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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
My Ex, the Antichrist is the history of the pop/punk band The Shivers told through each of its members. The audiobook is absolutely worth it - as each member of the band and character have their own voice actor, leading to more character depth and lending a great twist on an oral history.
The main story takes place in the later 90s where the Shivers is headed by Drake Morgan and his girlfriend Lily Lawlor (later Lawless). However, things take a turn when the two break up - and Drake attaches himself to a new band, Universal Priest. As the two bands go to face off in the battle of the bands, larger forces at play make this battle more than one for a record contract.
This was a really great not so scary horror novel - I really enjoyed the format with all of the different perspectives, as well as Lily's battle with the forces behind Drake. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a novel that'll suck you in and leave you guessing on how weverything is going to work out in the end.
Thanks very much to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
The main story takes place in the later 90s where the Shivers is headed by Drake Morgan and his girlfriend Lily Lawlor (later Lawless). However, things take a turn when the two break up - and Drake attaches himself to a new band, Universal Priest. As the two bands go to face off in the battle of the bands, larger forces at play make this battle more than one for a record contract.
This was a really great not so scary horror novel - I really enjoyed the format with all of the different perspectives, as well as Lily's battle with the forces behind Drake. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a novel that'll suck you in and leave you guessing on how weverything is going to work out in the end.
Thanks very much to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
This should have been a nonfiction about the 90s music scene.
I wanted so much more horror from this book. It was 90% about music in the 90s or the bands' interpersonal relationships (which weren't very interesting because everyone was one big happy family and always got along) and 10% horror. If that would have been flipped my rating would have been much higher. I liked the writing well enough and when we got to the horror bits I had a fine time.
Thank you to Orbit for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I wanted so much more horror from this book. It was 90% about music in the 90s or the bands' interpersonal relationships (which weren't very interesting because everyone was one big happy family and always got along) and 10% horror. If that would have been flipped my rating would have been much higher. I liked the writing well enough and when we got to the horror bits I had a fine time.
Thank you to Orbit for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Pop-punk band is formed by a man who ends up being the Antichrist.
The cover design and title is stunning... and that's about where it ends for me. I enjoyed Episode 13, though I wish that book had stayed in the TV show format of it all. So I had hopes for this especially since this type of story (music industry, satanism, the risk of apocalypse) is so my jam, but I feel like this book didn't know what it wanted to be.
It's told past-tense in interview style with all the band members apart from the antichrist, and some additional side characters. In theory this could work, and maybe it does in audio, but reading it feels so immensely disjointed. You so often only get one paragraph from one person before switching to another paragraph from another person to another line from the third person to two paragraphs from the last person. It almost felt like he didn't think he was allowed to sit in one person's perspective for too long. The parts I enjoyed most were the parts of side characters talking about stuff at length for a page or two and I think that's only because they were the ones I could marinate in their pov for a bit.
I think it could have been more successful for me if each chapter was told by a different person, or if it was only told from Lily's POV. Or just ditch the interview part entirely.
Also, maybe it gets more exciting but I was so incredibly bored, like falling asleep bored. I just don't anticipate this getting weird enough or scary enough, and I don't think it's skillfully campy enough either.
So, I don't know. Maybe I would like it if I finished it, but I don't anticipate this being 4 or 5 stars and the reading experience is too disjointed for me to have it worth continuing. There's too many books I want to read and we might soon be at Armageddon territory, so I'd rather spend time actually enjoying my reading in this current American apocalypse.
The cover design and title is stunning... and that's about where it ends for me. I enjoyed Episode 13, though I wish that book had stayed in the TV show format of it all. So I had hopes for this especially since this type of story (music industry, satanism, the risk of apocalypse) is so my jam, but I feel like this book didn't know what it wanted to be.
It's told past-tense in interview style with all the band members apart from the antichrist, and some additional side characters. In theory this could work, and maybe it does in audio, but reading it feels so immensely disjointed. You so often only get one paragraph from one person before switching to another paragraph from another person to another line from the third person to two paragraphs from the last person. It almost felt like he didn't think he was allowed to sit in one person's perspective for too long. The parts I enjoyed most were the parts of side characters talking about stuff at length for a page or two and I think that's only because they were the ones I could marinate in their pov for a bit.
I think it could have been more successful for me if each chapter was told by a different person, or if it was only told from Lily's POV. Or just ditch the interview part entirely.
Also, maybe it gets more exciting but I was so incredibly bored, like falling asleep bored. I just don't anticipate this getting weird enough or scary enough, and I don't think it's skillfully campy enough either.
So, I don't know. Maybe I would like it if I finished it, but I don't anticipate this being 4 or 5 stars and the reading experience is too disjointed for me to have it worth continuing. There's too many books I want to read and we might soon be at Armageddon territory, so I'd rather spend time actually enjoying my reading in this current American apocalypse.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
When I requested this audiobook on NetGalley I didn't truly know what to expect, but this story definitely hits my expectations either way.
The way it's told is via interviews with those who are there and it's so interesting to see each perspective on the events that happened. To see the varying feelings everyone had or came away with after experiencing the chaos and opportunity that Drake had brought them. In a way he led them to find their purpose, even though he clearly tried to steer the idea that that purpose was being and doing whatever you want in a way that makes you your worst self.
Lily truly experienced a love that was world shattering in the worst way, but somehow brought her to where she is by the end of the book. It made me wonder if she feels regret for anything, like if she should have continued her schooling and avoided all of that. Honestly, this book left me wondering that about every member of The Shivers.
I enjoyed this and the narrators were great!
The way it's told is via interviews with those who are there and it's so interesting to see each perspective on the events that happened. To see the varying feelings everyone had or came away with after experiencing the chaos and opportunity that Drake had brought them. In a way he led them to find their purpose, even though he clearly tried to steer the idea that that purpose was being and doing whatever you want in a way that makes you your worst self.
Lily truly experienced a love that was world shattering in the worst way, but somehow brought her to where she is by the end of the book. It made me wonder if she feels regret for anything, like if she should have continued her schooling and avoided all of that. Honestly, this book left me wondering that about every member of The Shivers.
I enjoyed this and the narrators were great!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual violence
I was lucky enough to receive an ALC (huge thanks, Hachette Audio!), but it didn’t take long to realize that audio alone wouldn’t cut it for this one. Orbit Books rarely misses for me, and I had that gut feeling this would be a ride worth taking in full. So I paused the audiobook, grabbed a physical copy, and let myself dive into the chaos. No regrets—this was totally the right move.
Told in a style that mimics oral histories and documentary transcripts, My Ex, the Antichrist radiates that raw, untamed energy of a band on the edge of fame, destruction, and something far more apocalyptic. Think Daisy Jones & The Six meets Supernatural by way of a VHS doc you’d find in a church basement—and I mean that in the best way.
Craig DiLouie clearly did his homework, and it shows. He threads together rock history, religious mythology, and the unraveling of a pop-punk band led by the literal Antichrist—yes, really—and somehow makes it work. There’s blood, there’s blasphemy, there’s a band called the Shivers that becomes an underground phenomenon. And at the center of it all? Lily Lawless, a sheltered Catholic college student turned lead guitarist with a front-row seat to the end of the world.
I loved how layered this book is. At face value, it’s the story of a girl and a boy (who might also be the antichrist) starting a band that accidentally triggers the apocalypse. But underneath the pulpy premise is a genuinely smart, weirdly philosophical exploration of power, influence, belief, and music as both salvation and destruction. DiLouie juggles these themes with a surprisingly light touch, even injecting dark humor in moments that sneak up on you. I laughed out loud more than once—even as things got really dark.
And while I was half-expecting something a little more campy or exaggerated—something leaning fully into the absurdity of the premise—what I got instead was a slow-burning, eerie, and atmospheric story with tension that builds across every gig, every interview snippet, and every whispered warning. Each show ramps up the strange and the sinister until you’re holding your breath waiting for the final act.
The structure won’t be for everyone—it’s very cut-and-paste, lots of voices, lots of snippets—but I found it totally immersive. You get interviews from Lily, bandmates, fans, academics, producers—it’s messy and nonlinear in the most satisfying way. Think VH1 Behind the Music if it ended in hellfire.
And the audiobook? A full cast (Lisa Flanagan, Jesse Vilinsky, Alexander Cendese, Pete Simonelli) brings it all to life with perfect, chaotic energy. It’s magnetic—definitely one of those productions that elevates the whole experience.
This one caught me off guard—in the best possible way. Gritty, clever, and unlike anything I’ve read this year. File it under: unexpectedly philosophical horror with guitars, eyeliner, and a front-row seat to the end times.
Told in a style that mimics oral histories and documentary transcripts, My Ex, the Antichrist radiates that raw, untamed energy of a band on the edge of fame, destruction, and something far more apocalyptic. Think Daisy Jones & The Six meets Supernatural by way of a VHS doc you’d find in a church basement—and I mean that in the best way.
Craig DiLouie clearly did his homework, and it shows. He threads together rock history, religious mythology, and the unraveling of a pop-punk band led by the literal Antichrist—yes, really—and somehow makes it work. There’s blood, there’s blasphemy, there’s a band called the Shivers that becomes an underground phenomenon. And at the center of it all? Lily Lawless, a sheltered Catholic college student turned lead guitarist with a front-row seat to the end of the world.
I loved how layered this book is. At face value, it’s the story of a girl and a boy (who might also be the antichrist) starting a band that accidentally triggers the apocalypse. But underneath the pulpy premise is a genuinely smart, weirdly philosophical exploration of power, influence, belief, and music as both salvation and destruction. DiLouie juggles these themes with a surprisingly light touch, even injecting dark humor in moments that sneak up on you. I laughed out loud more than once—even as things got really dark.
And while I was half-expecting something a little more campy or exaggerated—something leaning fully into the absurdity of the premise—what I got instead was a slow-burning, eerie, and atmospheric story with tension that builds across every gig, every interview snippet, and every whispered warning. Each show ramps up the strange and the sinister until you’re holding your breath waiting for the final act.
The structure won’t be for everyone—it’s very cut-and-paste, lots of voices, lots of snippets—but I found it totally immersive. You get interviews from Lily, bandmates, fans, academics, producers—it’s messy and nonlinear in the most satisfying way. Think VH1 Behind the Music if it ended in hellfire.
And the audiobook? A full cast (Lisa Flanagan, Jesse Vilinsky, Alexander Cendese, Pete Simonelli) brings it all to life with perfect, chaotic energy. It’s magnetic—definitely one of those productions that elevates the whole experience.
This one caught me off guard—in the best possible way. Gritty, clever, and unlike anything I’ve read this year. File it under: unexpectedly philosophical horror with guitars, eyeliner, and a front-row seat to the end times.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated