Sweeping and immersive, this epic is an impressive and ambitious debut. The voice and composition was not quite for me, but I admire the author for everything he has put into this beautiful novel.

Most times I loved this book, sometimes I hated it...all times I was in engrossed. When I first picked up this book it took me a second to adjust to the writing style but by the 10% mark it evened out. It is very much a (fictional) oral history. I think it is meant to transport you. If you decide to read it, DO NOT read it like you're ‘reading’—read it like you're listening.

It is a family epic/saga but a plus is that just about everything can read as a stand-alone short story. Much like real life, the villain in one story is revealed to be just a man in another and choices made early on are explained in a different POV further in. Just about every character ended up being my favorite when their story was told and though the book focuses primarily on men and their thoughts, I loved the depiction of all the women.

From jump the magic is there, not wand and spell magic, Black spiritual/everyday magic—seeing spirits, auras, dreams, etc. are just as much commonplace as the Black church. Toward the end, I wasn't sure how it was going to all fall out. Generally concepts like the devil would have a hard time being reconciled and packaged nicely, but I think the author did well in that regard. The through-line is Black folks just existing, thriving, surviving, and living in community and I love that.


This is for the girlies that love Blackness or want to dabble in authentic Black stories, esp. Southern/American. It is for the magical realism/spirituality crew and those that like complex character driven stories.

You’d like this if you like: Daughter’s of the Dust, Eve’s Bayou, Ours: A Novel, Toni Morrison, & Zora Neale Hurston

TW: slavery, substance abuse, suicide, violence, mental illness.
Themes/motifs: destiny/calling, dreams/spirituality, the taboo, religion, duality (fire/water-destruction/healing-life/death-twins-freedom/responsibility), generational trauma, envy, soul-ties, absent fathers & elusive mothers.

(c)haracter—8.5
(a)tmosphere—9
(w)riting—8
(p)lot—8
(i)ntrigue—8.5
(l)ogic—7.5
(e)njoyment—8

Thank you Little, Brown and Company for this opportunity. All opinions are my own.

Not for me as a reader. I think that others will enjoy it as I just struggled to connect with the writing style and story.

The Devil Three Times is an audacious and richly imagined debut that spans eight generations of a Black family in West Tennessee, blending history, spirituality, and the supernatural. Anchored by a chilling bargain between Yetunde, a woman aboard a slave ship, and the Devil himself, the novel traces the ripple effects of their pact through the lives of her descendants.

Each character’s story is deeply human, even as it wrestles with divine forces, creating a tapestry of resilience, sacrifice, and generational trauma. The Devil’s attempts at redemption, juxtaposed with the trials of Yetunde’s descendants, offer a compelling meditation on morality and salvation.

Steeped in the oral traditions of the Black diaspora, the narrative shines in its ability to blend folklore with hard historical truths. A bold and searing exploration of legacy, identity, and spiritual warfare, The Devil Three Times heralds a powerful new voice in contemporary fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and review The Devil Three Times prior to publication.