Mysterious and atmospheric, Xan Kur keeps readers in a dizzying free fall with WHEN DEVILS SING. This downright spooky book is rife with plot twists and turns — scores of shocking revelations that may just make you gasp. For fans of Erin A. Craig’s SMALL FAVORS and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s MEXICAN GOTHIC.

I thought that this was an amazing young adult southern gothic novel. I loved all of the legends and folklore that was interwoven into the story.

I really was hoping for so much more for this book. I didnt like the animal cruelty, the pacing was not good and the story kinda fell flat for me.

I found this book to be really slow but I did enjoy the authors writing. I do wish there was trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. Not a fan of animal cruelty. I love a good horror story but this was unfortunately too dark for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Xan and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the E-ARC!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: May 27 2025

🐍🐦‍⬛🦗

Dark and twisted, chilly despite the south summer, thrilling tale of an urban legend about the devil's deeds.

"The devil went
Down
Down
Down
Down to Georgia
The devil went
Down
Down
Down
And never left
They say
You meet the devil
At the crossroads
Down in Georgia
When there ain't no options left"

We see the story through four different perspectives all thoughtfully connected from afar in the small world of Carrion. Four different people trying to find their way in the unfair world of social unequality, all of them connected by a missing person and the cicle of cicadas.

The plot is full of events from the first page, slowly and shockingly bringing the characters to their fate, each other and the revalations of best kept town secrets. I loved following the investigation, connecting so many stories of past and present in attempts to find the truth in both a creepy mistery and a dark supernatural power looming over us and the area in the atmosphere rural Georgia and that power.

All those songs and podcast sections brought additional depth of immersion to the events. It was a great decision to add those.

The book is extremely atmosheric, has great characters and geniously composed plot. I'd love to read more stories like this one.

- - -
Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for providing me with this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really liked the commentary on the corruption and discrimination of the Southern small town setting. The characters were also quite different from each other and interesting, which was a positive. I really enjoyed the eerier chapters, but the inconsistent pacing took away from that, especially in the first half of the book which felt like a slog to get through. I do love horror, but unfortunately, I was disappointed.

I loved this only the build up was too slow when we could guess a lot before the characters what was happening so it was frustrating to follow them Slowly get it then the ending was rushed so it was a little disappointing. The setting was incredible in the South with its folklore being used about the devil at the crossroad. The atmosphere was really well written, i enjoyed the cicadas haunting the story and finally the multi POV was impressive as it was actually easy to follow and they had very distinct voices

I was really excited to read this one, the plot sounded super intriguing and the cover is stunning. However, it wasn’t for me.

First, there was something medical in the first chapter that irked me. I’m sure most people wouldn’t pick up on it because it’s something that’s done in movies and television all of the time but as a ER nurse, it immediately pulled me out of the story.

Also, I felt like the pacing was off and I didn’t care for the animal cruelty.

I really enjoyed this ARC I received on Netgalley. The setting of the southern town and the haves vs the have-nots felt realistic yet them the supernatural element was added in a way that didn't take away from the setting. It took a bit for me to jump back and forth between POVs at the beginning of the story, but it quickly came together. The method of selling your soul to the devil felt original and inevitable. I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book from Xan Kaur.

I love a good debut novel, and this one? It was great. From the chilling setting to the character arcs it’s a must feed for all ya horror fans.

gorgeous and really well done horror book with a strong southern feel that avoids being southern gothic but keeps a lot of the trappings. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

When Devils Sing felt like a true Gothic horror with rich characters, a rich setting and some very dark twists. It was powerful and gritty. It addresses power and wealth and the horrors that it can bring to communities. Personally, the pacing felt sluggish for me and a bit weird considering the depths this story was trying to tell. I always enjoy stories set in the South and when the author can describe it in such detail that the reader feels as though they are there, and this book does a good job with that. I also did NOT appreciate the amount of animal cruelty in this story, it was graphic. Although this reads as a Gothic horror towards the end it definitely starts to feel like a Gothic culty horror, and I definitely liked that development. I think it made the story unique. I would have enjoyed if "Jack" one of the 3 devils was more a part of the story because I felt as though he was more important, and the author could've done more with his character. Overall, this was a slow buildup, but the story itself had so much depth.

3.5

i really liked the characters. what a lot of YA books struggle with (in my opinion) is that the characters who are meant to be important to the story dont have much going on for them in terms of characterization and feel very bland, but kaur avoids this.

however, i didn't like the pacing of this story. it starts out very slow, and then after over halfway into the book, the main characters start working and putting pieces together, then everything starts going VERY fast. the build up in this story was so slow only for things to start accelerating near the end... that just wasn't working well for me. i also found the ending kinda unsatisfying

I would rate this a solid 3.5. The pacing felt off in this story going from too slow to too fast with very little room in the middle. But the characters were great. They were deeply flawed but felt real. Some plot points felt a little predictable but overall the story was intriguing and there were enough twists to keep you guessing.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a strong debut and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Let me start by saying I would still recommend giving this book a try, even with the 3 star rating. I think the writing was good especially for a debut author, but to me the excitement wasn’t there to make me love this.

It was pretty chilling. The setting was incredible. This is a good summer read! I love books set in the South, so that really appealed to me.

There was only a little horror, which was perfect for me since I scare easily. I was sad about the animal cruelty in this book. There was a lot of it in great detail, so be mindful of that.

It had a slow start to the plot but I was still intrigued at first. It just took forever to get into the story. As it went on I cared less and less about what was happening, especially because it was so obvious what was going on. I was at 67% of the way through this book and the characters just started to figure things out and work together. That is way too much build up that wasn’t needed.

I liked all the characters but I never really grew that attached to them. So with the slow plot and not falling in love with the characters, it was very slow going for me to enjoy this.

The title of the book was very apt.

It all came together very quickly in the end for such a slow build up, which I wasn’t a huge fan of, but I was happy to be done with the book at that point.

I think if you go into the book knowing it is super slow and not that much happens until the end, you may find more enjoyment out of it. I was expecting something different so that’s why I didn’t like it as much.

When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur is a haunting and atmospheric novel that feels like Midsommar meets the Deep South. Blending Southern Gothic horror with folk horror elements, it delivers a chilling critique of the cult of money and the terrifying lengths people will go to in order to maintain their wealth and power. Kaur masterfully crafts a world where tradition and terror intertwine, exposing the dark underbelly of privilege and greed. The novel’s slow-burning dread and immersive setting make it a gripping and unsettling read.

A southern Gothic Horror that is more than just a story of otherworldly things - it is a deeper more detailed look at the corruption and greed that does permeate the Southern culture so quietly that we have all gotten used to it. Ask any southerner about the intricacies of our culture and we can tell you that words never are just what they seem, phrases can always be turned into threats and backhanded comments while appearing to be kind and gracious. And power, often is in the hands of the old money and even older families of the south.

Kaur has done an excellent job of providing a modern critique of the southern power culture and social inequities that often exist and have been in place for so long no one remembers why. Add to that three devils who like to make bargains and deals and teens trying to unravel the disappearance of their friend and you have a perfect gothic horror/mystery book that will keep you on edge.

I will be honest that the multiple pov was hard to follow at times but necessary to add depth to this book. I really enjoyed this book and hope to see it do well. As a debut novel I certainly hope Kaur tackles more southern culture and swamp land lore.

This was fantastic - gritty, chilling, and downright sinister. The sense of uneasiness was profuse throughout the book, and kept me guessing until the very last page.

Only knocking a star because some questions surrounding certain character motivations and the community's history lacked resolution and closure. However, this story kept me wildly engaged, and I devoured it over the course of two days. A smartly written debut, and I will be sure to pick up anything that Kaur puts out moving forward.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book. I thought the writing was beautiful and unique, but the plot was not my favorite. For me it was a bit too much build up.

I was really excited to read this YA horror story set in my home state(Georgia). The plot itself was really entertaining. The book as a whole was just okay though. One of the problems I had was the pacing for the last quarter of the book. It was extremely rushed. The main problem I had however, was that everything felt incredibly unbelievable. These kids seemed to piece everything together really quickly. All of the clues they encountered just kinda fell into their laps. One of the main things I enjoyed about the story was how atmospheric it was. The author did a really good job with portraying the feel of the south. Everything from the cicadas and oppressive heat, to the way outsiders are treated in a small town.