I'll start by saying I really enjoy Compton's writing and ideas and I really wanted to love this one. When a novel is on the shorter side, I want every word to count but with this one it ultimately felt like some thought meandered. I probably wouldn't have stuck with it had it not been for Imani Jade Powers' narration, which was great.

I was not a huge fan of this. It is outside my normal reads so I think it may work for a different reader. I do think it was well done though and the writing works.

I am so thankful to Tor Nightfire, Macmillan Audio, Johnny Compton, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this galley before publication day. I really enjoyed the dialogue and plot of this book and can’t wait to chat this one up with my friends!

This story is told in third person and follows Sarita Bardales who has a secret guardian angel that she calls Angelo. Angelo has saved her life multiple times. The audiobook is narrated by Imani Jade Powers. This is my second listen by this narrator, and I enjoyed her depictions of the story and characters.

The first chapter immediately grabbed my attention. What a great start for a horror novel! I was quickly fascinated with the history of Sarita and Angelo and what brought them to this point. As the present story unfolds, we are swept back into Sarita’s memories of her childhood and the various instances in her life when Angelo has saved her. When her friend Tori brings up the story of Sarah and the demon Asmodeus from the book of Tobit in the Apocrypha, I thought I would really enjoy the rest of this story since I love religious history style horror. I was quickly looking up the old paintings I remembered from my art history competitions about the marriage and wedding night of Sarah and Tobias.

Unfortunately, the story picked up a different thread and veered into more cult style territory with creepy creatures they called vampires and other entities known as Godmakers with different factions that were squabbling over power and thus Sarita. I found the combination of it all to be chaotic and rather disappointing. Perhaps if you love vampire stories and want a different take on this subgenre, it might make a better read for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy provided for an honest review.

😈Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton👿

Pages: 288
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Goal 2024: 97/100

✨Have you ever had something happen in your life that felt unexplainable?✨

This book is pretty unexplainable for me. So much potential but unfortunately left me feeling entirely too confused. I really liked the idea.

Vampires.
Cults.
Family drama.

I found a lot of info dumping happening and that we were often in the midst of a characters thoughts just.. stuck.

The violence in this book was exactly what I was hoping for though and it was very stabby which was cool.

I definitely think people who are into fantasy horror should give this a chance but I think I like my fantasy and horror separated. Slasher reads are more my drip.

I did read this one from ebook and from audio and the narration was great!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

Devils Kill Devils has such a strong start and is so… strange, I guess, that I was immediately hooked. It’s fun and I thought Compton’s take on vampires, devils, and angels was really neat, but I did think that the second half was not nearly as strong as the first. The religious occultism was an interesting way to approach this story and I enjoyed how gorey this got. Horror fantasy is a favorite subgenre of mine, and based on vibes and atmosphere, I thought this was really solid. Unfortunately, the second half of this felt way more incoherent and sort of fizzled out. I was a little disappointed that a book with such a strong opening had such a messy ending, but I did really like the horror stuff going on here (vampires, religious horror, gore, those sorts of things) so I wasn’t too upset.

I quite liked the audiobook and thought Imani Jade Powers’ narration was solid, and the production definitely added to the creepy atmosphere.

I loved the beginning of this book. Honestly, I thought it was going to be one of my favorite horror novels ever, and in some ways, it is. But the second half of the novel takes a bit of a turn I wasn't expecting, and while I still really enjoyed reading it, I don't think I liked the book as much as I would have if it had stayed focused on Sarita for the whole story.

That said, this book has one of my favorite first chapters of all time, and I would recommend reading it for that alone. The narrator, too, was absolutely fantastic. There's something about the restrained way she narrates the story that ratchets up the tension. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I have bumped The Spite House to the top of my TBR.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for granting me an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DEVILS KILL DEVILS
Johnny Compton

The mask you’re wearing is hiding your mouth, but showing your eyes, and they tell me everything I need to know about you.

Sarita has had a friend for quite some time. She doesn’t know his name, but she calls him Angelo. One day Angelo kills someone very close to her and she must consider that he may not be a friend at all, but something far more nefarious than she ever knew. Far more than she ever expected.

To find out what or who he is she must first admit to some hard truths. That may take more time than Sarita has. Will she find out who he is before she or someone she loves dies again?

True Southern Gothic horror in its finest form. From a much-needed, much-appreciated new voice, Johnny Compton.

(This is his second book. Can I still call him new?)

I loved this on audiobook. There is such a sinister experience in walking around my house with headphones on, completely absorbed in the story, becoming a little devil myself, and no one around me knows any better. Which is exactly the way it should be.

I was absorbed in the storyline, and it provided a hellish escape from my everyday chores and responsibilities. Doing the dishes never felt like such a guilty pleasure. If you couldn’t tell already, I loved this audiobook. I couldn’t wait for this one and now I can’t wait for the next one. Truly a superior horror reading experience.

Compton has a magnificent way of combining the classic and well-known tropes of yesterday with the real-life horrors of today. I appreciate his writing and love his perspective, and I can’t believe I get to experience both in the horror genre.

One you can’t miss!

Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Tor Nightfire for the advanced copy of the audiobook and a fresh physical copy that I can hold onto!

DEVILS KILL DEVILS…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This went in a lot of different directions and it wasn’t too exciting. I liked their other book but this one just didn’t do it for me. This book felt longer than it was too!

The premise of Devils Kills Devils is interesting, guardian angel gone rogue. First scene quickly takes you in but unfortunately the rest did not keep live up to the beginning. What the reader first thinks the story's about turns out to be different. The story became confusing and convoluted, there was too much going on. I could see the vision but the execution was not there. Narrator was great and helped me get through the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

While intriguing in premise and execution, I found this novel hard to follow. I appreciate its Southern Gothic themes, but simply couldn't keep up.

This is a dark story and it starts off with a bang! I think this is a really broad story that encompasses cult horror, supernatural horror and even a tiny bit of coming of age. Our main character’s plight was understandable and the pressure that she faced from her family (mostly mom) to hide the issue added some depth to the emotional elements while still delivering on the violent or scary factors.

I did have an audio and digital copy of this and there were some points at which it did not line up. Nothing that changed the story drastically but definitely noticeable if you had both.

I’m happy to say I got an ARC from NetGalley, because I’d be upset if I spent money on this. And I enjoyed Spite House!

The first few chapters were promising, then it was like another book started, with a weird cult, unlikeable characters, a plot that made no sense and descriptions that seemed never ending and utterly pointless. I kept going back and trying to listen, to finish this book, but I just couldn’t.

So, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free book. The narrator did a great job with what they had.

I was split on this book because I was absolutely engrossed with the first half of the book and did not want to put it down. However, I don't know what happened during the second half. Rather than a plot twist, it felt like I was reading a completely different book by a different author. The story got very convoluted and I found it hard to follow.

It may be a better fit for someone who is more into fantasy horror.

I liked the narrator and enjoyed the production of the audiobook. I am not actually sure if I would have finished the book otherwise.

Devils Kill Devils is my first read from Johnny Compton, but you better believe I’m reading Spite House this month. This is such a well crafted tale.


I went into this one pretty much blind. I knew Sarita had a guardian angel, and I knew that guardian angel kills someone she loves. I highly recommend just diving in. That’s all you need to know.


The action starts immediately and will draw you in. You’ll get multiple POVs from some very complicated characters. The character building is really what drew me into this story. You meet some fascinating people…and also not so much people.


Devils Kill Devils gave me The Stand vibes, but you’re not really sure who is good and who is evil all the time. There is epic lore and a true battle for survival packed in to 288 pages. It has all the things I love, none of which I’ll name because you really should find out when you read.


Can’t recommend Devils Kill Devils enough. It’s out now!

I listed to the audiobook as I co-read on my Kindle. I enjoyed this Southern Gothic vampire story with ancient demons and mythology galore. It was my first by Johnny Compton. I must admit, the second half of the story got a little monotonous and bogged down in "historical" details but the narration by Imani Jade Powers helped a lot and added to Sarita's story. I would definitely recommend the audiobook version of this novel.

Sarita has a secret guardian angel that has saved her numerous times throughout her life.His presence gives her a feeling of security that she has become accustomed to until he kills someone that she loves. Her world is turned upside down as she unravels the mystery of her guardian angel and finds herself facing evil at every turn.

This was such a unique and riveting story. I was hooked from the first chapter. The story is brutal, action packed and loaded with a cast of truly horrible villains. It starts out with a bang and as you learn more about the creatures that are after Sarita it becomes more intense with a race to stop the evil from destroying the world. By the end there is a lot going on and it gets a little muddled but I still enjoyed the story and the creative way Compton wrote the creatures using various myths and folklore as well as his own twisted ideas to deliver a truly frightening bunch of “devils.”

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

The narration is what intrigued me most about the story. It was an easier 'read' with the narration. It was intriguing and full of potential. I had paired it with the advanced reader copy of the book and of the two the audio was more engaging and helped to provide the momentum & engagement. Had it been book alone 2.5 to 3 star but the narration is definitely what made this book a positive experience.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC copy

The audio was wonderful, but this was a very strange book. I did not engage with the characters and the inner monologues at times left me confused. It sure did take a different take on vampires and devils.
I will be reading this authors first book The Spite House because I did enjoy the authors writing.
3/5

🥳Happy Pub Day to DEVILS KILL DEVILS by @comptonwrites!🥳

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers @torbooks and @macmillan.audio for the audio and e-ARCs.

"Nothing tastes better than the blood of an angel or devil."

Cerida Bardalas has a guardian angel. Or at least, she thought she did. Until her wedding night to Frank when her supposed guardian coined by the name Angelo by her family slaughters her new husband right before her eyes. Stunned with grief and confusion, Cerida begins a journey of figuring out why she has been saved by this supposed angel multiple times in her life just to have him strike down her love and the answers are much more than she bargained for.

😇👿😇👿

While I particularly enjoyed the first half of this book, my attention span waned in the second half at times. Much of this is in historical third person perspective and starts out with lots of action and then kinda slows down with lots of background which is where I think I got off track a bit because of the pace shift. I got back on board and the ending was both expected and unexpected. In comparison to his other book, THE SPITE HOUSE, DEVILS KILL DEVILS is definitely a much deeper read, but THE SPITE HOUSE had a lot more action and suspense in my opinion.

As a whole this story is about the idea of good vs. evil and how sometimes it is hard to differentiate between the two. I felt some serious Octavia Butler vibes a la the PATTERN MASTER series. There is nothing I appreciate more than a story that explores the gray areas so all in all I would certainly recommend this book.

💚💚💚

Read this one if you:
😇Like ancient cult-like societies
👿Love a historical creature feature
😇Can relate to or revel in family drama
👿Don't believe angels are that far from demons

Are you team Angel or team Demon? And why?!?

💚SMASHBOT💚

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