Reviews

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix

joyceheinen's review

Maybe some other time...

little_bean's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

vacantbones's review against another edition

4.0

Honestly, Grady Hendrix can do no wrong in my eyes. Whatever direction his work goes in, I just end up having so much fun along the way. His dialogue is rich, his characters are wonderfully flawed, and the story is always, always, always wild.

We Sold Our Souls was far from my favorite Hendrix novel. The pieces didn't all totally come together for me - not my favorite kind of ending, and this was one of those instances where I wish there was more resolution among all the ambiguities we're left with. But I'll say it until I'm blue in the face: even my least favorite Grady Hendrix book leaves me feeling happier than most reads.

pikamonster's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Definitely a fun read. Like most of his books.

twinmom80's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

paokholin's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.75

mlorenzen38's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

dalcaraz's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nikkidactyl's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

4.0

wardenred's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It is possible to be crazy and paranoid and totally insane and still be right.

The book definitely delivers on all the most interesting elements of the blurb that spiked my interest in the first place. Heavy metal horror! The mythology behind a specific (made-up) niche metal album turning out to be true! An older protagonist confronting the past! All of this are very much present and reasonably well-done, and I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes horror and has ever been, to any extent, a metalhead.

I loved how a bunch of popular conspiracy theories from the 90s were casually woven into the plot and the worldbuilding, and I enjoyed the structure of this novel, with all the flashbacks and radio transcripts thrown in. On the macro level, it’s really well-crafted, with the tension points spread wonderfully over the entire thing. Although on the scene level, I felt it meandered at times, with the narrative getting bogged down in the details and asides. Never to the point that it would frustrate me out of wanting to know what’s next, though.

I was kind of surprised that I found the MC’s younger self from the flashbacks a lot more interesting to follow than the main timeline Kris. Normally, I really like reading about older characters and I’m of a mind that people—real and fictional alike—generally become more complex and exciting as they age. Then again, character work definitely isn’t this book’s strongest point. I wouldn’t call the characters flat precisely, but most cast members embody specific archetypes with a heavy metal bend, and all in all, the focus is very much on the plot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Blood

Moderate: Addiction