Title: Passing Through Purgatory
Author: Nik Knight
Series: Passing Through Cafe #1
Pages: 431
“You’re the buttered toast to my jammy.”
Recent graduate Oliver Barnes is desperate to find a job. He’s two months behind on rent and decides to apply for jobs in the Greed district of Hell’s Pentagram. When he misses the train, and the job interview, he stumbles upon a strange little coffee shop in Purgatory and finds himself with a job.
This book has been on my kindle for a while now and I finally decided late last night to start it. Well, I was instantly hooked to Oliver’s story and I didn’t want to put it down. This is told strictly from Oliver’s POV, which isn’t usually my favorite, but it really worked for this story. All the characters’ personalities really showed through and I felt like I got to know Liel just as well as I did Oliver.
“He’s my person, and I’m going to keep choosing him, because he is the only thing that has ever made this much sense, the only thing that has ever felt this right. “
Oliver was an extremely sweet guy who was going through a rough patch when he walked into the Passing Through Cafe. He was stressed, unhappy, and would have to move back home soon if he didn’t find a job. After he gets the job at the cafe though, we really see him open up and come alive. Liel is a corporate lawyer who is a workaholic and kleptomaniac. These two are complete opposites but they really work together. I loved their slow building relationship and all the hilarious conversations they had.
One of the best parts of this book though was the sense of found family at the cafe. All the workers were friends and really took care of each other. I loved watching them support each other and fight for one another when necessary. Also each character was so different and unique, which really made them more interesting for me. I love a good found family story, and this one really did a superb job at it.
Overall, I loved this so much. The characters are fantastic, the world is interesting, and it’s got the perfect amount of ridiculous humor for me. I am jumping right into the next book!
TW: non-consensual drugging/spiking of a drink of a side character (ch. 18); classism; bigotry; demon racist slurs; discussion of sex work and aftermath; vomiting (a lot)
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Red-Haired Ash Reads 