Strong female characters is not necessarily uncommon in horror, with the trope of the final girl and powerful women like Ripley from Alien and Laurie Strode from Halloween. I think Kris is one of Hendrix’s best characters yet, and I would have read a thousand more pages of her life and journey. Her story, her drive, her passion…those things stick with you long after the book ends. Kris is a multi-dimensional character, written with heart, that I wanted to leap off the page and meet in real life. However, while this books has plenty of heart-stopping moments, what I really loved about this book was the character-driven heroism inherent in Kris. Hendrix carefully weaves the dark side of metal with the terrible things that humans do to craft a tale with moments of true horror. This mythos was equal parts awe-inspiring and terrifying. In addition to the numerous intriguing lyrics he wrote, he also crafted a fiction within his fiction that provided a backdrop for the hero’s journey. Hendrix wrote an entire discography of music, a feat that deepened the lore in a satisfying way, providing an almost audible march that kept the plot moving.

For this particular book of his, the humor may be a little quieter, but the world was the most fascinating one he’s created yet. Like Hendrix’s other books, the story told here is relatively original with compelling characters, quick humor, and a sense of world-building that is truly unrivaled. The plot was so beautifully paced, allowing for introspection in between big action moments, plenty of character development to create long-lasting impressions of well-rounded badasses. It had a magnetic pull that required I turn page after page to watch the grueling adventure spill over each paragraph. This book is one of those rare books that I could not put down no matter how hard I tried. This story is filled with metal riffs, rabid fans, unsettling lyrics, and one woman’s battle against the pits of hell. We Sold Our Souls follows Kris Pulaski, a tired, down-on-her-luck, former metal rock star and her truly epic journey against a force of evil under the guise of sell-out rock. Hendrix has one of the best new catalogs of horror stories and a clear love for the genre, and his newest work does not disappoint in the slightest. An entire mythology created to sustain the story? Check check check. Disgusting scenes of gross-out horror? Check. We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix is hands down one of the most suspenseful, horrific, and entertaining books I’ve ever read. Published by Quirk Books, September 16 th, 2018

Sold our souls