Book 33, 2026

[chez_jae]

A Twist of Demon by S.E. Babin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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I finished reading A Twist of Demon by SE Babin last night. It’s the first in the urban fantasy series “Cocktails in Hell”. The main character is Violet Swan.

Violet is an Apothecaire (a Brewer of potions) of extraordinary ability, which she tries to keep under wraps. She owns a bar with books, where she uses her brewing acumen to serve up unique drinks to humans and paranorms both. Violet keeps a low profile. If her true identity were known, she would be killed. However, she’s forced to out her abilities when a group of demons attacks her and she must defend herself. Now she’s garnered the attention of one of the Fallen who wants her to take over as the guardian to one of the portals of Hell. Violet seeks the assistance of another Fallen, her foster father, Azrael. When the bar is attacked by another, larger group of lesser demons, it seems the only way for Violet to remain safe is to accept the job, which would put her under the protection of Lucifer himself.

This was fast-paced and interesting. I liked Violet as a character. She got a little cocky with her abilities at times, but she was quick to accept help when she realized she was in over her head. While the characters were all portrayed well, I got the feeling this is a spin-off of another series…?

Favorite lines:
♦ I wasn’t anti-tentacle or anything, just anti-tentacle on top of my bar.
♦ I’d bet my left tit, and that one was my favorite.
♦ No one ever got my Buffy jokes which told me most paranorms took themselves way too seriously.
♦ If you couldn’t screw the devil over, were you really making a deal with him?

Enjoyable book peopled with interesting characters and combining action and humor. Four stars.