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cianmars's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
twigandleaves's review
3.0
3.5 stars. While I enjoyed this as a nice quick read and my introduction to audio books, I just wish it was longer. And while the narrator does a great job, the amount of times the names Jacob and Paimon are repeated really got on my nerves by the end. Also, the ending is really confusing so I almost feel like it needs a sequel or a spin off to fully clarify what happened.
kweziferguson's review
2.0
I love all things creepy and spooky but this one just didn't tick the right boxes.
There were elements I enjoyed and while I thought the main character had some strong internal conflict the rest just fell a bit flat. Might be fun to check out if you are looking for horror that is inclusive of the LGBTQA community but for me it was lacklustre.
Just because a story is inclusive doesn't make it good. The story also falls a bit short in the ending without much really being resolved.
There were elements I enjoyed and while I thought the main character had some strong internal conflict the rest just fell a bit flat. Might be fun to check out if you are looking for horror that is inclusive of the LGBTQA community but for me it was lacklustre.
Just because a story is inclusive doesn't make it good. The story also falls a bit short in the ending without much really being resolved.
adunnells's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jjarthur's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
littlebookterror's review
mysterious
fast-paced
2.0
(I just want everyone to know that the cover of this says short story but both the author's website and the length suggest it's a novella. Who thought this 3 hour-long short stories existed.)
I'm sorry but nothing about this was thrilling.
Avi Roque does a great job at narrating this even if it's not the most accessible audiobook (there is background music in parts and the demon gets a weird overlay) but not even his acting could make me care about whatever Jacob was obsessing about.
It is a setup that has been done plenty of times before and the story spends too much explaining why it's normal that Jacob is studying demonology and wants to summon Paimon. The past between Gabriel and Jacob only sounds interesting on paper but doesn't really play out in any interesting way in the story. Gabriel's two defining characteristics are his transness and his gullibility.
We barely get to see the interesting parts! Why was Alex not properly introduced earlier so we did not have to do that in the middle of the story, breaking all the tension? Why do we just learn in passing that Paimon keeps visiting and don't actually see that bond growing?
The ending is not even a surprise at all.
I'm sorry but nothing about this was thrilling.
Avi Roque does a great job at narrating this even if it's not the most accessible audiobook (there is background music in parts and the demon gets a weird overlay) but not even his acting could make me care about whatever Jacob was obsessing about.
It is a setup that has been done plenty of times before and the story spends too much explaining why it's normal that Jacob is studying demonology and wants to summon Paimon. The past between Gabriel and Jacob only sounds interesting on paper but doesn't really play out in any interesting way in the story. Gabriel's two defining characteristics are his transness and his gullibility.
We barely get to see the interesting parts! Why was Alex not properly introduced earlier so we did not have to do that in the middle of the story, breaking all the tension? Why do we just learn in passing that Paimon keeps visiting and don't actually see that bond growing?
The ending is not even a surprise at all.
breezyfirstedition's review
3.0
Not Deaver's best work. I loved the idea of the audiobook but I feel like the concept was too big to be put into a short story. The overall writing was amazing, as per usual, but the story felt too rushed. I absolutely adore the representation though. 10/10 on that part. I hope Deaver turns this work into a full novel someday. I really want to see where it's going.
anxious_librarian's review
3.0
Gosh, I want to give this a higher rating but I don't know if I can. This was a great effort but ultimately not quite the horror story I think it could have been.
I'd say this is firmly New Adult, following college student Gabriel as they reconnect with their first love and childhood best friend, Jacob. The first hour or so was not very spooky, in fact I thought it was a bit info dumpy. Giving us a lot of details that, while providing context, weren't necessary for the story. These portions also had a strong YA voice as did the other non-occult scenes in the later half of the story.
It was the second half where the story finally started to pick-up. The moments with the demon and descriptions of Gabriel's mental state were dark and wonderfully atmospheric (especially with the audio's sound effects), I got shivers! The ending was expected which lessened the impact somewhat, but it was still powerful because I couldn't help but feel for Gabriel.
I loved the queer representation. I find demonology very fascinating, and having an author actually acknowledge that Paimon and other demons are more or less genderless was awesome (not to mention building a story about it which incorporated the main character's gender!). That was probably my favorite part of the story, how those two things connected.
I will admit I was a little confused regarding Gabriel's gender representation. The writing could be a bit vague at times so I wasn't able to really interpret whether Gabriel sought androgyny or to claim a different identity or something else entirely. And Jacob used he/him pronouns for Gabriel and the story blurb used they/them so I think I might have just missed something. This isn't a critique just something I'm acknowledging I probably missed.
All in all, Another Name for the Devil wasn't a bad listen, but could have been stronger when you consider what a talented author Deaver is. The ending was easy to predict but stayed true to the horror genre with a bittersweet finale. The sound effects were a fun addition, although the sudden organ music scared me a bit (I sort of think it should have faded in but whatever). It's a quick listen sure to get you in the spooky mood.
3.5 stars
I'd say this is firmly New Adult, following college student Gabriel as they reconnect with their first love and childhood best friend, Jacob. The first hour or so was not very spooky, in fact I thought it was a bit info dumpy. Giving us a lot of details that, while providing context, weren't necessary for the story. These portions also had a strong YA voice as did the other non-occult scenes in the later half of the story.
It was the second half where the story finally started to pick-up. The moments with the demon and descriptions of Gabriel's mental state were dark and wonderfully atmospheric (especially with the audio's sound effects), I got shivers! The ending was expected which lessened the impact somewhat, but it was still powerful because I couldn't help but feel for Gabriel.
I loved the queer representation. I find demonology very fascinating, and having an author actually acknowledge that Paimon and other demons are more or less genderless was awesome (not to mention building a story about it which incorporated the main character's gender!). That was probably my favorite part of the story, how those two things connected.
I will admit I was a little confused regarding Gabriel's gender representation. The writing could be a bit vague at times so I wasn't able to really interpret whether Gabriel sought androgyny or to claim a different identity or something else entirely. And Jacob used he/him pronouns for Gabriel and the story blurb used they/them so I think I might have just missed something. This isn't a critique just something I'm acknowledging I probably missed.
All in all, Another Name for the Devil wasn't a bad listen, but could have been stronger when you consider what a talented author Deaver is. The ending was easy to predict but stayed true to the horror genre with a bittersweet finale. The sound effects were a fun addition, although the sudden organ music scared me a bit (I sort of think it should have faded in but whatever). It's a quick listen sure to get you in the spooky mood.
3.5 stars
afriendwithfiction's review
dark
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0