A review by ericarobyn
Consumed By Evil by John Durgin

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

With new horrors emerging from the shadows in Consumed by Evil by John Durgin, the latest installment in The Newport Curse series, this tale takes the terror to a whole new level, plunging readers into an even darker, more intense nightmare set in a small town.

With the Halloween massacre still haunting their every thought, as fresh in their minds as the blood that still stains their clothes, the town of Newport is struggling under the weight of their grief and shock. One kid is having a harder time than most as he carries the weight of the trauma as well as something darker that he attempts to battle alone.

Not far into the storyline, it becomes chillingly clear that Newport is far from being safe. The town, which thought it had already faced the worst, is in for an even greater nightmare. What they had thought was the culmination of horror is actually just the beginning. And the terrifying demon they fought before? Well, it’s nothing compared to what is about to emerge from the darkness. The true terror lurking just beneath the surface is far more dangerous, far more insidious, and it’s going to take everything they have to survive it.

Oh my gosh, let’s talk about how John seamlessly recaps the end of the previous book right at the start of chapter two. I was honestly so impressed with how naturally it flowed. It never felt forced or out of place—it was like he was speaking directly to the reader, drawing them back into the story in the most organic way possible. It’s a quick and powerful reminder of where the characters are and where they’ve been, without ever feeling like a rehash. It really pulled me right back in, ready to dive deeper into the madness.

And speaking of madness… Wow, the intensity in this one? It’s off the charts! If you thought the first book was wild, this one takes it to a whole new level. The bloodshed starts early, and from that first brutal scene, things only escalate. The violence and horror are relentless, and the author doesn’t hold back. There’s one scene in particular that had me gripping my phone so tightly, my hands cramped. The pain of what happens to a character’s hand was so real that I couldn’t help but cringe. It’s that kind of gruesome detail and action that makes this book impossible to put down!

And finally, to those of you who have already read the book: AH, THAT LAST LINE!! No spoilers, but I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s the perfect setup for what’s to come and I’m dying to know where John is going to take this next.

My Favorite Passages from Consumed by Evil –

Getting scared in the woods no longer felt like a real-life fear after what he’d been through. The biggest threat now was inside of him, not out here lurking between the trees.

As desperate as she was to fall asleep, every time Bethany closed her eyes, she saw flashes of the shadow swaying back and forth in her sister’s room. The threat she had read in her diary traveled across the blank space behind closed eyelids like a teleprompter.

She wanted to reach out for him, tear through the Sheetrock and pull him to safety. Instead, she listened as someone stabbed him repeatedly, metal entering flesh, as her dad slowly dragged himself across the floor.

The door began to open, and Ken pressed himself tightly to the side wall, pressing so hard he thought he might burst into a puddle of gore and bodily fluids.

Any sign of light had been sucked out of the hallway as if trying to warn Bill not to proceed.

My Final Thoughts on Consumed by Evil –

Consumed by Evil is a killer follow-up to the first book in the series, building on the tension, terror, and twists that made the original unforgettable. It takes everything I loved about the first book and cranked it up to a whole new level. The stakes are higher, the characters more deeply tested, and the horror more relentless than ever before.

If you haven’t read it yet, brace yourselves—this one’s going to hit hard. Once you start, you won’t be able to look away until the very last page.