Thank you Brom and NetGalley for the ARC. Man oh man. Brom had done it again. This book was great. A legit adventure from start to finish. It was scary. It was funny. It was all around an enjoyable read. I loved that I didn’t really know where the characters were going to end up. Like I couldn’t guess what was going to happen to the characters. I was on my toes the entire time. Brom really has a great way of storytelling. One of the really cool things Brom did was have an actual band record the songs from the band in his book. As a music lover, I thought that was so cool to be able to listen to the music from this world that Brom made.

Well, hot patootie, bless my soul, I really love that rock n’ roll.

Look, I can’t help if that line from Meatloaf’s RHPS song kept looping inside my head while I was reading this book, because as Ruby (the protagonist) says more than once: punk rock saved her soul. It put me in a rhyming mood. It put me in the mood for music. It reminded me of when I was growing up in the 1980s and early 90s and some days it felt like music was the only thing holding you together. Especially if you’re like Ruby (and me) and grew up mentally ill.

I expected to love this book, but I ended up only liking it for one read. It’s a good book, but I felt a bit uncomfortable with the way Ruby’s mental illness was handled by the author and I could feel how that affected my enjoyment of the novel as a whole. I am not saying Brom did anything wrong in her portrayal of Ruby as a mentally ill character and I’m not saying her approach to mental illness was wrong. This book takes place in the 1980s and the way mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder were discussed, researched, and diagnosed back then is worlds different than now. So I can’t speak as to Brom’s intentions when writing this novel and I’m not going to outright condemn an author when I don’t see definite evidence of malicious intent in the text.

I also ended up feeling like there were too many different POVs and the book was getting too cluttered in the second half of the book. It started to feel messy and not as tense and dreadful as the first half.

Brom is a great writer when it comes to language, but I’ve seen plots similar to this done better. I’d gladly read another Brom book, but this one was a pass.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and the author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews rated three stars or under do not appear on my social media. Thank you.

File Under: Body Horror/Dark Fantasy/Disability Rep/Historical Fantasy/Occult Fiction/Psychological Fiction/Serial Killer/Supernatural Horror

I was definitely blown away by this book! Slewfoot and Krampus are still on my TBR. But I'm so glad I started with Evil in Me, especially when I got an ARC of it.

This book combines so many of my favorite things:

🖤 Horror
🖤 Gore
🖤 Possession (think exorcist)
🖤 Punk rock bands

If you're a fan of Brom's others works and/or just love a good demon possession book, definitely check this book out!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.

This was a fun read with demons, possession, serial killers, and rock n' roll. Although I enjoyed pretty much the whole trip, there was a distinct sense of cheese throughout. Some of this may be due to Evil in Me being pitched as an adult novel, while reading more like YA. (Note: I love YA, but I also like to know I'm reading a YA book when I pick it up) Another possibility is just the innate struggle of writing rock n' roll horror. There's the temptation to showcase the ultimate song, and no matter how deep an author digs to find the perfect descriptors and lyrics, there's still a sense of "that's it?". The titular song plays a hefty role in this story and dips its toes deeply into that cheese pool.
All that said, Ruby is a terrific character to follow, one of the antagonists, Richard, is supremely twisted, and the journey is consistently entertaining. Fans of Brom's artwork will want to invest in the gorgeous hardcover version, and readers who enjoy books like Grady Hendrix's We Sold Our Souls or Zachary Ashford's Polyphemus may find a lot to like in Evil in Me.

Thank you netgalley, so much for giving me this arc !!

I had ready read Slewfoot and Krampus by Brom and loved them both. But this one has a different feel. It definitely had a more modern day story and feel. Bit it also still has the fantastical gods and devils feel as well and I loved every minute

As soon as I started this book I knew it was going to be a 5 star and I am very very stingy with my 5 stars

Brom is so incredibly talented. He's a beautiful writer (and artist). He expertly, in my opinion, combines fantastical elements and present day elements seamlessly with stunning lyrical like writing !!!

Brom is a legit auto buy author for me as well as someone I have to have the physical books for my collection as well

After reading Slewfoot earlier this year and absolutely loving it, I jumped at the chance to read this one!! 🙌

This book had all the vibes - 80s punk rock, demons, ghosts, even a serial killer! While I definitely enjoyed reading this, I felt like the ending was missing something but I can’t quite put my finger on what. 🤔 Regardless, I still highly recommend this one!! Can’t wait to get the physical copy so I can check out the amazing artwork that Brom includes!!

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

This book is SO. GOOD. I have had Slewfoot by Brom downloaded for a while, and after reading Evil In Me it has moved to the top of my list. This was a reading EXPERIENCE and I cannot recommend this book enough. I received this gorgeous copy from Tor Nightfire and ended up listening to it on audio thanks to Macmillan Audio - best decision ever.

This audiobook is one of the best I have ever listened to. Not only did the narrators absolutely crush it, but The Maxines got their original song ‘Evil In Me’ stuck in my head. What a fun and riveting listening experience.

Ruby, the main character in this tale of demonic possession, is sassy and strong - she was a delight to read even when she was making questionable decisions. I also appreciated how early on in the book I was rooting for “evil” itself.

In my opinion though, the star of this whole show was Vutto. I wanted to be friends with that good little egg so badly. Evil In Me begs the questions - are evil people just good people trapped in bad brains? Or are some people just bad eggs?!

Check this one out if you like horror, relatable characters, music, and moral gray areas!

**Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the ARC of this incredible title!**

First of all, Slewfoot was my favorite book of last year so I was super excited to get to read another by Brom. Evil in Me was definitely different but it felt like a similar writing style which I LOVED.

And such a cool concept, a punk rocker gets possessed by a demon, like what?? Ruby was already going through it and then she gets possessed like damn give this girl a break! There were multiple unique team-ups/friendships which was really fun. And then there’s also a serial killer??? I found myself giggling, cringing, tearing up, gasping and cheering.

This was such a good read! I’m so happy to be in my spooky reads era. And Brom is officially an auto-buy author for me 🤘🏻

If you like:
🎸Possession
🎸Unlikely friendships
🎸Multiple POVs
🎸A little silliness
🎸A lot of blood

Evil in Me is a story about demons, punk rock, and a quest to get tons of people to sing the same song. There was a lot of this story that I enjoyed, especially that while the characters are morally grey, there’s a lot of heart involved and some genuine good. The only downside for me was that the plot dragged quite a bit, with just occasional pops of something interesting.

That said, a part of Brom’s work that enhances the stories he writes so much is the art. The eARC doesn’t have any and it does take away from the story a bit. I’ve put this at 4 stars, rounded up from 3.5 because I believe the art in the finished copy would have made a difference.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I also listened to the audio book and this song has been playing in my head all week.

In usual Brom fashion, this book is equal parts dark and endearing. Evil in Me is not a light read by any means. It focuses on possession, mental health, murder and punk rock in the 1980s.

Ruby is in trouble. She's always in trouble actually. But this time it's because of the ancient ring she placed on her finger. Now she's possessed by a demon and her soul will be taken by Lord Sheelbeth. In order to save her soul, she needs to create enough magic to get the ring off.


I'm still not really sure what Richard's involvement in the story really adds to the plot. I liked his dialogues, although unhinged they were also interesting. But unless I missed some information, he doesn't seem essential.
I loved the descriptions of the demons. They are twisted and sick in the best ways.
I also loved the imagery of the demon Vutto dressed as a drummer in the band.

Evil in Me is the first book I've read by this author, and I was somewhat disappointed. I've heard great things about Brom, and this one just fell a little flat for me.
Ruby is I believe 24, however, she feels a lot younger than me, some of which is definitely due to her inner dialogue. She had decided to go off her meds and is currently on probation teaching kids guitar at a local community center. Which surprisingly she actually enjoys.

Her mother seems uninterested, the mother's boyfriend is a douchy looser, and his son is a creepy perv that is constantly harassing Ruby and trying to take photos of her naked. Of course, no one at home believes her, and this fuels her desire to leave town. She has a friend in an older gentleman named Josh who she takes care of when his daughter is out of town. This is where she runs into the relic that is going to take her down a horrible path of demons, and violence, and with all this going on my favorite character isn't Ruby but Bael the being that inhabits the ring.

This story is action-packed, and gory, along with some moments that had me laughing. Overall this was an enjoyable read, I think I just overhyped it in my head and it didn't live up to those expectations. I would absolutely check out Broms other books.

Omg what a crazy book! I did not expect this at all but I’m glad I went into it knowing basically nothing because it was so fun that way. This is absolutely a horror book, like the kind that may give you nightmares but in the best possible way. I thought the writing was SUBLIME and the characters were perfect. I felt that each character was fleshed out so well and I truly understood their motivations, fears, desires, and stories. The different perspectives were done very well! The plot moved sooooo quick it was jarring at times but again, in a good way. It was a fun, wild ride and I’d recommend it for the horror book fans out there!

And that ending?? Absolute perfection!!!

Brom is such a master at delivering horror in a way that is terrifying, humorous, heartfelt, and artistic all in the same package. Evil in Me is no different. I could not get enough of this book; I stayed up much too late, and woke up much too early, just to get a few more pages read before I had to face my adult responsibilities.

Ruby, a misunderstood outcast of a young adult with a giant heart, is just trying to survive another day in what seems to be a dead-end life in a small town. Through a tangle of what seems to be bad luck, she is stuck in between a rock and a hard place. As if things couldn’t get any worse, she comes a bit too close to an ancient religious relic that then possesses her body. Through the help of friends old and new, and not all human, she battles to break free from the evil that is slowly consuming her. In her pursuit to save her soul, she learns more about who she is and is awakened to the love and light that peaks out from behind some dark places.

My favorite part about Brom’s stories is how he can inject a bit of good, or at least intentions of good, into those things widely seen as pure evil. It is such a refreshing message that I will never get tired of hearing/reading, and which is an aspect of Evil in Me that made me love it all the more.

I will undoubtedly be recommending this to everyone, regardless of their reading preferences!

A HUGE ‘thank you’ to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the advanced copy. Another ‘thank you’ to Libro.fm for an advanced listener copy of the audiobook even though I went a different route, but I look forward to absorbing the story again soon via audiobook format!

This story was so much fun!
Yes there was Gore, yes there was horror but the quirky craziness was the best thing about it. Add punk rock and the 90s? Aah Nostalgia.

The characters, were, in my opinion and as per my observation, all were morally Grey, well, except for Richard, he was just cuckoo crazy bad.

Ruby and Tina's friendship is goals and love the evolution of Beel and Ruby's connection.
We all have Demons, their is war brewing within us.

I'm a huge fan of Brom so I knew I would enjoy this book before I even read it. What I didn't anticipate was how much I was going to love the audiobook. I was following along with the eARC while listening to this and the audiobook added so much to the story, specifically the musical portions of it. Hearing the song and how it was supposed to sound was interesting and immersed me even more in the story.

As for the actual contents of the story, I thought it was captivating but I still wanted a bit more from it. I wish it focused more on the hellish portions of the story or other hellish artifacts, but besides that, I thought this was great and I highly recommend reading it!

Big thank you to Macmillan Audio, Tor Nightfire, and Netgalley for this ALC!

Evil in Me by Brom was received directly from the [publisher and I chose to review it. I had never read this author before and this book did not attract me to search out more. I would read more as it seems this is the least of his books. The book had things I like, such as demons and punk rock but it was written like it was a Young Adult novel and with all of the characters, it was too short. This seems like it would be a good movie though. If you like "Brom", punk rocks themes, demonic possession and even a serial killer, certainly give this book a read.

3 Stars

I'm torn because I absolutely love Brom's writing style, his artwork, and his books but Evil In Me was just different... Not that it's bad! - I just found myself less invested than I was reading some of his other works.

Evil In Me started off STRONG with stomach turning gore that had me cringing and screaming right off the bat. Brom is a master at sarcastic comedic horror and he continues that trend with Evil In Me but despite the gore this read very much like a YA novel. I semi-expected that based of the blurb and the main character but I still found myself a little thrown off. 

I think I'll re-read this and adjust my rating at a later time when I can reevaluate my thoughts.

*I will be posting an additional review on Instagram on publication day as I have a physical copy arriving in the mail

This was my second Brom story and I loved it! If you love demons, music, horror and stories like Schrader's Chord, look no further. Vuto was my favorite character and I will hear no criticism of my sweet baby angel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor and Brom for the advanced copy of this story!

THE POWER OF MUSIC COMPELS YOU...

To read this book! Evil in Me by Brom is a nostalgic, angry girl, punk rock anthem to anyone that ever wanted to shout, We ARE the weirdos, Mister!

Evil in Me fully delivers Brom’s signature brand of commingling old gods and new, as well as, disrupting our perceptions of good and evil…demons need and deserve love too! However, with this book, we get the added bonus of those kids with their dragon games and devil music. It’s a little Stranger Things and Lord of the Rings, but with more girl power and a bass guitar that you can feel in your heart.

Overall, Evil in Me does feel a little more YA than the other books I've read by this author, even though the MC is in her early 20s. But, considering the shit Ruby had to deal with, her character felt pretty realistic to me, and hell is a teenage girl, as they say.

While Slewfoot is still my favorite - it affected me more on an emotional level, and Krampus had a rawness to it that I really liked, Evil in Me was probably the most fun of the three. This was the power of music done right. And I can only imagine how absolutely amazing the artwork will be! I may just have to trade my soul for a copy of it 🔥🤘

Thank you Tor Nightfire for the copy to read and review!

DNF at 34%

I tried with this one but I could not get into the writing style. Also, some of the choices that the characters made were not it. I wanted to love this because I have heard so much about Brom and his work, but this was not for me.