You NEED to Read When Devils Sing

From NetGalley:

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 She is a Haunting, 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?

In this eerie masterpiece, Xan Kaur lifts the willowy curtain to show us the many sides of the rural South, some of which include generational trauma, grief, love, and hope. 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.

Kaur's cast of characters, all intriguing, help paint a picture of the Southern experience. They make it easy to imagine spending a sweltering afternoon manning the desk a motel, walking onto a busy family farm in preparation for the season's harvest, the sticky heaviness in a stuffy, low-rent bedroom, or the oppressive atmosphere of home full of big expectations. As we get to know Sam, Neera, Isaiah, and Reid, we understand that everyone in this book 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. This story will keep you feverishly turning the page all the way to its nail-biting climax.

The horrors in this book are more than just spine-tingles and jump-scares. There's soul-deep dread, genuine concern for these young characters as they try to save lives while also ensuring their own survival. And with a ticking time bomb working against them, the powers that be manipulating them, and Devils playing with them, the journey to the end is a wild ride. One I can't wait to do again whenever Xan Kaur releases her next book.

When Devils Sing doesn't just illustrate the advantages of the wealthy and well off, it shows how horrific that power and privilege can be if left unchecked, with no consequences. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely," is a saying for a reason. This book is a whole conversation about the ways that corruption 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. This one is for you.