Demonology for Overachievers is fun, young adult read with great queer representation

If you love the Netflix show Wednesday, then “Demonology for Overachievers” is the book for you.

Written by Lily Anderson, the story features a balance of fun, campy scenes with some light-horror elements, serious discussions about friendship, family, and grief and a mystery involving the infamous Edgar Allen Poe. 

Our main character, Merritt, is a goth girl and straight-A student. The book starts strong with her following the dubious advice of her peer mentor to summon a demon in order to win the highly sought after Lexington fellowship. 

I loved seeing Merritt’s relationship with her Gran, and the nuanced emotions around grief, financial guilt and (I cannot lie) the inclusion of bats as her favorite animal. Anderson seamlessly mixes fact and fiction with the mystery behind the demon and its relation to Poe. The rivals to lovers storyline felt well balanced with the more pressing issue: how to get rid of a demon and save your classmates. 

Queer representation in this book was also phenomenal! There are openly trans, poly, and nonbinary characters, and other characters are implied that they are or could be bi/pan. There is body shaming within the book, but done in a way that was clearly showing it as bullying. Merritt is conscious of her weight, but the story doesn’t involve her trying to lose weight at any point. 

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book. If you’re looking for a dark academia book, with a dash of horror, perfect for the -ber months, you should definitely pick this up. 

“Demonology for Overachievers” is available now.