The Wish and the Demon was my first read from Crunden, and it won't be my last. I went into the story looking forward to some mystery, and y'all, the plot thickens! I need Book 2 to come out yesterday.

The book opens on a pivotal moment in Liam's life—the night his guardian is murdered and he is separated from his brother. Flash forward, and Liam is dealing with the pressures of high school bullies, neglectful parents, taking care of his siblings, and the reappearance of his first crush.

Crunden does a lovely job of setting the scene and placing us in Liam's life. You can really see the snow-covered town, the cozy diners, and the juxtaposition between the "nice" parts of town and the areas in poverty. I particularly liked some of the little details, like the flavor of the bagels, and an accent that you can't quite place...

I wouldn't say I have any particular criticisms for The Wish and the Demon—there are just some things that come down to personal preference. For example, I found that the main love interest was not the one I ended up rooting for. Don't get me wrong! He has his own backstory, he has layers, and I think he's a good character and a wonderful human being—I just found myself agreeing with Liam when he listed all the reasons they shouldn't end up together. I was rooting for the "other guy," although we are left with a whole lot of questions about him.

I also would recommend some content warnings for SA and homophobia. The homophobic slurs are part of the bullying Liam goes through at school, but they make sense in the context of the narrative. The references to SA are not part of Liam's story; they're more to give us context for the bad behaviors of other people and/or shock value.

I'm looking forward to reading more about these characters and unraveling their mystery. The sweet moments had a Heartstopper feel, while the darker moments were dark indeed.

I also wanted to mention that I appreciated the pacing of this book. While a long timespan is covered (in teenage time, anyway), Crunden mercifully keeps us where the action is, cutting past the classrooms and crummy pizza place job and getting to the heart of the narrative. It kept things flowing, and my eyes on the page!

Would I recommend this book? Yes.

I would not recommend The Wish and the Demon to those who:

• are sensitive to language around SA and homophobia

• don't like a cliffhanger (in this case, snatch the series up when it's complete!)

I would recommend The Wish and the Demon to those who:

• like a "first love" kind of romance

• enjoy relatively grounded fantasy that is easy to approach

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Sage T. Green, Author