I am a Brom fan and this did not disappoint. Ruby has a demon inside her and only the magic of rock can get it out. Reminiscent of Grady Hendrix’s We Sold Our Souls in the best way.

Omg! This is the type of book amazing cult horror movies are made from. I’d watch it in a heartbeat! It’s weird and creepy and just the right amount of violent. I loved the music performed and made just for the audiobook. The narrator was amazing.

I love Brom, I hate Brom, and as usual I am torn but leaning towards loved it. lol His whole thing is fairy tales for the downtrodden; he's a modern Grimm's brother, but the original, bloody brothers. Reading along with the audiobook helped a lot due to the frequent musical interludes, so that may also be making me favor it more (the title song is an ear worm).

What I loved: While it feels a bit YA at times, there is a good amount of gore, a lot of it over the top kind of silly. Act II Ruby (though it felt forced), Tina, Vutto, basically Act II in general. I can't write much more without spoilers.

What I didn't love: Basically all of Act I. While I think Grady Hendrix leans more Goosebumps than Brom in general, this felt very Goosebumps with the young protagonist and cartoony bad guys - and the bad guys were just ridiculous. I'm torn on whether that's a bad thing though because I'm sure that's the point since the whole thing is a fairytale gone wrong (set within Judeo-Christian mythology lol). Also Act I Ruby can be a lot to tolerate at times. Everything with Richard was unnecessary; he didn't need to be in the book, period.

But like Brom always does, his endings satisfy. They're also left kind of open-ended so you're not entirely sure the fairy tale ending is truly the fairy tale ending. I think he aims for like a more philosophical gruesome Grimm brother's ending. Anyway, I've enjoyed the endings to all the novels of his I've read, including this one.

While getting through the first half was difficult, the second half was well worth the effort and a lot of fun. And more music!

I'm a huge fan of Brom so I knew I would enjoy this book before I even read it. What I didn't anticipate was how much I was going to love the audiobook. I was following along with the eARC while listening to this and the audiobook added so much to the story, specifically the musical portions of it. Hearing the song and how it was supposed to sound was interesting and immersed me even more in the story.

As for the actual contents of the story, I thought it was captivating but I still wanted a bit more from it. I wish it focused more on the hellish portions of the story or other hellish artifacts, but besides that, I thought this was great and I highly recommend reading it!

Big thank you to Macmillan Audio, Tor Nightfire, and Netgalley for this ALC!

So this was my first Brom book, so this might just be a case of me being in a little bit of shock. The very beginning of the book Is Jarring and I had to reread passages again to make sure that I was fully getting the concept of what was happening. Once the story moves to Ruby it does get a lot easier to follow and understand. There are a few things in the begining of Ruby's story that are dark but over all as a character I did end up liking her towards the end. Dick on the other hand I hated, and I know I was supposed to but I found some of his parts in the story to feel dis-conjoined with the rest of the story and he annoyed me. There were a slew of side characters that I did enjoy, I liked Tina, the demon, and towards the end I kinda even liked the goddess. I also really enjoyed the setting and 80s culture that was written well. Over all this was an intense, binge-able horror novel and I will be picking up another one of Broms books.

The audio for this was really well done. I loved the narrators and the added music and voice effects. It really did justice to bringing the story to life.

I listened to the audiobook version of this and the production quality was astounding! So an extra star for the audiobook being a banger but the story itself is like, a 3 😬

I thought the premise rocked (heh) but the execution was pretty meh. I felt like I spent most of the story really waiting for something to happen but even when things did happen it was a little…dare I say boring? Maybe my expectations were off, I’m someone who can ruin my experience if I come into something with certain expectations so I try not to but after reading Slewfoot, ngl my expectations were pretty high.

It didn’t speak to me, obviously, but I think Brom is a good writer and I would still encourage anyone on the fence to check this out. Especially the audiobook, I about jumped out of my skin when Ruby started speaking in double voice 😨

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher to the AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story opens on an insane scene of demonic possession, Jewish mysticism, and graphic violence that definitely sets the premise for this one.. And then, just as quickly, it moves to the daily life of young Ruby, who just wants to move to Atlanta to play punk rock with her best friend, but has to get off probation first. She has one week left. Things quickly go from bad to worse as Ruby is possessed by a demonic ring, chased by a serial killer, and bounty hunted by her mom's Jesus-loving boyfriend. Ruby must get the band back together and get enough people to believe in her music to set herself free from evil. Nothing says punk-rock like a demon as your drummer ;) The best part of the audio is you can actually hear the song, "Evil in Me" written by Brom and AJ Grey of The Maxines, performed by The Maxines.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.*

Brom never misses! This was a really fun story that fused together a lot of interesting elements that worked so well together. I loved the relationships between our main character and the demons. The play on satanic panic was great and he always does such a brilliant job of making bad or morally grey characters likeable. I love Brom and I truly think he can do no wrong - I'll read anything he writes!

I also loved the music addition - it really brought the song to life and played so well into the themes of the book. I'd highly recommend the audiobook for all readers to get the same immersive experience.

So fucking good. It’s unbelievable this is my first time reading Brom.

This book has everything: a cursed ring, satanic panic, actual demons, punk rock, fucked up family dynamics, and talking worms. I really appreciated the true to life depiction of wannabe cops and commercial photographers as pathetic and evil.

Evil In Me by Brom It started off with a bang with a man who is experiencing a demonic possession and does the unthinkable. This instantly sucked me in and I wanted to keep reading more about this possession.

Years pass and we follow the story of Ruby Tucker who has had a tough life and has found herself in trouble with the law. She lives at home with her mom and gives guitar lessons to children as part of her community service. Her life doesn’t seem to be going in the direction that she wants but she does have some things she looks forward to like spending time with Josh who is an elderly man that she takes care of while his daughter is working. During one of her visits with Josh she encounters an ancient artifact and that is when things take a turn.

Overall the story was really good. I loved the pace of it and I kept wanting to read more and more. I also listened to the audiobook while I was reading this book and let me tell you that you all must listen to the audiobook!!! Not only did the narrators do an incredible job but the book mentions a special song that is so important to the story and the audiobook incorporates this song throughout the book giving the reader/listener an amazing experience while reading. I highly recommend this book and audiobook.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillon Audio. All opinions are my own.

Cheers to resting bitch faces, revenge on exes and best friends with this story about possession and damnation.

Demons and killers and lead-singers, oh-my!

This is such a creative story. I love our deeply dislikable FMC as she shoulder-checks her way through life the only way she knows how. I love the back and forth between her and her ex-bf, and how she ultimately gets revenge. No notes.

There is a character named Richard/Dick, and he is such a small part of the story, but every time we hear his POV I was mesmerized. He is so evil, and yet so confident in his own actions and view of the world. Brom, if you're reading this. Give me a Richard/Dick novella. I need his backstory.

I wish the rock'n'roll part of the story started earlier than 60%. That's when our FMC re-connects with her best friend and has agency over her situation. The last 40% was amazing.

This audiobook goes next level with the actual song used in the book turned into a fully accompanied punk-rock song! Brom and AJ Grey of The Maxines created an original song to fit the story and it's so cool to hear the guitars and professionally recorded song within the story. This detail elevated my whole listening experience.

Shahjehan Khan and Stephanie Németh-Parker do an amazing job with the narration. A majority is done by Stephanie, as most of the book is from our main character's point of view. But I loved the POV from Richard/Dick and Shahjehan's narration made my skin prickle.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

This book is best listened to in your best friends basement, while she tries on rings.

You can always count on Brom to give you the ultimate WTF story! 😂 I was intrigued by the blurb and it did not disappoint! I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of rock and roll and demon possession! 😈 The narration was great as well! 🎙️
*Thanks to MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for the advance audiobook copy

I’m obsessed with Brom’s spooky, weird, and morbid stories! No one makes you love a demon quite like he does. His audiobooks are always a hit, but this one is special as the main character is in a punk band, possessed, and the only way to exorcise her demons is to rock out in front of hundreds of people to get them to chant her spell. In true Brom fashion, there’s a parade of side characters you love to hate, and I genuinely wished the worst for all of them. And, of course, there’s a morally gray, sweet demon you can’t help but root for. Evil In Me was fantastic and even features a song written by Brom himself, performed by The Maxines. I’m also impatiently waiting for the physical copy to see Brom’s deliciously creepy illustrations that go along with the story. Is it Slewfoot? No, but that’s a Top 5 all-time favorite for me, so it’s a tough bar to clear—but this was still sooo good! HUGE thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook. As soon as I realized Brom had a new book coming out, I was ready to do whatever it took to get my hands on it ASAP! Pub date is set for September 17th!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to Evil in Me by Brom in exchange for my honest feedback.

Music, drugs, demons, a serial killer, and poolside fun at the YMCA. What's not to love?

I enjoyed the premise of Evil in Me somewhat more than the execution. There were a lot of interesting elements that should have easily won me over, but ultimately, the book felt a lot more YA than I had expected when I started the book.

Ruby struggles, on the cusp of adulthood, with finding out who she wants to be and where she wants to go in life. She finds herself with a lot more dire problems, quite by accident, while helping an elderly friend sort through old boxes of his belongings. Then all he'll breaks loose... or tries to.

For fans of Young Adult Horror, I think this book would be a lot of fun. There's music, adventure, gore, good friends, bad exes, and a jerk of a younger sibling for us to hate.

Brom has written another engrossing, deliciously grungy tale of a woman fighting against powers greater than herself to win her freedom back. Evil In Me is a thrilling story of Ruby’s possession and quest to free herself of her demons - in every sense of the word.

This audiobook was a blast! The music included really brought Ruby’s tale to life. Each character was fleshed out and fun to follow. Ultimately that’s what this book was - a truly fun, nostalgic read. The gore was also on point. Straight from chapter one I was left uncomfortable and enthralled.

I highly recommend this to all horror fans and particularly recommend the amazingly done audiobook. I’ll also be picking up the physical copy when it publishes so I can see the artwork too

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

If there was ever a book to read with audio, this is it! Punk rock horror with an actual band playing the titular song. The music was good too, though I did wish we got a bit more. I had a lot of fun with this one. Everyone started off annoying and selfish but slowly grew on me by the end. Especially the ‘evil’ characters. Evil in Me is the perfect spooky read for this season and the cool cover would look great on a bookshelf. Can’t wait to check out Brom’s other works now.

I recently completed Brom's The Evil in Me, and it proved to be a captivating blend of 1980s punk rock and horror elements. The novel, which features demons, a cursed ring, and intricate supernatural themes, was particularly enhanced by its audiobook format. The combination of a distinctive soundtrack and skilled narration created an immersive experience.

The protagonist, Ruby, is portrayed as a complex and compelling character grappling with both external and internal challenges. The narrative delves into significant themes such as mental health and trauma, offering a nuanced exploration of these issues. The audiobook's musical accompaniment further enriched the storytelling, aligning perfectly with the punk rock atmosphere. Although The Evil in Me may not surpass Brom's earlier works like The Child Thief or Slewfoot, it remains a highly engaging read, especially in audiobook form. The vivid imagery and innovative use of music make it a noteworthy experience for both long-time fans and new readers.

Dear Author,

This demon-infested, 1980’s punk band-flavored, horror-charged novel of a girl just trying to survive was a superb tale. I was privileged to get this as an audiobook e-arc, and the experience was immersive and wonderful, easy to listen to as the narrators transported me into your world. I look forward to having this title on my shelf. Horror is fun!


Yours truly,
J.D. McCoughtry

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the opportunity to listen to this e-arc.

This was everything I loved in a book! Possession, demons (a hierarchy even!), and a cursed ring! This story was well paced and showed the inner struggle of the "victims" of the cursed ring. I was even rooting for one of the lesser demons as well as the FMC! This story had a vibe and I was here for all of it. The vibe was an evilness and the people willing to accept and understand said evil. I love Brom and will be reading much more of his work going forward!

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and most especially Brom for the audio e-ARC of Evil in Me.

Wow, what an unexpected and delightful ride! I've been a fan of Brom's writing since just after Krampus: The Yule Lord released and voraciously read every work published since. I thought I had a pretty good handle on what to expect, but this one caught me off guard. The narrator was fabulous and the production delightful. And the story? Ruby is an absolute badass and relatably flawed human being. The themes of parent/child trauma;, strained, mended, broken, and un-interpretable relationships; of debts owed and obligations in conflicts; and of self knowledge and empowerment were all strong, woven integrally throughout, and entirely unexpected. Perhaps the most shocking element of the book came towards the end in which many (though certainly not all) of our characters had a hope-filled resolution rather than one quite so bittersweet as the ending of his other works (looking at you, Lost Gods!)

What remains consistent is the balance of horror & wonderment, Brom's mastery of compounding narrative strands that re-contextualize one another as each is discovered, and a delightful if sometimes nauseating reader-experience.

My only regret in having partaken of this ARC is that I've finished the book so soon and now have an even longer wait for his next outing than those who read this one at publication.