The Girl Who Sucks At Being A Succubus, An Urban Fantasy Coming-of-Age Story
(By Justine Castellon / for Just Reading Nook) Adam L.V. Ellis’s The Girl Who Sucks At Being A Succubus is a wildly imaginative urban fantasy that flips traditional mythological tropes into something unexpectedly tender: a coming-of-age story about belonging.
Remmy—true name Gremory—is an abnormally modest, clumsy, and kind young succubus, the ultimate disappointment to her demi-devil mother, Lilith. After 527 consecutive failed attempts to harvest human masculine energy, she faces banishment to the Ninth Circle of Rehabilitation if she fails once more. Her final assignment goes catastrophically wrong when her target panics and falls to his death. Terrified of punishment, Remmy flees to the human town of La Fonte, where she’s taken in by Lucas Weiss, a guarded but kind-hearted sophomore who offers her shelter in his attic. Posing as a German exchange student, she navigates high school, the simple joys of human adolescence, schoolyard drama, a jealous classmate, and the demons hunting her from the Shadow Realm.
What elevates the novel is its thematic depth. Rather than leaning into the usual paranormal-romance clichés, Ellis crafts a moving story about the grief of being born a “monster” when your deepest wish is simply to be a gentle, loving girl. The writing is breezy and polished, buoyed by a natural sense of levity—demon bosses grumbling about Adobe subscription fees, Pokémon as papal propaganda—that keeps the tone light even while handling neglect and grief. Character growth is one of the book’s strongest achievements, particularly Marianna’s arc from jealous rival to fiercely protective friend.
The novel isn’t flawless. The tone occasionally whiplashes, leaping from cozy slice-of-life moments into sudden graphic violence, and a few minor human antagonists feel cartoonishly flat beside the psychological nuance given to characters like Marianna. These are minor stumbles in an otherwise original, big-hearted story.
Recommended for readers who want their urban fantasy laced with real emotional stakes, self-aware humor, and a heroine truly worth rooting for.
Rating: ★★★★☆ Strong
The Girl Who Sucks At Being A Succubus: Girl/Succubus 1 (2026)
Y.A. Urban Fantasy
Available in Kindle, Paperback and Hardcover at Amazon
Justine Castellon is a brand strategist with an innate ability to weave compelling narratives. She seamlessly blends her professional insight with her passion for literature. Her literary works include romantic drama novels—Four Seasons, The Last Snowfall, Gnight Sara / ‘Night Heck, and I Love You, Sunday Sunset. With her ability to tell stories that linger long after the last word, Justine leaves a mark not only in the world of branding but also in the hearts of her readers.
www.justcastellon.com
