When Devils Sing

I really, really enjoyed this novel. The only note I would have is to add to the supernatural lore, so that the reader feels more connection to it. I think this is a well-thought out plot with relatable characters, and I was dying to find out what happened next. As a born and raised Southerner, I also appreciated the rich, haunting atmosphere that the author created. It was warm and inviting and intriguing.

When Devils Sing may start with a crash but it's the ride that never gives up. This book kept me interested its whole way thru. Xan Kaur in her debut novel does wonders with telling the story of an american dream denied in the deep south. Her characters feel so sadly very real. The dark gothic elements also fit so perfectly into the old world south. As someone who lives as an other in the south I can truly emphasize with these characters. I cant wait to see what she comes up with next.

4.5 The best part of the story (small-town superstitions, crimes, games of power, murder, trying to get away from a miserable life, alcoholism, young parents, family acceptance, college entrance, and rejection, death, podcast investigating a town's secret, summoning, wishes come true, making as a musician... and much more that makes us want to follow different characters and their goals...) is the cicada, the serpent, and the crow... three devils in charge of the destiny of those who have strong wishes, sp strong they would sell their souls for a bargain.The cicada one reappears every 13 years, and the cicadas' screeches are but a warning. Good horror novel.

This was such a fun Southern Gothic read! While it touches on some heavier themes, it still feels firmly rooted in the YA space. The characters were easily my favorite part—each one facing their own personal struggles without leaning too hard into cliché teen drama. I was genuinely rooting for Sam, Reid, Isaiah, and Neera the whole way through, and their character development was so satisfying.The plot felt fresh and original, and as someone who lives in the South, I could totally picture a town like Carrion, GA. I also loved the subtle supernatural elements—just enough to add mystery, but the real heart of the story was always the characters.

Love a witchy book with multiple povs, love a woman author & love a good debut. If gothic South is your vibe- this is for you

When Devils Sing is Southern Gothic horror soaked in cicadas, queer rage, and something ancient lurking in the woods.Every 13 years, the cicadas scream—and so does something way worse. Xan Kaur’s debut delivers vibes so strong you can smell the mildew. It’s got folklore, class warfare, generational trauma, creepy motels, creepy woods, and—most terrifying of all—teen feelings.The found-family cast is a mess (in the best way), and the horror is more “existential dread crawling up your spine” than “jump scare with a knife.” You’ll be emotionally gutted and mildly afraid to pee at night.Why not five stars? The middle drags a bit, the lore gets tangled, and some spooky threads just... float off. Like ghostly loose ends. Still, who needs a tidy ending when you’ve got rot, rage, and cosmic dread?Also, the deluxe edition? STUNNING. This book looks like it could hex your bookshelf in the best way.Final verdict: 4 stars. Weird, angry, haunting, and queer as hell. Don't read it in the woods. Or during cicada season.

Great read! It kept me interested from the first page to the last!

this was such a great southern gothic horror read and I absolutely loved it! it was a little hard to keep up with the 4 different POVs at times. I also wish we could have gotten more back story on Neera’s uncle Ajay since he was discussed SO MUCH.All in all - great book!

𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐋𝐂.𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝐗𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐚𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞, 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐝. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐭𝐬! 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞.𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝’𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠—𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭! 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥, 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬.

MIND BLOWN . . . .When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur is a Southern gothic horror novel (with a mixture of thriller and rich vs poor complex) that brings 4 unorthodox allies together to investigate a teens disappearance in a small town. This town is separated with a rich side called Clear Water and a Poor side called Carrion. As they begin to investigate, the teens uncover far more sinister and ancient rituals they could have never imagined took place.This story is broken up into 4 character POVS, with eerie dark horror elements of life and death, sacrificial rituals, the rich getting richer and the poor staying brain washed, and standing up for what’s right.Initially going into When Devils Sing I knew it was going to be a BANGER! I love this type of elements in a story if it’s done to right. Xan Kaur gave me a sense of each character and how they grew up and their internal personalities as well as external. I became drawn to each character separately and as the book kept progressing it got better and better.I have never really read many books on the Deep South; this story has opened up my perspective and taught me about different cultures, and gave me a new perspective on YA Novels. This novel was beyond a YA and I will definitely be recommending it to my book community!So grateful to have had the opportunity to read an early copy and I can’t wait to see what else Xan Kaur has in store for her writing career.

“i hope you’ll walk away from this book knowing that there is rich diversity of people, culture, and beauty in a place that is overlooked and too often demonized when it does make it into mainstream american narratives. the south deserves better.”when i heard the premise of when devils sing over a year ago, i knew it would be a novel that stuck with me long after i finished reading. months later, i was over the moon to have received an arc.when devils sing is a southern gothic horror novel that explores the violent nature of the american dream through the lens of a small-town mystery. there are four main characters from the rural, dilapidated town of carrion, all of whom have been exploited by the wealthy and powerful in the name of prosperity for the neighboring community, lake clearwater. despite how alone these characters seem to be, each of the choices they make in the name of survival and escape from carrion puts them on a singular path: exposing the corrupt and grotesque underpinnings of lake clearwater and its elite. these storylines weave together so intricately.when devil’s sing takes inspiration from the story of robert johnson/the devil at the crossroads, but weaves its themes with traditional southern gothic motifs (notably: the screaming of cicadas that emerge every 13 years).if you loved the way that sinners wove supernatural horror elements with the true horrors of america’s history, you will absolutely love when devil’s sing. carrion and lake clearwater also reminded me a lot of shadyside and sunnyvale from the fear street trilogy, which tackles similar themes.

This YA haunting Southern Gothic tale brings together the genres of mystery, horror, and social commentary into a richly described world. The setting of rural Georgia is a character in itself, and as the story follows four teenagers, Neera, Isaiah, Reid, and Sam, they discover more than they bargained for about their home. We drop in on the characters as they decide to investigate further into the disappearance of local teen, Dawson. A search for answers is just the beginning, and the mystery quickly spirals into a chilling exploration of the town’s dark history, ancient folklore, and the more sinister forces that have long plagued the town of Carrion. Kaur’s writing feels very immersive and transported me to the landscape of Southern Georgia, and the gothic feel really added a lot of atmosphere to the vivid descriptions of the town, where many have already left for brighter futures elsewhere. I found the slower build up really worth it for the overall story, and it made the reveals that much more satisfying when I got to them. I did feel like this could set up for another installment, as there was a bit of a pick up of pace in the last third of the book.The novel is told through four distinct perspectives, each character bringing their own struggles and motivations to the investigation and the following events. Neera is the daughter of a motel owner in town, and quickly became my favorite character as her immigrant experience and family dynamics brought a lot of depth and relatability to her story. Isaiah, Reid, and Sam each have their own voices as well, and the author really skillfully balances their voices, but I did wish for more from their backgrounds. Their personal histories and the town’s secrets really weave together a narrative that kept me entertained throughout. Being that this is Kaur's first book, I'm impressed by the ability to create an overall atmosphere and will make sure to look for their books in the future. The vibes were vibing (!!!) and if you like dark, gothic fiction with an exciting mystery, you'll enjoy this one! If you liked Mexican Gothic, The Southern Girl's Guide to Slaying Vampires, the Sookie Stackhouse series, or Cemetery Boys, you'll probably like When Devils Sing. Intended audience would be, I feel, 16 and over, as some of the horror and graphic scenes could be scary for younger readers.Major Themes & Tropes:- small-town- found family/friendship- ancient folklore, urban legends, myths- ritualistic horror, cult behavior, sacrifice- social commentary, classism- the experience of marginalized people in America, and the South in particular- the dynamics of power- identity, belonging, and purpose- friend group4/5 stars

When Devils Sing is a beautifully written story that will sink its teeth in you and drag you to the end while singing an unforgettable melody. This is the kind of book you never forget reading, but wish you could go back and read for the first time all over again.As we get to know Sam, Neera, Isaiah, and Reid, we understand that everyone in this town has something they want and many are willing to pay a steep price to get it. The stakes are sky high from the very beginning, starting with a life hanging in the balance. And when you think things can't possibly get worse, or more complicated, they do! The plot thickens like a hot humid day.When Devils Sing doesn't just illustrate the advantages of the wealthy and well off, its shows how horrific that power and privilege can be if left unchecked, with no consequences. This book is a whole conversation about the ways that corruptions seeps down into roots and drains the lifeblood from generations. Sooner or later, everyone must pay a toll.I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves southern gothic, with a taste for nuance and fresh perspectives. I loved this book and I cannot WAIT for Xan Kaur's next one.Thank you for the e-ARC, Henry Holt & Co (BYR)!

Wow, just wow. The very first chapter had me crying! This was so so good! It started out with an accident, and even the accident had a twist in it. Everything is connected, and the audio just added so much life to this book. I think this one beautiful written and I could connect with the characters and their struggle was heartbreaking. I would definitely recommend reading this and listening to it! Very good!But there is so much stuff going on in this book as well. There are so many detailed graphic scenes and deaths that did turn me away a bit. Sometimes, it just felt too detailed. Otherwise, it was an intense read.

“In Carrion, they have a saying: The devil can be seen coming from a mile away. That is where our story begins. There’s the devil you know, the devil you don’t, the devil you wish you’d never met.”This book was so well written. This is one of those books that leaves you thinking what the…When you’re from a small town there’s always rumors about everyone, only in Carrion most of the rumors are true. A small southern town full of generations of secrets, mysterious disappearances, cultural divides, and rumors of people making deals with devils. Unraveling the mystery through multiple POVs was exciting.This book centers around two bordering towns Carrion (I see what you did there Xan) and Lake Clearwater, Georgia. Carrion is the poor side of town, the wrong side of the tracks if you will, while Lake Clearwater is the land of exclusivity and power where the rich live and play. Every 13 years the cicadas come and people disappear but no one talks about it. This book was so intriguing I was hooked immediately. The depth of the characters was incredible.The multiple narrators were excellent and really added so much to the story. I loved the way the podcast episodes were worked in, they added a depth to the story. They all did an excellent job of bringing this story to life. This was the kind of audiobook you could listen to again and catch things you missed the first time through. I highly recommend listening to it.

STUNNING COVER AND SPRAYED EDGES PLUS ITS A GREAT BOOK.

***4 and a half stars because Amazon refuses to let me round up***Let me start this off by saying I’ve had this book preordered since I ran across a tiktok video from the author advertising it months ago so when I had the chance to arc read it thanks to NetGalley, I jumped.As one of my most anticipated reads of the year I was absolutely not disappointed. Southern Gothic is one of my all time favorite genres whether that’s reading, music or folk tales. Call it being a girl from the south myself and knowing weird things go bump in the night but this perfectly scratched that itch.The beginning was slower to get into with setting the scene but it felt like I was there. The sticky summer nights and the sounds of cicadas. The separation of the wealthy and the other side of town. It all felt so familiar to me.The paranormal aspect along with the thriller and mystery had me on edge with the way everyone’s stories intertwined.My main qualm is that there are no trigger warnings listed so if anything with animal cruelty is a trigger for you, bear in mind there is a few instances throughout the story.

A few words to intrigue you to this book: Sticky, Southern, Gothic, Cicada, Horror, SummerThe minute I started this book, I immediately felt like a big sister over these characters. It was heartbreaking the neglect these characters had from their parents and the traumatic instances they were going through. The multiple POVs did take a bit to get used to, but each character was very multi-dimensional and added insight to the story. I especially enjoyed the cultural aspects of the book and thought it added another layer of depth to the story. I would agree with other reviewers to check trigger warnings if there are ones that are specific to you.Overall, I think readers who enjoy Southern Gothic themes and horror will enjoy this read.

Horror has always been at its best when it is a space to deal with society unease and fears - whether it's the British dealing with the Blitz through zombie and ghost films, or the isolation of rural America in Children of the Corn. But over the last few decades, horror has become increasingly a metaphor for the specific experiences of minority groups. The Babadook dealt with the fears of motherhood, Get Out about the isolation of Black Americans in redlined communities.When Devil's Sing is clearly deeply based in Kaur's experience as a Punjabi American in rural southwest Georgia, where instead of being raised in a tight knit community, they were isolated in a community which was strongly segregated by black and white racial divides. All of our main characters in When Devils Sing are outsiders - whether they are traditional outsiders due to their race or immigrant background, or someone who has never felt like they fit in.The book uses horror to express some really interesting ideas - of the devils as reinforcing the hierarchy in a small town, of ensuring the most privileged young men don't face consequences, and of the painfulness of trying to work your way out of poverty.This is a book with really thoughtful ideas and I'm excited to continue to read this author's next books. I'd recommend for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for access to this e-arc! All opinions are my own.👏🏻 This. was. so. good.As someone who grew up in rural TN, always feeling like an outcast and yearning to leave the mountains that I called home - I feel like this book was written for me. I’m 33 and even though this is YA fiction, I absolutely ate this up!If I would have gotten my hands on something like this (as the secret society loving, emo teenager that I was. 🖤) - oh man, I cannot even put into words how much I would have loved this book. And it probably would have been confiscated by my religious family which would have made me love it even more. 🙃I was completely absorbed in this book from the first chapter. Normally, I get so lost in multiple POVs that I end up putting the book down - but not this one - I was hooked. I whipped out my little notebook and took notes for all the characters to keep everything straight like I was solving a true crime case. 🕵🏻‍♀️🫆This book is honestly a love letter to the south and had me swimming in nostalgia. The atmosphere is so spooky and immersive. I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the mystery and connect the dots. I did not want to put this down!This may actually be my favorite read this year. It’s hard to believe that this was a debut novel! I cannot wait for more people to read it because I have questions!! I need to talk about this book asap! 😂