CW: Suicide, Claustrophobia (will not be discussed in greater detail in this review).

I finished reading We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix last week. I’m not sure what I just read. I don’t read horror often and I don’t mind weird books, but I still want to understand what’s happening. If I had to summarize We Sold Our Souls to someone, my summary would be all over the place which is how it felt reading this book. We Sold Our Souls was interesting, however, it’s my least favorite Grady Hendrix book I have read thus far.

Kris Pulaski is broke, working at Best Western, and unsatisfied with her life. In the 90s, she was a part of a moderately successful metal band called Dürt Würk. That is until Terry Hunt, the leader singer, threw the rest of the band members under the bus for a solo career. After a horrific event, Kris is led to believe that Terry could have sold their souls away for a successful career. After escaping a rehab center, Kris is out for revenge.

For a book that’s supposed to center on a deal with the devil, that’s not a central plot point to the story. Instead, there are references to “Black Iron Mountain” and this organization finding vulnerable people to make deals with. There’s a sleazy-looking lawyer who has connections to the devil, but I don’t know if he’s a demon in disguise or if he’s human. There are also these white creatures that feed on souls. If this all sounds odd, it’s because it is. Nothing felt fleshed out or explained and I’m left feeling lost.

We Sold Our Souls reminds me of Kill Bill if Kill Bill took place at a metal version of Woodstock. Kris is trying to explain how dangerous Terry is and no one from her former band believes her, so they lock her up in a rehab center. Kris breaks out and begins her revenge. I liked following Kris as she got closer to confronting Terry. I think it’s easy for the reader to root for her to succeed.

Without spoiling the book, the ending is left to be interpreted and I hate that. The pinnacle confrontation occurs on stage at this music festival and something big happens. Some of the fates of the characters are unknown and it feels unsatisfying. On top of that, there are also unanswered questions about the devil and how these deals are made. It was frustrating. I think We Sold Our Souls could have been a longer book if it could have expanded on some of these story points.

I struggled with how to rate We Sold Our Souls. It sounds like I hated the book. I wouldn’t say I hated the book, I think this could have been a much better book if things were expanded on. I rated We Sold Our Souls two stars on Goodreads.