When Devils Sing
- Judith D Collins
- May 28
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 21
By: Xan Kaur
Narrators: Jennifer Pickens; Landon Woodson; Michael Crouch; Anjali Kunapaneni
ISBN: 9781250395498
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: 05/27/2025
Format: Audio
My Rating 5 Stars (ALC)
A Goodreads Most Anticipated Horror Novel
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?
When Devils Sing features multicast narration, including immersive podcast episodes that engage the listener in the unfolding drama.
"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
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.
My Review
Xan Kaur's smashing debut, WHEN DEVILS SING, is a standout and brilliantly executed! This Southern Gothic horror suspense literary thriller will grab you from page one to the ending set in this chilling Georgia town, where the mystery at its core is far more sinister than these teens could ever imagine!
About...
Set in rural Carrion, GA, a Southwestern Georgia town in the Deep South, featuring the haves and the have-nots. Two divided communities. The poor, impoverished Carrion, where strange deaths and disappearances have haunted residents for generations, and the affluent Lakeside, where the rich keep getting richer and live longer.
The story unfolds after a chilling episode of the Secrets of the South podcast, introducing these two communities and their mysterious deaths and disappearances. The identity of the podcaster is shrouded in secrecy as he delves into the disappearance of Dawson, a local teen, setting the stage for a gripping mystery.
Meet the teens:
SAM: The daughter of Wiley Calhoun (abusive)—right-hand to the powerful Langley family. She is 18 and kicked out of her home, then mixed up in a hit-and-run tragedy with her little brother, who flatlines. There is no hope. Bad luck or something more sinister? Stepping outside of the hospital to take a breather, she meets Jack and makes a deal with the devil to save him.
NEERA: The granddaughter of Punjabi immigrants who are struggling to keep a rundown motel afloat. Her mom is unstable, but it's clear that she plans for Neera to attend college and not end up like her. Neera wants to be a musician, like her uncle Ajay (deceased), and she works at the motel cleaning rooms while holding a second job at the local tavern, where her mom works as a bartender. She overhears someone threatening her grandparents, then a fire breaks out, and she wants to find out what's going on. Additionally, while cleaning Room #4, a significant amount of blood was found.
ISAIAH: The son of a prominent judge and one of the few successful Black men in town. He wants his son to attend Harvard Law School to take over the family business. But you will find Isaiah at his grandparents' farm most of the time, which he loves, and secretly producing his true-crime podcast.
REID: Reid's father runs the town, powerful and wealthy. He has high expectations of his family. They must do as they are told, with high expectations, and ensure the messiness of the family disappears. But Reid has a conscience, and his dad does not. Currently, he is worried about his missing friend Dawson.
These four teens would love nothing more than to escape their environment, whether rich or poor, but first, they must band together to solve the mystery of their friend's disappearance, the fate of all the missing people, and the strange deaths of the past.
Every thirteen years, the cicadas surface, and every thirteen years, people go missing. And now it's happening again. The cicadas are back, and a teen boy named Dawson has disappeared. The closer the teens get to the truth, the more dangerous it becomes.
What is happening?
My thoughts...
WHEN DEVIL SINGS is evil, atmospheric, Southern Gothic, chilling, lyrical, and suspenseful. From the serpents, crows, and cicadas shrieking their deafening screams, with their figurative meanings as treacherous and deceitful as the characters themselves, with mythology and folklore associated with evil, class, and sinister acts.
Kaur's evocative prose and the characters come to life against the backdrop of a town steeped in tradition and haunted by its past.
A bewitchingly foreboding story of sacrifice, privilege, racism, class, family, guilt, and the vengeful ghosts of a haunted past and present. The tale masterfully interweaves mystery and psychological tension, with darkness lurking at every page turn.
The author brilliantly explores the darker aspects of Southern culture, including violence, racism, classism, poverty, and social decay, as well as the complexities of Southern family dynamics and legacies of trauma, abuse, and violence.
With the use of podcasting and social commentary, the Southern Gothic genre often critiques Southern society, highlighting issues of poverty, injustice, and the enduring impact of the past. The author cleverly describes these contrasts vividly with lyrical prose. Incorporating
supernatural elements, adding to the eerie and unsettling atmosphere.
Genre-crossing from the Deep South, Southern Gothic, horror, thriller, YA, thriller, suspense, and literary, the characters are morally ambiguous, blurring the lines between good and evil while exploring the complexities of human nature.
I typically don't read a lot of horror or YA; however, I enjoy Southern fiction and books set in the South, particularly those set in Georgia. I lived in Atlanta for many years and had a client in Columbus, GA (central southwest Georgia), which I found to be a very mysterious and haunted town. When I saw the audiobook narrator lineup, I knew I would love it.
Character-driven, what a great cast of good and evil characters. These teens are driven, determined, and tenacious. I found the two girls to be very courageous and loved how they all joined together to fight against the sins of the past, as well as the satisfying conclusion.
Mind-blowing! An author to watch. She is definitely on my list! An impressive debut. While reading, you may be thinking and singing Charlie Daniels'The Devil Went Down to Georgia and Blake Shelton's God’s Country (but in this case, the Devil did stick around).
Audiobook...
The audiobook, performed by a talented cast including Jennifer Pickens, Landon Woodson, and Michael Crouch, is a stellar production that brings the characters to life with outstanding performances. This engaging and captivating listening experience is highly recommended for all audiobook enthusiasts.
Recs...
For fans of Southern Gothic horror and those who enjoy Emily Carpenter (Gothictown), Laura McHugh, Stephen King, Michael Ferris Smith, Wiley Cash, David Joy, Ron Rash, and S.A. Cosby.
Special thanks to Macmillan Audio, MacAudio2025, via NetGalley, and Google Play for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: May 27, 2025
Praise
“Atmospheric and tense, this detail-rich slow-burn horror novel has death and destruction embedded throughout. The humid Georgia summer setting provides an intense backdrop, acting as a character in and of itself. The four protagonists are well-developed, seriously flawed yet utterly understandable.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“Kaur perceptively combines themes of classism, prejudice, and generational power with a supernatural premise enriched by an immersive and atmospheric backdrop.”
— Publishers Weekly
“The wealthy sacrificing the less well-off is not a particularly new trope, but it’s brilliantly executed here, utilizing the suffocating stagnancy of a dying town to make clear that the only way out for these teens will require a deal that will either save their souls or destroy them.”
— BCCB
"Kaur’s debut offers nuance to the Deep South, acknowledging the politics, religious fervor, and racial tensions often attributed to Southerners with depth and care."
— Booklist
“A story that truly understands no devil can ever be half as terrifying as the cruelty of a powerful man. Kaur has written 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
“Xan Kaur masterfully weaves small-town mystery with an unrelenting sense of dread, all while delivering a story that’s as thought-provoking as it is chilling. Dripping with heart and voice from the very first page, When Devils Sing is definitely one you're going to want to read!”
―Nick Brooks, Odyssey Award–winning author of Promise Boys
About the Author
Photo credit: Xan Kaur (self-portrait)
Xan Kaur is an author who grew up in rural Georgia, where there were more gnats than people. Raised in a non-traditional British-Punjabi household, she became familiar with Pink Floyd before bhangra, grits before aloo gobi. She aims for her writing to reflect these unique, often-overlooked diasporic experiences, with an emphasis on one’s relationship to the physical world around them. With a passion for environmentalism, over a decade of veganism, and a fierce reverence for nature, Xan finds herself drawn to experiences that connect her with the earth. When not writing, you can find her behind a camera or swimming in the nearest ocean. When Devils Sing is her debut novel. WEBSITE
