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Book: “The Devil Knows Her Name” by C.N. Vair
Publishing Info: Berkley, August 2026
Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from PLA 2026
Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound
Book Description: In the isolated Appalachian town of Burrsville, Tess Wynne lives in precious quiet. Having been left for dead a century earlier, Tess made a deal with the devil to stay in the only home she’s known. Tending to her wildlife sanctuary, she keeps the land and its people safe — pulling on spidering threads of ancient magic, trying to preserve the balance of nature against the encroaching ravages of human influence. But, every autumn, the devil returns, offering Tess more power in exchange for a foothold into the human world. And, every autumn, Tess refuses.
As Tess prepares her wildlife sanctuary for the winter, an unexpected addition to Burrsville catches the locals’ attention. Freshly arrived Zeke Abdee, the town’s new pastor, begins to sinisterly mold the townspeople to his will.
With everyone slowly turning on Tess, Pastor Zeke is determined to stake his claim on the very land where Tess keeps her sanctuary. Cornered, a desperate Tess pushes her magic to the darkest edges. All the while, the devil bides his time, waiting for Tess to decide if she will be prey — or predator…
Review: Thank you to Berkley for providing me with an ARC at PLA 2026!
It is still so darn hot in Minnesota. Granted, I consider anything above 72 degrees Fahrenheit hot, but I assure you it’s hotter than that lately! I am now at the point in the Summer where I am just done and ready for Fall. The good news is that hopefully, HOPEFULLY, the seasons will start to mellow and shift in a month or so, and I am also starting to get my book choices ready for my favorite time of year. So it was the perfect time to pick up “The Devil Knows Her Name” by C.N. Vair, a debut horror story about a witch in Appalachia who takes care of animals, the town that is starting to turn on her, and a potentially nefarious (but also charming and maybe sexy?) ally who offers her help…. Though he is THE DEVIL.
This was almost guaranteed to be a win for me content wise because god DAMN do I love a witch story, especially one where a witch is not only teaming up with the literal DEVIL to do some shenanigans, but when said shenanigans involve having to deal with a zealous force and a fickle community coming to oppress her. I’m already inclined to be Team Witch and Tess and her story make it super easy, at least for this reader. Vair has created a character that has made a pact with The Devil in a moment of true powerlessness (Tess is nearly murdered by her lover after he blames her for his adultery and tries to drown her), and Tess asks the Devil to save her and to give her magic powers to keep herself and her land/animal sanctuary safe, as well as the community at large. As time passes Tess does not age, but she binds magic and her very body to the town and community over the years to keep everyone out of danger, people and animals alike, while also trying to fend The Devil off as he tempts her with more power every year, perhaps to his advantage. But of course, as the small Appalachian town starts to run stagnate and a charismatic Pastor named Zeke comes to town with promises, things start to get dangerous for Tess. Especially since Zeke is trying to turn the town against her to get her land, and because a strange fawn with strange appetites ends up on her nature preserve. Oh, and her magic is fading more and more as more people turn against her. It’s a classic ‘outsider being oppressed by those who claim to be pious’ tale, and I LOVE that stuff. Vair shows us how Tess has made a place for herself, but how suspicion, desperation, and a slow moving decay of the community threatens that because of her differences and a need for a scapegoat. It’s a tale as old as time, but Vair still manages to make it fresh, as I felt the exact indignation that I imagine I was supposed to feel as Tess has to start protecting herself against people she thought she knew, all while The Devil offers help she isn’t comfortable taking lest he use it against her.
I also liked that Tess is actually a pretty morally grey character as the story unfolds. I am one hundred percent on her side in all of this, and I completely understand why she makes the choices that she does (being a victim of misogynistic violence, valuing the sanctuary and the animals she has bound to protect, having the community slowly turn on her due to Pastor Zeke’s influence when she has done nothing but be helpful both overtly and covertly), but sometimes I was like ‘damn, girl, that’s cold’. I also really loved her relationship with The Devil. I was worried that it would go one of two ways; either it would be a romance that didn’t really examine the power that he has over her as the being that has granted her her protection but for a price, or it would be a completely moralistic ‘she cannot be with him because ultimately she is GOOD and The Devil is BAD’ scold of a story. But Vair manages to find a happy medium where Tess isn’t wholly willing to trust him or give him any more power over her than he already has thanks to the bargain, while also showing that hey, just because he’s THE DEVIL it doesn’t mean that he has to be wholly terrible or in it for selfish reasons. Their back and forth was always fun, and their chemistry crackles. We all know I’m a bit of a sucker for a story with a witch and a demon/The Devil finding a connection (hello “The Witch” and “Slewfoot”), and I can now add “The Devil Knows Her Name” to that list of go to tales that fit the bill.
“The Devil Knows Her Name” is a cathartic horror novel that I definitely recommend for anyone who loves a witch story. Summer is waning, and as my favorite time of year creeps up upon us I urge people to add this book to their lists for the upcoming spooky season!
Rating 8: A dark and mesmerizing witch story about power and zealotry, “The Devil Knows Her Name” is a dreamy and unsettling read just in time for Fall.
Reader’s Advisory:
“The Devil Knows Her Name” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror Releases Coming in 2026”.
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