When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur
Good morning, afternoon, or whenever it is that you read this.
I start off my Halloween readathon with When Devils Sing. Check out the content warnings in the hyperlink, as there is some disturbing graphic content.
When Devils Sing is a YA southern gothic horror story by Xan Kaur.
Southern gothic is a genre near and dear to my heart. It is a rebuttal to the sanitized, idealized version of the American South. It is about rejecting the concept of the genteel southern gentleman, confronting the largely unresolved sins of the former confederate states, and pointing out how rotten the 'good ole boys' actually are.
When Devils Sing follows four point of view characters, all coming from different backgrounds. What I really enjoy is the maliciousness toward these characters for their differing ethnic identities or sexual orientations is more systemic than personal.
The real tension here is in the iron grip of the Langley family - the local patrician family that runs the town - and the wealthy old families that ally themselves with them. The class conflict looms over the entire narrative and, in classic gothic horror fashion, contributes to the final conflict of the story.
The narrative does a splendid job of painting small town southern life. The author, Xan Kaur, actually grew up in rural Georgia and you can practically feel the humid, southern heat radiating off the lines. It captures both the good parts and the bad. I mostly liked the protagonist's individual stories - especially Isaiah's and Neera's.
And, of course, there is the classic devil at the crossroads.
There are some pacing issues though. The beginning is extremely strong - I was hooked for the first two thirds of the story. However, the back end of the story leading up to the final climax felt rushed. The last arc of the book would have benefited from some more time to breathe.
Overall, When Devils Sing is an enjoyable read. It was nothing particularly special to me, but it was a solid way to start my Halloween read this year. I probably won't reread the book, but I'll probably check out what else the author is written.