The Devil's Metal by Karina Halle

The Devil's Metal by Karina Halle

First in the Devils Duo

5 stars

In the summer of 1974 all 21-year-old Dawn Emerson wants to do is compete in her hometown’s rodeo, get back with her ex-boyfriend, and become the hottest music journalist at Central Washington University. Her plans are forgotten when Creem magazine, the leading rock and roll magazine, wants her to go on the road with her favorite band, Hybrid. The assignment is like a dream come true. Dawn will finally get her music credibility and she gets to experience life with rock stars. Dawn hopes interviewing the band will be easy, but no one seems to want her there. The lead guitarist, Sage Knightly, doesn’t want Dawn there and tries to get her to leave. When monsters star showing up it becomes obvious that Hybrid’s demons are more than personal. Can Dawn save their souls or are they all going straight to Hell? I don’t think I did that storyline justices, but not even the Goodreads summary does it justice. This book is just fricking amazing. No description does this story justice because it’s too amazing for words. I love rock stars and rock music. Karina Halle captured the world of rock perfectly and her personal background helped to make the story authentic in the spots where it needed to be.


The main female character is Dawn. Dawn is totally kick ass. She’s just as cool as Perry from Darkhouse, but even cooler because she meets rockstars. Dawn is strong, but she’s still finding herself as a person. She has a story to tell and she’s still not sure what that story is. I liked her POV. She made bad decisions, but that’s what made her seem human. She was scared, happy, and real. I connected with Dawn and wanted to know more about her story as each page went on.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 10

The main male character is Sage. We don’t get a piece of Sage for a while, but when we do we get a piece of him. Sage is totally hot and drool worthy; I want a Sage for myself. Where do I find one like him, minus the demon baggage, of course? I loved the moments he was around and the sex scene.

I think I like Sage so much because he reminds me of Danny Worsnop from Asking Alexandria.
 
 

It’s uncanny how similar they are. Of course they don’t look alike, but if you’ve ever listened to their sophomore album Reckless & Relentless it’s like this book in a playlist. No lie it’s perfect. This guy is awesome. I can’t wait for more of him in the sequel.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 10

The Villain- Demons! They are groupies. That’s scary and weirdly awesome. I love it. More creepiness in the sequel, please.


Villain Scale: 10

The band broken down:
Robbie, the lead singer and the sex magnet of the group.


Pure Perfection~
Robbie is just like Ben Bruce who is also from Asking Alexandria. These resemblances are becoming uncanny. I liked Robbie and I hope to see more of him.
Graham, the drummer and occultist/ Satanist. Graham is creepy as hell. I still get shivers just thinking about him.
Noelle, the only girl in the band and bassist. Noelle has it rough throughout the book and I hope her future is brighter. I liked how her relationship with Dawn grew a little from just disliking each other.
Mickey, Noelle’s boyfriend and guitarist. Mickey and Noelle’s relationship was a roller coaster, but it was always interesting to see how to lovers in a band lived together.
Jacob, the band’s manager. All I have to say is hats off to you Halle for that concept. Jacob is one of my favorite characters in the book.
Bob, the bus driver. He traveled with Elvis and vows to take his stories to the grave. I liked how his relationship with Dawn became similar to a grandfather-granddaughter one.
Chip, the sound tech. Chip is cool, but it would’ve been cool to learn more about exactly all the things he did.
Dawn’s brother, Eric, suffers with Tourette syndrome and she’s practically his mother. Dawn’s dad suffers with alcoholism and has been on a downward spiral since her mother died. Melanie is Dawn’s best friend and brings out the brighter side of things. I loved the characters and each one had a purpose.

Character Scale: 10

This book is full of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. I wouldn’t expect any less from a book that promises it. More books should be as honest as this. It was fun to travel to a time to where I wasn’t living, but isn’t much different from today. I can’t wait for the sequel and with an ending like that one I need more.


I would like to dedicate this review to Mitch Lucker of Suicide Silence and his fans. Mitch died in a motorcycle crash in the fall and even though I didn’t listen to his music I respect him and his family so much. His story makes me cry and I hope his daughter always remembers him. RIP Mitch