EVIL IN ME
Well @geraldbrom has done it again. I was in the moment I saw the cover for Evil in Me. Then I heard a little about it and I couldn't wait to read it. Let's be honest though, I really went into this one blind because I never remember a synopsis. Then I just about lost it the moment I got the ARC on @netgalley. Finally I almost fell over when I got the ALC.
This book was so enthralling. It had so many things that I love to read about. There's the 80's setting, punk music, demons, possession, some kickass female characters and last but certainly not least VUTTO.
There's also an unexpected subplot that really ties into the story by the end. I really enjoyed this but the audiobook gets ALL of the stars. It was phenomenal and I would highly recommend if you can listen to it. If you don't listen to the audiobook, at least go listen to the fully produced song with the same title. This audiobook is a galaxy of stars. It is so well done and well produced.

Wow what a fun ride. This was such a treat to be in this world of rock and roll and punk music and demons. I had a good time with this and as always Brom's illustrations are incredible

I will recommend that people get this in physical copy as well so they can experience the artwork that makes Brom so unique. Loved the story as they are a favorite author. Will recommend all formats.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. Stephanie Németh-Parker and Shahjehan Khan both do a fantastic job delivering their character work.

Ruby Tucker has run into some problems, and while she usually lets her anger out, rather than bottling it up, she’s just trying to course correct so she can move on. After her court mandated volunteering, she makes a bit of money on the side helping her disabled and eccentric neighbor. But while cleaning up and organizing his collection of religious relics, Ruby comes into contact with a possessed, demonic ring. Attaching itself to her finger, there’s little she can do to get it off. I enjoyed the use of Jewish mythology for the story, especially as it’s not something I’ve experienced before.

I’ve seen a lot of things label this as fantasy, and I have to say the mythology parts certainly had a fantasy otherworldly feel to them, but if anything it’s definitely urban fantasy/mythology based in horror.

While most of this read as kind of an unserious novel, the author actually does a pretty solid job combining a large number of elements. Personal and familial drama, possession and demonic influence, a rogue serial killer, and a time in which rock-n-roll was fueling the news and nation into a Satanic panic.

Not only is the ring vying for control of Ruby’s mind, but there is an actual entity bodily inhabiting her. Sent by the demon controller of the ring, his momentary freedom allows for him to try to steer Ruby to freedom as well. While the first attempts release demon spawn, at the very least one of them can play the drums. These kind of silly things kept me engaged with the plot line that was a bit more far out, and it did build into a nice emotional connection with the otherworldly characters.

The ending for me wasn’t entirely a win, it didn’t stick the landing. It certainly does subvert expectations, but it just seemed too much like giving up…spend the entire novel fighting it and looking for a way out and then you just give in? I won’t say more as I want to avoid spoilers, but that’s my gripe with this one. There is also an original song that plays throughout the novel, representing the song that Ruby must get people to sing to build the magic that will save her. Definitely not my cup of tea, I found it kind of corny, although it was for sure stuck in my head by the end. Regardless, this is one I will be thinking over for a while for sure.

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.

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.

I absolutely love Brom. I own all of his physical books because his artwork is magical. I even bought a copy of Evil In Me that was signed. I was so excited by the premise of this book, but unfortunately it seemed a bit chaotic to me. I liked the idea of Richard’s character, but the way it all connected seemed forced. I wish Richard had his own book unconnected to Rubys storyline. In terms of the audio, I thought the narrator was perfect! I especially loved the contrast of Richard’s narrator. I also really loved the song that was created for this novel. It was really cool how they worked the song throughout the audiobook. I really wished I loved this storyline more. I didn’t even super love the ending.

I'm not much of one usually for possession stories, as usually (the big names one at least) tend to be about how people should act in a faintly ableist "wouldn't it be HORRIBLE to be neurodivergent" or are just Christian propaganda pieces about how the devil sucks. Neither of which I vibe with for multiple reasons.

However, I've greatly enjoyed Brom's other novels (I've read Child Thief, Krampus, and Slewfoot) so I went into this novel expecting to enjoy myself. And boy did I!

I think this one actually ended up above Krampus and Child Thief, just below Slewfoot for me, which wasn't what I expected opening the novel (yes, I still very much need to read Lost Gods and see where that ranks for me!) Brom's got a knack for writing women I like, and I enjoyed seeing Ruby's transformation from "mentally ill and shut off for it" to someone who's more loudly and proudly punk. I find it interesting, too, that Brom starts us in the head of someone mentally ill, and it's partly through our sympathetic possessor that Ruby is able to better pull herself together.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. This one is a bit slow to get off the ground past a wonderfully gory opening, but about 15 percent in we've got a character possessed and have to start fixing that! And from there it's a journey that winds through moral panics (specifically the Satanic panic of the 80s), cops being cops, 'ain't no hate like Christian love' and distrust of the other.

Though some people truly have some vile moment, Brom will manage to wring some sympathy for just about everyone by the end. I would say this ultimately seems very much a novel about second chances. However, that doesn't mean there aren't some (purposefully) senseless sacrifices to get there, a nuanced take.

I was also intrigued we were drawing upon Jewish mysticism for our possession tale, though I must note I am a goy or gentile... or not-Jewish basically. So I don't feel it's my place to speak on this further.. I'll just say it's nice to see some not-Christian elements to this well-worn genre of horror and it's nice to have possessing "demons" that have an agenda and character beyond "evil and want to mess with humans."

I also think this is one case where I DEFINITELY have to recommend the audiobook version, if only so you can actually hear the titular song for yourself and let yourself get swept away by it.

Demons. Possession. And a rock band. I enjoyed everything but the band aspect. I think that trope is just not for me. That being said, I’m still singing the song in my head. Thanks Brom.

The mess of personal growth in lieu of a demon and an ancient relic intrigued me. Relics are a piece of history that will always be baffling whether in fiction or not. The thought of having to break free from it in an unconventional way could have been great; however, after a while, it almost felt…silly.

The audiobook narrated by Shahjehan Khan and Stephanie Németh-Parker helped to separate the various characters and give personality to each. They were also easily understood at faster speeds. For the music lovers, it does include a taste of the band too!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Brom for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Yessssssss! Brilliantly weird! Evil in Me by Brom was so organically brilliant and creepy. I adored the characters, all of the characters. The plot points and suspense was EVERYTHING! More please! I need to read this author's backlist immediately. Great audio narration and the musicality was spectacular and added to the plot points.

Brom hits another one out of the park. He is so good at writing charters and Ruby is his next masterpiece. Evil in Me is another excellently creepy work of demons and possession, and is endlessly captivating. This book is for horror and punk rock fans alike as well as fans of 80s pop culture.

This was a bit of a miss for me. Objectively, this one offered a fine delivery of a very classic horror story involving the cursed object trope. However, it failed to invoke much of an emotional response for me.

My biggest disappointment was the artwork which is usually my favourite part of his books. Some of the pictures are just so flat.

I think this one will most appeal to readers who really enjoy traditional older books with the usual tropes. If you already love Brom, you will undoubtedly want to try this one out.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Brom has a way of hiding what his books really are by making them look pretty (and I mean this in the most positive way possible). He’s continuously managed to disguise his “low art” (fairly trashy, exploitation, horror/crime novels) as “high art” with their packaging (his amazing paintings, songs integrated into audiobooks, etc). As someone who appreciates “trash”, and thinks it has value, especially when done this well, I love that he keeps doing this.

As the great Bill Watterson put it: “A painting. Moving, spiritually enriching, sublime. ‘High art!’

The comic strip. Vapid, juvenile, commercial hack work… ‘Low art’

A painting of a comic strip panel. Sophisticated irony, philosophically challenging… ‘High art’”

Thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for an advance audiobook copy.

Thank you Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Now here is a really fun spooky punk rock read! This for me was a perfect lead into the fall season with summer concert vibes and creepy possessions. The main character becomes possessed by an evil ring and must figure out how to get it off her before the ring fully consumes her. There is also a side plot from the perspective of a serial killer which adds a sinister touch to the slasher part of this book.

Was this book a masterpiece? No, but it was fun and thoroughly enjoyable. If you are looking for a book on the same level as Slewfoot, this is not it. It’s extremely different and should not be put in the same category. I really enjoyed this book for what it was and would definitely encourage readers to experience this book by reading via audio. Because of the musical elements listening to the audio version really immerses the reader into the story. I had so much fun listening to this and wondering how the story was going to play out. Personally, I didn’t think this was scary but always check any trigger warnings before diving into any horror novel.

Just like Brom's other books, this was weird but I really liked reading it as an audiobook. The premise was super interesting and the audiobook elevated the experience by actually playing the music referenced throughout the book. I thought it was a very unique possession story and was enjoyable.

😈EVIL IN ME😈 by @geraldbrom

I am continually amazed by the stories that come from this man's dark, creepy, empathetic brain. This is my third Brom and i freaking loved it! Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers, @tornightfire and @macmillanaudio for the audio-ARC and the finished copy.

🎸🎸🎸

Ruby just wants to play music and get outta her small town where she doesn't feel she belongs. When she inadvertently gets tangled up with a demon goddess, a powerful ring and some lesser demons, her plans get slightly detailed. She turns to her love of music to save her but will have to contend with her uber-religious stepdad, a dangerous stalker and a whole lotta chaos to free herself of the evil inside her.

🎸🎸🎸

If you like punk rock, feminist themes, ride-or-die friendship, demon slaves with big feelings, and fighting against those who want to contain you, this might be your book!

I listened to this one on audio and it brought a whole new level to the punk songs, the different characters and the feel of the story. Highly, highly recommend going the audio route with this one. I believe there is even an album from the Night Mares (played by @themaxinesband ) out there to accompany the book!

A perfect book to get you in the spooky season mood!

😈😈😈

What kind of music do you listen to?!

💚SMASHBOT💚

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The narrator really brought this story to life. A gory, new take on possession. Fast paced and intense

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't my favorite Brom title but I still really enjoyed it. The story was vivid and scary. The characters all had Brom's usual flair. Overall this was a great addition to Brom's library.

This is my 3rd book by BROM & definitely not my last!! Each of the 3 has felt unique and I really enjoy his writing style.

There are some significant trigger warnings so be prepared. It’s horror.

A few characters are really well developed and grow throughout the story. I love that I had an internal monologue running half the time like, is this mental illness or possession or a mixture? Why would a mom NOT want a risqué Polaroid of her daughter vaporized?

Ruby is in her mid-twenties & has behavioral issues. She’s split from her punk band and BFF. She’s angry bordering on homicidal. She’s treated unfairly. Her dad has passed and her mom has a new man & his pervy kid living with them now.

Ruby helps a neighbor & leaves in possession of a ring with possibly supernatural qualities.

She’s off her meds!

She’s battling her own thoughts. She’s worrying that she might be mentally ill as her doctor has said cuz now she’s hearing voices in her head.

Love her thoughts!! She’s being bullied and gaslit!! Who wouldn’t want to teach the bullies a lesson or mess with them or maybe she’ll just follow through!!

There are some truly awful humans that I enjoyed hating.

I read the publishers summary and thought there’d be a lot more punk/rocker/band involvement.

There is a song but it’s in the last quarter of the book when all hell breaks loose. It’s first & foremost a story about a sad mixed up girl with understandable anger management issues that grows into a fabulous story of possession, murder, mayhem!

As the story progresses truths are revealed, feelings change.

If you need a new scary book for Spooktober look no further!! Due to the music, suggest audio! Fabulous cover art!

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio this was a TREAT!

I really enjoyed this music based horror by Brom. It ended up going in a completely different direction and definitely had some fantasy elements that provided even more depth. There's a very important song that is central to the story and I loved hearing it in the audiobook. It definitely has a punk underground vibe and I would recommend it to all music and horror fans.