When Devils Sing
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3.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
This deluxe edition is printed with gorgeous stenciled edges and a stunning foil-stamped case!
An Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller. A Goodreads Most Anticipated Horror Novel. A New York Public Library and Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year.
"A true blood-soaked Southern Gothic for the modern age.” —Andrew Joseph White, New York Times–bestselling author of Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bears its Teeth
"Immersive and atmospheric." —Publishers Weekly
Four unlikely allies in a small town investigate a local teen's disappearance, and what they discover festering at the core of their community is far more sinister and ancient than they could’ve ever imagined. For fans of True Detective, Mexican Gothic, and Midsommar.
When Dawson Sumter goes missing, all he leaves behind is a smattering of blood in room 4 of the debt-ridden motel owned by Neera Singh's family. Disappearances like this aren't uncommon in the rural Georgia town of Carrion, especially every thirteen years when a periodical cicada brood returns from underground, shrieking their deafening screams.
For Neera, Dawson is another reminder that in this corner of the South, the rich only get richer, and the poor—well, nothing good comes their way.
Neera sets out to investigate Dawson’s whereabouts—if he even still lives—along with three other teens: Isaiah, son of a prominent judge and clandestine true crime podcaster; Reid, son of the wealthiest man in the region; and Sam, estranged daughter of the local hitman. As they find themselves entangled in a messy web of secrets and lies, they discover the riches of the adjacent Lake Clearwater community may have a terrifying source of power dating back to the town’s founding and an ancient urban legend about three devils, each more sinister than the next. How deep does the rot go, and can they find a way to escape its reach?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Kaur's Southern gothic horror debut, a periodic cicada emergence brings to light a web of sinister secrets and lies involving a missing boy, four teens, and eerily entwined histories. Every 13 years, screeching cicada broods resurface and descend upon Carrion, Ga., an event that always seems to coincide with the mysterious vanishing of residents and tourists. Local teen Dawson, the most recent disappearance, is last seen in British Punjabi Neera's immigrant family-owned motel; a blood-spattered room is the only evidence of the victim's presence. As Neera sets out to learn more about Dawson and the lore behind these missing cases, she becomes involved with three other teens: Dawson's former friend Sam, tasked with covering up his disappearance; affluent local Reid, part of the town's wealthiest family; and Black covert crime podcaster Isaiah, who's determined to investigate a tip he received from Dawson before he went missing. Together they uncover Carrion's terrifying secrets, including an ancient legend about three devil brothers. Uneven pacing results in a somewhat rushed conclusion, but Kaur perceptively combines themes of classism, prejudice, and generational power with a supernatural premise enriched by an immersive and atmospheric backdrop. Most characters read as white. Ages 14–up.
