2.5 ⭐️

I liked the beginning of this novel. Fast paced, short to medium sized chapters, and an intriguing storyline. It started to lose me midway through, as some of the POVs felt incessantly long. In the end, I was confused on who the main "bad guy" actually was.

Now let's get down to it. The description of the vampires were exquisite. This was a different take on our favorite non-living night walkers, and I could tell Compton put a lot of time and love into them. They were my favorite parts to read.

Let's not also forget the cult vibes. I absolutely ADORED how the vamps took inspiration from us to build their religion. Perfection.

Overall, this book is good. As mentioned in the spoiler part of my review, there's one portion of the story I thoroughly enjoyed. That aside, at times it felt it was a little all over the place.

Either way, I recommend this to whoever wants a fresh look at vampires, and is into a horror with a cult undertone. Just because it wasn't fully for me doesn't mean it won't be someone else's favorite read of the year.

A woman who has a guardian angel who has saved her life multiple times begins to question things when he kills her husband on their wedding night... and she spirals into a world of vampires, cults, and angels. Sarita has been saved from death multiple times in her life by her guardian angel, a man called Angelo... yet she never knows where he comes from and why he saves her. On her wedding night he kills her new husband without any explanation and she begins to question just why he would do that and why for her. Yet her husband's own family has dark secrets and the more Sarita pries into it the more she is beginning to realize that she is the centerpiece to a much darker story and that a darker entity wants her hand in marriage. This book had a promising beginning but fell apart the further I read it. The story jumped to too many POVS and the story just got kind of boring. I really tried to get through it but it was a struggle most of the time. The story had gothic elements and for a story with cults and vampires, I thought it would be perfect for me, yet I just kept getting bored and wanting to dnf the book. Sadly this was a miss for me but if you like vampire stories with cults maybe give it a go, maybe it'll be a better time for you than it was for me.

Release Date: September 24,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book started out strong but quickly took a nose dive about 1/4 through. The plot seemed good in theory but I think it was overcomplicated. It took everything in me to trudge through the rest of this book.

Devils Kill Devils started strong, immediately grabbing my attention. Unfortunately it did not keep it's momentum. As the book starts to explain the lore of it's world it gets bogged down. Compton is a decent writer, and I will definitely go back and read his debut novel, but this one was a miss for me. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reading copy.

So at the beginning of the story, I liked how he set up with this mysterious being coming in on her wedding night and took out her husband. Then we see when she starts seeing this being after that it gets hazy. It just didn’t hold my interest anymore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read Spite House yet, but I'll definitely be picking it up after this book! Compton is a masterful storyteller, and I found the gothic horror environment he cultivated within the book to be very engaging. Kept me up reading!

Terror. Dread. Angels. Demons. Vampires. This book was a struggle for me. Almost DNF. I found myself bored and doing my best to push through, realizing I was just reading words but not retaining the story’s content. Having to go back to re-read in hopes for info to sink in the second time around. At just 288 pages, it should not have taken me as long as it did to complete it cover to cover, which created a backlog in my reading and reviewing deadlines. Being a circle reader is what kept me awake and alert to keep trying again with this one. A lone woman facing the hordes of hell and needing a devil on her side in a race to save the world… This book started out fast - hit the ground running, but a couple chapters later, the high speed graphic violence remained consistent and overly descriptive, I started to feel details were repetitive and over explained. The books description gave appeal, targeting fans of author Silvia Moreno-Garcia which made me excited to read this. In Moreno-Garcia’s writing, thought provoking, she gives just enough to keep the reader in suspense and wanting more. Her varied writing allows opportunity for jump scares as well “daylight” (moments of safety), to subtle horrific teases causing the reader to look over their shoulder or to listen for approaching footsteps that aren’t there.
I felt the story style of Devils Kill Devils… force fed me steady, repetitious, excessive description, and relentless high speed violence… almost like watching a fight movie in close-up with high speed CGI the entire time. After a while all I could do was be bored. The lack of variety in the storyline was brain-numbing which completely blurred perspective and focal point for my tired eyes. (I had to read it twice to give it a fair shot and it just didn’t do it for me either time.) This was a total miss for me - resembling nothing of the referenced Moreno-Garcia. In my research, I saw that readers had praised Compton’s work prior… but that Devils Kill Devils fell short. If anything, it was ambitious.

Thanking NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm so sorry. I really tried to like this. At the very least, I tried to FINISH this, but I couldn't. I read and really liked The Spite House so I was really looking forward to another title from Johnny Compton. Reading the first chapter in the PM preview made me really intrigued about Devils Kill Devils. So believe me when I say I am as much or more disappointed as anyone that this was so...bad. It's not the plot--while fairly convoluted and confusing early on, it was also interesting enough to propel me farther than I thought. Honestly, I think the real killer of Devils Kill Devils, at least for me, is how premature it feels. The balance between showing and telling is heavily weighted on the side of the latter, which wouldn't be so bad if so much of said telling wasn't done in dialogue that universally sounded forced and clunky. Outside of the clunky dialogue, the prose itself felt very amateurish. I saw the acknowledgements. I know there were multiple editors on this book. Were they rushed? Did an old draft accidentally get pushed into the ARC and the book on the shelf will have had another much-needed round of editing?

As I said, I liked The Spite House. Like Devils Kill Devils, there were a lot of POVs, some time jumping, and a sense of omniscience that gives a strong sense of dramatic irony. In The Spite House, those multiple POVs and time jumping felt like carefully calculated breadcrumbs. Here, they often feel disorganized, and sometimes like I missed some crucial information. And while I don't remember feeling like the prose and dialogue in The Spite House was sparkling or poetic, exactly, it was at the very least invisible, allowing me to enjoy the unfolding story. I don't necessarily think an author should forever have new work compared with their old, but in this case, the difference between sheer quality of writing is so stark I can't ignore the discrepancy.

It could be if I had powered through, I would have been rewarded with that convoluted plot weaving together into something really spectacular. I really, really tried to see if that was the case. I just think this needed another, and not light, editing pass before hitting the printing press. I won't be posting this or any other review on my site or Goodreads. I just want you to know my unvarnished thoughts, and that I'm really, really sad this one wasn't good. I'll keep my fingers crossed that Compton's next book will be a return to the caliber of The Spite House.

2⭐️

I loved the premise and it sounded incredible. I love the idea of angels and demons.

But it just couldn’t hold my focus very long. I kept putting it down and picking up something else. I just couldn’t get into the whole cult aspect. Cults aren’t really my thing in horror.

I finished it but it was a struggle. I will try this author again though. I liked his writing, I just didn’t like this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Pub Day Devils Kill Devils!

Southern gothic horror and vampires? Sign me up! Unfortunately it wasn’t as thrilling and page turning as I thought it would be. For the first half of the book I was enthralled by Saritas story but it hit a stand still around the 60% mark. I took a break and came back to read the last third of this novel and loved the ending as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire and the Author for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Having grown up with a guardian Angel by her side, saving her life countless times, Sarita is one lucky lady, or is she???

What if your guardian Angel isn’t really an Angel, more a devil with a disguise 🥸 When one of Sarita’s loved ones is murdered, she begins to see past the lurking shadows.

I was absolutely on board for angels, devils and vampires. But I couldn’t not get into the book at all.
It wasn’t the violence or ☠️ and I struggled to connect with the characters. I truly did route for Angelo and the ways he saved Sarita over the years but I was considering DNF but I powered through.

I completely wanted this to be a great read for spooky season and it will be for others, just not me. If you’re into prophetic and religious angles, gore and horrific atmosphere, Gods and Vampires I suggest giving this a go (there are some great descriptions throughout - giving you a perfect horror show)!

I enjoyed reading the end blurb about the authors research for the book. Genuinely, plot summary was a peak to my interest but in the end just didn’t grab it.

Thank you to the author, Johnny Compton, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I received an epub for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley, Tor NightFire, and TorBooks for this copy of "Devils Kill Devils."

I was so impressed by the first four or five chapters when we're meeting Sarita and learning about her guardian angel that has saved her life at least four times.

But then the story got confusing with the vampire religion and prophecies. And all the detail as each character is trying to figure out if the others are harmful or helpful.

It had so much potential with a very interesting story line and characters and I wish that I had enjoyed it more.

Devils Kill Devils kicks off with a bang and dives straight into supernatural chaos. It’s a wild mix of vampires, demons, and dark lore that’ll keep you hooked. Sure, the middle slows down a bit, but the story is still packed with enough twists and tension to keep you invested. The characters are great, and there’s some juicy drama that adds extra depth to the madness.

The world-building is seriously impressive, and the mythology is rich and unique. The mix of supernatural elements feels fresh, and even though one part of the ending left me scratching my head, the overall ride is worth it. If you’re into dark, twisty stories with a supernatural edge, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up.

Loved the religious aspects and Compton’s take on vampires. This started off strong but kind of lost me around the halfway point

3.5/3.75⭐️

Devils Kill Devils is a horror novel with great potential. Vampires have been making a big comeback here lately, and while it mostly makes me roll my eyes, I feel Compton when a different an interesting way with this, and I liked it…at first.

Intrigued by the concept of beings that are referenced as angels and devils, and how they tied in with Sarita’s existence, I found myself pulled in. Then Cela enters, and her whole spin off the tale, and the spin off from her spin off with another character’s mother, had me feeling ungrounded in the story. It felt very scattered and almost unnecessary to an extent.

Some of other reviews call to attention the amount of violence in this book, which I agree that it has, but I feel it is rather expected when you’re delving into the genre of horror. Especially when the book contains blood thirsty creatures.

Rating it 3.5 stars because the concept of the story was intriguing; the main characters were decently developed; and I appreciated the fact that there weren’t multiple super descriptive sexual encounters that seem to be typical of novels featuring the type of creatures found in this book, which I tend to find a desperate grab when they aren’t necessary for moving a story forward.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the advanced copy!

3.5 ⭐️s rounded to 4 ⭐️s.

This was a good read that definitely kept me interested! I think the 3 females Sarita, Cela, and Harrah were very strong characters and well-developed! 🙌

I do think there was a little too much going on. We’ve got a guardian angel (or is it?), vampires, sleeper gods, cults…it was just a little too much. I definitely would have rated it higher if it didn’t have so much going on. 🤔

I recommend this one for lovers of vampires and stories with religious/cult themes! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

In Devils Kill Devils Johnny Compton writes a complicated and convoluted vampire tale. I believe that there are enough ideas and plot lines for several books and unfortunately it was all crammed into this one. With the shifting point of views and info dumps, my desire to finish stalled. I finished reading this morning and thought what the f did I just read but not in a good way. I will definitely check out Johnny Compton’s future endeavors and continue my obsession with Tor Nightfire but this was a miss for me. ARC was provided by Tor Nightfire via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I unfortunately agree with a lot of the other reviews. The first few chapters grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go, but that drastically dropped off as the prose wandered and exposition increased. I dnf'd at 30%.

I was very fortunate to have both the audiobook and the digital ARC for Devils Kill Devils. The audiobook really brings some of the scenes and characters to life in a different way, and I think the narration is great. Unfortunately, the story itself felt a little all over the place. As other readers have mentioned, the book had a really strong start, and there’s a lot of potential within the premise, but as the story progressed, it felt a bit overwhelming, and at times, the plot became unnecessary and distracting.

If you’re someone who enjoys violence, action, and that rampage-esque style of writing, I’d say you might enjoy this. However, for me, it felt like the story lost its way, and I was left wondering what the central focus really was. At first, I thought maybe it was just me, but seeing other readers with similar feelings confirmed my thoughts.

I initially requested this book because I’d heard great things about the author’s previous work, which I’m currently on hold for at my library. I still want to explore more of his work, as I’ve been told this book is quite different from his previous one. I appreciate what Devils Kill Devils was trying to do—there’s a lot of promise in the exploration of vampires and demons, and the themes of good versus evil are always fascinating. It’s clear that Johnny Compton is capable of creating unique and intriguing stories. I just wish this one had been better executed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Tor Publishing for this digital ARC and Audiobook. Powers was an excellent choice for narration.

I loved reading The Spite House. So I knew I had to read Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton.
I devoured this in two days, unable to stop myself from the world I was sucked in.
A page-turning gothic horror novel that was written so well.
I’m a big fan of Johnny Compton.