Serena’s Review: “The Witchstone”

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Book: “The Witchstone” by Henry H. Neff

Publishing Info: Blackstone Publishing Inc, June 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: NetGalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Meet Laszlo, eight-hundred-year-old demon and Hell’s least productive Curse Keeper. From his office beneath Midtown, he oversees the Drakeford Curse, which involves a pathetic family upstate and a mysterious black stone. It’s a sexy enough assignment—colonial origins, mutating victims, et cetera—but Laszlo has no interest in maximizing the curse’s potential; he’d rather sunbathe in Ibiza, quaff martinis, and hustle the hustlers on Manhattan’s subway. Unfortunately, his division has new management, and Laszlo’s ratings are so abysmal that he’s given six days to shape up or he’ll be melted down and returned to the Primordial Ooze.

Meet Maggie Drakeford, nineteen-year-old Curse Bearer. All she’s ever known is the dreary corner of the Catskills where the Drakeford Curse has devoured her father’s humanity and is rapidly laying claim to her own. The future looks hopeless, until Laszlo appears at the Drakeford farmhouse one October night and informs them that they have six days—and six days only—to break the spell before it becomes permanent. Can Maggie trust the glib and handsome Laszlo? Of course not. But she also can’t pass up an opportunity to save her family, even if it means having a demon as a guide …

Thus begins a breakneck international adventure that takes our unlikely duo from a hot dog stand in Central Park to the mountains of Liechtenstein, a five-star hotel in Zurich, and even the time-traveling vault of a demonic crime boss. As the clock ticks down, tough-as-nails Maggie and conniving Laszlo will uncover a secret so profound that what began as a farcical quest to break a curse will eventually threaten the very Lords of Hell.

Review: So, I was feeling fairly positive about this book when I first requested it, as it was one of two, similar-sounding books that I had slotted for review this spring. Unfortunately, the other one was “How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying” which…I didn’t love. Even worse, that was the one I had more confidence in simply because I’d read other books by the author that I’d enjoyed. On the other hand, this one was largely an unknown. But I’m happy to report that this one came through in every way I wanted!

There’s so much to love about this book, it’s hard to know where to start! But let’s first touch on the world-building and overall tone of the story. I don’t want this review to turn into a 1:1 comparison between this and “Dark Lord,” but this was one aspect of the storytelling that was starkly different between the two. Where the latter was banging the reader over the head with “jokes,” this one had a much better balance between its humor and the other notes the story was hitting. And, notably, when it was funny, it was actually, you know, funny. There were numerous points where I was laughing out loud, even in the middle of otherwise horrifying scenes. Much of this comes down to Lazlo himself, who was an enigma of narcissism, snobbery, and secretly, a being who cared about those around him, despite himself, almost. He is the kind of character that is just a riot to travel through a story alongside.

But, importantly, while the comedic aspects were on point, the laughs, and Lazlo himself, were counterbalanced by the much more serious “straight man” character, Maggie. It is her story where the heart of the plot really lies, the curse that her family has suffered through, and her determination to finally bring it to an end. She was the perfect foil to Lazlo, as well as an avatar to the reader, seeing this world of demons and magic for the first time as well (curse itself aside).

There were also notable side characters, including a work colleague of Lazlo’s, a demon with a shark’s head, who was frankly hilarious. As well as Maggie’s younger brother, Lump, the sort of encyclopedic “smart kid” character who could have quickly fallen into clichés and not much else. Indeed, when we were first introduced to this character and his gimmick, I pretty much dismissed him. But as the story continued, the author included several very heart-felt scenes between brother and sister that solidified Lump as a fully-realized character in his own right. Even down to the simple, child-like fact that he didn’t like Maggie swearing.

The pacing and plotting were also tight throughout. The story drew me in immediately and we were quickly off to the races, travelling through New York and into Europe to track down the curse-breaking components. However, the action never overwhelmed the character arcs at the heart of the story, and the author always managed to neatly transition from focus to the other. And things ultimately came to a head with a true “final battle” type climax at the end of the book where the fantastical elements became larger-than-life.

I loved this book, and it was such a surprise! This is exactly what I was looking for in the realm of fantasy and comedy combined. Notably, while it was funny, it was also heartfelt, tragic, and touched on the twisted nature of different family dynamics. I definitely recommend this one to pretty much all fantasy fans, especially those who are looking for a good dose of humor in their story.

Rating 9: Fantastic! Fast-paced, hilarious, but full of heart!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Witchstone” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet but it should be on Humorous Fantasy Novels.