The opening of the book is fantastic. It’s horrifying and gruesome, and it immediately gives you a sense of where the book is heading (introducing a main character and giving a first glimpse of the mysterious power behind the music). But instead of pausing to slowly build back up the tension the creepy moments continue on, with strange and unnatural occurrences happening every few pages. There’s lots to unsettle you and build anticipation for what’s to come, and I love how the book throws the reader right into all of it and doesn’t let up.

Without giving too much away, the book functions as sort of a spin on the “sell your soul to the devil” trope, but it’s told predominantly from the perspective of the victims to Angie’s insidious plan. I like how the story shifts back and forth between the POVs of Mike (the police officer tracking Angie’s moves), Josh (a down-on-his-luck music store owner), Esmeralda (a shop owner of the uncanny who regrets introducing Angie to secrets of another world…), and Shawna (Angie’s twin sister who suffers from bullying and low self-esteem).

The book is a lot of fun for numerous reasons, but it doesn’t break a lot of new ground (and in fact it reminds me a lot of a horror film called The Signal where a mysterious transmission that turns people into killers invades every cell phone, radio, and television). So you might have an idea of where the story is going as you read, but that’s okay. You’re still totally invested with the well-rounded characters, excellent writing, creepy moments, and humor interlaced throughout (this book is FUNNY!). There’s also a lot of the author telling us directly what characters are thinking and feeling. Normally I’m a big fan of “show, don’t tell,” but I actually think it works here and goes well with the humorous/suspenseful tone.

Again, the book may not be totally original but it’s still a blast. And to be fair it’s incredibly terrifying in parts and tackles a subject that isn’t entirely overdone (at least from what I’ve read/seen). There’s plenty of fresh blood for Angie to mine. I love seeing all the different ways the town (and world) starts to change from the effects of the hit song; how it bores into their brains, and what it makes them do in turn. Plus I’m always down for anything involving demonic rituals and weird cults! I think my biggest complaint is that the story waits until the last twenty pages to hit the climax, and then it ends with an epilogue that feels rushed. Overall this book gets a strong recommendation from me!

As the author states in the inscription, pop music is the devil! ( )