Book Review: Speak of the Devil by Antony J. Stanton
Genre: Horror Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: ePub
Release Date: 30th June 2026
Known for his vampire fiction, Speak of the Devil is a short companion novella to Antony J. Stanton’s Blood of the Damned series. Having never read the author’s work before, I found this to be a really captivating introduction to his canon.
This story uses a lot of familiar vampire tropes. It is set in medieval Transylvania, the main character is an outsider with a connection to the threat, but Stanton does a great job of working these tropes to his will. At its heart, this is a very human story, focusing on sisters Farida and Bella. Their relationship drives the major conflict of the story, and as a sister myself, I related so strongly to both of them. The characterisation in both characters is done so well, leading the reader to be drawn into the story immediately.
I loved the worldbuilding in this book. Subtle details such as the sisters’ use of broken English really emphasised their outsider nature, and the level of detail given made reading this narrative a really immersive experience.
My only criticism was that I felt it was really short! I was fully into the rhythm of the book when the final scene ended, and it took me by surprise. I wanted more! The final image of the book was so effective, if frustrating, and I’m pretty sure it’ll haunt me. I really enjoyed this novella, and it’s made me really want to read more of Stanton’s work.
Purchase at Amazon / Bookshop.org
Review by Sarah R. New
Twitter/Bluesky/Instagram: @aldbera
I received this Advanced Review Copy from the author for review consideration.
