ugh, I was so bummed to dnf devils kill devils at 44% because it sounded like the perfect read for this spooky season tapping into some southern gothic noir!

I was HOOKED at the start of this book as we learned about our main character’s guardian angel! but once we got past all of the introductory details, the writing style quickly went off the rails! there were entire chapter long backstories given with no relevance to the general plot and the writing did a lot of telling rather than showing.

I’ve seen lots of other dnf reviews so head into this one with an understanding of what there is to expect. moving forward, I don’t think this is the horror author for me.

I won’t be posting this review on goodreads or any of my bookish platforms, just providing my honest thoughts! thank you mac audio for an early copy.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I listened to the audiobook which I definitely enjoyed how the narrator told the story. Unfortunately, there were some pacing issues and some whiplash that made my enjoyment of the whole book suffer. There were a lot of stagnant chapters that made the book drag on for so long.

I enjoyed the concept and I will try other books by this author in the future. This one was just okay for me.

This started out STRONG for me, I was really hooked, but then it took a series of sharp turns that left me feeling more than a little confused. It feels like the narrative style and voice changed, too? Just, interesting. Overall, I liked the writing and the concept, but the execution fell ultimately flat for me. Great audio narration!

I dont even know abour this book. I loved the first half. Jthinking its a guardian angel or demon that someone second half its vampires. Goid writing but honestly confused when it hit 50% this book could have been for me if it didnt have vampires in it

Devils Kill Devils begins with an inexplicable death and then propels forward and touches upon religious conspiracies, sleeping eldritch beings, the deep pain caused by loss and regret and a unique interpretation of the demon/vampire mythos.

On Sarita’s wedding night, her husband is brutally murdered by the mysterious Angelo, a being who has served as her protector ever since she nearly drowned as a child and who she viewed as something of a “guardian angel.” With his apparent betrayal, her impression of the world is thrown into a tailspin. Further adding to her uncertainty, Sarita eventually learns that she is a part of a much larger and meticulously planned destiny.

Devils Kill Devils has a strong beginning, as the mystery surrounding Angelo and his actions give way to a much larger and meticulously constructed religous conspiracy. The story does slow down considerably towards the middle, with more exposition than action, before ramping up again towards the very end.

I appreciated the multiple perspectives of the novel as Sarita, her mother-in-law Harrah and the vampire Cela begin and complete a journey that leaves each of them irrevocably changed. Sarita’s relationship with her brother David is also a highlight, their strong bond and their desire to protect one another, provides a more warm and grounded element amidst the grief and violence.

Devils Kills Devils is a gory novel and its interpretation of demon/vampire lore and the creative ways in which they exist and attack their victims makes them feel all the more dangerous and uncanny. There were also characters I wanted to see more of: such as the mysterious Angelo, an exiled vampire that was formerly loyal to Cela and even the nightmarish creature that he feared awakening.

The narration by Imani Jade Powers is excellent and while she voiced multiple characters, the shift between the commanding confidence of Cela’s voice and the slight Southern twang of Harrah’s is a particular standout aspect of her performance. 

Although the pacing was a bit uneven and the resolution of the story’s conflict seemed slightly rushed, I enjoyed Devils Kill Devils. I appreciated the research into the mythology of various types of vampires that the author compiled and discussed in his Author’s Note as well.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for access to this audiobook. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

2.5 I was very fortunate to have both the audiobook and the digital ARC for Devils Kill Devils. The audiobook really brings some of the scenes and characters to life in a different way, and I think the narration is great. Unfortunately, the story itself felt a little all over the place. As other readers have mentioned, the book had a really strong start, and there’s a lot of potential within the premise, but as the story progressed, it felt a bit overwhelming, and at times, the plot became unnecessary and distracting.

If you’re someone who enjoys violence, action, and that rampage-esque style of writing, I’d say you might enjoy this. However, for me, it felt like the story lost its way, and I was left wondering what the central focus really was. At first, I thought maybe it was just me, but seeing other readers with similar feelings confirmed my thoughts.

I initially requested this book because I’d heard great things about the author’s previous work, which I’m currently on hold for at my library. I still want to explore more of his work, as I’ve been told this book is quite different from his previous one. I appreciate what Devils Kill Devils was trying to do—there’s a lot of promise in the exploration of vampires and demons, and the themes of good versus evil are always fascinating. It’s clear that Johnny Compton is capable of creating unique and intriguing stories. I just wish this one had been better executed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Tor Publishing for this digital ARC and Audiobook. Powers was an excellent choice for narration.

Sorry to say this is a DNF for me.

Although it started out STRONG and with quite the BANG in chapter one, it went downhill quickly from there…

Sarita and Frank have just had THE BEST DAY of their lives…followed by THE WORST. No kidding. Chapter one!

We learn about Sarita’s life growing up. We learn about Angelo. We learn a bit about her family…

And then, it goes completely OFF THE RAILS.

I have absolutely NO IDEA WHO I am reading about anymore, what they have TO DO with Sarita, or WHY they are included in the story at all. 🤔
But even worse, I have no interest in trying to figure it out.

There does not seem to be any connection to any of the characters anymore, and i don’t even like any of them!

Therefore, at close to 40% in I’m calling it quits. ( And after reading several others reviews trying to see what I might have missed, I see I am absolutely NOT ALONE in this feeling…)

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Sorry this was a lousy one… Due to this, I will limit my reviews to #Goodreads and NetGalley only.

Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton and narrated nicely by Imani Jade Powers.

2 ⭐️⭐️ for me.

It is due for release on 9/24/24.

Please note this is MY personal opinion only.

⭐️ Very strong start that had me completely invested in the book in chapter 1.
⭐️ Complete nosedive off a cliff starting in chapter 2…

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Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Johnny Compton for an advance listening copy of Devils Kill Devils in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I feel like this had the potential to be really good, but instead I was just really bored. All of these traumatic and horrific things were happening to our main characters, but I didn’t care in the slightest about what happened to them. It made it really difficult to get through the story even though it was not that long.

The audiobook is the only reason I was able to finish it. The narrator did a great job with the different perspectives and the pacing was good. The story itself, just wasn’t what I was hoping it would be.

Well this made me have uncomfortable flashbacks to my anatomy classes when we were dissecting things. Yay knowing what is coming out of where when folks are getting ripped apart...

"Devils Kill Devils" by Johnny Compton starts with the worst wedding night a young couple can have. This shatters Sarita's worldview, her guardian angel hurt someone. He has been a family secret, because those things aren't real, but in this case her family saw him. Unfortunately all the bodies that start showing up lead her to finding some uncomfortable truths about the world.

Narrated by Imani Jade Powers, had 3 very different povs voices and they all landed.

Reasons to read:
-Myths pulled together from many different regions, times, and media
-Vampire Hunter D reference
-Wildly unsettling creatures
-Without slapping you in the face with concepts the systems become apparent

Cons:
-Maybe don't eat while reading this one

You know I was all on board until the vampires entered stage left. I was excited and loved the though of a violent guardian Angel. There is a lot of violence so keep that in mind. It is amazing how much johnny Compton was able to detail without being revolting. It just seemed normal and of course part of the story. I cannot lie, I did get quite bored around half-way or shortly after. The audio which was narrated by Imani Jade Powers was enjoyable, so an extra star for that. Thank You Netgalley for the Audio and Electronic ARC.

After a promising beginning, Devils Kill Devils took a nosedive off a cliff, Thelma and Louise-style, for me. I respect this author for their creativity, but I think someone should have reined this in and given it more focused perspectives. It was extremely difficult to follow.

I was excited for more from Johnny Compton after really enjoying The Spite House last year. This one sounded different content-wise, but I was looking forward to returning to Compton's captivating storytelling. While I can say I still enjoyed the quality of Compton's writing: his word choices, the rhythm of his sentences, his descriptions in the Horror bits, the complex fantastical elements in this were not for me.

I won't attempt to summarize what this story contains, because honestly, I only truly understood one perspective, Sarita, and by the end, even she'd lost me. Admittedly, Horror Fantasy isn't my fave subgenre, but this was strange, even for me, and I like some weird stuff. I kept pushing on though, even once I stopped enjoying it, because I was waiting for the other shoe to drop; for the light-bulb moment where it would suddenly make sense.

Unfortunately, that never happened, and the further I got, the more disheartened I felt about the whole experience. Before you call me names, or trash me in the comments, I did read this with a friend and we both struggled to make sense of it, so I'm confident it's not just me. It almost felt like it was trying to do too much without an easily understandable structure. It was all over the place.

Jarring jumps between POVs, staying for long periods of time within character's thoughts, which became boring, and huge info dumps regarding the world/concepts, are just a few of my complaints. The later bits dragged for me as well and by the end, I couldn't wait for it to be over.. With all this being said, this isn't the end of the road for my relationship with Compton. Even though this one didn't work for me, I will be picking up his next book. I am hoping it goes back more to The Spite House territory than this, but only time will tell.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. The audiobook narration from Imani Jade Powers was excellent and I do recommend that format if you are going to pick this one up. Finally, a little reminder, just because this didn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't work for you. If the synopsis sounds intriguing, give it a go. You've got nothing to lose and you could just find a new favorite!

I did the audio while reading the eARC. Thank you, for making this available in Google Play Books. I find that method to be so much easier to use than the NetGalley app.

I really enjoyed this book. The audio was perfect.

Please see the review submitted for the eARC.

"The Spite House" has been on my TBR since it first came out. I plan on reading that book next. I'm looking forward to reading more from Mr. Compton. The level of research he did to create this story intrigued me so much. I loved how he created a vampire story that was different from Western stories. It didn't feel like it was done before. Many horror writers seem to focus too much on tropes and the book doesn't create anything new. Because of this, the writing comes across as mediocre. In this book's case, the story was very original, borrowing from cultures in Eastern Europe and Russia. For the Western world, that makes this vampire tale a new kind of vampire.

It reminded me a little of Anne Rice, but far superior in its own right.

This is my first book by Johnny Compton and I really enjoyed the intenseness of his writing. The story opens up with appeal and intrigue, but he manages to web an eve more intense backstory while the plot opens up for the reader. I thought the world building was well done and the pacing of the book was perfect. Narrator Imani Jade Powers brought the story to life and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.

I listened to the audiobook along with the digital copy and there were some chapters that were out of order that made the experience kind of frustrating. However, I loved listening to the narrator in this book. It kind of kept the not as engaging parts a little easier to get through. Not as strong as The Spite House, but still enjoyed! Here is my review of the book:

This novel presents an intriguing and refreshing interpretation of vampires and demons, captivating the reader from the outset with its originality. The atmospheric setting and vivid descriptions of the demonic figures are particularly striking, creating a palpable sense of dread and allure.

However, the narrative loses some momentum in the middle third, where the promise of heightened conflict among the devils remains unfulfilled. The pacing slows, and the tension that could have propelled the story forward dissipates.

Nevertheless, the novel remains an engaging read, especially for those drawn to vampire lore who seek a fresh and inventive approach to the genre.

Sarita watches as her husband is brutally murdered by someone she trusted. This took a bit to get going, but when Hera entered the story as a POV character I really felt like it improved.

This is like if a B vampire movie was made into a book. Personally I'm into that sort of thing, I love a good B movie, I love vampires, I love horror especially religious horror. It's a fun, violent, solid story.

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

DNF @ 50%. I really loved the first few hours of this audiobook, but then the focus changed from our main character and I got completely lost and ended up losing interest in figuring out where the story was headed.

Johnny Compton has become a must listen horror author for me. This wasn’t quite as good as Spite House, but was different enough to keep me interested in what he writes next!

Sarita has had a guardian angel her whole life. His name is Angelo and even her family and closest friend, Tori, know about him. However, when Angelo goes rogue and murders Sarita's husband, she is plunged into a world where the shadows are coming to light. Sarita will have to embrace the evil within to survive.
Get ready for a novel full of angels, devils, gods and goddesses and of course, vampires.

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

This book started off so good, I was so intrigued of the murder mystery and this Angelo character who was some kind of savior. The book gets darker as you go on with the vampires/gods interfere with the fate of humans. The more characters that were involved, the more confusing this book became. It had a really cool concept but I felt lost at times and just lost interest the more I read.

This book has completely consumed my thoughts and conversations lately! The plot is incredibly captivating, filled with unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The idea of growing up with a guardian angel who saves your life multiple times, only to ultimately betray and harm someone you hold dear, is truly mind-boggling. This story will undoubtedly leave me contemplating who the real monsters are for quite some time. While I unexpectedly formed connections with a few of the characters, I do wish that the pacing was a bit faster in certain parts. Overall, this book is a stunning addition to anyone's spooky season TBR list!

The narrator was wonderful and added to the creepy atmosphere.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!