A friend of mine who is also an avid horror reader begged me to check out Johnny Compton’s work. Devils Kill Devils seemed like an appropriate place to start. The story itself wasn’t of my favorite horror sub-genre however, the writing and literary devices used within the book are excellent. Compton has a very unique voice and I’m excited for any of his new releases.

As for the story, I’m unsure what to say without giving spoilers, We start with our newlywed main character Sarita and learn of her supposed saving Angel named Angelo. Angelo has appeared throughout her life and saved her from life threatening scenarios. Once learning of Angelo, the story takes a dark turn and is filled with chaos that Compton somehow manages to keep in check and at the end, wrap everything together beautifully with a bow on top!

3.5/5
Thank you @macmillan.audio @tornightfire #partner for the gifted copies if this book! #macaudio2024

This is my second by this author and was looking forward to trying another by him. This one started out where I was immediately invested because the idea was unique to me. I loved the thought of a mysterious stranger guardian angel who swoops in to save the day to save someone….more than once. What luck?! The vibe was dark, shadowy, ominous and eerie and I was all about it! As the story progressed I have to admit I got a little confused at times with what was happening. There were flashbacks, vampires, cults and the guardian angel which made it feel a little overwhelming the way it was laid out. I think the base of the story was awesome, don’t get me wrong and the ending was great the way it came together it just felt a little disorganized at times making it hard to follow for me. Anyway, I enjoyed the authors first book so will absolutely continue to read Mr. Comptons books!

ARC REVIEW - 1.5 ⭐️

A very dramatic start that catches your attention, and then the story slows down drastically. It kept explaining the backstories or memories of different characters. Which I feel was meant to make us understand them better, but this was not accomplished. It often felt like the characters were rambling in their internal monologue. Insignificant portions in the story (in my opinion) were expanded on too much, to the point where it was not holding my interest at all.

Going in, I thought a story about a “guardian angel” gone rogue was very intriguing. Unfortunately, this book went into so many different directions that it ended up losing its momentum.

Thank you to Johnny Compton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

First I will start this by saying I loved The Spite House so I was super excited when Netgalley approved me to read this book (thank you Netgalley).

This book started really really rough for me ! The first half of this book was so arduous to get through and I almost didn't continue. There was too much description and it was "flowery" description and it felt over my head and I zoned out a lot !

The second half of the book became very engaging with lots of action. Characters arcs got wrapped up nicely. This author really writes beautifully and I have enjoyed his work. This one just felt a bit over my head for the first half

Thank you to Tor Nightfire Books and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to review Johnny Compton’s creative and wildly violent new book Devils Kill Devils. I was excited to read this book since the blurb mentioned it was for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and featured angels, devils, and vampires. Devils Kill Devils mostly focuses on Sarita Bardeles, who we meet on the night of her wedding to Frank Stallworth. Sarita keeps a secret from Frank, that eventually has severe consequences. Sarita has what she believes is a guardian angel, Angelo, who has watched over her throughout her life, saving her from a potential drowning incident when she was younger, and showing up at various points of danger to protect her. Frank is brutally murdered by Angelo, leaving Sarita, her in-laws (especially her mother Harrah), and her friends to wonder why. Sarita’s immediate family and close friend Tori know about Angelo, but her in-laws have suspicions about Frank’s brutal murder. Devils Kill Devils transitions from a kind of mystery surrounding guardian angels and the potential for revenge to something like a vampire clan story, with warring factions of vampires, those who seek to destroy humanity and those looking to preserve it. Sarita is also involved because she is chosen to be the mother of a god, yet who may also be sacrificed along with her child to initiate the apocalypse. Compton’s story has many creative elements to it. The vampires in the story are not the traditional Dracula blood suckers. Rather, these are beasts who feed on human blood to the point of engorgement. Their bloodlust also physically transforms them into monstrous creatures who have extraordinary powers. I was really impressed with the nature of these vampires; Compton’s characterization and description reminded me of some other non-traditional vampire stories like Cañas’s Vampires of El Norte and King’ Doctor Sleep. I also really liked Compton’s explanation at the end of the book about sourcing all of these vampire descriptions, borrowing from both older literature as well as popular movies and manga about monsters and vampires. Beyond the creative descriptions of their physical features, these vampires are violent and bloodthirsty, attacking and biting, ripping their victims in half and feasting on their innards and bones. Additionally, Compton has done the research to incorporate some new ways to kill vampires (nails/metal through the tongue/mouth) and challenging some of the other myths about defeating vampires. This was another strength of the book that made it interesting to read. Nevertheless, I felt like there were some points where I was lost in the story. Although the change of pace from a rogue and violent guardian angel to a vampire and demon story was compelling, we didn’t find out much about Angelo’s back story until about ¾ of the way through the book. I was thinking that Angelo’s story might be more interesting and compelling had we learned about it from an interspersed chapter from his perspective. That might have also given us more insight into how the different groups of vampires and demons fractured and came to battle against one another. I also felt a little lost about Sarita’s role as the mother of a god and how Angelo, despite having excellent intel for other events in her life, had been misled about Frank’s threat to her. Although Compton is a creative writer who can capture violence and chaos well, there were some times in the novel where there were too many details or some characters were explored more fully than they needed to be. For example, we learn that Sarita and her friend Tori got the same tattoo. While I think this shows how close they are, it also seemed like an unnecessary detail. Uncle Everett, Frank’s uncle who seems to be the only one sympathetic to Sarita, was described after Frank’s murder as an older, bald and tattooed man; however, this was very different from the description I envisioned from Sarita’s wedding night. I liked Uncle Everett, but I wasn’t sure about his description being so late and detailed. At other points, it felt like we learned too much about the characters’ thoughts, whether it was Sarita, Harrah, or Cela. Finally, I really didn’t care for Harrah or Cela that much, yet these were characters who were featured prominently in the last ¾ of the book. Harrah is Sarita’s mother-in-law and blames Sarita for her loss. Harrah had a strained relationship with her son and is presented as someone who seems to care more about drinking and gambling, yet also feels upset about her son’s refusal to dance with her during the wedding. I didn’t really buy this and didn’t really enjoy the chapters about her. Similarly, I didn’t really understand Cela’s motivations for her movement. Regardless, this was an interesting book, and the detailed descriptions and creative creatures make me want to read Compton’s other book, The Spite House.

DNF this one - I could not get into it once Cela and her cast of characters were introduced, which may be my fault for missing that in the summary.

This book is definitely not for the squeamish, but the gore was not gratuitous or over the top for me. Those of us reading the story are piecing together what happened on Sarita's wedding night & why. There were many flashbacks and timelines to work through to get to the truth. Overall this book was a fun read. Thank you to Tor Nightfire & Netgalley for the ARC. This one publishes on September 24, 2024 so check it out.

I really enjoyed this story! I never read [book:The Spite House|60784411], the author's debut, but now I'm definitely adding it to my TBR so I can check it out.

The beginning drew me in from the start, and trying to figure out what exactly was going on was quite interesting. The back half of the book started to slow down, with multiple characters' perspectives, which therefore led to the timeline jumping a bit due to seeing that character in one chapter after something's happened, and then the next chapter going backward in that character's POV to tell us what happened and how they got to that point in the previous chapter. It got a bit confusing and somewhat convoluted in that regard, and I found myself having to read some sections twice to make sure I understood, but the story was still captivating, and I wanted to see how it ended.

All in all, I would recommend this book, and I'll be looking forward to reading more from this author.

3.75 stars, rounded up

**I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review. All thoughts and comments contained within are my own.**

Since she was nine and almost drowned in the Gulf of Mexico, Sarita has had a guardian angel watching over her, saving her life time and again.

Or so she thinks.

Yet on Sarita's wedding night, her stalwart protector Angelo murders her new husband Frank and disappears without a trace.

So begins Sarita's quest for knowledge, power, and revenge. Unbeknownst to her, however, she is but one piece of a great prophecy spanning centuries, which will set into motion a devastating final conflict of humans vs. devils and the makings of the end of the world.

...All of that sounded like the recipe for a book I would adore. And I really wanted to like this book. I just didn't.

By turns confusing and disjointed, the narrative skips from character to character, occasionally backtracking or jogging sideways. I found the multiple perspectives irritating; just when I'd start feeling invested in a character's storyline the book would switch to someone else. Which might have been fine if I'd been actually attached to any of the characters, but all of them felt flat and one dimensional. There was no character growth at all.

The prose itself is choppy as well: sentences that feel like run-ons are juxtaposed with others that are almost fragments, leading to writing that was frequently hard to parse. I noticed myself having to read certain sections multiple times just to follow what was going on. The overall tone didn't help either; the dry, detached narration felt more like a philosophical thought exercise than a story being told.

It was, however, an interesting take on the idea of a vampire. I appreciate the author's deliberate incorporation of older, more obscure lore, although I would have liked to have a little more insight into the world of the vampires, their creation, and their history.

Ultimately, while I can't say I had an enjoyable time, it was an interesting time, and I'd be curious to check out more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing a free review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved this one!

Johnny Compton delivers a fresh terrifying story about vampires. Southern gothic horror is one of my favorite sub-genres and Compton has shown he is capable of bringing new life to this writing style.

Horror fans will not be disappointed with this one!

The gore was great and I loved most of the book but this could have done with one more re-read and a round of edits.

3⭐️'s from me.

So if you are a fan of weird, creepy and the gore of body parts being ripped apart then I would check this out. I didn't really know much going into this book besides it was a thriller. There were points in the book I was like " what the heck did I just read?" I was lost at a few points in the book for I just couldn't get into some of the things happening.
The writing was done well, I just personally had a tough time at points. But if you like The Spite house by this Author I am sure you will love this as well.

There's a definite 5-stars read in here if you have the patience, reading Devils Kill Devils was a constant whiplash, switching between complete engagement to groaning at its unnecessary wordiness. In the end I was glad I pressed on despite the book's monotonous first half (other than the attention-grabbing opening), because the finale was an emotionally potent, fantastically imaginative gore fest that left me in awe (and reaffirmed why I was such a fan of Johnny Compton's writing to begin with).

In some ways Devils Kill Devils comes across more like a debut than his actual debut, The Spite House, due to its obvious inconsistencies. The premise of realizing the entity one identified as a 'guardian angel' having ulterior, more sinister motive is such an intriguing starting point, and I appreciate Johnny Compton's intricate storytelling, fusing elements of vampiric lore, exploration on religion/cult, and grief into an unique modern horror fantasy.

But the absence of a vigorous editing is this novel's ultimate undoing: way too much stagnant train-of-thought passages when the plot should be developing. There are moments where consecutive paragraphs containing the same information, written differently as if the author was testing out options, somehow ended up all appearing in the final manuscript. For a 'short' novel that is just shy of the 300 page count, this definitely feels like a more laborious read than that.

I don't think I've ever been so unsure on how to rate a novel, but Devils Kill Devils is that rare instance: there are obvious objective flaws where I know will turn readers off, yet I'm still compelled by the author's ambition, because when it is working, it works brilliantly. This might be one you'll have to try out for yourself, but Johnny Compton is still on my radar as a must-read author.

While pitched as a mysterious and malevolent new entry into the much loved genre of gothic horror, I don’t entirely believe that that is what Devils Kill Devils is. In fact, I feel odd even calling it a horror at all. While truthfully, the novel is well written and certainly imaginative as it blends various theological and fantasy influences into a fine tale of prophesied armageddon, the reality of the story is that it is more action adventure than horror.
Personally, Devils Kill Devils as a whole felt more like a twisted form of a hero’s journey, with a sprinkling of a cult revenge thriller. While not bad, it deviated from what I was expecting, and I felt somewhat disappointed by that fact. I think had the narrative been more focused on atmosphere and tension, as opposed to building up towards a big bad battle stand off between Sarita and her enemies; the “horror” moniker would not have felt so elusive.
A bit like sitting down to a movie and expecting Dracula, but getting Blade.
However, I did like the meta aspect of one of the characters orchestrating a narrative within the narrative, essentially creating and directing all the other characters to play their part in bringing about the end of the world. That was very interesting.
In the overall scheme of things, I would probably still recommend Devils Kill Devils if you’re a fan of movies like The Order, Legion, or Constantine, but not necessarily for its horror elements or use of vampirism.

Wow idk if readers are ready for what Mr. Compton has in this book but they better be. The fast pace murderous action literally is taking place in the first chapter and it doesnt let us. If book is perfect for the fall/spooky season and I dont think I want to spoil any of it for a reader. I want readers to feel their heart racing as they are reading this book ,like mine did. Job well done.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an ARC of Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm thrilled to have discovered Johnny Compton's writing. I absolutely loved this book! I highly recommend reading it in as few days as possible because the writing flows incredibly well. It's perfectly unsettling yet poetic in all the best ways. I'll definitely be reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

Before I even get started Johnny Compton is not for the weak or squeamish. We are submerged in violence from the first page. The novel begins on Sarita's and Frank's wedding night moments before Frank is literally beaten to death by Sarita's supposed guardian angel, Angelo. And it only spirals out of control from there.

As readers we are piecing together what is going on and why Frank was murdered in front of his new wife on their wedding night. Through the present day timeline and flashbacks we find out that Angelo has saved Sarita's life multiple times before.

We also get the point of view of Frank's mother and the absolute monster that she becomes. Compton has 1000% made vampires scary again!

As more characters are introduced and the story progresses I feel like it gets a little out of control and a bit muddled.

I didn't love Devils Kill Devils, but I'll still be picking up his debut novel Spite House. I'm still interested to see what Johnny Compton has up his sleeve.

2.5 stars

The concept and title are incredibly interesting. The atmosphere of the story is intriguing, dark, and disturbing, which I definitely had a great time with. I loved that aspect. But, we get so many internal monologues. These monologues and lack of dialogue made the story feel messy and clunky. The pacing felt off. The vampires felt messy and weird. It got to the point when everything felt weirdly overwhelming, yet I also consistently felt as if I wasn't getting anything.

My thoughts on this book are that it has a great foundation for a good horror storyline but the writing style is not for me. I couldn't finish reading it. The constant insertion of unnecessarily descriptive language threw me right out of reading it. I'm sorry to say I'm not the intended audience for this author.

As much as I love the occult and gothic stories this one left me wanting more. I love Johnny Compton's style of writing but the content just wasn't quite what I was expecting.