Evil in Me is a story about a young girl, Ruby, with the weight of the world on her back. She is a reclusive outcast who has lost touch with her friends, on probation and paying time off at the YMCA teaching kids how to play music, and trying to survive a very rocky relationship with her mother on account of her dad having committed suicide after his time in Vietnam. Things couldn't get much worse, until they do. Ruby is seen as someone with mental health issues and mad at the world for it. Things hit rock bottom after she fails her position at the YMCA making her escape from extended probation nonexistent and finds a ring in a friend's home that makes her feel and desire weird things. The journey from there takes Ruby through hell. The ring is linked with a very powerful goddess locked away in the hells and she is using a special entity to possess the wearer to complete horrible tasks that will set her free on Earth side. Ruby fights for her very soul and experiences connections she never thought possible. Will she become who she needs to be to save herself and the world?

This is my fourth Brom book and it amazes me how this is the same author for all that I've read. He has an amazing ability to set tones and execute stories so very different than his others. There is a small connection between this book and Lost Gods that, if you have also read both, you will get and appreciate. Brom is also not afraid to give the reader an absolute feeling of despair for the main character. You're in it thick and heavy with the story line thinking the author will give an out or a breath for escaping the moment and then the floor just falls from under them.

This story has an array of characters that have depth and purpose to them, although I'm not a huge fan of Richard and that's my only complaint if any. Ruby is really a girl of the heart and honest feelings. She doesn't want to see anyone get hurt and her growth in the story is really a blooming rose. Tina is such a wonderful friend and knows her worth for the most part. I feel bad for Eduardo, but he really needed to learn more lessons. I felt connected with the characters in this book and felt the flow of emotions right along with them.

As a lover of possessions I really enjoyed this very unique duo. Beel is a unique entity entirely and how he engages with Ruby was fascinating. There were the eerie moments when he used her eyes to see around a room while she was sleeping (shudders), and gave her a second voice while talking that scared the begeezus out of whoever was on the receiving end, but getting to see him struggle with his existence while possessing Ruby was a really clever approach. Brom has a really wonderful way of reaching and going beyond limits I've yet to experience adding so much more depth to the journey. This story really is 'the bees knees'. 4.5/5

Evil In Me by Brom It started off with a bang with a man who is experiencing a demonic possession and does the unthinkable. This instantly sucked me in and I wanted to keep reading more about this possession.

Years pass and we follow the story of Ruby Tucker who has had a tough life and has found herself in trouble with the law. She lives at home with her mom and gives guitar lessons to children as part of her community service. Her life doesn’t seem to be going in the direction that she wants but she does have some things she looks forward to like spending time with Josh who is an elderly man that she takes care of while his daughter is working. During one of her visits with Josh she encounters an ancient artifact and that is when things take a turn.

Overall the story was really good. I loved the pace of it and I kept wanting to read more and more. I also listened to the audiobook while I was reading this book and let me tell you that you all must listen to the audiobook!!! Not only did the narrators do an incredible job but the book mentions a special song that is so important to the story and the audiobook incorporates this song throughout the book giving the reader/listener an amazing experience while reading. I highly recommend this book and audiobook.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.

I just got into the Brom is the last year and Evil in Me lived up to the expectations set by Slewfoot. I enjoyed the pacing of the story and the setting. I loved the demon being in the band it made me laugh how goofy he was. It scary and humorous, in such a perfect mix. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to future novels.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Set in a small town in the South during the height of the Satanic Panic in the 1980s, Evil in Me by Brom follows Ruby Tucker, as she fulfills her parole for drug possession working at the local YMCA and teaching kids how to play guitar. From here, her life just continues to get worse and worse, her best friend has already moved to Atlanta and her ex-boyfriend is now dating the popular girl who used to bully them in high school. One of the only bright spots in Ruby's life is volunteering taking care of an kind older man, with a mysterious secret. One day, a cursed ring from among his possessions takes a hold of her and refuses to come off, driving her towards evil, she has been possessed by a being sent from Hell.

Since this is during the Satanic Panic when many people harshly judged anything that didn't conform to fundamentalist ideals as evil and "from the devil," Evil in Me tackles what it feels like to be judged for innocent behavior, as well as showing that everyone has different sides to them that you don't see at first. Through the course of the book, Ruby learns that she too has been guilty of this and must learn to listen to others, including her mother who she has grown apart from since the death of her father. Even Beel, the being from Hell abiding in the cursed ring, becomes sympathetic once you learn more about his past of being rejected and controlled.

Content warning for depictions of sexual harassment and mentions of domestic abuse

I would recommend this to anyone who knows what it's like to be hated and judged because of who you are and what you enjoy

I love the 80s vibe of this, and all of the Jewish lore. There are so many horror books that lean into Christianity, so it was incredibly refreshing to get a religious horror story centering Judaism. The multiple perspectives were excellent. Usually, I tend to favor one perspective when there are multiple in a story, but I was eager to follow all of these. Ruby. Richard. Lord Salbeeth. They all offered something I was dying to get more of and I was excited to see the culmination of them all. The end of this was incredible. Brom really knows how to nail a satisfying ending, and he excels at creating such complex characters that you never know who you’re going to end up rooting for. Another masterpiece.

This is the first time I’ve read Brom as an ebook and I’m definitely missing his art. I need a physical copy of this asap.

Cheers to resting bitch faces, revenge on exes and best friends with this story about possession and damnation.

Demons and killers and lead-singers, oh-my!

This is such a creative story. I love our deeply dislikable FMC as she shoulder-checks her way through life the only way she knows how. I love the back and forth between her and her ex-bf, and how she ultimately gets revenge. No notes.

There is a character named Richard/Dick, and he is such a small part of the story, but every time we hear his POV I was mesmerized. He is so evil, and yet so confident in his own actions and view of the world. Brom, if you're reading this. Give me a Richard/Dick novella. I need his backstory.

I wish the rock'n'roll part of the story started earlier than 60%. That's when our FMC re-connects with her best friend and has agency over her situation. The last 40% was amazing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC.

This book is best listened to in your best friends basement, while she tries on rings.

This is my first Brom book. I own several, but haven't read them yet. This was good. It was intense. I think I read it in 3 or 4 days. The amount of world building and lore was impressive for a horror novel. There were several scary parts, but wasn't gratuitous compared to other things I've read. Don't get me wrong, it's no fairy tale, but not quite in the splatterpunk realm. The ending was unexpected and great. I'm very intrigued to check out his other books. It's also a bit about mental health and how to survive it.

This book is so full of rock and roll and gore! What more can you want?

Demons, Jewish mysticism (which I loved) and one hell of a serial killer!
This whole story was bonkers and I loved it so much.

Brom did not disappoint and I can’t believe this is my first book by this author! I guess I can go binge more of his books now.

His style of writing and storytelling is so unique, bold and visual! This has everything you want in a book.
I absolute love the 80’s style punk rock scene!

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC.

I LOVED this book by Brom. The only other book I’ve read by Brom was Slewfoot, but his writing style easily made him one of my absolute favorite authors.

This book is rich in character development, action, gore, and creativity. There are elements of dark fantasy in addition to horror, and I love that. This books pulls you in from the very first page. It’s well-written, fun, exciting, and unexpectedly brilliant. You get a bit of possession, devil/angel on the shoulder, adventure, revenge, demons, a serial killer, and Jewish mysticism.

I cannot wait to read Lost Gods. I feel like this book drops in some details that reference it.

This is a voluntary review. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the ARC!

Set in the 1980s satanic panic craze, punk rocker, Ruby, becomes possessed by a gold ring while helping her elderly neighbor clean out his storage. The solution? Convince a large gathering of people to chant a spell rock concert style. This was my first book by Brom. I was a bit disappointed to see that their drawings were not included in the ARC. While I liked the plot, the characters seemed pretty one dimensional which detracted from the story. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book. .

I had a lot of fun with this one. Everyone started off annoying and selfish but slowly grew on me by the end. Especially the ‘evil’ characters. The storyline was both unique and nostalgic, really captured my attention. Lots of surprising moments.! I did want a bit more resolution at the end, or at least time with it. The end wrapped up fast and neatly.

Evil in Me is the perfect spooky read for this season and the cool cover would look great on a bookshelf. Can’t wait to check out Brom’s other works now.

This book follows the possession of Ruby Tucker. When she finds a mysterious box with an even more mysterious ring in her friend Josh's house, she can't stop thinking about it. When its haunting song finally wins her over, she steals the ring in the middle of the night. That's when Hell breaks loose. The ring amplifies her emotions, and she gives into her impulses, and she runs to Josh for help. She finds out she is possessed by Beel, who wants to be free of the ring and Lord Sheelbeth, who controls it.
Together, Beel (not a demon) and Ruby search for someone or something that can take the ring off. Ruby, a very impulsive and angry character, suddenly has to learn to accept her demons, if she wants to make it through this nightmare.

I highly recommend this book to any horror lover! This book is full of gore, demons that hide in plain sight, and demons that lurk inside everyone. Brom once again, understood the assignment and delivered another dark and disturbing story for all the fans of Slewfoot and Lost Gods to enjoy.

Evil In Me was a delight to read. Equal parts creepy and adventurous. The characters were relatable as well as troubled. Musicians putting their heart and soul into the music while evil threatens to their very essence of life.

This was my second Brom book that I've read with the first being Slewfoot. I enjoyed this a lot more than Slewfoot for the sheer fact that it was road trip book based around the concepts of art, music and beliefs. Evil In Me had me hooked and i had a hard time putting it down at times.

I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a spooky season book for the upcoming Halloween season.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan publishing for the eARC copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!!

***TRIGGER WARNINGS: Violence, Gore, Weaponization of mental illness, Kidnapping and Torture, (Attempted) Sexual Assault, Murder, Revenge Porn, Weaponization of Religion***

Quick synopsis: Taking place in the Bible Belt, Ruby is a seemingly troublesome character. With problems at home, her estranged friendships and a parole agreement being monitored by a bible thumping woman, it’s seems Ruby has been dealt the worst hand of life. The only thing that makes her happy is her music! That and her relationship with an elderly man who’s suffering from dementia and his daughter.
But not his all what it seems with this old man who seems to losing his grip on reality. He holds a secret. An ancient one, an ancient powerful tool that unfortunately ends up bound to Ruby and that’s where things take a wild violent turn in Ruby’s life.

WOW 🤩 what a ride! Off the top, you get gore and violence! It may not be for everyone but I loved it. I was hooked from the first paragraph.
Evil in Me give us gore and violence mixed with proto-punk rock era satanic panic and demon possession. There’s a mystery to be solved in the presence of impending doom and the author does a really great job of having that underlying evil and dread felt throughout the story.
I am really impressed with how well each character is developed in this story. There’s this overwhelming fear, anxiety, and anger that is displayed by not only Ruby but also the spirit possessing her body. Each character has their own uniquely complex emotions and inner turmoil that translates beautifully into words.
Although the ending kinda threw me (I was expecting a different outcome, haha) I enjoyed this novel overall. So much so that I prolonged finishing because I didn’t want the story to end 😅. This one really has me interested in other works by Brom 🤔.

I think this is definitely a refreshing read for horror lovers who don’t mind quite a bit of gore and aren’t turned off by the satanic panic narrative. Might be a bit much for someone new-ish to the genre. I would HIGHLY recommend reading!

Again, ALL thoughts and opinions ARE MY OWN. I was not influenced by any of the aforementioned publishers or publication websites. ✌🏾

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for access to an advanced copy of this ebook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When Ruby accidentally becomes possessed by a demon-esque creature after a sinister ring attaches itself to her finger, she is in a race against time to remove the ring and save her soul.

Evil in Me is yet another fantastical, horrific story by Brom. This one reminded me of Scott Pilgram vs the World, but with a little bit of Satanic Panic thrown into the mix. As usual, Brom created many lovable, morally grey characters that showed lots of growth, and had phenomenal redemption arcs. I really enjoyed the musical aspect, it made this one stand out a bit more from his other popular novels Slewfoot and Krampus.

I do feel like the ending was a little abrupt, and would have liked to see more of what happened to Vutto the demon. I can't wait to see the final version of this story, with the artwork included - I bet it will be fantastic!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't as impactful to me as Slewfoot, but it was a lot of fun and I finished it fairly quickly. Brom always has some fun stories up his sleeve, and this one is another winner to his already impressive list of novels.

Slewfoot turned me into a fan of Brom, and this book cemented that. Evil in Me is a gory, relentless rollercoaster centered around Ruby, a girl who just wants to play her punk rock music. If you watched the second Mummy movie with Brendan Fraser, the impetus for this story is similar, a powerful object gets attached to Ruby and it's all go from there.

There is a lot going on here, and a lot of characters, but Brom is a talented enough writer that everything flows smoothly and we always know which character is which. There is plenty of gore, of course, and as wince-inducing as those bits were, they are also so much fun.

Very thankful to Brom, NetGalley, and Tor Nightfire for allowing me to preview this book.

Ruby Tucker is off her meds again and trouble will soon follow. With a family life that is sad and scary, Ruby just wants to get her band back together and get out of her podunk town. Working part time as a caretaker for a friend's father, Ruby discovers a collection of artefacts, one of which was a ring. Ruby puts it on and hears a song. The ring grabs on to her finger of its own accord and it cannot be removed. Can its siren song be silenced? Will Ruby ever be free from the taint caused by the ring? You'll have to read this to find out!

I've loved every Brom book I've read, except for this one. The plot was a good one, (though a bit silly at times), and the characters were strong. There was lots of violence and gore as well. So why didn't I enjoy it as much as Brom's other books? The only thing I can put my finger on is a feeling. While I was reading I kept feeling that EVIL IN ME had a distinct YA feel to it. In spite of the violence, in spite of a truly horrible serial killer, (It's me, Richard.) and in spite of some great characters, I just felt this was a bit tame. I love the idea of the saving grace of Rock and Roll and have loved other books with the same exact theme. I really dug the character of Ruby and I empathised with her situation, especially as more and more of her past was revealed. If it weren't for my love of this girl, I might not have even continued reading.

Don't get me wrong, the story is entertaining as all get out, (featuring demons, dark lords, serial killers and half-mad Jesus worshipping stepfathers), and who doesn't want to see Rock music save the world, (or at least one young woman?) Overall, it just felt...light to me-like trying to satisfy a cheesecake Jones with cream cheese on a cracker. It's still good-just not all you wanted it to be.

One thing I missed by reading a digital ARC is Brom's artwork. Perhaps combined with that I would have given this a slightly higher rating? It's hard to say. I may buy a copy of this anyway, because I did enjoy the story and I always enjoy Brom's art.

I do recommend Evil in Me and I hope you enjoy it if you decide to give it a go!

ARC from publisher.

This was my first Brom story to read. It was nothing like what I was expecting. The writing is so fluid and easy to read, it didn't take long to devour this novel. The character development, the world building, and the overall plot, is so good! I will definitely check out all of his other novels. It is nice to read a solid, horror-ific story.

#NetGalley #EvilinMe

I really enjoy the overall premise of this book as it explores mental health and the stigma surrounding it. I enjoyed the dynamics between our main female character and the accompanying demon that inevitably inhabits her. The family with her friend as well as her complicated dynamics with her family, all added to the overall richness and complexity of the plot line.

I really feel like this is a book that should have its own soundtrack. It was absolutely punk rock in every which way. The descriptions and imagery was absolutely stellar as is on par for Brom and all his other books.

The Evil in Me by Brom is a wild ride of a story with 1980s punk rock, Jewish Mysticism, serial killers, found family, and demons large and small. Fans of Brom’s Slewfoot will also enjoy this one, another good for her story with the same affinity for pagan and ancient spirits. As in other Brom stories, humans are the most monstrous of all. I loved all the shout outs to different punk and alternative bands, and the settings in legendary Atlanta 80’s music venues 688 and the Metroplex. I read both the eARC and listened to the ALC of the audiobook which I highly recommend. Everyone should have a physical copy if nothing else, for Brom’s beautiful art and illustrations. The audiobook really brought all the vibes though, with real life band the Maxines playing the music. Thank you to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for the eARC and MacMillan Audio for the excellent audiobook advance copy.