Morgan Blackwater-McKey is living in startup hell. Though descended from a legendary demon-slaying wizard on the Shadow Council, she has none of these magical powers. Her special power? The ability to endure the painful drudgery of startup companies with bad management, horrifying KPI reports, and a less than stable paycheck in New York without resorting to jumping in front of the subway. One moment she’s dreading dinner with her mom and producing deliverables, the next she’s trying to figure out how the hell to handle a demon trapped on earth thanks to her now deceased boss’ attempt to summon an infernal entity for better quarterly earnings. Lucareoth the demon can’t exactly go back to hell without a signed soul contract, and so Morgan finds herself hiding him in plain sight. As Luke the intern, the demon tries to stay blended in while discovering that the stranger his behaviors, the more he seems to do well at sales. The two team up to get Luke back to hell, while having to dodge Morgan’s demon-hunting mom, a Tech Bro Ceo who seems to think morals are optional, and still hitting their quarterly targets so they get paid. Oh, and Morgan has started to develop feelings for Luke.
Startup Hell captures that horrifying feeling of working in corporate America, and as such I had a really hard time picking this one up in the brief times where my day job isn’t destroying my nervous system and soul for a minimum 40 hours a week. Morgan is painfully familiar as someone who feels they are stuck in the whims and changes of bosses who pick up one new business book on the train into work and suddenly want to redo every procedure and process they just changed only a week ago. The ridiculous terms, phrases, and insane lingo of the corporate world feel well lived-in with Startup Hell. Rozakis captures that frustration and irritation of trying to keep a smile on your face while you really do wish a boss would get sucked into the bowels of hell never to return.
As with Rozaki’s last book with Titan Books, The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association, this paperback features sprayed edges with cute and spooky designs.
Startup Hell is now available from Titan Books.
