I wanted to try this because I think of Brom as someone who does brilliant illustrations, and this was an audiobook with a unique soundtrack. Brom doesn't just write books -- Brom creates an entire experience, and the music in this was so smart and interesting. The story is great too and I loved the main character Ruby so much as she had to deal with her own mental health issues while also navigating a harsh world. Can Ruby get the band back together in time to save the world? Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the eArc copy as well as the audiobook copy through NetGalley.

This is a book that's 100% meant to be taken in through audiobook. The musical accompaniment as well as the various voices used all make for an absolutely immersive and cinematic experience.

I really enjoy the overall premise of this book as it explores mental health and the stigma surrounding it. I enjoyed the dynamics between our main female character and the accompanying demon that inevitably inhabits her. The family with her friend as well as her complicated dynamics with her family, all added to the overall richness and complexity of the plot line.

I really feel like this is a book that should have its own soundtrack. It was absolutely punk rock in every which way. The descriptions and imagery was absolutely stellar as is on par for Brom and all his other books.

The Evil in Me by Brom is a wild ride of a story with 1980s punk rock, Jewish Mysticism, serial killers, found family, and demons large and small. Fans of Brom’s Slewfoot will also enjoy this one, another good for her story with the same affinity for pagan and ancient spirits. As in other Brom stories, humans are the most monstrous of all. I loved all the shout outs to different punk and alternative bands, and the settings in legendary Atlanta 80’s music venues 688 and the Metroplex. I read both the eARC and listened to the ALC of the audiobook which I highly recommend. Everyone should have a physical copy if nothing else, for Brom’s beautiful art and illustrations. The audiobook really brought all the vibes though, with real life band the Maxines playing the music. Thank you to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for the eARC and MacMillan Audio for the excellent audiobook advance copy.

(2.5 Stars, rounded up to 3 for the artwork)

This author can clearly write. The dialog is very good. The characters are distinct and well developed. Sure some literary shortcuts are taken with them, but only for the lesser characters. Even the pacing is good. The artwork is very good, and the narrator does a great job.

However, I personally feel like this book is a good example of the sum of its parts being greater than the whole. I loved a lit of the little story segments, but thought the overall story was uninteresting and disconnected, and to be honest, lacking originality. But I really liked everything except the overall arc.

I haven't read anything else by this author, but it really seemed to be very self-indulgent. I'd still give him another try.

This was beautifully wicked. The audiobook is truly the way to go with this one. Narrated by a really fantastic duo of Shahjehan Khan and Stephanie Németh-Parker, I was pulled right in.

This is a wild, very vivid fever dream of music and madness, where both of those elements are woven deeply into each page. Loved the characters, loved the drama of it all, and especially loved the heart at the center of the book.

4 / 5 .... I'm still going back and forth. 
We'll go with 3.75 for now.


Ok, so ...

Full disclosure: I'm new (and late) to Brom's novels, so this was my first one. 

I went into this book totally blind. I saw the cover, and instantly wanted to know what was within. And I was so very pleasantly surprised.

Man, that was one hellishly knarly rollercoaster. And I loved every minute spent within the world of this book. (Well, from a safe distance, of course.). 

Ruby Tucker rocks. She was such an interesting character to follow and get to know.

She's a bad ass. 

All of the characters had very distinct personalities and quirks.

As a lifetime horror lover, this book was a blast to read. 

Fast paced, gory, and tense... There's a lot of rage in this book. 

And it's all so very well written. 

(There's an element that has a much more horrific Lord of the Rings vibe that I loved as well.)

Will be recommending! 

(I just got back from Barnes and Noble where I purchased three of Brom's other novels.... That's how much I loved his writing style, his characterization, the horror elements, the bloody, breathing heart at the center of everything ... I'm an instant fan.)

And the audiobook is incredibly well done. Highly recommend.

My full spoiler-free review, as well as getting into what I didn't like, will be posted to my socials on the publication date.

I read this book in digital form first and only gave it 3 stars, which was shocking for me because usually, everything Brom writes is a 5-star book for me.

Then, I got an ARC of the audiobook and listened to it, too. As I said, Brom is usually a 5-star author for me, so I felt he deserved a second chance.

The audiobook listen was enough for me to bump my rating to a 4. It's definitely the superior experience. A lot of the things that bugged me about the print version (most notably the WAYYYYYY TOO SOUTHERN Southern dialect and the numerous errors and mistakes that should have been caught by editors) weren't nearly as noticeable in audio format.

The Southern dialect still had a few moments where it felt forced and ridiculous, but not nearly as many as in the book. And I'm assuming the errors were fixed prior to the release of the audiobook or -- at the very least -- the narrators realized they were errors and so didn't read them that way.

Either way, the audiobook was much better than the print version.

There was no art, of course. How could there be with an audiobook other than a link to included computer images (which I assume will come with the book's actual release)? But there WAS a live version (instruments and all) of the song the main character writes in the book, which I found very enjoyable. I also liked the way they played bits and pieces of the song and put in drums and strumming throughout the book to enhance and intensify the scenes. It made it easy to stay involved and connected, and it brought that little something extra to the experience.

For a book that relies so heavily on music to tell the tale, I thought that was a very nice touch. If you're going to make an audiobook, why not go all out and make it as engaging as possible?

So yes. If you're already a Brom fan, this one may not live up to "The Child Thief" and "Slewfoot," but it's still a very good book. I do, however, recommend listening to it on audiobook as opposed to reading the print or digital version. You'll enjoy it so much more.

If you're NOT a Brom fan, this audiobook is a good place to start.

I really love Brom's writing style and the visuals he puts in the reader's head. The first chapter is easily my favorite moment of the entire book and it's a hell of a way to start the story.

I feel this captures the punk rock scene of the 80s and satanic panic very well. It's also very much a story about a young woman fighting not just real demons, but also her own inner demons.

You can expect gore and great visuals of hell and demons, a complicated main character that not everyone will like, an interesting connection between music and magic, and themes like female rage, mental illness, trauma, revenge, and justice.

All that said, it's not a perfect story. First of all, I feel like the MC's breakthrough happened a little too quickly after a very long set up and, instead of being a result of her own inner work and growth through the ordeal she goes through, it's a result of something else literally facilitating that breakthrough.

I don't mind the help she got, I just wish it happened some other way, with her having more of a role in it. Something as simple as her asking for it would've hinted at some growth, but I feel like she stays the same person until that happens, and from one moment to the next, she's changed.

Second, I don't feel like the other characters were as well-fleshed out as the MC. Given how important some of them were for the story, I definitely expected to learn more about them and dive a little deeper into their motivations, but they feel very surface-level.

Third, some things are left unresolved and I don't mind it as much, but you do notice it. Overall, it's a solid horror fantasy with a few issues IMO, but they don't take away from how campy and fun this was to read. 3.5 stars from me.

About the audiobook: it was good! I liked the narrators and I appreciate that they made an actual song (I didn't love it, but that's beside the point). Bringing the music to life like that made it a bit more immersive.

4 stars

This is only my second Brom book, but it won't be my last.

Ruby, the m.c., is a young musician whose family has caused her a lot of pain. On top of that, she's struggling to overcome some other personal challenges that have hindered her small-town musical dreams.

Sometimes, it's easy to think your life is falling apart, but then a demon comes and puts it all into perspective (right?!). Well, that's what happens to Ruby when she is possessed by one!

Prospective readers need to be prepared for some quirky ideas and writing, and if they can find an appreciation for this, they will really enjoy the absurdities and at times surprising infusions of humor present throughout this otherwise expectedly dark horror novel.

Brom is a true individual, and the characters and plotlines consistently reflect this. I can't wait for whatever creepy, bizarre ideas ooze forth next!

Ruby Tucker is an aspiring musician trapped in a dead-end life in a small rural town. Ruby stumbles upon an ancient, cursed ring infused with a blood-thirsty demon's spirit. The demon inside demands a horrific toll, and the only way Ruby can free herself is by leading hundreds of people in a chant to break the curse. The ring also acts as a beacon for evil, attracting a monstrous horde for her blood, but Ruby isn't about to back down. With her soul on the line, she must reunite her band and harness the power of music to save herself.

Ruby is a hot mess character that will make you root for her salvation. Ruby's battle is not just about her fight for her soul but also about finding her voice and reclaiming her identity. The book has a fast-paced plot, dynamic characters, and striking imagery that will appease fans of horror and dark fantasy. The book's opening will grab you, and you will not be able to put this down as if it has a hold on you. I received the audio edition, and the music and narration brought the whole book to life. It will have you singing along and cheering.

I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan Audio.

I’ve read three books by Brom going into this one and I was pleasantly surprised by how gorey the book was!!! I loved all the characters, especially the older gentleman that turned into a serial unaliver later in life because he is simply bored. 😂

The audiobook was great! Narrated by
Shahjehan Khan, Stephanie Németh-Parker

It also has original music. The title track, "Evil in Me," is performed by The Maxines and written by Brom and AJ Grey of The Maxines.


So many layers to this storyline include:
Demonic possession
Graphic violence
Revenge
Rage
Serial killer
Bounty hunter
Friendship
Self empowerment
Mental illness
Abuse
Healing

Brom just gets better with each book he writes. This is probably one of his best. The opening of this book is gory, and it is something I will defiantly remember for a long time. I enjoyed the mental illness aspect that Ruby delt with throughout the story. It makes you realize that many people out in the world deal with issues like these on a daily basis.

Also, the Richard (Dick) parts were extremely chilling. Having the chance, as a reader, to dive into the mind of a serial killer and see things from his prospective was a real disturbing treat and completely unexpected. I (almost) found myself looking forward to the end of chapters so that I could find out what was going on with Richard and what he was thinking.

I didn't really find any slow parts in this book. The only part I would consider slow (as far as pacing would go) would be the part leading up to Ruby getting the ring. But I wouldn't consider that too slow because you learn about her mental illness and her relationship with her mother, stepfather and stepbrother. So, that part of the book was necessary for character building and is pretty entertaining.

Also, Brom has a knack for showing the reader how horrible people can be in the world. It's a true grit aspect of his writing that I really like. It's something that I appreciate and look forward to when I get a Brom book in my hands.

I knew from reading the synopsis that a song would be involved in the story but reading lyrics to a song that I have never heard the melody to be a bit much for me. I tried to make it sound like something catchy in my mind, but I failed and that's not on Brom, that's on me. I typically skip over song lyrics in books because of this BUT the lyrics in this song are a critical part of the story so I had to pay attention to them. I figured it out in the end. I appreciate you helping me grow as a reader Brom.

Throw in a demonic ring, a lot of demons, some punk rock and a race to save Ruby's soul and it was a great ride!

The narrator did a great job switching back and forth between characters and accents. The song being used was a bit distracting, but it did shed light on what it Evil in Me is supposed to sound like. It did make the lyrics flow across the page better.

This is my favorite Brom novel to date. It is a really fun blend of horror and fantasy with some great lore to it. It would really make a great series if Brom decides to expand on it. The audiobook was top notch with great music and sound effects for the various demons that are encountered. Overall highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an audiobook arc of this title.

I'm so excited to listen to this one! My college friend, Shahjehan Khan, is one of the narrators!!! Review to come.