Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Johnny Compton delivers a fantastic followup to The Spite House. Bold, original and fresh! Angels, devils, vampires. This story was a monstrously good time. Highest recommendation.

I am a fan of Johnny Compton. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone I know. If you read this, go and get this book. It is so good.

This was such an in depth tale of good vs evil, definitely a slow burn…starts with a bang then you get the whole picture bit by bit. Seems crazy to me that this author write Spite House as this is a completely different novel. So kudos to the author for their creative imagining in a totally different direction from his previous novel. Loved this tale, seemed highly realistic while reading & you care so much for the characters within that it drives you mad with wonder how it’ll end. Loved it. Beautifully written.

Sarita has always had someone watching out for her, quite literally. Whenever there is a risk to her life, "Angelo" comes out of nowhere and saves her. Sometimes in the most violent of ways. So when he appears in her honeymoon suite, the night of her wedding, and kills her husband she is more than a little shocked.

So "Angelo" is not the guardian Angel that she had always thought he was, and in trying to look into who he is, she finds out that she is the "Holy Mother" to a cult of Demons that worship her. As nothing seems to make sense, the people around her start to get hurt while everything she believes about life turns out to be a lie. And let us not forget the issues she will have with the Mother in Law from hell!

This is a wonderful book that turns the myths of Vampires and Demons on its head and combines them to make a wonderfully rich story that is both mind-boggling and addicting all at the same time.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel to read in exchange for an honest review.

If you're a horror fan this book is for you. I was intrigued right from the start and never once lost interest in what was going on in the book. This book was fast paced, well written, and such a unique and interesting story that I couldn't put it down. I hesitate to say too much about what the book was about in this review because I went in mostly blind and got a lot of enjoyment out of uncovering all the book had to offer as I read. Just know that if you love horror, this is a can't miss.

This book kept my heart pumping. I sat down one evening and read this book from cover to cover, such a great chilling fast paced read. I am and will forever be a vampire fanatic and this delivered for me.

This gothic horror was just what I needed! The storyline drew me in and kept me curious. The writing style was perfect and the characters were well written!!! This is absolutely going on my shelf of spooks once released and I would recommend this book to those who love a vampire horror creepy read.

Fast-paced, and unrelenting, Devils Kill Devils is an excellent horror complete with "vampires", devils, gods, and unknowable beings - all of whom operate in the background in terrifying manner. The story begins when Sarita's husband is killed before her eyes, on the night of their wedding, by her guardian angel. Yeah, when I said fast, I meant fast. From there, Sarita is launched into a whirlwind of magic and devils, causing her to question everything she thought she knew.

There are many things I enjoyed about Compton's prose. For the first few chapters the story alternates between present day and the past, providing backstory without feeling like the reader has been sideroaded just for a lore dump. Likewise, introducing vampires as amorphous, mindreading darkness that can turn into beautiful, (literally) compelling "humans" is just so good. And once the final act takes off it does not let you come up for air, instead instilling threat after threat in an exciting manner. I'd read another story set in this universe, absolutely.

My one main criticism is that there are sections throughout the novel, every couple of chapters, where I was left thinking "wait, what?". Not in a thriller/horror sense of confusion, but in a comprehension sense of confusion. However, the excitement of the final third, plus the handling of lore in the first third, I think, makes up for this.

Vampire stories are making quite the comeback recently and I love how different interpretations of this legendary creature are keeping it fresh and unique. In this novel, you're going to read about vampires in a way you never have before.

Vampires as devils. Or, perhaps, devils as vampires. Whichever way you think about it, this is the basis of this epic, terrifying, gothic story of a woman who has been chosen to be worshipped without her consent or knowledge.

With a first chapter that will have your jaw dropping, this book at first appears to be about a psychopathic guardian angel. But it's so much more. We'll learn about Sarita's (the main protagonist) past and how she has been saved from death throughout her life by this "angel". But on her wedding night, everything changes.

Sleeping old gods, timeless prophecies, betrayels, vampires, and lots of stunning blood fueled action sequences will have you on the edge of your seat as you're reading. The exploration of the vampire mythos and how it can be a lot darker and more viscious than what you think is on full display here.

You definitely don't want to miss this one and I highly recommend it.

This was a surburban gothic horror in the same vein as The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires but with a lot more bite 👀 If you enjoy religious horror with lots of false prophecies, ancient evils, devils, angels and a plot to enslave humanity grab a cup of tea and a snack and get ready, cos this sh*ts about to get heavy (Eminem stan) Compton immerses us in this unique story through his melodic prose that seems to constantly be building to a crescendo, the atmosphere of this book felt quiet, you know that feeling you get when a room suddenly becomes too quiet, devoid of sound your imagination runs wild and you regret watching so many horror movies, the prose sucks you into a supernatural vortex of suspense and terror, I was constantly kept on the edge of my seat throughout, the writing style reminds me of authors such as Catriona Ward in that as the reader were not fully privy to the events unfolding (lots of *WHAT 👏 IS 👏 HAPPENING 👏 moments) little snippets of illumination are peppered along the way that only further propel the narrative forward and the readers drive to know what is happening, Comptons terrifyingly vivid descriptions left me in awe of how simultaneously beautiful and disturbing they were, the vampires in this novel are scary, the descriptions were unlike anything I've read in vampire fiction before (and I've read my fair share 👁) genuinely made me get goosebumps, theres a lot explored in this, love, death, grief, racism, family dynamics, revenge and obsession, using a supernatural backdrop Compton sinks the reader into a world of magic and murder where when all hell breaks loose its best to have a devil on your side, this is predominantly a horror novel but I'd also say it nudges up against Epic Fantasy too with room for further books in the universe thankyou to netgalley and Tor for the eARC

Johnny Compton proves once again he is a MASTERFUL storyteller!

Devils Kill Devils started out as such a mystery to me. It was seemingly full of a colorful cast of characters all with various backstories and motives. Sarita in particular was such a conundrum to me because I couldn't figure out whether or not I was going to actually LIKE her. However, at about the 25% mark of this book, everything takes a twist for the rather unexpected and that was when I knew I was HOOKED. This story does indeed follow Sarita and her mysterious protector since birth. The machinations that seem to revolve around these seemingly simple plot points just created a story that I could not put down.

As I mentioned, this book takes a minute (medium-paced) to built the setting and to truly frame the world. However, when you meet the mysterious woman in red..... ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. I really wish that I could put into words just how spectacularly this set up. Each character's story follows a full arc and I just really enjoyed how Compton wove these stories together. I just told a story in the way that Stephen King crafts his novels. Each seemingly random piece of information becomes useful eventually.

I cannot say enough good things about this story and I know readers are going to devour this! Mark my words, Johnny Compton is an author you need to keep your eye on! This is perfect for fans of Fever House & The Devil By Name by Keith Rosson!

A few thoughts for the publisher that I won’t be posting on social, to avoid spoilers:

Nothing short of the best vampire novel I’ve ever read. THANK you. Every detail of the worldbuilding is fascinating and the prose is so good, it establishes Compton as a major talent.

I didn’t love every single thing about it - while it starts with a bang, the book takes a while to reveal its hand enough for you to understand what it has in store. I think it’s worth the patience for its worldbuilding alone, but not every reader may be. Also there’s at least one late second-act exposition dump that I think is a little too blunt and detailed, where I think some of the specifics would’ve been better teased out in the margins.

Otherwise, I loved it. A work of true horror - gut-churning, bone-crunching, flesh-slicing horror - that I relished. Compton’s King-esque devotion to character detail and a flair for the cosmic made this exactly my kind of romp. This book starts with a bang and never really settles down - except then it somehow doesn’t even hit its true stride until the second half? I loved the worldbuilding and character detail and Compton’s fluid, evocative prose. Honestly, all my critiques are far too specific to belong in a pre-release review. Despite those critiques, I would recommend this novel to practically any horror reader I knowI would advise prospective readers to try to remain unspoiled. I didn’t really know the premise or log line or even that it was a vampire book going in, and I think my experience was the better for it.

Who can be against?

Devils Kill Devils was HELLA GOOD. I enjoyed it immensely. Great spin on vampire/angel lore and hella compelling characters. One of my favorite reason this year!

All I knew going in was that this is a vampire story from the author of The Spite House, another five-star read for me. He excels at writing complex, well-crafted characters and making familiar tropes feel fresh and original, so I couldn’t wait to read this. I loved it. It’s old-school horror in a modern setting. My favorite part is the creature design and the way Compton used folklore to create his vampires.

My thanks to the author and publisher for providing this review copy.