Anyone who has listened to music knows that when certain songs come on, you can just feel the energy from them. When you sing with your friends, that energy is even stronger. And if you’ve ever been to a concert and sung along with thousands of other people, you know that the energy created is overwhelming.

Brom turns this energy into magic in Evil in Me, and honestly, it’s such a simple but powerful construct that it surprises me that it’s not used more often in fantasy tales. It’s a premise that everyone can relate to, which makes it even better. It’s not some difficult to understand concept based on ancient mystical rituals that may or not make sense. It’s music, something that everyone knows, understands, and has experience with. That connection makes Evil in Me accessible and relatable to pretty much everyone.

Full review at https://thecosmiccircus.com/book-review-evil-in-me-by-brom/

Brom’s *Evil in Me* is a masterclass in horror, plunging readers deep into a nightmare of psychological torment and grotesque imagery. The story, revolving around a protagonist cursed by dark forces, taps into primal fears with unsettling intensity. Brom’s trademark blend of vivid, nightmarish descriptions and visceral tension makes every page feel suffocating. The horrors aren't just supernatural—they’re psychological, exploring the terrifying concept of inherited evil. While some may find the pacing a bit uneven, the bone-chilling atmosphere and relentless descent into madness make it a must-read for fans of horror that doesn’t just scare, but disturbs on a deeper level.

First, Brom has such an interesting style and flair to all of his books and this one is no exception. We get the usual great artwork but this book also has a soundtrack featuring music from the musical artists in the book.

It is an 80s filled possession horror packed with violence and gore. I think some of the clear "evil" characters were a little one-dimensional. This seemed like it was intended to prop up the depth of our main characters, who is a pretty interesting (while somewhat unlikable) character, but it felt like it lessened the potential for more interesting relationships and conflict with those around her.

Because of Ruby's age, some of it leans YA at times in regards to the dialogue because it leans into the coming of age experience, but it is by no means a YA book. If you are looking for a trippy rock and roll, demonic horror, you got it.

Evil in Me is my introduction to Brom's work, and unfortunately, I don't think it's a good one.

The heart of the story is well enough for me. We follow Ruby, a young girl on probation, who accidentally puts on a ring and is, therefore, possessed by multiple entities, Her salvation is, dun dun dunnnn, punk. I LOVE that. And generally speaking, I loved Ruby. I think she's an excellent choice for a main character. She's passionate; she's one of those characters that doesn't just sit around but is active within the limits of the story; she's a problem child; she's extremely flawed and rash, the perfect walking hard shell-soft core saying. In fact, my absolute favorite part of this was her first chapter - I swallowed that up like nothing and barely noticed time and pages passing. The plot in itself as described up above? Also absolute perfection for me. Exactly my sh*t, to be honest.

The rest, though? To be crude for a second - I spent a good 100 pages in disbelief. I kept hearing about Brom and his beautiful writing, but the writing in this book is... not that? At all? It's actually quite reminiscent of self published extreme horror novelists? Which kudos to them, I read them regularly and love them, but Evil in Me is not that? The writing was... pretty crappy and cheap? But not in a grungy, vibe-y way, more like... a lack of skill way? Which really made me question if Brom's books are carried on the shoulders of his beautiful illustrations.

Some of the characters are fodder for nothing, and Rick... was there. For some inexplicable reasons.

Between the extreme positive and negative is the natural Switzerland of this book being fun. I liked the punk - because it actually felt like punk - and I liked the gorey and demonic bits as well.

I was immediately drawn to Evil in Me after enjoying Brom’s Slewfoot and it did not disappoint. The book is filled with striking, eerie artwork, and I loved the added touch of a mini soundtrack featuring The Maxines as The Night Mares. Listening to the EP while reading really enhanced the experience.

Brom takes the time to develop Ruby’s character, making her easy to root for. The supporting characters are intriguing, even if not all are likable, and I appreciated the mix of humor and frustration they brought. The unique twist on the possession trope was refreshing; instead of a traditional exorcism, Ruby’s journey revolves around people singing her song, which I found fascinating.

While I enjoyed the story, I wasn’t a fan of Richard’s POV, likely because he’s intended to be unlikable. I also wished the ending had been a bit longer or included an epilogue for closure. Overall, I had a fantastic time with this book and would recommend it to any horror fan, especially those who appreciate Brom’s work. Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and the author for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an ARC of this book! Evil in Me was quite the enjoyable read, especially for October!

This book kicks off with a possession and some pretty gruesome violence. If you accidentally picked this up thinking it won’t be gory, the first chapter will let you know otherwise. We then flash forward in time to the 80s to meet our protagonist, Ruby. Ruby is currently on probation, and is close to finishing up her mandatory volunteer hours. Ruby has a temper, and is known to “fly off the handle”. By some bad luck, Ruby encounters a ring that lures you into wearing it, and subsequently becoming possessed by Lord Sheelbeth and her henchman, Beel.

This book is at about 300 pages, and let me tell you it flew by. I had to double check the page count because it felt like a novella or short story. I could have kept reading about Ruby and Lord Sheelbeth for another 100 pages happily! I had previously read Slewfoot by Brom and really enjoyed that one as well, I am a sucker for a vengeful story. Evil in Me surprised me because it didn’t include as much revenge as Slewfoot did, yet had me more entranced and also somehow more forgiving? It was such a great story and I would love to read a sequel on what Lord Sheelbeth gets up to. I would recommend this book to anyone who can handle some pretty gross imagery (think worms).

Wow. First time reading Brom, and really enjoyed this novel. It had great, well developed characters, with a great plot (and great pacing). Will definitely start reading the other novels by Brom.

The plot was good, albeit a bit off at times, and the characters fairly well developed, with plenty of violence and gore. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as his others. I think it's because I am more drawn to the folkloric horror of his other works. And I felt this one had a more YA vibe (I noticed other people thought this as well). Rock and Roll as salvation was a super intriguing aspect to this story. Overall I would recommend but it just wasn't for me.

Music. Madness. Mayhem. Can you really ask for more? It’s a fresh take on demon possession and had a decent amount of supernatural elements to it along with some dark humor which I appreciated.

I just could not get into this one, and I DNFed at about halfway. It sounded interesting -- I like demonic possession and music together -- but the characters felt so flat, and I just didn't want to be in their heads any longer. Even the heroine was unlikeable, in an uninteresting way, and the characters around her were all basic varieties of evil.

Brom is quickly turning into a favorite author of mine.

Firstly, this was perfect for spooky season. I knew as soon as I read the synopsis that I needed this in my life ASAP.

An aspiring musician’s life is turned upside down when she finds a mysterious ring that clamps down on her finger, possessing her with the spirit of a blood-thirsty demon. And there’s no way to break the curse except to get people to sing a spell to set Ruby free. It’s time to get the band back together and raise some hell.

This book was so fun. Ruby was a great main character, I was truly rooting for her especially witnessing how the adults in her life have failed her for some time. Once the story gets moving, I didn’t want to put the book down! It’s downright unsettling at times but just so engaging and compelling. Plus, the actual song that was created for the book is actually great!

I really recommend this if you like spooky books and rock and roll. It’s a great time.

This was the perfect blend of spooky, fun, and heart. You have characters worth loving and a bonkers storyline that will probably leave you surprised. Ruby Tucker is an aspiring musician serving out the last days of her community service. She has a stepfather who threatens her daily, a boss who seems out to get her and a preppy girl dating her ex-boyfriend. Trying to stay on the straight path to finish out her sentence is trying her last nerves. While helping her eccentric neighbor organize his religious relics, she discovers a cursed ring. Once the ring has laid its eye on Ruby, it refuses to let her go. Ruby becomes possessed with the spirit of a bloodthirsty demon that wants out into the real world. The only way Ruby can rid herself of this curse is to get hundreds of people to chant a spell to set her free. With a little help from some “friends” Ruby gets a band together to gather the necessary souls to sing her way out of this mess. Overall, this is a dark but fun read. Ruby is a misunderstood, down on her luck, main character that has an amazing character arc. She’s an emotional ball of punk rock love and I love her. The story is set in the 1980’s when preppies ruled the country, and everyone was in a satanic panic about things that did not fit the mold. The side characters are everything, they are scary, they are funny, they are full of heart and anger… and then there’s Vutto! I love him too. This book is a perfect spooky season read that combines religious horror, curses, music and coming-of-age into one beautiful package. This is a book that works well for both horror experts and novices, so don’t be afraid to try something new.

Ruby Tucker has dreams of escaping her hometown and making it big as a musician, but things aren’t looking too good in that department after having a disagreement with her bandmate and best friend. In the meantime Ruby has been helping out a neighbor of hers, but when a strange ring decides to attach itself, literally, to Ruby’s finger she suddenly finds herself possessed by an evil demon. The only way for her to remove the ring and escape the evil in attacks is to have hundreds of people repeat a spell, and the only way to accomplish that is to get the band back together.

When I saw there was a new novel by Brom out in the world I jumped at the chance to immerse myself in another one of his stories, and Evil in Me did not disappoint. I enjoyed the characters, the events, and especially the music. Not only did Shahjehan Khan and Stephanie Németh-Parker do an amazing job telling the story, the fact that music by The Maxines was included was simply epic. Not only did I like the song, but I also loved how it brought people together, as music often does. This is one of the best audiobooks that I have listened to.

Demon possession but make it even more metal.

Ruby Tucker just wants to play punk music. Our MC is an angsty, chain smoking badass in a small, conservative town. Life with her mom and shitty stepdad is becoming unbearable, and her connection to anything relatable is waning. Well, at least until she finds a whole ass corpse finger adorned with a magical ring. When the ring gets stuck on her own finger and a demon starts living in her head, she's gotta figure out exactly how to pry it off and kick him out before she's bound to an eternity in hell.

I think this was fun. Ruby is a romp, and I'm quite the fan of hers. Shout out to Vutto for being the cutest golden retriever of a demon and to bestie Tina for her nuance as a supporting character. The reason for a 3 star rating is the cheesiness of it. I could see what was about to happen before it did, and some of the conversations were a bit contrived. I'm still gonna read more Brom.

This was a great story. I love it when music and horror are combined! I’ve seen a few few books that do this, but this one did it exceptionally well

Wow, what a trippy read! Aspiring musician Ruby Tucker is living at home with her Mom and future stepfather while figuring her life out and completing her mandatory probation. This all changes when she encounters a ring that will possess the wearer and wreaks havoc and destruction in its wake. To escape the clutches of a demon, Ruby gets help from the most unexpected group of characters and in the most unexpected way. One song to set her free!

Great story of possession and friendship! Family trauma and one woman finding herself in the midst of trying not to lose herself to a demon! I loved this!

It starts out with a bang in a wince-inducing gory opening chapter, before we start following our main character Ruby and what follows is a bit of a coming-of-age type of story. I will say the music aspect from the synopsis doesn’t come into play until pretty late in the book, and the horror is a bit of a slow build but I enjoyed spending time learning about Ruby and the people in her life. It becomes a demonic possession horror tale that I thought was easily bingeable!

This isn’t a book. It’s an entire artistic EXPERIENCE. I LOVED every rich MAXIMALIST Punk rock moment of my time in Brom’s Evil in Me. I actually had to slow myself down and take this one in with all of my senses. I listened to the audiobook, while reading the GORGEOUS hardcover, and I even loved this so much, I ordered the Maxine’s as The Nightmares EP of Evil in Me.

An absolute bad ass artistic meditation on what it means to be human and the many internal battles we all can face while walking this earth. Though we may have many different beliefs, there are some evils within and without ourselves we all know very well.

Looking for a book that throws punk rock rebellion, demonic thrills, and family drama into a wild blender? Meet Evil in Me by Brom.

Ruby Tucker, a twenty-something with a knack for bad decisions, stumbles into a nightmare: a cursed ring, a serial killer, and literal demons — one of them even a demon drummer. This isn’t your typical shiny accessory; it’s alive (sort of) and unbeatable. As things spiral, expect a rollercoaster of gore mixed with popcorn-fun moments. Brom’s twist with Jewish mythology adds depth beyond the usual possession tale. The punk rock vibes and ancient magic keep the pace frantic and rebellious.

Sure, Ruby’s choices are eyebrow-raising (a horror must!), but you’ll cheer for her every step. And those demons? More entertaining than terrifying. The ending rushes, but the climax delivers one hell of a show.

If you crave a blend of punk attitude, horror thrills, and chaotic fun, Evil in Me promises a gory (ish) good time. It’s not deep or spine-chilling, but it’s pure, unadulterated entertainment.


Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.