[Book Review] The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn

I have been in a bit of a funk for a couple of weeks now. So I was definitely in need of a creepy read like this!

The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn

Summary:
The synopsis of this book is the perfect example of one that gives just enough information to make you want to read the book as soon as possible, while also being very careful not to give anything away.

So here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Young Jude Brighton has been missing for three days, and while the search for him is in full swing in the small town of Deer Valley, Oregon, the locals are starting to lose hope. They’re well aware that the first forty-eight hours are critical and after that, the odds usually point to a worst-case scenario. And despite Stevie Clark’s youth, he knows that, too; he’s seen the cop shows. He knows what each ticking moment may mean for Jude, his cousin and best friend.

That, and there was that boy, Max Larsen...the one from years ago, found dead after also disappearing under mysterious circumstances. And then there were the animals: pets gone missing out of yards. For years, the residents of Deer Valley have murmured about these unsolved crimes…and that a killer may still be lurking around their quiet town. Now, fear is reborn—and for Stevie, who is determined to find out what really happened to Jude, the awful truth may be too horrifying to imagine. 



My thoughts:
PHEW! What a read. I absolutely loved how creepy the tone was! It's very rare that I get spooked thinking about a story at nighttime... But thinking about this book made me take a running leap onto our bed after turning off the lamp one night.

The main character, Stevie, was so lovely. I found myself feeling very protective of him and I was rooting for him the whole time.

The pacing of the story was okay. It started with an intense and fast paced situation, but then slowed for awhile before picking up again.

The writing was very well done! I did have one small irk. But the authors style was wonderfully descriptive.


Beware, the negatives:
I only have two slight irks with this book. The first is that at times, I just found myself a bit bored with the story. Normally I don't mind when the story gets slow in order to add to the anticipation of figuring out what was going to happen. But in this case, I found myself getting annoyed with how long it was taking the story to move along.

The second is the overuse of similes. Each of them were very clever, but once I realized how often one was thrown in, they started to lose their magic.

And of course, there was this glaring error:

My favorite passages:
Hearing the sharp edges of that curse word come from a kid had left Stevie's nerves fizzing like a bag of wet Pop Rocks.

The house's paint job was just as bad as the roof; giant white strips of the stuff peeling from the clapboard siding like dirty old bandages that had lost their stick.

Mr. G. straightened his crooked back, and Stevie cringed when he heard a succession of pop-pop-pops, like someone dragging a tiny mallet across the spine of a percussion frog.

He couldn't sleep. Closing his eyes while simultaneously trying to keep his imagination in check was a form of brain gymnastics that Stevie hadn't trained for.


My final thoughts:
I know this was a bit short, but I really didn't want to give anything away! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys thrillers with a splash of mystery! I gave this book four stars.


Thanks for reading!
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