This was exceptionally well written but it never seems to end. I’ve been reading it for hours every day and I’m only a third of the way done and I have not enjoyed it. It’s like spending hours at a time looking at a disturbing but well painted, unpleasant work of art. It’s certainly art but I am putting it aside at least for now to read something I actually enjoy.

I don’t think that this writing style is for everyone, but I do like it quite a bit. It’s odd, unsettling, can be a little disjointed and random at times. To me the story reads as an allegory for a drug addiction. Filled with delusions, compulsions, relapses, feeble attempts of control, and paranoia.

I love an unreliable narrator, and as we go further into the book, the more our MC grows in his paranoia. His struggle for control over it, over the hallucinations, the memory gaps, the routine he’s trying so desperately to hold on to. The horror of the descent into madness and the dark comedy of it all were done well. Grisly and gorey. It was an enjoyable read.

Thank you Net Galley and and Abram’s Press for the eARC.

Oooooh, this was so much fun. Viscerally hilarious. I started reading with no expectations as it is Coventry's debut, but I was really pleasantly surprised.

I like dark humour and horror, especially if queer (really, only if it is queer, ahahah. Just kidding. Or am I?). Anyway, GREAT debut!

Tobi Coventry's “He's the Devil” combines humor and visceral horror, all while maintaining a psychological and familiar tone. This book might not be for everyone, but read on if you like an unreliable narrator.

To me, the demon could be read as an allegory for drug abuse or addiction. It disrupts life, severs friendships, stability, and routine. Our protagonist, Simon, grows paranoid, hallucinates, and begins to have memory gaps. He struggles to control as everything unravels. There is a transformation of his mind and body. Simon has a love-hate relationship with the demon. For someone who is inhibited, this possession is liberating.

It is bizarre and violent, but it feels relatable. It is less about evil and more about our demons, like addictions, compulsions, and trauma. It’s not just a horror story. It becomes a story about control, delusions, battles, and the things we invite in knowingly or not that can take over.

The unreliable narrator, while having you doubting what exactly is happening and where this is all going, does so in the best way. I kept thinking of the gaslighting and delusion of Rosemary’s Baby. I would recommend this book to readers who like unrelaible narrators, psychological thrilers, and maybe like queer satire and horror like Samatha Allen, Chuck Palahniuk, or Carmen Maria Machado. Thank you to Abrams Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest This book may not appeal to everyone, but it's worth reading if you enjoy unreliable narrators.

I want to clarify that there is nothing wrong with this book. Instead, it just wasn’t for me.

It’s written in a very lyrical way that, to me, felt like the narrator kept going on tangents. There were so many details in such little space that I found myself almost feeling overwhelmed at times. It made me feel distant from the story and like I was almost reading a list of details rather than diving into a plot at times.

Thank you to Abrams Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.