When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur

You can immediately tell when a writer has walked the roads they are writing about. When Devils Sing doesn't just visit the American south, it lives there between the pines and the sound of cicadas calling down them. Xan Kaur is an author who has plucked a piece of her world out of the earth and pressed it to the page, and that is why When Devil's Sing is my #1 pick for spring debuts.

Set in a southern town that feels suspended in time, this book follows four young people who all live in the same place, but in sharply different versions of it. Economic class is a wall between the township of Carrion and the upper tax bracket area of Clearwater. Yet, inside of the tangled web that Kaur weaves, four young people come together to uncover the truth about the cicada festival that occurs every thirteen years, the missing people that are never seen again once the brood has died, and the characters own very personal vendettas against the community.

Kaur's language is never heavy-handed, but rather drips with lyrical prose and dark, biting metaphor, that I would compare to Maggie Stiefvater or Leigh Bardugo. Toward the second half of the novel, the pace settles, and is quickly picked up in the latter half. This book is certainly mid-pace, with alternating points of view that assists the narrative and keep the ball rolling. My one critique is that there isn't quite enough of it. If this is a standalone novel, it not ought to be, as the ending does leave room for a continuation of Neera, Sam, Isaiah and Reid's stories.

Bottom line, it is an atmospheric piece of work, and unsettling in the best ways. For those with the patience for a slow burn, and an affinity for Southern gothic grit, you will find something special here.

I was ecstatic when I was approved for this ARC. A creepy southern gothic story about three devils? Sign me up. And it was every bit worth it.

This was such a fun time. The vibes, especially at the beginning, were perfect. They encapsulated the creepy, almost biblical, fear of the South, and just how powerful biblical ideals can be. The commentary on how the rich rule these small southern towns was perfect. The atmosphere of this was just downright spooky.

I enjoyed each of the characters that we followed during the story. I thought their journeys were perfectly fitting for their personalities. They felt like people I've met before, in my own small southern hometown.

I do think that the ending was a little bit rushed, starting from when the characters eventually link up and speeding up from there. I would have liked to have seen more development of the underlying religious/biblical plot, as well as a more nuanced description of exactly what was happening in the town to cause all of the conflict.

Regardless, I think this was a great book, and would be perfect to read this summer, sitting outside in the hot sun in some small southern town. I look forward to seeing what Xan Kaur publishes in the future. (A southern gothic novel set in the Appalachian Mountains would be perfect... just sayin...)

Another priority read for this year that was a let down. These characters are awful. Uninteresting and lame. Neera was especially ridiculous. I loved the 13-year curse stuff, the three devils, southern setting, and town politics of the haves and have nots. But the actual story just drags and I didn’t really care what happened. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

This book was a serious page turner from the first page. Xan Kaur really wrote an attention getting opener which leads to an attention getting chapter, and an absolutely impossible to ignore book. I can't say I spent too many nights up way too late reading this because once I started it, I don't think I put it down. I passed out on top of my Kindle and woke up with it stuck to my face every night!
When Devils Sing follows a group of four teenagers, and although at first it isn't apparent how they are connected to each other, the book slowly begins intertwining their lives and their destinies. There are devils dealing in souls, folklore, friendships, freaky critters and creatures (especially the cicadas), and the mystery behind the prosperity of the Lake Clearwater community. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and I did not expect the ending to be what it was, which was absolutely nice for a change.
You will not regret this horror/mystery that throws twists and turns your direction at every moment. It is impossible to put down and I am so sad that it is over.

Not only is this book gorgeous (I will be buying it) but the story was fantastic. I love this so much and I really enjoyed the characters and how they were written.

This book was a wild ride. If you're looking for something that's VERY atmospheric then this is it. The characters all felt so real, even though having so many POVs took me out of the story a bit. This is definitely for older YA readers rather than the younger side as it's a horror book and that horror includes animal death (not a fan of that). The author nailed the southern gothic feel.

When Devils Sing is an eerie descent into the ugly heart of a small southern town. Told through multiple POVs that capture the tension of a community divided by class, culture, and dark secrets, this is a slow-burn, atmospheric horror novel that will absolutely make your skin crawl. Thanks to NetGalley and Xan Kaur for the ARC!

the horror writing in this was FABULOUS.

An intriguing premise that sadly fell flat due to strange pacing and flat characters.

However, this is an author I would give another chance to when she comes out with more!

This was a very thematic and atmospheric novel.
The author captured grief very well. I enjoyed the comparisons and contrasts between the different characters regarding their class and race. I've never read a book about Punjabi people and I thought their family dynamic was very interesting.

I thought the overall theme of power could have been written in more depth. This was the reason why my rating wasn't higher.

Books recommended to me on Tiktok are usually massive flops for me, but When Devils Sing had me hooked from the start!

"Four unlikely allies in a small town investigate a local teen's disappearance, and what they discover festering at the core of their community is far more sinister and ancient than they could've ever imagined. For fans of She is a Haunting, True Detective, Mexican Gothic, and Midsommar.

When Dawson Sumter goes missing, all he leaves behind is a smattering of blood in room 4 of the debt-ridden motel owned by Neera Singh's family. Disappearances like this aren't uncommon in the rural Georgia town of Carrion, especially every thirteen years when a periodical cicada brood returns from underground, shrieking their deafening screams.

For Neera, Dawson is another reminder that in this corner of the South, the rich only get richer, and the poor - well, nothing good comes their way.

Neera sets out to investigate Dawson's whereabouts - if he even still lives - along with three other teens: Isaiah, son of a prominent judge and clandestine true crime podcaster; Reid, son of the wealthiest man in the region; and Sam, estranged daughter of the local hitman. As they find themselves entangled in a messy web of secrets and lies, they discover the riches of the adjacent Lake Clearwater community may have a terrifying source of power dating back to the town's founding and an ancient urban legend about three devils, each more sinister than the next. How deep does the rot go, and can they find a way to escape its reach?"

I love that this tiny town has it's own hitman.

The southern gothic vibe was something I didn’t know I wanted! It was a struggle to start the book for me but I quickly became invested!!

Wow. Where to start. First of all this book is as captivating as its cover. Each page held my attention begging to know more. Like the cicadas ominous thrum throughout Carrion transferred from the book straight to me. Each character we meet is burdened with their own form of demon propelling them deeper and deeper into the ugly truth. I loved how eerie this book felt even though nothing creepy was always happening. It was just that little itch at the back of your head signalling something bad is coming. Thank you to macmillan and Henry Holt for letting me read this ARC. I honestly cannot wait to add this to my library in June.

1.75/5 stars.

I'm really sad to say that I struggled immensely with this book. I'll start by saying that I really loved the writing in this book. The writing was fantastic as was the setting and visuals. I appreciated the concept of this book but it unfortunately didn't deliver for me.

The story started off strong and had a pretty intriguing introduction but it quickly started to lose steam. I considered DNFing this a handful of times. Not only did the pacing feel incredibly slow to me, but I struggled to get into the story with the multiple POVs. This felt to me like the POVs switched a bit too often to make the story immersive. Right when I felt as though I was getting a grasp on things, I would get thrown into another character's POV and it took me out of it. I also wasn't strongly compelled by really any of the characters which also made the POV change more difficult.

The pacing, unlikeable characters, and extreme animal cruelty/deaths almost made me completely ditch this book several times. I read a lot of horror, but for me, I never like to read about animal cruelty or animal death. Especially when it's strongly detailed and drawn out. The animal cruelty was not only detailed, but really emphasized the suffering of multiple animals and I hated reading it.

Ultimately this book was just not for me. The storyline wasn't gripping in my eyes and had I known about the intense animal cruelty before picking this up, I would've just avoided it altogether. The ending felt rushed and clunky to me. It's a shame because the blurb really had me intrigued and the cover is stunning. Unfortunately not every story is compatible with every reader, and this one was incompatible with me. I liked the writing enough that I would definitely give this author another try in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

TW: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Xan Kaur brings an electric new voice to the scene with her debut novel When Devils Sing. This Southern Gothic horror is told through a refreshingly diverse lens. We follow a cast of varied characters with a similar mission, survive and get out. We watch them face down looming secrets of the past that refuse to stay there, while forced to confront what deals they are willing to make along the way. When Devils Sing is atmospheric, taut with tension, and leaves you wanting more.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co., Macmillian Children's Publishing Group, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!


When Devils Sing is an examination of the good, the bad, and the grey within the rural South. It portrays the inherent struggle between social/economic classes and within situations some feel powerless to change.

I enjoyed the various perspectives of the four main characters as each one's story is told. Each one brings a different cultural or social background that builds the narrative around the two facets of the town: poor Carrion and affluent Lake Clearwater. The examination of what is good and what is bad is tailored to each character's upbringing and experiences.

The first roughly 70% of the book builds up the mystery of what is happening in the town while the last 30% or so rushes to a conclusion from when the main characters start to finally grasp the pieces of the mystery to solve it.

However, as someone who normally does not often read this genre, I found myself looking forward to finding time to continue reading it.


What I Liked:
- diverse cast of characters who are fleshed out and feel real
- the buildup of the mystery and its revelation
- the world-building of the fictional rural Southern Georgia town
- the examination of character's motives

There was a great slow build to this story and while it did make some of the twists a little easier to predict it also built the tension in the story so well. I appreciated the characters and thought the book did a particularly good job with setting up their different back stories early on, it was really clear why this group had to handle things on their own and couldn't trust anyone. The setting also played really well into this dilemma and overall just fleshed out the conflict so well. Everything came together so well and as things really started moving toward the end, the book became impossible to put down. I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a great blend of a more modern setting while keeping so much of what makes a classic gothic horror.

Thank you Henry Holt & Co. for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review, I appreciate it.

I first heard of this book from the author themselves on Tik Tok. When I see popular books on BookTok, 9/10, I ignore them because 9/10 they aren't that great. However, this time was different. It was a video of the author promoting their own book, describing something creepy and cryptic set in a small southern town. I was intrigued! Thankfully, my spidey-senses were right! This was such good book. It was eerie, gothic, and had some MESSY (in a good way) characters. Towards the end of the book, the big "event" that the book felt like it was leading up to was slightly anti-climactic and mildly disappointing. However, not nearly enough to overshadow the wonderful story laid before us. I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

3.75/5

Holly Collins

There is nothing I love more than a good ole southern legend. There is something so old and cryptic about them. And this book was that.
I was impressed with the range that each of the characters had, even in just a small chapter. I was addicted from chapter one and the story only got better. This is a solid debut novel.

This book was truly the most perfect when it comes to Southern gothic vibe!
- Cicadas
- Sticky hot heat
- Dark secrets/small town

When Devils Sing is about 4 teens that go looking into the disappearance of a local boy. However what they find instead is the this town and its people all have dark secrets and that evil truly lurks within this town.

Its dark and eerie and HOW is this a debut novel?! Its phenomenal!

If you want a book with a southern gothic vibe, that's dark and unsettling and gives you messy characters then look more no and add this to your tbr!