Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio & Johnny Compton for an audio galley of Devils Kill Devils in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of The Spite House from last year, but I always give second chances & Johnny Compton always lures me in with his cover art & book synopsis.

I have good news & bad news on this one.

Good News - I liked it more than The Spite House
Bad News - It still didn't fall into my "I liked it" category

It was just "Meh." This was an improvement, though, so that keeps me from crossing Compton off my list of authors to read. I look forward to what he comes out with next & will definitely give it a go. With that said, hopefully the 3rd won't be my last because 3 strikes & you're out.

This story was a bit weird with the MC's shadow guardian angel, Angelo swooping in keep her from harm's way. To her devastation, Angelo brutally murders her new husband, Frank, on their wedding night & Sarita can't understand why since Angelo has always saved her. Plus, Angelo doesn't talk, so he doesn't give her his reasoning. I was intrigued by the relationship between Sarita & Angelo, but once Cela came into the mix, along with all the satanic hullabaloo, that's where I started losing interest. It got a little too cult-y for my taste (which I am sure, that was the author's intention - just not my thing) and it began to get a bit confusing. I'm still not completely sure about the ending. The big reveal about who Angelo really was & what his purpose was with always saving Sarita was also a bit of a letdown.

I can see where many readers would enjoy this book, but it was another miss for me, albeit better than the first. (Sigh)

So I'm not entirely sure if because I had a five day pause in reading this it fell flat for me , but I really wanted to love this one and just did not. The writing in the first half was spectacular and very engaging. I was drawn in and the pacing of the story/mystery felt really cool and interesting. The story of Angelo in the first half really worked for me and built up a lot of interest and dread. But I dunno the second half just whomp. Maybe I'm spoiled or my expectations were too high? But once it starts to revela--From there it just kinda didn't work for me.
But just because it didn't work for me , I HOPE it works for you. Def for readers looking for a vampire story that's not sexy , and people who like culty stuff. Things I DID like about this book were the Main Character and the complexity of a "bad guy" who has a great backstory.
I think Compton is a great writer, and I want this to work for people and I'm sure that it will just personally I didn't love it.

This was my first Johnny Compton book and I heard so many good reviews about The Spite House, I was so excited to get access to this audiobook!

This story follows a woman who has had a dark presence in her life protecting her from anyone or situations that could harm her. It's been a literal life saver, until it kills her husband on her wedding night. She is devastated and to make things worse, her ex-mother-in-law gets caught up with her own dark presence as well.

I love Johnny Compton's idea for this book. I think the plot is genius. The story started off very strong, and I was thinking this could be a 5 star. Unfortunately, I felt like the book slowed down for me and I lost some interest after the first 20% of the book.

I do really admire the creativity and imagination that the author shows in this novel. I do still plan on reading The Spite House as well as his next book. This book had so many aspects that I usually love, but unfortunately fell a little flat for me.

Johnny Compton does it again! I loved this story and the devils that Sarita sees! Johnny manages to write paranormal horror in a way that makes you truly believe it is real! Another great book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this eBook. This review may contain spoilers.

I think this book would be a good fit for readers looking for action-horror more than a classic vampire tale; while the vampires in this book have a lot of reference to vampire lore throughout the world, they’re presented in a way that is very fresh. The strongest element is its narrative voice, which is very clear and stylish, molding to each point of view character well without sacrificing that style; the weakest element to me is the dialogue. It just comes across as a bit hammy sometimes and I think some more editing of the dialogue itself would have made the book that much better; either way, though, it is very distinctive as part of the book’s style. I wouldn’t mind picking up another book by this author if the synopsis interests me.

I could not wait to keep reading this book; from the murder of her new husband on their wedding night, Sarita's story sucked me in. All her life, Sarita has been protected by a guardian angel, aptly named Angelo. But when Angelo rips apart her new husband, Sarita is left wondering if Angelo is really an angel at all. People in Sarita's life drop as she learns that she has been targeted by devils as part of a prophecy. Will Sarita be able to save her family and kill the devils, thus breaking the prophecy, or will they rip her apart as well, as they've done to so many around her?
This book was the perfect new horror read, with a not-overwhelming amount of gore, where the plot truly drove the story.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was freaking wild. I always go into books blind and did not realize this was about vampires. Well luckily vampires are my favorite thing right now. I just can’t get over how well this book was written.

Did not finish this one. It was an odd story that I could not get into. Tried a few times then gave up.

🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮/5
Five of five crystal balls

If you liked Fever House, you'll love this one. It's a different story for sure - being vampires instead of zombies - but it gave me similar vibes and I loved it. I enjoyed the unique take on vampires the author gives, taking inspiration from multiple different sources that he lists at the end of the book. I absolutely adored the audiobook narration as well! I can't wait to go back and read The Spite House.

Look for it 9/24/24

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and Macmillan Audio for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I read a large majority of everything Tor Nightfire publishes and I generally enjoy almost all of their titles. I particularly liked John Compton’s debut, which remains one of the scariest books I’ve ever read. I was excited to read more by the author and was intrigued by this newest novel being described as something akin to Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (another favorite).

Unfortunately, I have to agree with some other reviewers. I had a lot of trouble following (and eventually caring about) the characters and their backstories and their motivations. I was hopeful it was one of those books that paid off in the end, but sadly this didn’t quite come together for me. I think there was enough material here to have written two novels. Still a very intriguing premise with many complex characters.

Even though this wasn’t quite the right fit for me, I think this author is very talented and I will be checking out their next book as well.

To set the scene a little, this gave me dark urban fantasy vibes mixed with the intensity of an SA Cosby thriller. This story is inventive and woven so well.

With a mix of very different characters, Compton has given us a complex tale of monsters, humanity, and justice. Very different from his debut, but it shows the scope of his talent. I am here for it and can’t wait to see what we get next.

This is another entertaining book by Johnny Compton! It’s definitely a wild and intense story with creep, horror and gore. I really enjoyed The Spite House, and although this was an exciting story, it didn’t catch me the same as the other book.
This book has vampires, devil creatures and darkness! The story starts out strong, but dies down a bit for me and I did get a little confused in parts.

The narrator did a good job and I will be checking out more stories from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley for an audio arc of this exciting book!

I really enjoy a good horror novel and this is such an interesting take on demon lore.

We begin with Sarita’s wedding night. She and her new husband, Frank, have had a beautiful day celebrating with family and friends only to get to their hotel room where a man proceeds to beat Frank to death. The man? Sarita’s guardian angel whom she calls Angelo.

Now Frank’s family is suspicious of her involvement in his murder. She certainly can’t tell them nor the police that it was her angel who murdered him so brutally. She knows she has to figure out how to find Angelo and avenge Frank’s death.

There are several factors at play here. It’s a wonderfully complex story of demon lore, family bonds, grief, and more.

This book is violent and gory and it’s a real page turner. I mean, I listened to the amazing @imanijadepowers narrate, so no actual pages were turned, but holy moly, I could not wait to find out why everything was happening. Starting with why did Angelo murder Frank?!

I invite you to read/listen if you have any appreciation for Stephen King, Joe Hill, Grady Hendrix, etc.

I received an ALC from #netgalley and @macmillan.audio. All thoughts are mine alone.

#bookreview #bookrecs #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #devilskilldevils #johnnycompton #horrorbooks #contemporaryfiction #audiobooks #narrators #voiceactors #voiceacting

The inciting incident of this book occurs when a woman’s lifelong rescuer and presumed guardian angel materializes and brutally murders someone she trusts and loves, thrusting her into a dangerous new reality. The intense and compelling premise drew me in. While I enjoyed the book and found it to be a good romp, it’s not one I will be revisiting.

Imani Jade Power’s voice was made for narration. I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve listened to with her and she definitely increased my enjoyment of this book tenfold. She does great inflections to distinguish between characters and I never feel lost or confused. Highly recommend audio for this one if it’s a format you enjoy.

Devils Kill Devils surprised me. I actually had no idea it was a vampire read and Compton made this unique for sure, taking the common vampire story, filleting it to the bones, and using uncommon lore to really make this story. The first chapter is one of the best opening chapters I’ve read in a long time. I do think there was some issues with pacing and occasionally just doing too much. I mean, there was A LOT going on and not always in a good way. It certainly kept me on my toes though. Very satisfying ending.

I prefer his debut The Spite House, but his sophomore novel shows that Compton is an author to watch in the horror genre.

Devils Lills Devils by Johnny Compton is about a yound girl Sarita who nearly drowns while swimming with her brother in the Gulf of Mexico. A gaurdian angel saved her that fateful day and two times after that. Her mother has named him Angelo. Angelo only shows up when Sarita is in a life or death situation. So why did he show up to her hotel room the night she married Frankie? Now Frankie is dead and Sarita has to find out why Angelo has done the unspeakable, which is why he would kill Frank. This is a novel for anyone that loves to read horror. It is fast paced an the plot is so different from what I have read before. Johnny Compton does a fantasic job in mixing several fables together in this book.

The beginning of the book had a hook, and I was super intrigued by the characters and the storyline. I lost momentum about halfway through the book. The premises were interesting, but I needed more from the characters. The author excels in creating an atmosphere thick with tension and dread. The book delves into good and evil themes, challenging the characters' mortality. A bombshell happens early in the book and transforms everything you think is going on. The pacing is relentlessly slow, with heavy dialogue. The narration was okay, but there were moments when it sounded like AI was voiced over the narrator.

I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

Johnny Compton is such a descriptive storyteller. He takes vampire novels back to their roots. This is what vampire novels should be. It's a fantastic religious horror that is violent and grotesque. A great read for horror or vampire fans.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this alc.

I saw this book and its cover and thought it could be a very interesting story. I read Compton‘s previous book, The Spite House, and thought it was ok. So Compton’s new book, why not give it a try? Well, I liked Devils Kill Devils more than I liked The Spite House, but there is something that connects me with this story that is still missing.

I really liked the first part of the novel in which we are introduced to the protagonist Sarita, a woman who knows she has been protected by an angel she calls Angelo since she was a child. The story goes to the past and the reader finds out all the times Angelo saved Sarita. But everything changes on Sarita’s wedding night and she starts doubting whether Angelo is really an angel.

After this point I lost interest in the story. There is an exploration of vampire mythology, there are prophecies, god entities, betrayals, and I had a hard time to get into all that. The book did not kept me engaged. I gave Johnny Compton a new try but I think his books are not for me. I know this novel will please many readers, so don’t let this review discourage you to read Devils Kill Devils.

This is such a hard one to rate. The beginning was soooooo good. I was LOCKED IN. Like "Spite House", the premise, the opening 10%, and the introduction to the characters is so gripping. And then the longer it goes on, it starts to not so much fall apart as drag on and on. And it starts to feel this way at like 30%! By then, what was once a fast-paced paranormal horror mystery starts steadily climbing what feels like the climax, but... it's obviously not at only 30%. And when done well, this usually feels pretty exciting, because when things feel climactic way too early, you just know the REAL climax is going to be insane, but this doesn't feel like that. It's hard to pinpoint why - maybe because instead of feeling led to the point, it just feels like a bunch of faffing around - the pacing is off, simultaneously far too fast and dragging on far too long, but the tension is so high that you're looking for a reprieve that just doesn't come, and you're left looking at the remaining ~70% of the book as a slog.

But what really started to do me in was the biggest gripe I also have with Spite House, which is the "no characters get to be actually bad" disappointment. Showing each characters' motivations, even the ones we're not supposed to like, can be so good - some of the best books are chock full of perspectives that show even the worst characters' perspective. However, what makes those books so good is that you're forced to understand a character who is obviously irredeemable. Johnny Compton writes like you're supposed to feel empathy and compassion for every single person involved. Every character uses some level of therapy speak. Every character is imminently reasonable. It's giving "there's two sides to every story", but instead of showing that in a realistic way and allowing people to have reasons and still be assholes, they're just not allowed to be assholes. And because this was SO pervasive in Spite House, I don't have enough faith in Johnny Compton to slog through the rest of this.

Both books have moments of conversation about what it's like to navigate the world in black bodies, how situations change due to race, but we're never allowed to sit in it for more than a handful of seconds before we have to hear how not racist the white characters are, actually, and that we and the black main characters shouldn't be so suspicious and judgmental. It's such a bizarre bait and switch. Like...

The text: [Observation about the racism a character has experienced from White Person.]
White Person: "Did you consider that I'm colorblind? I'm something of a woke myself."
Black Main Character: I did not consider that perspective. Wow. Perhaps I should be less wary and more trusting :(

It genuinely feels like in both novels, a full and complete book was written with poignancy and intent, with important statements made about realistic and messy life situations, and then the book gets handed off to the world's most liberal white editor who has carte blanche to inject whatever stupid white apologist shit they want because some of the characterization just feel too icky to sit in.