and angels haunt dive bars alongside the living, Tiffani and her band of misfit celestials and delinquent mortal teenagers stumble onto Hell’s most classified secret. There’s something far more dangerous for her career than even Hell’s worst a conscience.
Soul Proprietor is a darkly funny romp through a fantastical afterlife on Earth, where capitalism is eternal, good and evil are up for a rebrand, and redemption might finally be possible.
- GenresFantasy
326 pages, Paperback
Published September 18, 2026
About the author
Stephanie Vance
13 books74 followersSTEPHANIE VANCE spent decades as a D.C.-based lobbyist, Congressional aide, speaker and grassroots consultant. She writes fiction and nonfiction based in the crazy world of Washington, DC.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 22, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review.
Soul Proprietor follows Tiffani, a salesfiend in a literal corporate Hell as she tries to fix a mistake that jeopardizes her shot at a promotion. The concept for this novel seemed fun and packed full of opportunities for a chaotic story. I was interested in this world where demons and angels could rent out souls and all the possible mishaps that could create.
The character arc at the core of the story was sweet — Tiffani prides herself on being a top salesfiend and starts out seeing mortals as nothing more than marks but as she works to correct her mistake, she uncovers a larger corporate scheme and realizes she cares more about the friends she's made than her own status in Hell.
While the basic plot itself was fine, the characters felt a bit flat or at best caricatured. Tiffani doesn't really have a personality besides being a generic corporate worker. Arthur, Tiffani's work friend and Barry, her forbidden angel friend, did not feel distinct as characters apart from their physical descriptions. While the narrative set up clear expectations for a character arc around Tiffani learning to value her relationships with others and neatly fulfilled that promise, it lacked a lot of the emotional resonance for me because the characters were so generic and didn't interact with each other in a way that convinced me they were friends.
In large part, I think the sameness stemmed from the writing style which leaned heavily on telling and exposition. While there were a lot of specific details to round out the world and I can tell the author put a lot of thought into how this corporate hellscape might function, it didn't quite feel like these details were placed naturally enough in the prose to draw me into the world. For instance, instead of letting readers experience the creepy coworker they're about to meet in the next chapter anyway and decide for themselves that he's creepy, the narrator does an infodump to tell us about how creepy he is and how he tried to screw over Tiffani.
It was like the narration just focused on the wrong things at the wrong times and skipped some crucial steps. For instance, This feels like a huge missed opportunity to show us up close how renting a soul affects a mortal and flesh out both Tiffani and Joe as characters trying to negotiate. I would have been way more interested in seeing how Tiffani navigated that conversation with Joe.
The narrative's inconsistent focus led to issues with pacing as well. I was really drawn to the possible chaos that could come from renting out the wrong soul. I expected some hijinks to occur as the rented soul wreaks havoc, which they do, but this happens off-screen and we only learn about them briefly from Joe's recounting of events to Tiffani. Tiffani's conflict about renting out the wrong soul then is easily resolved by the 50% mark with some nothing favors and suddenly we pivot to a whole new plot about discovering corporate secrets and leveraging this to push for worker's rights. I really wish the two plots could have developed alongside each other more rather than being split up; it felt like two different stories were crammed into one book without enough interplay to justify it. As a result, the novel just ended up falling flat for me as a whole.
The author clearly thought out the setting and culture but the narrative didn't spend enough time exploring the possibilities of the plot and characters it established to really deliver and draw me in. I think this corporate hell also just felt too much like reality but with the gimmick of making everything more miserable which I personally found boring so I almost DNF'ed around 80%. In the end, this just wasn't for me.
Soul Proprietor follows Tiffani, a salesfiend in a literal corporate Hell as she tries to fix a mistake that jeopardizes her shot at a promotion. The concept for this novel seemed fun and packed full of opportunities for a chaotic story. I was interested in this world where demons and angels could rent out souls and all the possible mishaps that could create.
The character arc at the core of the story was sweet — Tiffani prides herself on being a top salesfiend and starts out seeing mortals as nothing more than marks but as she works to correct her mistake, she uncovers a larger corporate scheme and realizes she cares more about the friends she's made than her own status in Hell.
While the basic plot itself was fine, the characters felt a bit flat or at best caricatured. Tiffani doesn't really have a personality besides being a generic corporate worker. Arthur, Tiffani's work friend and Barry, her forbidden angel friend, did not feel distinct as characters apart from their physical descriptions. While the narrative set up clear expectations for a character arc around Tiffani learning to value her relationships with others and neatly fulfilled that promise, it lacked a lot of the emotional resonance for me because the characters were so generic and didn't interact with each other in a way that convinced me they were friends.
In large part, I think the sameness stemmed from the writing style which leaned heavily on telling and exposition. While there were a lot of specific details to round out the world and I can tell the author put a lot of thought into how this corporate hellscape might function, it didn't quite feel like these details were placed naturally enough in the prose to draw me into the world. For instance, instead of letting readers experience the creepy coworker they're about to meet in the next chapter anyway and decide for themselves that he's creepy, the narrator does an infodump to tell us about how creepy he is and how he tried to screw over Tiffani.
It was like the narration just focused on the wrong things at the wrong times and skipped some crucial steps. For instance, This feels like a huge missed opportunity to show us up close how renting a soul affects a mortal and flesh out both Tiffani and Joe as characters trying to negotiate. I would have been way more interested in seeing how Tiffani navigated that conversation with Joe.
The narrative's inconsistent focus led to issues with pacing as well. I was really drawn to the possible chaos that could come from renting out the wrong soul. I expected some hijinks to occur as the rented soul wreaks havoc, which they do, but this happens off-screen and we only learn about them briefly from Joe's recounting of events to Tiffani. Tiffani's conflict about renting out the wrong soul then is easily resolved by the 50% mark with some nothing favors and suddenly we pivot to a whole new plot about discovering corporate secrets and leveraging this to push for worker's rights. I really wish the two plots could have developed alongside each other more rather than being split up; it felt like two different stories were crammed into one book without enough interplay to justify it. As a result, the novel just ended up falling flat for me as a whole.
The author clearly thought out the setting and culture but the narrative didn't spend enough time exploring the possibilities of the plot and characters it established to really deliver and draw me in. I think this corporate hell also just felt too much like reality but with the gimmick of making everything more miserable which I personally found boring so I almost DNF'ed around 80%. In the end, this just wasn't for me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
really enjoyed this! I love any time a book is set in a corporate afterlife setting. In this one, hell has basically become a giant corporation where souls can be rented out to the living and Tiffani is one of its top “salesfiends,” determined to work her way into the C-suite. Of course, one mistake involving a recalled soul completely derails that plan and sends everything spiraling.
I loved the way the book mixed dark humor, fantasy, and corporate satire. The idea of Hell being filled with quotas, promotions, bureaucracy, office politics, and terrible management was genuinely funny, especially because some of it felt a little too believable. Tiffani was also such a fun main character because she isn't immediately trying to be a better person (or demon). She's ambitious, selfish, and very focused on getting what she wants, which made watching her slowly start questioning the system around her much more satisfying.
The supporting cast really made this one for me too. You've got demons, angels, rebellious teenagers, and Fred, Tiffani's fire-breathing dachshund, somehow all coming together into this completely chaotic little group. I especially liked that underneath all of the humor, the story actually had something to say about ambition, morality, friendship, and how blurry the line between "good" and "evil" can be.
This was weird, funny, clever, and just really entertaining. It took a concept that could have easily become gimmicky and actually built a story and characters I cared about around it. Definitely one of the more unique fantasy reads I've picked up lately.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I loved the way the book mixed dark humor, fantasy, and corporate satire. The idea of Hell being filled with quotas, promotions, bureaucracy, office politics, and terrible management was genuinely funny, especially because some of it felt a little too believable. Tiffani was also such a fun main character because she isn't immediately trying to be a better person (or demon). She's ambitious, selfish, and very focused on getting what she wants, which made watching her slowly start questioning the system around her much more satisfying.
The supporting cast really made this one for me too. You've got demons, angels, rebellious teenagers, and Fred, Tiffani's fire-breathing dachshund, somehow all coming together into this completely chaotic little group. I especially liked that underneath all of the humor, the story actually had something to say about ambition, morality, friendship, and how blurry the line between "good" and "evil" can be.
This was weird, funny, clever, and just really entertaining. It took a concept that could have easily become gimmicky and actually built a story and characters I cared about around it. Definitely one of the more unique fantasy reads I've picked up lately.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 2, 2026
I was given an advanced reader’s copy of Stephanie Vance’s humorous novel, “Soul Proprietor.” My review is voluntary. I found it particularly amusing because it consistently refers to many familiar streets and landmarks in Portland, Oregon, with which I’m familiar and frequently refers to its quirky nature and inhabitants and their desire to “keep Portland weird.”
Moreover, the plot treats the existence of an afterlife in both heaven and hell and their interactions with the living as transactional, framing both the underworld and its counterpart as large corporate entities with no regard for the “living” conditions or feelings of the lowest members of their workforces, being the newest members to arrive on scene. The roles of angels and devils are blurred, and the head honchos in charge don’t appear to have too much real influence.
Some of the most entertaining aspects of the book are those that reference various forms of punishments in hell which are some of the most tedious activities people must endure here on earth; as some say, our world may actually be hell! One of the punishments is having people waiting interminably at the DMV. They take a number, and their number is forever the next one in line! Or one might lose their computer passcode and spend decades filing forms for a temporary replacement only to finally be given one that doesn’t work and have to begin again.
A few readers commented they felt the characters lack depth, but I disagree wholeheartedly. I could envision all of them as real individuals with unique personalities and traits, even some of the lesser characters introduced late in the story. Overall, I found the book unique and entertaining and an enjoyable, quick read, without too much soul searching necessary on my part.
Moreover, the plot treats the existence of an afterlife in both heaven and hell and their interactions with the living as transactional, framing both the underworld and its counterpart as large corporate entities with no regard for the “living” conditions or feelings of the lowest members of their workforces, being the newest members to arrive on scene. The roles of angels and devils are blurred, and the head honchos in charge don’t appear to have too much real influence.
Some of the most entertaining aspects of the book are those that reference various forms of punishments in hell which are some of the most tedious activities people must endure here on earth; as some say, our world may actually be hell! One of the punishments is having people waiting interminably at the DMV. They take a number, and their number is forever the next one in line! Or one might lose their computer passcode and spend decades filing forms for a temporary replacement only to finally be given one that doesn’t work and have to begin again.
A few readers commented they felt the characters lack depth, but I disagree wholeheartedly. I could envision all of them as real individuals with unique personalities and traits, even some of the lesser characters introduced late in the story. Overall, I found the book unique and entertaining and an enjoyable, quick read, without too much soul searching necessary on my part.
August 3, 2026
Thank you to the publishers - Girl Friday Productions – for giving me access to this book as an e-book via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
This was a fun reading experience! In a world where demons and angels have shops where humans can rent out souls. Perhaps you’d like to impress someone, but you don’t have the means yourself – then you can rent a soul of someone were confident.
To portray lower level demons as, essentially, used car salespeople was a brilliant way of portraying a purgatory – weird meetings and work models included.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced, fun story I’d really recommend this!
This was a fun reading experience! In a world where demons and angels have shops where humans can rent out souls. Perhaps you’d like to impress someone, but you don’t have the means yourself – then you can rent a soul of someone were confident.
To portray lower level demons as, essentially, used car salespeople was a brilliant way of portraying a purgatory – weird meetings and work models included.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced, fun story I’d really recommend this!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received an advance review copy of Soul Proprietor by Stephanie Vance from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Soul Proprietor is funny, clever, thoughtful, and perhaps most importantly, features a fire-breathing dachshund named Fred. What more could you want?
Tiffani Lutatio has built a successful career in Hell and has her sights set on moving up the corporate ladder. She knows how the system works, she’s good at her job, and she’s determined to achieve her goals. Unfortunately, the higher-ups of the lower-down are watching her every move. So is the union, including a reform caucus known as the Rabble Rousers, who have identified Tiffani as someone who could potentially help them change the entire power structure.
As Tiffani gets closer to everything she thought she wanted, she begins to realize that neither Hell nor Heaven is quite what she’s been led to believe. The line separating the people who ended up on either side is surprisingly thin, and achieving success within the system doesn’t necessarily mean the system will ever allow you to have real power.
I particularly enjoyed the labor commentary here. The union itself isn’t portrayed as perfect, and neither are the reformers within it. At the same time, the workers have legitimate grievances, including their fight for better equipment in the iSoul factories. What initially feels like a funny workplace subplot gradually becomes part of the larger question the novel is asking: is it enough to improve your own position within a broken system, or do you have an obligation to help change the system itself?
Despite all of those bigger ideas, this never becomes a heavy read. The book is full of interesting characters, genuinely funny one-liners, and surprisingly thoughtful commentary about friendship, relationships, ambition, and loyalty. One of my favorite running jokes involves the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse being unavailable, requiring the appearance of a fifth horseman who is just some random woman named Sarah. I laughed out loud.
And then there’s Fred, the fire-breathing dachshund, who is a loyal and constant friend to our characters and, obviously, perfect.
Soul Proprietor manages to be a workplace satire, a commentary on capitalism and organized labor, a story about relationships and ambition, and a genuinely fun supernatural adventure without losing its sense of humor along the way. This one was delightful.
4 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Soul Proprietor is funny, clever, thoughtful, and perhaps most importantly, features a fire-breathing dachshund named Fred. What more could you want?
Tiffani Lutatio has built a successful career in Hell and has her sights set on moving up the corporate ladder. She knows how the system works, she’s good at her job, and she’s determined to achieve her goals. Unfortunately, the higher-ups of the lower-down are watching her every move. So is the union, including a reform caucus known as the Rabble Rousers, who have identified Tiffani as someone who could potentially help them change the entire power structure.
As Tiffani gets closer to everything she thought she wanted, she begins to realize that neither Hell nor Heaven is quite what she’s been led to believe. The line separating the people who ended up on either side is surprisingly thin, and achieving success within the system doesn’t necessarily mean the system will ever allow you to have real power.
I particularly enjoyed the labor commentary here. The union itself isn’t portrayed as perfect, and neither are the reformers within it. At the same time, the workers have legitimate grievances, including their fight for better equipment in the iSoul factories. What initially feels like a funny workplace subplot gradually becomes part of the larger question the novel is asking: is it enough to improve your own position within a broken system, or do you have an obligation to help change the system itself?
Despite all of those bigger ideas, this never becomes a heavy read. The book is full of interesting characters, genuinely funny one-liners, and surprisingly thoughtful commentary about friendship, relationships, ambition, and loyalty. One of my favorite running jokes involves the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse being unavailable, requiring the appearance of a fifth horseman who is just some random woman named Sarah. I laughed out loud.
And then there’s Fred, the fire-breathing dachshund, who is a loyal and constant friend to our characters and, obviously, perfect.
Soul Proprietor manages to be a workplace satire, a commentary on capitalism and organized labor, a story about relationships and ambition, and a genuinely fun supernatural adventure without losing its sense of humor along the way. This one was delightful.
4 stars.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.75 stars
Hell is paperwork and bureaucracy; the real torture is knowing that the rat race never really ends. Oh, and Heavens no better. Sorry.
In Soul Proprietor, Tiffany Lutatio of Hells Soul Exchange is a salesfiend so close to a promotion, she wants nothing more than to hunker down and get her most convincing customer service smile on, to meet those approaching soul rental deadlines. She wants C-suite extravagance and full-fledged demon status, but also agency and influence to make modern upgrades to HSE’s archaic production process. It’s a shame then, that her best laid plans go to hell when a lovestruck human looking to charm his crush at a high school reunion, fumbles through her store doors.
The vibe is Little Nicky, Bedazzled, Dogma and a sprinkle of Good Omens. So, if that sounds appealing, this will definitely be for you. It’s absurdist satirical comedy with adorably goofy charm and endearingly silly characters. You have the awkward human, a vain angel, tech savvy teens, a hipster fiend colleague and the most loyal hellhound bestie. It’s a ragtag chaos crew, with a humorous and wholesome dynamic.
Vance’s satirical interpretation of Heaven and Hell is portrayed as the opposite side of the same capitalistic, corporate coin; the distinction between them sometimes arbitrary and shallow. The book points to people largely being more nuanced than extremes of good or bad; always changing, growing and learning. Likewise, the characters of Soul Proprietor may be eccentric, funny and ridiculous, but they are also textured, unconfined to the basic binary of good and evil; making for a far more interesting reading experience.
Overall, I think this is a light-hearted, easy read. Its largely character driven, thriving on the amusing chemistry between characters as well as the shenanigans they get up to, leading to ridiculous situations that incidentally push the plot in forward motion. This is an eclectic found family of oddballs you’ll have a fun time reading about. It’s an undemanding and refreshingly playful and straightforward novel.
Thanks, Netgalley and Girl Friday Productions for the eARC. This was an amusing concept and a very entertaining read!
Hell is paperwork and bureaucracy; the real torture is knowing that the rat race never really ends. Oh, and Heavens no better. Sorry.
In Soul Proprietor, Tiffany Lutatio of Hells Soul Exchange is a salesfiend so close to a promotion, she wants nothing more than to hunker down and get her most convincing customer service smile on, to meet those approaching soul rental deadlines. She wants C-suite extravagance and full-fledged demon status, but also agency and influence to make modern upgrades to HSE’s archaic production process. It’s a shame then, that her best laid plans go to hell when a lovestruck human looking to charm his crush at a high school reunion, fumbles through her store doors.
The vibe is Little Nicky, Bedazzled, Dogma and a sprinkle of Good Omens. So, if that sounds appealing, this will definitely be for you. It’s absurdist satirical comedy with adorably goofy charm and endearingly silly characters. You have the awkward human, a vain angel, tech savvy teens, a hipster fiend colleague and the most loyal hellhound bestie. It’s a ragtag chaos crew, with a humorous and wholesome dynamic.
Vance’s satirical interpretation of Heaven and Hell is portrayed as the opposite side of the same capitalistic, corporate coin; the distinction between them sometimes arbitrary and shallow. The book points to people largely being more nuanced than extremes of good or bad; always changing, growing and learning. Likewise, the characters of Soul Proprietor may be eccentric, funny and ridiculous, but they are also textured, unconfined to the basic binary of good and evil; making for a far more interesting reading experience.
Overall, I think this is a light-hearted, easy read. Its largely character driven, thriving on the amusing chemistry between characters as well as the shenanigans they get up to, leading to ridiculous situations that incidentally push the plot in forward motion. This is an eclectic found family of oddballs you’ll have a fun time reading about. It’s an undemanding and refreshingly playful and straightforward novel.
Thanks, Netgalley and Girl Friday Productions for the eARC. This was an amusing concept and a very entertaining read!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I had such a good time reading this book! It was funny and witty, with lovable characters and a plot with some interesting concepts. I laughed out loud several times while reading this amazing story, and I hope to see more of some of these characters in the future.
The MC is Tiffani, a demon trying to reach Hell's C-Suite level, hoping to make a difference in how things are done and have a better life. She is focused, determined, and willing to take risks to get what she wants.
Tiffani is an amazing character who, somewhere along the line, starts to make peace with her feelings and realizes she wants a place to belong and people she can trust.
My favorite parts are Tiffani & Maggie's chats about technology. Maggie is a 15-year-old hacker, and Tiffani can barely manage old technology. So every time Maggie tries to explain something, it's freaking hilarious. Tiffani gets lost in the explanations while Maggie rolls her eyes as any teenager would.
The plot twist was really good and original. It raises a lot of questions and puts the characters in a bit of a pickle, jajaja. Overall, the story is engaging; it flows easily, and the more you read, the more you fall for the characters and want to know what's next.
As in every $h1tty company where employees aren't happy about their working conditions and how they are treated, Hell is the epitome of it. So, in a way, the book is a social critique that focuses on the dehumanization of labor, class struggle, and corruption.
But I would say the main themes are about belonging, friendship, redemption, and the importance of free will. Naturally, since we can talk about Hell without talking about Heaven, the good vs. evil is the glue.
I truly hope there will be more books about these characters. I would love to read about Arthur and the kids, and Barry. Barry is such a cute character, charming but a bit insecure, and apparently, super hot.
The MC is Tiffani, a demon trying to reach Hell's C-Suite level, hoping to make a difference in how things are done and have a better life. She is focused, determined, and willing to take risks to get what she wants.
Tiffani is an amazing character who, somewhere along the line, starts to make peace with her feelings and realizes she wants a place to belong and people she can trust.
My favorite parts are Tiffani & Maggie's chats about technology. Maggie is a 15-year-old hacker, and Tiffani can barely manage old technology. So every time Maggie tries to explain something, it's freaking hilarious. Tiffani gets lost in the explanations while Maggie rolls her eyes as any teenager would.
The plot twist was really good and original. It raises a lot of questions and puts the characters in a bit of a pickle, jajaja. Overall, the story is engaging; it flows easily, and the more you read, the more you fall for the characters and want to know what's next.
As in every $h1tty company where employees aren't happy about their working conditions and how they are treated, Hell is the epitome of it. So, in a way, the book is a social critique that focuses on the dehumanization of labor, class struggle, and corruption.
But I would say the main themes are about belonging, friendship, redemption, and the importance of free will. Naturally, since we can talk about Hell without talking about Heaven, the good vs. evil is the glue.
I truly hope there will be more books about these characters. I would love to read about Arthur and the kids, and Barry. Barry is such a cute character, charming but a bit insecure, and apparently, super hot.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this*
(ES)
Bueno, pues me ha parecido una lectura divertida y original, con personajes bastante carismáticos. La autora podría haber escrito el día a día de una administrativa en la oficina y se habría quedado ahí, pero al ambientarlo en el infierno y convertir al infierno y el cielo en grandes empresas me parece que se vuelve algo especial.
En general, los personajes me han ganado, Tiffany, Barry, Joe y los chavales hackers me parecieron lo más y la caracterización de Dios y Lucifer al final no es nueva, ya se ha hecho mucho antes, pero funciona y casa muy bien con el tono de la historia.
Eso sí, he de admitir que la rutina entre el 20 % y el 40 % de la historia se me estaba haciendo pesada.
(EN)
A very original and fun read with charismatic characters. This could have been the life of a worker in a big corporation and that would have been it, but changing the setting to hell and making heaven and hell the big coorporations turned it into something really fun and special.
The characters were my faivourite thing. Tiffany Barry, Joe, the teen hackers... And it is not as if that kind of characterisation of God and Lucifer has not been done before, but it was fun and worked very well with the tone of the story.
However, I must admit Tiffany's routine between 20%-40% of the book was getting a bit tiring.
(ES)
Bueno, pues me ha parecido una lectura divertida y original, con personajes bastante carismáticos. La autora podría haber escrito el día a día de una administrativa en la oficina y se habría quedado ahí, pero al ambientarlo en el infierno y convertir al infierno y el cielo en grandes empresas me parece que se vuelve algo especial.
En general, los personajes me han ganado, Tiffany, Barry, Joe y los chavales hackers me parecieron lo más y la caracterización de Dios y Lucifer al final no es nueva, ya se ha hecho mucho antes, pero funciona y casa muy bien con el tono de la historia.
Eso sí, he de admitir que la rutina entre el 20 % y el 40 % de la historia se me estaba haciendo pesada.
(EN)
A very original and fun read with charismatic characters. This could have been the life of a worker in a big corporation and that would have been it, but changing the setting to hell and making heaven and hell the big coorporations turned it into something really fun and special.
The characters were my faivourite thing. Tiffany Barry, Joe, the teen hackers... And it is not as if that kind of characterisation of God and Lucifer has not been done before, but it was fun and worked very well with the tone of the story.
However, I must admit Tiffany's routine between 20%-40% of the book was getting a bit tiring.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I saw this book on Net Galley and I loved the concept immediately. It seemed like a great book for upcoming spooky season. I have been reading a lot of very eerie books, but nothing that had any bit of comedy about them, and this seemed to fit the bill.
I do love a good cover, and this one- has a great cover. No doubt about it.
In short, readers meet Tiffani - who is a highly motivated salesperson in the underworld. What's she selling? Soul rentals. Tiffani is on her way up (or is it down?) as she racks up sales/rentals. I never quite understood why a human would want to rent a different soul, but it seemed to be so they could gain a different sort of confidence.
Tiffani, in her rush, accidently rents out a "recalled" soul, and chaos ensues as she attempts to recover the soul. The novel is funny and fast paced with a well imagined world (complete with Hell hounds that must lay on asbestos mats!) and could lead to lots of discussions on capitalism, and values inbetween the giggles.
For me this is a great book for spooky season, that balances out all of the unsettling eerie novels, giving readers a fun read that encompasses spooky season with a grin and a laugh.
I do love a good cover, and this one- has a great cover. No doubt about it.
In short, readers meet Tiffani - who is a highly motivated salesperson in the underworld. What's she selling? Soul rentals. Tiffani is on her way up (or is it down?) as she racks up sales/rentals. I never quite understood why a human would want to rent a different soul, but it seemed to be so they could gain a different sort of confidence.
Tiffani, in her rush, accidently rents out a "recalled" soul, and chaos ensues as she attempts to recover the soul. The novel is funny and fast paced with a well imagined world (complete with Hell hounds that must lay on asbestos mats!) and could lead to lots of discussions on capitalism, and values inbetween the giggles.
For me this is a great book for spooky season, that balances out all of the unsettling eerie novels, giving readers a fun read that encompasses spooky season with a grin and a laugh.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Soul Proprietor was a book with a super-fun premise, which is what caught my eye and prompted me to request it for review. I really liked the idea of renting out souls after death; however, I was a little disappointed we didn't get to see a bit more of how it worked for those renting the souls rather than focusing almost completely on the seller's side of things. Tiffani was potentially a great heroine, but I never fully connected with her in the way I would have liked. The plot was fine but also fairly easy to anticipate. On the plus side, I enjoyed Vance's tongue-in-cheek application of modern-day bureaucracy to both Heaven and Hell; that worked really well and often made me smile. In the end, I am giving this book 3.5 stars. It features a great story idea, but the way that idea made it onto the page didn't work for me in all aspects; I kept finding myself wanting a little more depth and suspense along the way. That said, if you like light, quirky fantasy that leans more towards the cosy-humour side of the genre, this one is probably worth checking out.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to the publisher for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Soul Proprietor explores the idea of heaven and hell loaning souls to mortals in exchange for 'favors' - bad deeds on the side of hell, good deeds on the side of heaven. When I read a book like this, I really want the author to go 'all in' on the concept - I want the worldbuilding to feel funny and detailed. And this book delivered! The corporate hellscape (no pun intended) was really well fleshed out, it was chock full of jokes, and I just felt like the author went all the way with her concept.
The real weakness of this story is in the plot and characters. They're fully serviceable - the main character, Tiffani, is great, and her group of friends is fun enough. The plot moves at a quick pace, and wraps up well. It just didn't feel very unique, and the characters could have been fleshed out a LOT more than they were. Still, with a book like this, I'm going to always be more drawn to how fun and well done the concept was, so overall, I recommend this book to anyone who wants a giggle and some well-aimed shots at corporate greed and bureaucratic nonsense.
Soul Proprietor explores the idea of heaven and hell loaning souls to mortals in exchange for 'favors' - bad deeds on the side of hell, good deeds on the side of heaven. When I read a book like this, I really want the author to go 'all in' on the concept - I want the worldbuilding to feel funny and detailed. And this book delivered! The corporate hellscape (no pun intended) was really well fleshed out, it was chock full of jokes, and I just felt like the author went all the way with her concept.
The real weakness of this story is in the plot and characters. They're fully serviceable - the main character, Tiffani, is great, and her group of friends is fun enough. The plot moves at a quick pace, and wraps up well. It just didn't feel very unique, and the characters could have been fleshed out a LOT more than they were. Still, with a book like this, I'm going to always be more drawn to how fun and well done the concept was, so overall, I recommend this book to anyone who wants a giggle and some well-aimed shots at corporate greed and bureaucratic nonsense.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rating: 3.5 (rounded to 4) / 5 Stars
Stephanie Vance delivers a delightful and cheeky workplace satire that imagines the afterlife as the ultimate corporate grind. Managing the desk at Hell’s Soul Exchange, Tiffani is an ambitious fiend just trying to crush her quotas, climb the ladder, and overhaul outdated systems until a clueless human client derails her upward mobility.
The worldbuilding treats both paradise and the pit as two branches of the same absurd corporate machinery, which yields plenty of clever, dry laughs. While the story leans more toward breezy, predictable cozy fantasy than high-stakes tension, the cast carries the momentum. Between self-absorbed celestial beings, tech-literate kids, and a charming hellhound companion, the ensemble dynamic keeps the pages turning effortlessly.
It hits a few familiar comedic beats along the way and keeps the mechanics of the soul trade fairly light on detail, but the underlying warmth and playful banter make it a genuinely fun, stress-free escape.
Thanks to NetGalley and Girl Friday Productions for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Stephanie Vance delivers a delightful and cheeky workplace satire that imagines the afterlife as the ultimate corporate grind. Managing the desk at Hell’s Soul Exchange, Tiffani is an ambitious fiend just trying to crush her quotas, climb the ladder, and overhaul outdated systems until a clueless human client derails her upward mobility.
The worldbuilding treats both paradise and the pit as two branches of the same absurd corporate machinery, which yields plenty of clever, dry laughs. While the story leans more toward breezy, predictable cozy fantasy than high-stakes tension, the cast carries the momentum. Between self-absorbed celestial beings, tech-literate kids, and a charming hellhound companion, the ensemble dynamic keeps the pages turning effortlessly.
It hits a few familiar comedic beats along the way and keeps the mechanics of the soul trade fairly light on detail, but the underlying warmth and playful banter make it a genuinely fun, stress-free escape.
Thanks to NetGalley and Girl Friday Productions for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First of all thank you so much NetGalley for this arc! I was pleasantly surprised by this book! The world is such a unique and quirky concept! I would love to see this as a tv series.
Think office, Lucifer and Little Nicky all rolled into one. Tiffani was written so well and to see her growth was amazing. I actually teared up at the end when she thought of Joe but thank goodness free will took precedent!
The description of the devil made me giggle and I had to share with my husband because it sounded a lot like him just minus all the tattoos 😂.
Overall I loved it and I’ll be thinking about this one for a while I fear but I’m going to miss Tiffani and Fred and the rest of the gang so much. During the whole book I felt like I also gained them and friends and it’s just going to be hard to part with them.
Think office, Lucifer and Little Nicky all rolled into one. Tiffani was written so well and to see her growth was amazing. I actually teared up at the end when she thought of Joe but thank goodness free will took precedent!
The description of the devil made me giggle and I had to share with my husband because it sounded a lot like him just minus all the tattoos 😂.
Overall I loved it and I’ll be thinking about this one for a while I fear but I’m going to miss Tiffani and Fred and the rest of the gang so much. During the whole book I felt like I also gained them and friends and it’s just going to be hard to part with them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A comedy exploring capitalism in Heaven and Hell from the perspective of Tiffani, a sales demon for Hell's soul exchange, this was one of the most unique books I've ever read! Although some of the humor got old (we get it, things have different names in Hell), the jokes were mostly on point, and each character had a unique style of humor. This is perfect for anybody looking for a quick, funny, and slightly philosophical read, as long as you're happy to have predicted all of the coziest elements in advance. 3.8/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.25/5
This follows the employees at what is essentially a soul rental company. And I thought that was such a great concept. It felt very up my alley with some recent reads that I loved.
As much as I loved this concept, I didn't find these characters to be all that compelling or engaging to me. They were just kind of there.
As I like to say, this needed more oomph. (Especially from the characters. I think that would've gotten me a lot more invested in the story overall.)
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
This follows the employees at what is essentially a soul rental company. And I thought that was such a great concept. It felt very up my alley with some recent reads that I loved.
As much as I loved this concept, I didn't find these characters to be all that compelling or engaging to me. They were just kind of there.
As I like to say, this needed more oomph. (Especially from the characters. I think that would've gotten me a lot more invested in the story overall.)
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
October 1, 2026
This was a fun story with an unique premise--capitalism in both heaven and hell driven by a class system based on sales numbers. It felt like it would make a great tv show: highly saturated characters, silly hijinks camoflauging severe stakes, and a deeper emotional and political story underneath the laughs. This would make a great vacation read or work well for someone without a lot of time who needs a book they can jump in and out of without worry.
Thank you to NetGalley and GFB for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and GFB for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews