Passing Through Purgatory: Passing Through Cafe #1

I read over 200 MM romances a year, and Passing Through Purgatory instantly stood out as something special. Nik Knight created one of the most imaginative and charming fantasy worlds I have stepped into in a long time. From the first page you are dropped into Purgatory alongside Oliver, a recently graduated human who ends up in the demon dimension after missing the train to a job interview in Hell’s Greed district. Instead of the corporate job he expected, Oliver finds himself working at a strange little coffee shop in the middle of Purgatory called The Passing Through Cafe. And honestly, it might be the best accident that ever happened to him. The worldbuilding here is fantastic. Every demon species feels unique, with their own quirks, personalities, languages, and even food culture. The cafe staff alone is an unforgettable cast of characters. Gem the fabulous spider demon, Rusty the pink raccoon like Pyclon, Zef the asexual mantadea drag performer, Toni the shark demon, Tad the toad demon, and more. Each character feels vibrant and distinct, and you quickly start to feel like part of the cafe’s chaotic found family. Then there is Liel. Liel is a gymnot demon lawyer from the Greed district with electric fingers, sharp teeth, and tentacle like hair. He is very much not human, which makes the relationship between him and Oliver even more interesting. Oliver being demi-sexual works beautifully with the story, because he connects with Liel for who he is rather than what…

This book is so random. Underneath a relatively angst-less plot, there is a huge cast of characters that are so hilariously insane. Plot wise not much happens. Boy meets boy, boy makes huge fool of himself, sweet and spicy relationship ensues. But there is no way to succinctly describe all the chaos that are the workers of the Passing Through Cafe. There are moments where clearly future plot points for later books are being set up and I’m not mad about it. These characters are so wildly interesting and ridiculous it only makes me happy to know what some of the future pairings might be. I’m definitely already awaiting something between Rusty and Gem, and between Zef and the veterinarian. Calling it now! This book is great if you want a unique pairing of MMCs, crazy humor, wild characters, and sweet romance. Some of the best scenes took place when the majority of characters were together. The entire part of the book that takes place in Oliver’s hometown should be read multiple times just for this reason. Looking forward to book 2! Tropes: Found Family, Demon/Human Pairing, Single POV, Meet Cute, Demons with no Boundaries Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5 Relationship: MM