Chilling, adrenaline-fueled horror novel that grips you from the first page to the back cover. The violence will be divisive, but I dug it!

"When all hell breaks loose, you need a devil on your side."
Devils Kill Devils was my first time reading this author and I look forward to reading other books from the author. It was written well and every character in this was interesting. I picked up this book and then could not put it down till I finshed reading it. The book was a wild ride from beginning to end and has angels, vampires and so much more. I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any reader who loves horror. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this spooky read in exchange of my honest review of Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton.

I was super looking forward to this one as his previous book was on of my favorites from last year but sadly this one missed the mark. Can’t get into too much without spoiling it. I hope the next one is better!

The sudden and violent introduction is mirrored by the sudden and violent conclusion. Except you don't want a book to just stop. I expected some sort of denouement. Some perfunctory check up on the surviving characters. Nope. Highly unsatisfying.

The mythology/motivation of the antagonists is also confused and never fully elucidated. Not in a "save some mystery for later" way, but in an "author doesn't know what the hell is happening either" way

The central conceit is interesting and some of the characters are well-drawn. There are also genuinely thrilling and tense scenes, but not enough to save the book for me

I really loved The Spite House, but unfortunately this one did not hit for me. The first scene really drew me in, but so many things started happening that I got whiplash. I do love chaotic horror, but there was too much action and not enough character development for my taste. By the end, I still felt like I didn’t know any of the characters enough to have any connection or care what happened to them.

Very dark and creepy. It's a great read if you want to read something that could be cathartic
Liked it . Due to health issues cannot will write a proper review at a later time
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mineA more extensive review will follow

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. Compton is truly a masterful storyteller. This novel took the reader on a journey through a land and with characters that were vibrant and tragic. The story was heartbreaking and gripping in its universal story that people will go to great lengths for those they love.

ugh. i don't like writing negative reviews for books that don't inspire fiery hot ire in me, but sometimes it must be done. the premise for this book sounded right up my alley, spooky cults, vampires, the works. however, i felt like what really put me off this book was the prose. the povs could be hard to follow and had a tendency to lament/ramble in their heads about something that wasn't really relevant to the plot, and i could feel my eyes glaze over. maybe one day I'll give this book another shot.

Devils Kill Devils follows Sarita, who has always been protected by her guardian angel, Angelo. However, when Angelo kills someone she loves, Sarita begins to uncover dark secrets and realizes there's more to her guardian angel than she ever imagined. Compton's intense and atmospheric writing creates a gripping tale of supernatural horror and suspense. This book is a must-read if you're a fan of Southern Gothic horror with a twist.

I had really hoped for better with this book. The beginning was compelling and hooked me immediately but after the wedding day it kind of all went down hill from there. Which is too bad because this could have been incredibly written if the middle and ending had the same power as the beginning.

Devils Kill Devils is my second book from Compton and unfortunately both times both books just didn't work out for me. I will say The Spite House wasn't as nearly as bad as this one was.

I ran into the same issue I was having in The Spite House in Devils Kill Devils and that's, so much telling and so little showing. There was also the same issue of very little character conversations and interactions. Sure characters are in scenes together but we don't get to actually see them talk to each other enough. There were multiple times where conversations were told us, instead of just letting us see the character's have the conversations and this became so frustrating, as it lead the character's to not being fleshed out enough to really jump off the page and feel real.

There are long winded chapters where you are stuck in characters heads lamenting about their problems and how they handle it. Background info dumps of characters I could really care less about. I understand why they where there as a way to help build the story but ultimately they dragged it down.

The plot felt convoluted and all over the place which made me think constantly "what is the plot?". I was super bummed when it turned into a story about vampires, I was really into the idea of a Guardian Angel murdering people to protect his charge, but he also played so little in the overall story that that in itself was disappointing. The first chapter is explosive and frankly the best part of the whole story because after that it just plummets and then continues to spiral downward. There was a lot of ideas here and for me it wasn't executed in a good way.

This is the second book by this author I’ve read, and I KNOW there’s a hit for me coming from them but sadly this one wasn’t it.

I think a large part was just different expectations vs reality. I did prefer this to Spite House but it felt like it lost its way a little after having a strong start.

This book fell a little flat for me. It started off amazing, kept me intrigued and wanting more but towards the middle/end it just dragged. I wanted to love it but I wasn't tucked in anymore.


Thank you netgalley for this arc!

I wanted to love this book so much. The opening scenes and potential were *chefs kiss* and I always love myself a good evil vs evil story.

However, by halfway through the book, I was terribly disappointed. What was promised as a devil/demon story with possibly angels was in fact just a vampire novel in disguise. The storyline which started out strong puttered out by the end and the mythos/religion behind the prophecy of Sarita was extremely confusing and flimsy. The rules and regulations regarding all of the vampiric/demonic characters were not well-defined and the purpose of characters like Tori still remain a mystery to me.

That being said, was this an interesting take on vampire lore with a lot of horror and gore? Yes. Did it make much sense? No. However, it was still an entertaining read and I still plan on reading other works by the author which have been said to have a more cohesive plotline.

Recommended for fans of violent horror and vampire stories with a different spin.

Thank you to NetGalley, Johnny Compton, and Tor Nightfire for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This took me a second to get into but it was overall a good read

Sarita should probably be dead, but thanks to her guardian angel Angelo she has been saved four times. The first time he saved her was when she drowned and it was Angelo who pulled her from the water, starting their very complicated relationship. It seems as though Angelo is there to protect and help Sarita, but one night things take a very dark turn when Angelo savagely murders Frank, the man that Sarita just married. Why did Angelo kill the man she loves when he has always protected her, and what is lurking in the shadows?

Devils Kill Devils sounded like a great novel, and started off in just that way, but then Cela the Godmaker made an appearance, and everything just seemed to go downhill from there and I really began to lose interest. There were so many things that were introduced in the second half that it almost seemed like I was reading a completely different, and scattered, story and I seriously considered DNFing the novel. There were only two things that I liked about the novel. The first is that the narrative switches from the present and the past, a narrative style that I often enjoy. The second is that the novel, which is in the horror genre, is full of death and carnage.

I sadly don’t think this author is for me. This is the second book by him and idk if it’s the writing style or what but something just doesn’t draw me in both with The Spite House and this one. However, a lot of friends enjoyed this one! So maybe it’s just me

Sarita has a guardian angel. She first realized this as a small child when she almost drowned at the beach and he appeared out of nowhere to save her, leaving when she was safe without a word. He appeared again when she was older saving her once more, then again when she was in college, saving her from a wreck that killed her friends. She has no idea why she has the man she calls Angelo but it makes her feel safe.

Then she meets Frank and marries him. When a tragedy occurs, Sarita starts to find out who Angelo is and why he has been by her side. A cult believes that she is the person they have worshipped for centuries, come to fulfill prophecy. As they attempt to take her and as they take others around her, Sarita learns that she must save herself rather than waiting on Angelo to do everything.

Johnny Compton specializes in the horror genre, writing short stories and hosting a horror podcast. This is his second novel with his first, Spite House, being nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. While this book started out strong, it seemed to spin away from him about halfway through, getting more and more frantic. Horror that creeps up on one is often most effective; this is 'in your face' terror. Sarita changes from a scared child to someone who, by the end, realizes that only she can save herself and that family is more important than anything else. She was the strongest character and readers will emphasize with her. This book is recommended for horror readers.

This was my first book by Johnny Compton and I enjoyed it! There is a lot going on, but I liked the characters and the multiple points of view. It was a great spin on vampire and guardian angels.

I have not yet read The Spite House by Compton, so I will be adding it to my TBR. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing a copy.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

I struggled through this book. It was so interesting at first and then about a third of the way through I started really struggling with the book. It was just so boring and it stayed in one persons thoughts for so long and nothing happened. Overall not a book for me.