First, a note: I listened to this as an audiobook, so my experience was shaped by the narration of it, in a way it wouldn’t be if I had read it on paper.
I ended up giving a 5★ rating to "The Wicked Bargain" and, if possible, I'd give an even higher rating to the audiobook. Gabe Cole Novoa's story and Vico Ortiz's narration are a match made in heaven.
As soon as I started “The Wicked Bargain” I knew it was probably going to be a five-star read for me. The story, the tone, the characters, the narration - it all fits so perfectly together, it’s actually surreal.
Gabe Cole Novoa is an amazing storyteller. His writing voice is well-balanced, captivating, and makes it impossible to put down the book.
“The Wicked Bargain” is a book about adventure, tragedy, self-exploration, deals with el Diablo, finding family in unexpected situations, and being a pirate in the mid-1800s. It’s soft and heartfelt and absolutely devastating. It’s anti-colonialist. And, the cherry on top, it has a slow-burn romance that never intrudes on the main plot - and is positively adorable -, and a full cast of amazingly crafted characters.
“The Wicked Bargain” tells the story of Mar León-de la Rosa, a non-binary transmasc sixteen-year-old pirate with magical powers. When el Diablo arrives on their sixteenth birthday, to collect a debt from Mar’s father, their whole life is thrown for a loop. In a single day, Mar loses everything: their dad, their family, and their home. But, weirdly, not their life. Even though el Diablo told them, directly, no one would survive to see the sunrise.
Rescued by another pirate crew - the only remaining one in the Caribbean, now that Mar’s ship sank -, they have to adapt to a whole new life. New ship. New crew. And to that one extremely annoying (and handsome, and clingy, and loyal) boy that insisted on saving them from drowning.
In the midst of the chaos, Mar has a mission: rescue their father from el Diablo’s grip. The only problem? They need to find a way to outwit one of the most powerful beings in the universe. It would also be nice if they could survive that. And maybe not let anyone else die.
“The Wicked Bargain” has high stakes, both for Mar and the world around them, and that’s what keeps you absolutely glued to the story. You need to find out what happens. Do they succeed? It kept me on my toes at every twist and turn.
Now, the characters:
Firstly, we have Mar. They’re well fleshed-out, with flaws and fears and hopes, with secrets and wants they can never vocalize. As the book is mostly from their perspective, we have incredible insight into their motivations, their doubts, and, particularly, their relationship with their magia. We see firsthand how afraid they are of being themself, how terrified they are of repeating past mistakes. It makes for an extremely compelling story, with an interesting and always-evolving main character.
Bas is the sweetest, loveliest, silliest character ever, and I will not be accepting any anti-Bas discourse. I’ve seen a lot of people saying that they found him boring and one-dimensional, but I really can’t agree. Bas is a simp, yes. He has two goals: making sure his family and crew are safe and prosperous, and making Mar flustered. He just wants to be friends with this cute “boy” he just met! He has the heart in the right place. He isn’t scared of going against Mar, always fights for what he thinks is right, and is extremely loyal. Even when Mar maybe doesn’t deserve his loyalty and dedication. He’s a constant, a boy that slowly makes himself necessary, becomes Mar’s pillar, and makes Mar feel like they belong again.
And then there’s Dami. Genderfluid demonio, hot creature of the night, chaos bringer. They are snarky and sarcastic, mean, and always keep their own interest first. They haunt Mar until they agree to hear what Dami has to say, and honestly? Mar finds them really annoying - for a good reason. But aside from being a literal demon, Dami is a good friend. In their own way. They want to help, but they don’t really have the means - unless they go around and do some less savory things. Mar and Dami’s relationship is delicious. They are constantly bickering, but always end up leaning on each other (without realizing it, of course).
I really do adore Dami’s arc. [SPOILER AHEAD] A lot of people say they should be the ones ending up with Mar - which I disagree with, unless we’re talking about a trio situation, then yes. But Dami has their own problems. Their own things that they’re dealing with, coming to terms with. Their own guilt. Dami is flirty, yes, but I didn’t feel at any point that they were romantically interested in Mar. And supportive boyfriends Mar and Bas + grumpy (secretly soft) ex-demon Dami is such a great found-family dynamic, I couldn’t get enough of it. [END OF SPOILER]
Even the antagonist, el Diablo, is an amazing character. With ups and downs, personality flaws, and absolutely vile motivations.
The magic system - systems, to be more accurate - is well explored, perfectly explained, and it makes sense. The differences between Mar’s magia and diablos' magia, where the powers come from, what they can do. So good.
And finally, to make it all even better, Vico Ortiz's narration. It took me some time to realize who Vico Ortiz was, and why their voice fits so seamlessly into the story-telling, but as soon as I realized it I was sure of one thing: there could not have been a better choice. This story was made to be told by Gabe and Vico, and it was a perfect combination.
So, all in all, “The Wicked Bargain” deserves a 5-star rating, and the audiobook deserves even more. Even the author’s note made me tear up (and was so, so important).
As an aside, I really want to thank Gabe Cole Novoa for writing this story. For allowing people like me - transmasc, non-binary, boys-but-not-quite - to have a place in stories, in fantastic adventures through high waters and Spanish prisons. To have a space to exist, in real life and in fiction.
This book is for you if you like: stories that explore colonialism, boat settings, giving back what the Spanish stole, well-explored magical systems, self-discovery, slow-burn romance, all-around good boys (it’s Bas), coming to terms with who we are, adventures with extremely high stakes, mostly-queer cast, and Pirates of the Caribbean - with actual Latinx protagonists.
(I do have to add that if you don't understand Spanish you might have a hard time understanding the book, especially in audio format.)
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