3.5*
i really liked the writing but i thought the plot twist was very cliche and the ending was underwhelming

This is my first time reading a book from this author and I absolutely will be coming back for more of their work. I cannot stress this enough; this book has to be one of the most beautifully written books I've read in a minute. It was a short quick read filled with page after page of words that captured the story so eloquently.


It had everything I loved; horror, a strong women/character, good POC representation, informative, and a very good plot/story with a hint of romance. This folkloric fantasy filled with Latin American realism and deals with the devil was such an amazing journey to read. I will definitely be going back to read this gain and again. This book was such a surprise to me, I didn't think I would love it this much, and it quickly became one of my favorite reads of this year.


Thank you to Holiday House/PeachTree/Pixie + Ink and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before the Devil Knows You're Here is one of those books that could definitely have benefited from being a series instead of a standalone.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed Before the Devil Knows You're Here, especially the relationship between Paul and Catalina and the world's lore. Especially the lore. The lore made the novel interesting and provided a dark tone that I always enjoy. I found the man of sap interesting and someone you can't help but feel bad for, even as they make awful and stupid decisions. I could definitely see myself really enjoying this novel if it was just a bit longer and had more time to flesh out the characters and the world.

That being said, there were definitely a few things that I wish had been done a bit differently. The lore and mythical creatures were all kind of smushed in the last half of the book and treated as commonplace. This would make sense if that was the theme throughout the book, but the man of sap (the most important mythical creature) was characterized as something out-of-this-world and strange, so the shift felt drastic and was not explained. My biggest complaint, however, is that the ending felt very rushed. What I felt like should have been an entire second novel ended up being only a few chapters. I really feel that there was a lot more that could have been expanded upon to make this world and this story great.

I did enjoy Before the Devil Knows You're Here (hence why I rated it 3-stars). There were a few things I think could have been done better, but overall I thought it was an enjoyable and unique read. I recommend this novel to fantasy lovers who enjoy standalone novels and folklore.

Thank you NetGalley and Autumn Krause for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is 1836 in Wisconsin wilderness. It is a place where reality clashes with the stuff of legend and myth, and making a pact with the devil seems the only way through it all. This book was a conglomerate of elements, a twisted tale. The story of Johnny Appleseed was not known to me very well, other than he proliferated apple orchards across large parts of the US. This story picks up on this elements and takes it to a much darker pace where a new backstory is brought to life about John – The Man of Sap - as well as the hunt for him as he steals the younger brother of Catalina after her father perished in that cold and lonely wildnerness.

It is almost like a modern day Grimm fairy-tale, that is more creepy and sinister. So many ghoulish elements are thrown at the reader: deathly crows, rotted and poisonous apples, and selling souls. We read the story of the Man of Sap and how he came to being, and we also see the story through the eyes of Catalina and her poetry including the connection between the two. The forests seem much darker and foreboding, and there seems to be a much deeper atmosphere where there is no space for good to ever persevere. Catalina’s relationship with Paul, a lumberjack who also has a connection to the Man of Sap plays out in this book as well. The apples are such a symbolic element of this book. It is the poisoned apple that kills Catalina’s father, it is the symbol of temptation, yet it is also hardy and sweet, just like Catalina who will stop at nothing to rescue her brother.

Thanks to #netgalley for the e-ARC.

A unique dark gothic fantasy take on the story of Johnny Appleseed? I am in! The story follows Catalina, a young woman in 1836, Wisconsin who lives with her father and brother in a cable in the wilderness. They have been struggling to just get by, crops failing, and hunger gnawing at them... but their father has always told them to be weary of the Sap Man and his apples, apples that will kill them. When her father suddenly becomes sick, a strange man covered in bark appears with sap dripping from his eyes and kidnaps her brother. Catalina knows it is the Sap Man and now she must find a way to get her brother back. Along the way she meets a lumberjack also hunting this man down... and together they journey deeper into the woods and encounter strange beasts and tortured souls. The story is also told from the point of view of Johnny, the Sap Man, detailing his life from before he became what he was and the deal with the devil that he made, and ultimately the cost. Catalina must find a way to save her brother but there will be a cost to getting what she wants and that might mean making a deal with the same devil that made Johnny what he is now. This was such a fascinating story and honestly so unique. I love the take on the story of Johnny Appleseed and the gothic fantasy tones in this were amazing. I really had a great time with this one and think it would make a great autumn read! If you like gothic fairytales, a little bit of romance, and good atmospheric writing, pick this one up!

*Thanks Netgalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink, Peachtree Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book tells the tale of a Mexican American girl, living secluded in the woods with her father and brother. In these woods, stories of a Man of Sap circulate along with his deadly apples. One day, the Man of Sap arrives at her door, and her world changes forever.

I couldn't stop reading this book. It's filled with adventure, heart-wrenching sadness, and a captivating romantic subplot. The connection to the Johnny Appleseed legend was a delightful surprise, and I devoured every bit of it 🍎.

The story's rural setting adds depth to the characters, and their struggles feel real and relatable. The tension between the characters keeps you on the edge of your seat, and the mystery of the Man of Sap adds an eerie, mythical element. I saw one of the twists coming my way, but not the second. Bravo!

If you enjoy stories with a mix of adventure, tragedy, and a touch of legend, this book is a must-read. It's a captivating journey through a unique and vividly depicted world.

I don't even know how to review this book without feeling like my heart will shatter into a thousand pieces. I love Catalina in her fierceness and I loved Paul in his devotion. I loved John even trough all his faults and even the Banker with his impeccable taste in tea (although he's very much awful, we won't sugarcoat that).

As an eldest Latinx daughter and sister to two younger boys, BTDKYH hit so close to home because Catalina's sense of responsibility for her family and taking care of her brother. There were so many scenes where I just broke apart because I saw myself mirrored in the pages of this book.

BTDKYH feels like it'll become a classic of our generation; a gothic, whimsical folklore in the shape of an apple whose seed of wonder took root in my very soul. I loved this book and I'm extremely happy others did as well 🖤

This is a really unique dark retelling of Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan, mixed in with some deals with the devil and a pinch of Latin American surrealism. It's set in 1836 in the Wisconsin wilderness, which I loved as a WI girl. The writing was beautiful, and I flew through this story! I wasn't sure how these elements would come together, but Autumn Krause made my gothic adoring heart sing. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Autumn Krause, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of this. Before the Devil Knows You're Here comes out 10/3/2023 and would be a perfect spooky season read!

This story was delightful. I was looking for something that was different from what i normally gravitate to and this was also a cover grab. I was intrigued with the aesthetics along side the accompanying description. The result was a well written tale about. a young girl in search of a man that not only took her fathers life but stole her brother and she embarks on a journey to rescue him. There are friendships and faustian bargains to be had with some slightly horrifying gothic imagery. This was a win.

Thank you for the Arc

This was a perfect book for the beginning of fall! It's full of gothic folktale vibes.
Catalina's world is turned upside down when her dad dies one night and her father is kidnapped by a strange man from the woods - a man with tree bark skin and blood like sap. Catalina's father had told her stories about The Man of Sap, but Violet had always assumed that there was no truth to them. But when The Man of Sap takes the last person that Violet loves, she'll stop at nothing to get her brother back. So, Catalina sets off into the forest in each of her brother. On her way, she meets a lumberjack with his own reasons for hunting The Man of Sap. As they trek through the woods, Catalina discovers more about her family's history and how it may be more entwined with the strange man than she thought.
This was a quick, fun read to start off my fall reading list. I loved the lush writing and the way that our two points of view steadily met each other to reveal secrets.
It was gothic, historic, remote, and spooky - everything that I look for in an autumn read. Out main character, Catalina, is strong and passionate, and I love that the author fleshed out her backstory so well within the narrative. I find that many characters fall flat because of a blank backstory, even if they're interesting in their current narrative. The author does a wonderful job of weaving Catalina's history and family with great pacing and snippets throughout.
There were only a couple of things that took me out of the story, but they are by no means a reason to not pick up this book - it's still fantastic!
1) The switch between first and third narrative was jarring to read, and took me out each time we jumped back into Catalina's POV
2) Romantic pacing was a little odd to me, but I think it's only because of my romantic trope preferences. There's an immediate "why does he make me feel this way?" trope, and I'm more into the slowest of slow burns
3) I wish the catalyst didn't happen so early. I would have liked to see more of Catalina's "before" life before the story kicked off.

Overall, this was fantastic and creepy and unique, and I highly recommend to anyone who likes those things in YA!!
Content warnings for death, death of a parent, violence, blood, etc. Please look up a comprehensive list of CW before you read always!
Happy reading, friends!
Thanks so much to the author, PeachTree Teen, and NetGalley for this arc!

It's 1836. Catalina is the daughter to a dead mother and a unserious father. He tells stories of a Man of Sap who leaves poisoned apples in his wake. To eat even one bite means death. However the harsh Wisconsin land leaves little time for stories and even less time for winter preparation. She has no time for tall tales until she is plunged into one. Her father is left dead, her brother stolen by the Man of Sap. What else can she do except set out to get him back?

I enjoyed this book immensely. It's guaranteed to make you look twice at your cup of apple cider and chilling enough that if you aren't into thrillers and horror books you can still get your creepy fall vibe on. Between POV chapters from the Man of Sap, Faustian deals with the devil and doing whatever it takes to get your family back this book is certainly on my list to buy and I'd highly recommend it if you need another fall book recommendation.

My one complaint is Catalina's relationship with Paul (who wants to find the Man of Sap for his own reasons) is a tad rushed but for that to be my only issue this is a very confident 4 star read for me.

Such a fun and exciting read! I really loved the use of the Johnny Appleseed myth mixed with Paul Bunyan meeting our strong female heroine. And the chemistry between her and Paul had me rooting for them to get together. I will be buying the hard copy of this book because I loved it so much! Thank you so much!

A creepy gothic book with Faustian elements? A fierce Mexican badass? Count me in.

I absolutely loved this book. The book has gothic elements, Mexican folklore, poetry, curses and romance. It is a unique book that is haunting and beautiful. The writing is highly imaginative and engrossing. very poetic. Absolutely mesmerizing.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of gothic, creepy and apples!
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of the book. And, thank you,Miss Autumn Krause for writing such a wonderful book.
#BeforeTheDevilKnowsYoureHere #NetGalley

I thought this was an interesting YA horror title that has a slow burn at times but also gets going with the pacing pretty soon. It’s violent and definitely not for the faint of heart, which I appreciated as an adult reader. People who enjoyed the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina show would like this book. There’s an immediacy to the prose which would make it great as a television adaptation. The language and descriptions are evocative.

A YA gothic fantasy with very much fairytale vibes

I liked this. I liked our main characters and the switch between the perspectives of Catalina and John. The book was a bit of a rough start for me. I just wish it grabbed my attention earlier on, but it ended up taking a little while for me to enjoy it. The ending I really enjoyed though! Loved to see both Catalina’s and John’s storylines line up and converge, and seeing it all fall into place.

The writing, however, was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Sometimes it was cute, but sometimes it was just too vague and pretty purple prose-y. The author crossed the line between beautiful prose and pretentious writing quite a couple of times.

Moral of the story: don’t make any deals with the devil. And if you do: always read the small text!

I also am sick of apples now, I don’t think I’ll be eating those for a couple of weeks.

This book had so much potential but I really struggled to engage and deep dive into this book. One issue which can be easily fixed is the formatting for Kindle. The changing POV is usually not an issue for me, however the change in formatting and the graphics caused continuity issues and threw me out of the world and having to flick back pages to see where I was and what was going on.

If you're a lover of gothic moody books, and have a solid knowledge of American folklore than you'll love this book.

Whilst this book wasn't my cup of tea I did enjoy Autumn's writting style and look forward to reading their next published work and seeing their skills develop and grow. Like an apple tree....

🗺️ The world building is fairly simple, being based in North America. You won't get overly confused in this world.

🌶️ Not spicy,

📚 This book is for you if you love horror/Latin/American folklore swirled together.

✈️ A book that you can easily put down and pick up weeks later when stuck waiting for a bus when you're off traveling. A short book that will leave you with some questions.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Folklore with a dark twist! This book has all the makings of what will surely become a modern folktale. The protagonist, Catalina, is strong-minded and spunky, with a fierce love for her family that you'll feel through the pages. Krause's prose is engaging and timeless and draws you in from the first page like any good spooky campfire story should do! Perfect for fans of Lee Mandelo and Maggie Stiefvater!

This was a great fall read! This is a dark horror that blends the tales of Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan and includes a Faustian bargain. The story was captivating and wonderfully haunting. It had twists I did not see coming and wonderful prose.
My favorite quote: “People, she realized, were their own type of wilderness, just as cruel, just as unpredictable, just as powerful.”

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63358513

One of the best books i’ve ever read!! Front start to finish there’s not a single thing I didn’t love about this book! The Latin lore is beautifully done. The book has the best character development and the plot was amazing! 10000/5

A wildly thrilling novel that captures the best of folk tales and fairy tales. Before the Devil Knows You're Here grabs you and holds you tight from the beginning of the story to the end. Krause is unafraid to look as deeply at the monster as she does the hero and, in doing so, asks how we define both.