I liked the sound of this from the synopsis, but the style of writing just couldn't keep me engaged. I may try again, but for now it's a regretful DNF.

A horror must in my opinion, it’s such a new take on “angels and demons” and how humans play into the chess board these creatures play in the regular world I was absolutely gripped early on and really loved what a unique story idea this was.

Johnny Compton and Tor Nightfire team up again to give us an intriguing premise of a young woman whose newlywed husband is murdered on their wedding night by her supposed guardian angel. Why Sarita’s husband was murdered and how she happened upon a guardian angel all open up a bigger story about who is pulling the strings in her life and how she plans to exact her own vengeance against Angelo.

After a grand curtain opening chapter, plenty of backpedaling occurs in telling Sarita’s story in how Angelo appeared in her life in the first place. Rather than be fast and furious in telling the story, Compton’s narration is a measured offspeed approach, giving the characters enough thought and credit, while cleverly shoehorning in certain events and insights that help keep DEVILS KILL DEVILS from going off the rails or falling into holes. That tight rope between character and world building leads up to a wild and grandiose climax as the last 25 or so pages of the story just throws everything at you in non-stop mayhem.

Some advice to heed after reading the opening chapters: don’t expect Angelo to show up when you expect him to. Angelo will show up but the story will already have its mind made up about him. And finally the conflicts between the characters concede to the larger story, and it’s no spoiler anymore as I can tell, of vampires. When you learn of Sarita, Harrah, Cela, Z and the supporting cast, an enormous amount of care, consideration and back story is made. All of it gets pushed aside real quick in the last few chapters, as wall to wall action gives way to one of the wildest climaxes I’ve read in some time. It’s not to say Compton is not aware of the character development. Indeed, when Sarita finally comes face to face with Angelo and Harrah (who is the best character, despite all that happens), they do not have the real back and forth you would have thought after all the internal narration, but what’s needed to be said is said, particularly with Harrah, who was narrated so well.

DEVILS KILL DEVILS may have missed a few punches, but it’s still an interesting read, with a wild and rewarding conclusion. Prepare for some entertaining vampire lore, and enjoy the ride.

I hope this lands for you better than it did for me!

A fast-paced, supernatural thriller about a woman who grows up with a guardian angel. On her wedding night, that "angel" murders her new husband in cold blood.

The first few chapters are gripping and I was really invested in Sarita's mystery. As the scope of the novel expands to include vampires, a religious war and lovecraftian elements, I rapidly lost steam and interest. Compton puts a new spin on some mythology here, it just didn't work for me. Vampires as 'devils' as 'gods' blended in a way that didn't grab me, as our POVs increasingly spent time in their heads, with little dialogue to anchor the plot.

I'll give Compton another chance, as I hear his first book is excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

This book pulled me in immediately when Sarita witnesses a brutal murder, committed by someone she thought was her guardian angel. I wanted to find out more about this so-called "guardian angel" Sarita called Angelo, and why he did what he did. The book was a bit of a slow burn up to about the fifty percent mark, basically setting up the story and character building. I suggest you stick with it as it picks up again with a ton of excitement which had me turning pages so fast.

This was my first Johnny Compton book. I really appreciated some of the beautiful prose, and how Johnny Compton is able to give such an amazing visual of the Devils and Vampires. The Vampires were so different than your typical blood sucker. Also to note, there is a lot of violence in this one.

I liked this one but didn't love it. I think it just wasn't for me, but I know there is an audience out there that will LOVE it.

A unique twist on the creatures that haunt our nightmares, and make us feel like the insignificant animals we are. Sarita suffers a loss at the hands of her guardian angel, and has to question every belief she's carried through her life, while grieving the person she loves most.
As if that's not enough, the demented creature who calls herself the Godmaker unleashes complete havoc on those around Sarita, ending in carnage unfathomable, and total chaos.
In the end, Sarita becomes someone totally different than her destiny had been meant to be, and we get to see a little of why, despite being only animals ourselves, we should never give up on fighting for those we love and the things right in our lives.

Great for fans of both horror and fantasy. It kept me on the edge of my seat, at no point did I have any clue as to what would happen next.

Devils Kill Devils was quite a bloody, pulpy mess, and I loved that about it. I really liked Compton’s rendition of a vampire, and also liked hearing his reasoning behind it in the Author’s Notes. Coming in just under 300 pages, this one reads fast and is straight to the point right from the beginning without venturing off from the main event. I liked the characters and enjoyed the narration in the audiobook. I can’t wait to read what Compton puts out next. If you enjoy reading novels based on cults, dark magic and vampires, I think you’d like this one. Thanks to Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio for my advanced audiobook. Devils Kill Devils will be published just in time for spooky season, 9/24.

A few thoughts for the publisher that I won’t be posting on social, to avoid spoilers:

Nothing short of the best vampire novel I’ve ever read. THANK you. Every detail of the worldbuilding is fascinating and the prose is so good, it establishes Compton as a major talent.

I didn’t love every single thing about it - while it starts with a bang, the book takes a while to reveal its hand enough for you to understand what it has in store. I think it’s worth the patience for its worldbuilding alone, but not every reader may be. Also there’s at least one late second-act exposition dump that I think is a little too blunt and detailed, where I think some of the specifics would’ve been better teased out in the margins.

Otherwise, I loved it. A work of true horror - gut-churning, bone-crunching, flesh-slicing horror - that I relished. Compton’s King-esque devotion to character detail and a flair for the cosmic made this exactly my kind of romp. This book starts with a bang and never really settles down - except then it somehow doesn’t even hit its true stride until the second half? I loved the worldbuilding and character detail and Compton’s fluid, evocative prose. Honestly, all my critiques are far too specific to belong in a pre-release review. Despite those critiques, I would recommend this novel to practically any horror reader I knowI would advise prospective readers to try to remain unspoiled. I didn’t really know the premise or log line or even that it was a vampire book going in, and I think my experience was the better for it.

Who can be against?

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion!

From start to finish, this book was a freaking ROLLER COASTER RIDE!!! I loved the vampire lore the author chose to include, and especially liked that he wrote what myths/countries he was inspired by at the end of the novel. I definitely, DEFINITELY need more of Sarita's adventures, I feel like she is such a badass protagonist that went through so much but was still a good person. Some parts did feel rushed when reading, but overall this was a super enjoyable story that NEEDS to be part of a series! All the characters were so well-written with excellent backstories and motivation that really spoke to who they are as characters. Johnny Compton....give us more of Sarita and her world!!!

The dread, violence, and unsettling aspects of this story create a horrifying atmosphere. The descriptions of the different vampires and their transformations are unlike anything I have ever read before- the author’s note regarding his inspirations and research about vampires is also very interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an arc of this book!

Devils Kill Devils was HELLA GOOD. I enjoyed it immensely. Great spin on vampire/angel lore and hella compelling characters. One of my favorite reason this year!

First off, I truly enjoy this author and loved The Spite House. That said, this book was a miss for me. I had a hard time getting into the characters and DNFd a little over halfway through the book. I truly tried to stay with it but it just did not hold my interest. I struggled with internal monologues that went on too long for me. If you like the idea of vampire gods meddling in human affairs with a healthy dose of gore, this is the book for you! I would absolutely try this author again in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

All I knew going in was that this is a vampire story from the author of The Spite House, another five-star read for me. He excels at writing complex, well-crafted characters and making familiar tropes feel fresh and original, so I couldn’t wait to read this. I loved it. It’s old-school horror in a modern setting. My favorite part is the creature design and the way Compton used folklore to create his vampires.

My thanks to the author and publisher for providing this review copy.

I enjoyed Spite House so I was really looking forward to seeing what was next by this author. And I admit, this book had some very intriguing aspects though it did get a bit convoluted at the end when all the plot lines from the vampires (very loosely related to the more common vampire), sleepers, the use of magic/prayers, and how through the power of belief from many can change a normal person into roughly, a god. It was a lot to take in but still a good book to read with the chapters changing to the viewpoints of not only Sarita, but Cela, and Harrah. Each woman had a good story to tell and you had the villain origin story (Cela) as well as the hero's journey that Sarita takes to try and save her family and stay alive to not fulfill the prophecy that Cela wanted that would end in death and the end of the world.

It was definitely a good horror book with lots of death and creepiness (those are some powerful vampires!) and while it did end, it also left room for more forays into this world and I think I would enjoy reading them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book to read and review.

This wasn't bad but not the scariest thing I've read. The first chapter was stellar but sadly the book didn't keep that pace. I felt like more time was spent talking and reflecting about the Angel/monster and less on his actions.

3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this. I loved the story and the characters, and I was hooked from the very first chapter. I liked all the multiple POVs and really enjoyed how they all came together. I didn't like how, at times, it seemed like he used every big word he could think of in one sentence. It really hindered the flow of the story. There were also a few plot holes that just took me out of the story. Overall, it was a decent read.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Unfortunately this book was not for me. I thought the book was a bit messy and pacing was off. I liked the concept of the novel however its execution was poor. I thought most of the characters fell flat and the there was a lack of atmosphere.
I did read this while traveling so some of these issues could be with when I read it. However, this book was still not one I enjoyed.

Compton is back with a gruesomely violent fantasy horror novel. If you enjoy slashers this one is definitely for you. I would describe this as a southern Gothic story bleeding of themes of the occult and vampires. I found the first half of the novel incredibly gripping and paced well but the second half was a bit confusing and disjointed at times.

This book started off with a bang! It has so many elements…Vampires, devils, angels, religion and lore! The main character is Sarita and tragedy strikes right at the beginning.
We then learn that Sarita has a guardian angel named Angelo that has been protecting her since she was little.
Things take a turn when Angelo betrays Sarita’s trust and kills a loved one.
The story is told from different POVs which helped shape the story from each character’s perspective.
This does have a lot of gory deaths so brace yourself for that. Overall it was a good read. Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.