The Wicked Bargain

De: Gabe Cole Novoa

Narrado por: Vico Ortiz

El Diablo is in the details in this Latinx pirate fantasy starring a transmasculine nonbinary teen with a mission of revenge, redemption, and revolution. From the New York Times bestselling author of Most Ardently.

On Mar León de la Rosa's sixteenth birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn't enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father, and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar's father and the entire crew of their ship.

When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up their soul to save their father by the harvest moon, or never see him again. The task is impossible--Mar refuses to make a bargain, and there's no way their magic is a match for el Diablo. Then Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate--and the captain's son; and Dami, a gender-fluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption--or it could mean certain death.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Pirates and romance, dangerous magic and demon curses — this book has it all! THE WICKED BARGAIN is an immersive, vibrant adventure with swashbuckling, secrets and deals with a devil. Come for the epic fantasy adventure in the Caribbean, stay for the diverse cast, romantic tension and heart-warming found family!" —Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys

“An entertaining, swashbuckling action story with a truly unique premise.” —Paste Magazine

★ "A swashbuckling tale brimming with sorcery." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Novoa’s story celebrates identities often othered in our world by representing them as ordinary here. A lineup of Latinx characters, gender-fluid demonio, and slow-burning romance beautifully round off this fantasy.” —Booklist, starred review

"This romantic coming-of-age fantasy offers endearing, flawed heroes, an enticing villain, and high emotional stakes. An alluring high-seas adventure." —Kirkus Reviews

"Sets the standard for inclusive, swashbuckling romance; it’s adventurous, fun, and highly recommended." —School Library Journal

“Pirating adventures with a good amount of fun, magic, demonios, diablos, and gender-affirming experiences make this an easy and entertaining read.” —The Bulletin

"A must-read for anyone still obsessed with Our Flag Means Death, Black Sails, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; anyone in desperate need of more gender expansive BIPOC young adult fantasy; and anyone who wants a rollicking adventure full of magic and mayhem." —Tor Online

PERFECTION

Very thing was perfect in this story well even and exciting I am so glad I came across this book!

loved it

loved the story and the characters! it was a captivating adventure and I'm excited to listen to more by this author.

Came because of Gay Pirates, stayed for an amazing story, awesome narrator and Gay Pirates

I got this because of Vico Ortiz and because I have pirate brainrot due to Our Flag Means Death. I was not disappointed. Vico Ortiz is an incredible narrator and I will listen to anything they read! They story was great, a little slow at times but great world building. I need more!!

Great story!!

I felt like I was listening to several different people-perfect narration.
Also, the author’s note illuminated some interesting historical facts about pirates and queerness.
The story was great; I wish this would be made into a movie.
I read this as part of Book Riot’s Read Harder 2024 challenge, and I’m so glad I chose this book. I’ll be looking for more from this author and this narrator. Dami was my favorite. Well, actually, I loved all the characters.

Phenomenal!

Ahhhh the way I am absolutely obsessed with this book. Vico Ortiz (Jim from OFMD) was the PERFECT narrator choice. Their voice entranced me the entire book; I think I'd happily listen to anything they narrate, but this book was an especially good choice.

The gender representation is EVERYTHING. I loved Mar and their gender expression, the way they described themselves as "mostly a boy, but not entirely." Dami's gender was also *chefs kiss* -- the way they could ebb back and forth in their presentation. The lore behind demonios and diablos and deals was so well fleshed out, and added so much to the plot. This book is a great example of "magic can only solve as big of problems as it is detailed". When it came time for magic and deals to have significant weight on the outcome of events, the reader understands the intricacies of them so well that it feels reasonable for magic and deals to accomplish what they need to accomplish.

I'm generally not a very visual person when I'm reading. I don't know if it was the author's writing, or Vico Ortiz's voice, but I could so perfectly imagine so many scenes. The ending had some twists that I wasn't expecting, which is always welcomed in a book! The twists made sense and I was happy with them (not always the case when there are twists lol).