A huge thank you to NetGalley, James Kaine, and Horror House Publishing for the advanced reader copy. This review is my honest take on this book.

(Die Hard IS a christmas movie)
(geese do mate for life)

It's 1735, and Jane Leeds used her last breath to curse her 13th child. What she either did or didn't know was that night; she gave birth to the devil.

Centuries later, Patrick Shrouds flees the quiet town of Leeds Point after his friends murder, but Leeds Point has a way of pulling you back into its clutches. Now, Patrick is on a quest to find out why people are going missing, and everyone is pointing the finger at him.

I was honestly hooked from the moment I read the prologue. I love how Kaine would hop around 3 different timelines. The first one was 1735, then 2005, and lastly, 2025. As the sun is rising while I finish this review, I stayed up WAY too late to finish this book. I couldn't put it down. I thought I had figured out who the villain actually was, but my mind was blown with the plot twist in the last couple of chapters. This book definitely deserves the 5 stars!

Take the legend of the Jersey Devil, add to it some terrifying new lore and a back story that gives you chills, and mix that in with a narrative full of secrets and you have this novel.

In the first chapter alone you have a bloodbath. When a woman having her thirteenth baby in the 18th century curses the child and the entire town, she died during childbirth. But the curse is real. In minutes a once bouncing baby boy turns into a seven foot tall horrific creature with sharp claws and teeth and huge wings. The husband, midwife, and twelve siblings are all slaughtered. That's the FIRST CHAPTER and it's a great starting point for what's to come.

Paul, as a boy, watched as his best friend was torn apart by this creature. The town blamed him and most think he got away with murder. Another slaughter at a high school prom after party cements his bad reputation.

He's been gone for sixteen years but reluctantly goes back when his mother dies. The past will meet the present in the most brutal way because the Jersey Devil is very much alive, and very much hungry. But there's a connection that will change everything.

Full of twists, secrets, blood, and an over-arcing mystery this is a fantastic creature feature and I highly recommend it.

This is a novel about a monster that truly delivers. I must confess I started reading without any expectations but then before I knew it I was hooked. The story crept under my skin and wouldn’t let go. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and I couldn’t put it down.
It is beautifully written with vivid and detailed descriptions. The characters are well fleshed out and you are taken on this intense emotional journey with some of them. There’s love, murder, family tragedy, heartbreak, witchcraft and a lot more. And then there’s pizza!
The horror and nastiness starts right at the beginning and doesn’t let up. And that last scene in the Pines is truly horrific. I love what the writer does with the main character in that last scene. From the main character’s story arc I had a fair idea what was going to happen to him but the writer handles it superbly.
An excellent yarn.
And for the record Diehard is not a Christmas movie.

James Kaine, has done it again with “Devil of the Pines”- his latest chilling installment in the American Horror Stories series. Fast, visceral, and emotionally unrelenting, this book doesn’t just tell a story—it drags you into the woods and dares you to survive.

From the very first page, Kaine wastes no time. The narrative moves like something hunting you: swift, brutal, and impossible to shake. The horror here isn’t just effective—it’s standout. It claws at your nerves and leaves you breathless. Kaine excels at balancing heart-pounding dread with moments of raw human emotion, making the terror feel personal and real.

Having just discovered this author, I’m absolutely thrilled—and slightly haunted. His style is a refreshing jolt to the horror genre: lean, sharp, and fiercely original. My only complaint? His books are short. But what they lack in length, they more than make up for in impact. Kaine doesn’t waste words—every page lands like a punch.

Devil of the Pines is a must-read for horror fans looking for something that bites back. I’ll be devouring the rest of his work—and sleeping with the lights on.

Thank You Net Galley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Of course, all opinions are my own,