wow this gives a chilling atmosphere. i really enjoyed this story so much the demons and angels aspect was so good.there is also some trauma with our main character trying to save her family.

I loved the idea behind this story but it didn't work for me. First chapters were great and I was excited to keep reading. Then it just changed and totally lost my interest. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this new book of horror about guardian angels, dark conspiracies, family lies, and other dark creatures of the night.

When I was young I had an invisible friend named Julio. My parents were Simon and Garfunkel, so that might explain the name. They were also John Denver fans, but that is not important. Julio was my best friend, though my memories are hazy about him. I lived a pretty simple life, not having a lot of friends, even at my young age, and didn't really leave the apartment much, so Julio kept me entertained. I talked to him, read with Julio and watched cartoons with him. Julio even had his own stuffed animal Ollie Koala. This went on for a while, until Julio went away. I like to think he went to help another lonely kid, read comics with them, shared ideas with them. Maybe Julio even killed for this other person. Invisible friends it seem, at least according to this book contain multitudes. Devils Kill Devils by up-and-coming horror writer Johnny Compton is a story about guardian angels, what they really might be protecting, faith, old gods, and new ways of deceiving each other.

Sarita Bardeles has always had an a person only she could see, one that has protected her and saved her life on four different occasions. A person her parents know about and think very highly of. On the happiest night of Sarita's life this changes as the invisible friend Sarita knows as Angelo kills someone important to her, battering this person to death in front of her eyes. Awakening in a hospital Sarita's family doesn't believe her, Angelo loves you and has always protected you, why would Angelo do this. Soon Sarita finds out why, and her life is even more changed than she expected. Angelo is not the only think existing between the clicks of a light switch. Soon others are dying around Sarita, and the darkness seems to be getting more and more comfortable to her. Even worse there seems to be a lot of things calling for her to take her place in what she knows not.

One big spooky story that is really well told. Also this is pretty violent and gory, so just a warning. Many horror books have a habit of using the gore, the supernatural to tell the story. Hmm slow point in the story, let's kill something. Compton is a much more interesting writer than that. Compton gives the readers characters one cares about, with little moments, both good and bad to flesh them out. So when the flesh is rendered, the readers feels it. In the first chapter alone there is a description of an event and the actions of a mother and step-mother which tell quite a lot about a character, how he thinks, feels, and wants to be. Other book wouldn't bother. Body count, bro. And that is why Johnny Compton has a long career ahead of him. The story is like I said well-written, spooky, atmospheric and one that stays with the reader. Everything seems fresh, real and has meaning, and the deaths have a cost.

There seems to be a new renaissance in genre writing. Science fiction has caught up with the social reality of today. Fantasy is broadening out in many different ways. Horror also seems to be getting over the slasher of the week style that seemed popular for so long. The characters matter, the stories seem more based on clever world building and explanation. And the writing is really hard to miss. Johnny Compton is a writer I think will be a big writer in the field. I'm glad I got to meet him on the way up. Really good story for horror fans, or for people who like good characters going through bad, bad, gory things.

This book started off with a bang and I was hooked until I wasn't.

Sarita has known she has had a guardian angel since she was 9 years old and he saved her from drowning. She called him Angelo and he has saved her at least four times that she can recall. She is absolutely devastated when Angelo kills someone she loves and Sarita finds out that maybe he is not the guardian angel she thought he was.

I really loved how this book started. I was totally excited about the story and the flashbacks of when Angelo saved Sarita. Then something changed. More characters where introduced and it got confusing. There are old gods and religion and vampires. Good vs evil with lots of violence. All stuff I love reading about but for some reason it lost me in the middle and I never recovered.

This novel follows Sarita, a girl saved from death as a child and stalked by her "guardian angel" in future years. However,as time goes on Sarita realizes her angel has a violent tendency when he murders multiple people who mean her harm. Sarita is thrown into a world full of demons and angels that hide in plain sight. I enjoyed this book overall. I wanted something more from the line level craft but the world and character building was excellent.

This wasn't my cup of tea per say. But it was entertaining none the less. Vampires just aren't for me. I wish I liked it more than I did. But I didn't.

Devils Kill Devils is a beautifully written southern gothic tale that took me by suprise and absolutely thrilled and delighted me. The creative imagery and in depth descripition wove a detailed story of good vs. evil that transcended into a new arena of storytelling. While it did start out as an initial slow burn, once the pace picked up the story took me by suprise and snuck up on me in a way I was unprepared for, but left me delighted all the same.

Not your typical vampire story. Unique take on the creatures. Attention to details was important for me to keep up with the story, especially when keeping track of characters, but enjoyed the read overall !

I liked the sound of this from the synopsis, but the style of writing just couldn't keep me engaged. I may try again, but for now it's a regretful DNF.

A horror must in my opinion, it’s such a new take on “angels and demons” and how humans play into the chess board these creatures play in the regular world I was absolutely gripped early on and really loved what a unique story idea this was.

Johnny Compton and Tor Nightfire team up again to give us an intriguing premise of a young woman whose newlywed husband is murdered on their wedding night by her supposed guardian angel. Why Sarita’s husband was murdered and how she happened upon a guardian angel all open up a bigger story about who is pulling the strings in her life and how she plans to exact her own vengeance against Angelo.

After a grand curtain opening chapter, plenty of backpedaling occurs in telling Sarita’s story in how Angelo appeared in her life in the first place. Rather than be fast and furious in telling the story, Compton’s narration is a measured offspeed approach, giving the characters enough thought and credit, while cleverly shoehorning in certain events and insights that help keep DEVILS KILL DEVILS from going off the rails or falling into holes. That tight rope between character and world building leads up to a wild and grandiose climax as the last 25 or so pages of the story just throws everything at you in non-stop mayhem.

Some advice to heed after reading the opening chapters: don’t expect Angelo to show up when you expect him to. Angelo will show up but the story will already have its mind made up about him. And finally the conflicts between the characters concede to the larger story, and it’s no spoiler anymore as I can tell, of vampires. When you learn of Sarita, Harrah, Cela, Z and the supporting cast, an enormous amount of care, consideration and back story is made. All of it gets pushed aside real quick in the last few chapters, as wall to wall action gives way to one of the wildest climaxes I’ve read in some time. It’s not to say Compton is not aware of the character development. Indeed, when Sarita finally comes face to face with Angelo and Harrah (who is the best character, despite all that happens), they do not have the real back and forth you would have thought after all the internal narration, but what’s needed to be said is said, particularly with Harrah, who was narrated so well.

DEVILS KILL DEVILS may have missed a few punches, but it’s still an interesting read, with a wild and rewarding conclusion. Prepare for some entertaining vampire lore, and enjoy the ride.

I hope this lands for you better than it did for me!

A fast-paced, supernatural thriller about a woman who grows up with a guardian angel. On her wedding night, that "angel" murders her new husband in cold blood.

The first few chapters are gripping and I was really invested in Sarita's mystery. As the scope of the novel expands to include vampires, a religious war and lovecraftian elements, I rapidly lost steam and interest. Compton puts a new spin on some mythology here, it just didn't work for me. Vampires as 'devils' as 'gods' blended in a way that didn't grab me, as our POVs increasingly spent time in their heads, with little dialogue to anchor the plot.

I'll give Compton another chance, as I hear his first book is excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

This book pulled me in immediately when Sarita witnesses a brutal murder, committed by someone she thought was her guardian angel. I wanted to find out more about this so-called "guardian angel" Sarita called Angelo, and why he did what he did. The book was a bit of a slow burn up to about the fifty percent mark, basically setting up the story and character building. I suggest you stick with it as it picks up again with a ton of excitement which had me turning pages so fast.

This was my first Johnny Compton book. I really appreciated some of the beautiful prose, and how Johnny Compton is able to give such an amazing visual of the Devils and Vampires. The Vampires were so different than your typical blood sucker. Also to note, there is a lot of violence in this one.

I liked this one but didn't love it. I think it just wasn't for me, but I know there is an audience out there that will LOVE it.

A unique twist on the creatures that haunt our nightmares, and make us feel like the insignificant animals we are. Sarita suffers a loss at the hands of her guardian angel, and has to question every belief she's carried through her life, while grieving the person she loves most.
As if that's not enough, the demented creature who calls herself the Godmaker unleashes complete havoc on those around Sarita, ending in carnage unfathomable, and total chaos.
In the end, Sarita becomes someone totally different than her destiny had been meant to be, and we get to see a little of why, despite being only animals ourselves, we should never give up on fighting for those we love and the things right in our lives.

Great for fans of both horror and fantasy. It kept me on the edge of my seat, at no point did I have any clue as to what would happen next.

Devils Kill Devils was quite a bloody, pulpy mess, and I loved that about it. I really liked Compton’s rendition of a vampire, and also liked hearing his reasoning behind it in the Author’s Notes. Coming in just under 300 pages, this one reads fast and is straight to the point right from the beginning without venturing off from the main event. I liked the characters and enjoyed the narration in the audiobook. I can’t wait to read what Compton puts out next. If you enjoy reading novels based on cults, dark magic and vampires, I think you’d like this one. Thanks to Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio for my advanced audiobook. Devils Kill Devils will be published just in time for spooky season, 9/24.

A few thoughts for the publisher that I won’t be posting on social, to avoid spoilers:

Nothing short of the best vampire novel I’ve ever read. THANK you. Every detail of the worldbuilding is fascinating and the prose is so good, it establishes Compton as a major talent.

I didn’t love every single thing about it - while it starts with a bang, the book takes a while to reveal its hand enough for you to understand what it has in store. I think it’s worth the patience for its worldbuilding alone, but not every reader may be. Also there’s at least one late second-act exposition dump that I think is a little too blunt and detailed, where I think some of the specifics would’ve been better teased out in the margins.

Otherwise, I loved it. A work of true horror - gut-churning, bone-crunching, flesh-slicing horror - that I relished. Compton’s King-esque devotion to character detail and a flair for the cosmic made this exactly my kind of romp. This book starts with a bang and never really settles down - except then it somehow doesn’t even hit its true stride until the second half? I loved the worldbuilding and character detail and Compton’s fluid, evocative prose. Honestly, all my critiques are far too specific to belong in a pre-release review. Despite those critiques, I would recommend this novel to practically any horror reader I knowI would advise prospective readers to try to remain unspoiled. I didn’t really know the premise or log line or even that it was a vampire book going in, and I think my experience was the better for it.

Who can be against?

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion!

From start to finish, this book was a freaking ROLLER COASTER RIDE!!! I loved the vampire lore the author chose to include, and especially liked that he wrote what myths/countries he was inspired by at the end of the novel. I definitely, DEFINITELY need more of Sarita's adventures, I feel like she is such a badass protagonist that went through so much but was still a good person. Some parts did feel rushed when reading, but overall this was a super enjoyable story that NEEDS to be part of a series! All the characters were so well-written with excellent backstories and motivation that really spoke to who they are as characters. Johnny Compton....give us more of Sarita and her world!!!

The dread, violence, and unsettling aspects of this story create a horrifying atmosphere. The descriptions of the different vampires and their transformations are unlike anything I have ever read before- the author’s note regarding his inspirations and research about vampires is also very interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an arc of this book!

Devils Kill Devils was HELLA GOOD. I enjoyed it immensely. Great spin on vampire/angel lore and hella compelling characters. One of my favorite reason this year!