I’d like to start by noting that the audiobook ACTUALLY HAS THE SONGS!!!!! And yes, they are stuck in my head.

I really loved this book. Brom is a master at horror and really pulls you in/keeps you hooked from the beginning. I hope this is made into a movie. This book was un-putdownable. I love the use of multiple POVs to move us through the story and really feel every characters motivations. Any horror fan will love this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the advanced digital and audio access to this book that published today!

Possession, demons, rock n’ roll, and… band drama? This book has everything going for it. Ruby Tucker is stuck in her small-town life when an ancient ring hijacks her soul, turning her into a demon’s puppet. Now, she has to get her band back together and get the world singing to save herself.

I really loved how it started — totally chaotic and creepy — but it lost some steam for me midway through. Vutto the sassy demon stole the show and was my favorite character. The audiobook was well done, especially with the full-on produced track by The Maxines as The Night Mares.

I think I would have rated it higher if I had a physical copy to pair the story with the illustrations and would have added a lot to the experience. I still have Slewfoot and Krampus on my TBR and I can’t wait to read those!

This was one of the best audiobooks I listened to this year! The way the story was told, ogh my goodness, it really creeped me out. Especially those special effects and the undervoices. Those were so well done and made the story even more intriguing. The story itself is fun (in a way that only Brom can do) and is a treasure trove for anybody who is into demonic possessions and similar themes. Such a fun time this was!

This was as much fun as I expected it would be. Starts off with a bang and doesn't really slow down for the rest of the book. Ruby has a nice character arc and the use of the original song throughout the audiobook is a perfect use of the audio format. I also appreciated having 2 narrators to keep the dual POVs separate.

Evil in Me is bestselling author Brom's newest novel of possession, damnation, and rock-n-roll where one woman must get the world singing in order to save her soul.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for sending me an audio ARC of this book! I enjoyed this book. I liked everything about this book and I liked that this book has a music element to it. I thought that was really fun getting to hear what the song was supposed to sound like. This was my first book by Brom but it won’t be my last.

evil in me by brom 🎙️ a novel of possession, damnation, and rock-n-roll where one woman must get the world singing in order to save her soul ⚡

🎸 possession
🎸 unlikely friendships
🎸 multiple POV’s
🎸 80’s punk rock
🎸 an unhinged serial killer
🎸 SO muchhh blood

there were SO many aspects of this book I enjoyed. at times I was grimacing over gruesome scenes & laughing over out of pocket one liners! VETTO!! I will forever have a soft spot for that good little egg.

I need to get my hands on a physical copy so I can look at the illustrations! the audiobook is phenomenal, thank you macmillan audio for an early copy! immediately bumping slewfoot higher on my tbr 🖤 5 stars!

Brom is one of my favorite horror authors, in part because his stories are just that good, but also because I love that he writes horror with heart. Evil in Me is no different, and it’s also an exploration of emotional turmoil.

Even before her possession, Ruby felt out of control of her own life. Beel, the demon possessing Ruby, is only doing so because he’s controlled by a more powerful demon. Control is an extremely prevalent theme as even side characters have suffered due to circumstances beyond their control, or circumstances they believe to be beyond their control. It’s easy to relate to Ruby as she struggles not just in the fight for her soul, but the fight for her power, the control she lost long before the ring found its way into her life.

As always, Brom created a fun cast of characters for Evil in Me. I loved Vutto, as I expect most people will (I’m serious – I expect you to like him and if you don’t, we can’t be friends), and everyone needs a friend like Tina. The book has major “roadtrip with a punk rock band of weirdos” vibes, which makes it really fun for a horror novel. There were high stakes, but aside from one scene, I didn’t feel particularly tense. This one definitely had more of a fun, lighthearted feel.

The narration of the audiobook was honestly amazing. Stephanie Németh-Parker voiced most of it and I loved how she laughed, scoffed, sang, etc. along with Ruby, instead of just telling us Ruby was doing it. I’ve never listened to an audiobook with a narrator that consistently added those types of emotions into their narration. Shahjehan Khan also did a great job with Richard’s narration. You can really hear Richard’s confidence in the beginning and how the events of the book affect him in his voice. But the narration itself isn’t the only thing to rave about because there is MUSIC. Ruby has to write a song and when she performs it, an actual band, The Maxines, performs it on the audiobook. It is the bee’s knees, as Richard would say. I love audiobooks that include more than just a simple reading of the book, so this one really checked off a lot of boxes for me.

The print version of Evil in Me has nearly two dozen illustrations and I’ve seen enough of of them (and Brom’s art in general) to know they are not to be missed, so I recommend listening while reading if possible for an immersive experience with both music and illustrations. Best of both worlds!

Rating: 3.75⭐️
📖 Pub date: 9/16/24
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (thank you for this advanced listener copy!!)

1 sentence review: nostalgic, campy horror filled with punk rock angst during the 1980’s satanic panic period!!

This book was so fun and campy!! It had outrageous elements of demons, punk rock, and early 20’s angst!! Ruby was so relatable and her story was full of friendship, grief, and trauma. I loved the ragtag band they assembled to defeat the demon inside Ruby! This story felt so nostalgic for some reason, and not just because it’s historical horror!

There is just something about books with demonic possession and friends that will do anything to help their loved ones that gets me every time!!

My only downfall for this book was the end.. it seemed to contradict the entire story and was left lacking any sort of consequence which made it feel unauthentic.

Audio rating: 5⭐️ narrator mastered the character voices wonderfully and her demon voice was both comical and chilling! There is also an original song that was sang throughout the book and it was extremely catchy!!

Read This if You Like:
🤘🏻My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
🎸 Campy horror with a little gore
❤️‍🔥 Punk rock music and ragtag teams fighting evil (pretty specific but IYKYK)

dear god... what did I just read?
The narration made this all the more creepy. Wow, I don't know what I expected going into this, but it certainly wasn't what I got.
This was a lot more brutal than I preferred and I had to force myself to keep listening. If this wasn't an audiobook I don't know if I could have kept going.

PROS:
The storyline was compelling and the world-building was easy to follow. If you're looking to get creeped out and intrigued, this book is for you. The characters were excellent and I wanted them to win! *even the demons*

CONS: The music portions of this audiobook were pretty tough to listen to, especially when I prefer to listen at 2x speed. I had to slow it down for those portions which made everything drag.
The gore aspect of it was not my cup of tea and was almost gross for the sake of being gross. The narrator would switch sometimes midway through the chapter. There were a few times I had to jump back to understand what was going on.

Honestly, can't tell if I liked this or hated it. All I know is that I'm glad it's over.

3⭐️ (since I have no clue how to feel)

Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of Evil In Me by Brom!

This song has been playing in my head all week.

In usual Brom fashion, this book is equal parts dark and endearing. Evil in Me is not a light read by any means. It focuses on possession, mental health, murder and punk rock in the 1980s.

Ruby is in trouble. She's always in trouble actually. But this time it's because of the ancient ring she placed on her finger. Now she's possessed by a demon and her soul will be taken by Lord Sheelbeth. In order to save her soul, she needs to create enough magic to get the ring off.


I'm still not really sure what Richard's involvement in the story really adds to the plot. I liked his dialogues, although unhinged they were also interesting. But unless I missed some information, he doesn't seem essential.
I loved the descriptions of the demons. They are twisted and sick in the best ways.
I also loved the imagery of the demon Vutto dressed as a drummer in the band.

This was my second Brom story and I loved it! If you love demons, music, horror and stories like Schrader's Chord, look no further. Vuto was my favorite character and I will hear no criticism of my sweet baby angel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor and Brom for the advanced audio of this story! I loved the narration.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book comes out 9/17/24, and I feel like it’s such a great book for fall/halloween vibes. There’s horror, there’s murder, there’s demonic possession, there’s the punk rock scene in the 1980s, and Brom bringing all of these aspects together was wild.

Ruby is working towards fleeing her hometown as soon as she is approved to be done with her community service hours that the judge sentenced her to complete. When she gets possessed by the ring, everything changes, and now she must flee in order to find help to escape this possession and possible future death. Everyone that’s brought into her path to either help or harm is vital to the progression of the story. I was so stressed to know how she would succeed or fail.

The narrators killed this production. It was awesome, and I loved listening to the story and was trying to continue to guess how it would all end.

CW: blood, murder, body horror, violence, injury/injury detail, death, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, religious bigotry

I am not generally a horror reader, but Ive only heard exceptional things about Brom's work, so I wanted to give this a try. This book delivers.

Evil in Me is dark, violent, and fascinating as we follow a ring that is way more than just a ring. If you're not generally a horror reader, but want to give it a try- check this out!

I was lucky enough to receive an audio ARC, and I thought the narration was really well done! There was such a huge cast of characters, so not every voice was a hit, but overall it was great.

Well, this was a perfectly creepy story!

EVIL IN ME takes us back to the 1980s, with its burgeoning punk rock scene and the whole culture vibe of Satan taking over the youth through music.

I was on edge, grimacing, a little freaked out, but also laughing all through this book. It pokes fun at itself and the genre, while maintaining intensity and a weird kind of plausibility. I mean, what if? I also might have gotten teary-eyed at the end. Crazy!

I listened to the audiobook, which I highly recommend. I cannot stress enough how incredible the quality is of both the narration and production. Shahjehan Khan and Stephanie Németh-Parker bring the characters to life. The book title is actually a song written by Brom and AJ Grey of The Maxines, performed by The Maxines, and incorporated into the story. So d*mn good!

𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
4 ☆
-
I am new to Brom, and holy cow, he is a totally different, uniquely talented author. And honestly, I am here for it! I went into this book BLIND and was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed this book.
The audiobook production was amazing! The narrators did a phenomenal job. I could listen to both of them with no problems. The audiobook is now a favorite of mine.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬:
•Rock and Roll
•Multi POV
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Sept.17
-
Thank you, Netgalley, and MacmillanAudio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc! The book was great. Loved the whole 80s/90s world of punk rock. A great possession story that kept you intrigued from page 1.

I would like to thank the publisher for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

This gave me 80s punk rock/satanic panic vibes and I was all here for it. We have Ruby Tucker who isn't a bad girl, but she had found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and now she's doing her best to be good. It doesn't help that everyone keeps treating her terribly because of her one mistake, and the fact that she likes punk rock isn't helping her. So, when she finds a ring that holds the soul of a demon inside and accidentally puts it on, she finds herself possessed.

Filled with spot-on 80s culture, Jewish mysticism, demons, punk rock music, ghosts, and insane magic, Evil in Me has quickly become a favorite book for me by Brom, and I was already obsessed with his other books. I absolutely hated certain characters, loved others, and was wholly invested in Ruby's story.

There were so many things I enjoyed about this book, but one thing I have got to get across is: LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK IF YOU GET THE CHANCE. Not only are the narrators absolutely fantastic, but you'll get to hear an original song that was written for this book by Brom and AJ Grey of the Maxines called "Evil in Me" performed by the Maxines. It really gives this book just something a little extra, and it's absolutely fantastic.

At first, I didn't think this was a book for me. But upon listening to a few more chapters, I changed my mind. I became invested in the characters of the book. The description calls this a horror book. I'm not sure I agree with that. To me, this was more of a strange thriller. I didn't think I'd ever sympathize with a demonish character, but here we are. I enjoyed the relationship between Ruby and Beal. I also enjoyed seeing religion portrayed in a different way than what is typically done. I would give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. It wasn't my favorite story ever, but I enjoyed myself while listening to the audiobook. Also, the song that's featured in the audiobook is quite catchy. I'm gonna have that stuck in my head for days.

If given the option of reading this via digital, physical, or audio - I highly recommend the audio format. Music and singing play a large part in this story; the audio production is extremely well done. 3 stars for the story, 5 stars for the audio production.

The setting and characters were well portrayed, and the reader is immediately dropped into the plot. The pacing is consistently medium throughout, from beginning to end, with minimal slow and fast portions. Something about the plot being so consistently paced reduced the impact of pivotal plot points. They opened a door straight to hell and were flooded with demons - this had the same intensity as when researching spells and discussing options.

I found myself increasingly irritated with Ruby and preferred the side characters (looking at you Beel). I hate to say it, but I found Ruby's POV much more agreeable AFTER the mental health magic (IYKYK)... That whole event felt like a very convenient method of forcing character growth, which left me feeling frustrated with that narrative choice.

All that being said, I think the aspect that pulled me out of the story the most was that it seemed to feel.... young adult? Gore, drugs, rock and roll, swearing, and yet the tone felt a bit YA to me, which feels like an odd thing to say.

Overall, I would still recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Brom's writing previously or is looking for an approachable horror that still packs a punch on vibes (80s punk rock with a dash of Southern summer and heavy on the demon possession).

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

i'm assuming i'm going to be the unpopular opinion as always.

this is a story about a girl on probation who puts on a ring that she finds while helping her eccentric, dying neighbor go through artifacts in his house. this ring instantly imbues her with the urge to kill.

here's the thing - ruby's life is replete with a cast of characters that antagonize her for no reason. i could buy the woman running the center where she was doing probation work being holier-than-thou because ruby wasn't a christian. i could even buy (even though i hate this trope) a snotty, jealous girlfriend of her ex-friend and bandmate.

it's inexplicable to me why her mom stole money from her to give to her stepdad, who regularly and aggressively threatens ruby over treatment of his underage son. even though the underage son is trying to blackmail her with sexual assault.

i dnfed this about 38%. the underaged son in question wanted a "picture of her snatch" or else he was going to "scream bloody murder" and get ruby attacked/hurt.

i'm tired of men writing sexual violence as horror.

dnf.