Soul of a Gentleman Witch / David Ferraro / Book Review

SOUL OF A GENTLEMAN WITCH

Callum has been in Lucifer's service for some 200 years now. Lucifer saved his life. Lucifer owns his soul. Well, at least until the 666 tasks he promised have been completed. After that, Callum's free.

And he's just one task away from winning his soul (and the rest of his life) back.

When he's summoned to Hell for this final assignment, Callum is relieved. Whatever it is, he can handle it. And at first, the task seems simple. He must escort his latest charge, a young man named Augustus, from London to America by the next blood moon. Easy enough. Callum doesn't ask for any details beyond what he needs. But he probably should have, because it turns out Lucifer isn't the only one interested in Augustus's soul. And if they aren't afraid of Lucifer's wrath, they certainly aren't afraid of Callum...

THOUGHTS

This book wasn't anything that I thought it would be. And that means, for me, it didn't quite hit any of the notes that I wanted it to. But at the same time, I don't think it was bad? I think I just had different expectations. What is here is good. It is fun. It's unique and different. And there's something to be said about that, at least.

PROS

Adventurous	Many years ago (September 2020, to be exact), I complained that YA books really have been lacking in high-stakes adventure stories, and that's still very much the case. But this book, well, this book fills that void. If you like a fantasy book full of galivanting, swashbuckling, and the like, you will most definitely find that here! It's refreshing. It's so nice to find something so different, so needed.
Grisly	These aren't cutesy witches. These are in-league-with-the-Devil witches. And their magics most definitely support that. Witches who consume human teeth as snacks? Check. Witches who attach extra limbs just for the convenience of it? Absolutely. Blood rituals and necromantic powers and unsettlingly green skin? If the shoe fits... If you like your demonic escorts to be flayed alive (and seemingly very content with it), this book might just be for you! It's fun. It's dark. It's whimsically bloody. And that's a nice, fresh take, too.
Band of Misfits	This isn't so much a found-family book as a band-of-misfits book, and I love that. We don't have so many of those. It's a band of rugged adventurers who don't quite fit together (but do make such an entertaining cast). Sarcastic familiars, humanoid frogs, saintly young men, white witches with hearts of gold: what more could you want? It's a strange cast, and it's a fun one. No complaints here.

CONS

This book has such a clear goal from the start: get Auggie from Point A to Point B. And sure, we know it isn't going to be so straightforward. But this journey goes so immediately off the rails that it was a little hard to get invested. I didn't get settled in to these stakes as a reader. We didn't get to know the flavor of the characters before we were being tossed around, from one side-quest to the next. The main quest is simple, but those side quests sure do take up the majority of the book. And I don't know that I'm really complaining, but I don't think that the execution was... quite right. I don't know. Hard to explain.	Formless
This book spends so much time bouncing from one plot to the next in its series of mishaps and side-quests that the ultimate twist in the main plot just didn't hit. The emotional stakes weren't there. The sense of character wasn't there to really make it sink in like the dawning revelation it was meant to be. And, well, the actual twist makes little sense at all. I don't want to spoil anything, but with a plot so tied up in demons and bargaining (which is usually so very technical, you know, since devils are tricksters who know the details are what matters most), the sense of bureaucratic tomfoolery is completely lost (even when part of this twist hinges on said tomfoolery). I don't know. The idea was there. The execution? Not so much.	Missing Piece
This one might be on me, but I went into this expecting a bit of a period fantasy. That historical element was something I was looking for. And I guess this is technically a period piece... except that the historical moment isn't really an element to this book at all. It's a lot more fantasy (though definitely set in the real world) than I expected. I guess I was hoping for something more along the lines of Gilded in Vengeance, where the historical trappings add to the overall book and its premise. That isn't the case here, and I guess that isn't wrong. But it isn't what I was looking for. So historical fantasy readers, be warned! This one probably isn't for you.	Missed Expectations

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Those who loved Kimberly Vale's Crossbones will enjoy the high stakes adventure of this new fantasy. Those who liked the offbeat cast of characters in Kaylie Smith's A Ruinous Fate will like this band of misfit adventurers.

Details Publisher: Page Street YA Date: January 20, 2026 Series: N/A Add to Goodreads Buy it HERE

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.