The Devil's Reprise by Karina Halle

The Devil’s Reprise by Karina Halle

Second book in the Devils duology

5 stars

Dawn Emerson hasn’t seen Sage Knightly in months. Not since saving his soul from being overtaken by demons. When Sage calls Dawn to meet him France sparks fly and their old sparks begin to rekindle. Demons don’t just stick in America and once you’ve made an enemy of them they will follow you everywhere. Dawn’s battle with Sage may not be the only thing Dawn will be fighting for on this tour. It’s no surprise that I devoured this quickly when I picked it up (last summer {I know I’m incredibly behind on reviews}). I was a huge fan of this book’s predecessor, The Devil’s Metal, and I had high hopes for this. For me, The Devil’s Metal was a book that really captured the essence of rock and the price of selling a soul to achieve greatness. Going into The Devil’s Reprise I wanted this sequel to conclude all the unfinished business that was left in The Devil’s Metal. This conclusion definitely didn’t disappoint. I was quite enraptured by the story of Dawn and Sage once again.


Halle has an intense writing style. Her style fits this story perfectly; it’s never drug out or over done with descriptions. Halle doesn’t shy away from the realities of what goes on in the music scene. There is copious use of drugs, alcohol, and a LOT of sex, but it doesn’t feel banal. While it could be excessive at times, I feel like that’s what encapsulates the essence of old fashioned rock-n’-roll. This book is also hard to put down. Halle loves horror and it’s blatant in her writing. She does it well. Halle is up there with King for creeping me out because there is a scene with a tentacle demon and while this is popular with monster porn, there are no sexy times in that scene. I love the use of scare tactics that Halle uses and it really fits well with the overall arcing of the story and characters. This is a definite page turner that left me in thrills and chills.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 5

The main female character is Dawn. Dawn is a stronger character this time around, which is saying a lot because I thought she was a perfect character before. Halle upped the ante for Dawn’s characterization and it fit perfectly for the development of this finale.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 5

The main male character is Sage. Sage is a man who is hard to hate, but also hard to love. He isn’t a faithful man, sober, or always trustworthy. His intentions are noble in his mind and that’s what makes him appealing. There were times when I wanted to hit Sage over the head, but also just snuggle up to him because he is… just…

The interesting thing is that Sage has a lot of POVs in this one and while it felt very different, it’s great to see into his head.
“She was the song and I was the composer, and I knew all the right notes to hit.”


Swoon Worthy Scale: 5

The Villain- Halle creates some crazy shit that scared me. I plan on rereading these books during Halloween to really get the full vibe because some of these scenes were just terrifying.


Villain Scale: 5

All you need to know is that Jacob is a badass. Jacobs are badass and I still standby them being one of the most interesting supernatural creations when it comes to angel mythology. I don't want to talk too much about secondary characters because all of them could be a potential spoiler.


Character Scale: 5

Sage and Dawn together are one of my favorite couples. They have problems, but they balance each other out beautifully.
“Dawn Emerson. I fucking love you. I. Love. You. You are my reprise, my encore, my finale. You’re every single note wrapped up in the world’s most beautiful package. My love for you sings, and it’s a song that will never stop playing. It will play through our deaths and beyond that.”
Seriously, they are an amazing couple and reading about them was such a different journey; a journey that I’m happy to have voyaged through and can’t wait to return on again. I’m a weird person and stories like this are usually big hits with me, so it’s no surprise that I absolutely adore and highly recommend this duology.


Plotastic Scale: 5

Cover Thoughts: This cover sucks in comparison to the first cover. The body looks weird and distorted. Not a fan.

Do you plan on reading The Devils Duology? Are you a fan of horror novels? What's the scariest book you've read? I would love some recommendations! Let me know down below in the comments.