The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn is a horror story that opens with a twelve year old boy, Jude Brighton going missing. He and his cousin are usually together but this day, he didn’t show up. His mother is concerned when he doesn’t come home and calls the police. I settled in to find out if this missing child is a troubled boy who had run away from home, or a dare-devil kid who has gotten himself in trouble in the woods or is there someone or something in the woods that has taken him.

The story is told by his younger cousin, Stevie, we learn that the woods and the fort that the kids have built have become their sanctuary this summer. Jude is having difficulty coming to terms with the death of his father, and Stevie has his own issues. He hates his stepdad Terry Marks and the influence he has over his mother. We also learn that there is another place in the woods, a seemingly abandoned house, that Jude and Stevie are terrified of, could this house have something to do with Jude’s disappearance? When Jude suddenly appears again, it seems like a miracle, but Jude has changed and is no longer the carefree boy that he was just a few days ago. Stevie is more worried than ever and vows to get to the bottom of Jude’s disappearance.

This is one of the most gruesome and creepy stories that I have read. Obviously this author knows how to write horror, but unfortunately it went far beyond my comfort level. The Devil Crept in was a dark, nasty read that will be lingering in my mind for some time. Please note that I would not recommend this book to anyone who has difficulties with reading about cruelty to animals. ( )

THE DEVIL CREPT IN is a creepy story about a young boy who discovers that there is something or someone hiding out in the woods in a rundown house. Or is it really so? Stevie Clark has been plagued with awful visions for years, seeing things that aren't there. Could the thing he saw be just a fragment of his imagination? But when his cousin Jude goes missing, Stevie is convinced that what he saw is real and that perhaps the thing has something to do with Jude's disappearance. Years ago a little boy, Max Larsen, disappeared and never returned, and the pets of the town of Deer Valley seem to disappear as well. Stevie doesn't know what to believe, could there really be a monster in the woods?

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As far as I'm concerned, an new novel from [a:Ania Ahlborn|4867939|Ania Ahlborn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473193726p2/4867939.jpg] is something to get excited about. I've honestly enjoyed each of her previous novels, and have seen steady growth in her talent and abilities.

And then, along comes this novel.

Once again, I was excited to see a brand new Ahlborn novel. When I started it, I immediately felt like I was on shifting ground, and though that can be a great thing, especially in a horror novel, here, it wasn't. We're hit immediately with a missing child and his best friend shows all the requisite concern he should. But we only got a quick sketch of their relationship, so Stevie losing Jude lost a lot of impact.

Then, out of nowhere, after several chapters of missing Jude, we're tossed into a completely different story.

I don't know. Maybe it's me, but I felt this book was rushed. I felt the structure was completely lacking. There's not a single likable--or even relateable--character to be found between the covers. And Stevie's whining and Dr. Seussian speech pattern, while effective in small doses, becomes annoying quite quickly.

And Stevie's mom? Don't get me started. She's three different people, depending on the situation in the book. Harried mother. Calming influence on Stevie. Doormat for her husband. And she could shift from paragraph to paragraph.

And finally, there's the central story of Otto and his influence. It simply did not make sense.

Overall, this one is simply a hot mess. Which, in my experience, will mean that it'll garner a ton of five-star ratings that it simply doesn't deserve.

But hey, to each their own, right?

I'll just say, had I read this as my first book by Ahlborn, I'd never read another. ( )

this book goes thru a child trying to find his cousin. after he returns he is not the same person anymore. There is something very different about him, but no one believes him. ( )

With a possibly unreliable narrator, supernatural elements and a mysterious disappearance of a twelve year boy, The Devil Crept In is the latest eerie and somewhat creepy horror novel by Ania Ahlborn.

Ten year old Stevie Clark is best friends with his twelve year old cousin Jude Brighton and when Jude goes missing, he is the only person in town who takes his disappearance seriously. Due to his stutter and overactive imagination, Stevie is a bit of a social pariah in town which makes his friendship with Jude that much more important to him. Everyone in town considers Jude a troublemaker so it is little surprise that the general consensus is he has run away from home. Stevie knows without a doubt that his cousin would never voluntarily abandon him, so Stevie gathers his courage to help search for Jude. A grisly discovery indicates Jude might be the victim of foul play so Stevie decides to investigate his best friend's disappearance in earnest. Deciding to venture to the spooky house that Jude is so fascinated with, Stevie is frightened by what he sees, but Jude's sudden reappearance puts an end to any further investigation. At first relieved his best friend has returned unharmed, Stevie becomes frightened by the differences he notices in Jude. Although no one seems aware that anything is amiss, Stevie is determined to understand what happened to Jude in the woods but will anyone believe him once he uncovers the truth?

Told in three parts, part one delves into Jude and Stevie's somewhat tragic childhoods and follows Jude's disappearance and Stevie's search for his cousin. Stevie is an incredibly sympathetic ten year old boy but his various problems make him an unreliable narrator. At one time a happy, normal child, he inexplicably began stuttering and experiencing night terrors and hallucinations. His home life worsened dramatically following his father's abandonment and his mom's involvement with an abusive and volatile man who does not hesitate to mete out corporal punishment. Although always rambunctious, Jude essentially turned into a surly juvenile delinquent after this father's death. The two boys are now inseparable and Stevie is quite forgiving after he occasionally becomes the object of Jude's mean streak.

The second part of the story provides the backstory of Rosamund "Rosie" Aleksander, an emotionally damaged recluse once married to a local doctor. Rosie is inconsolable after a tragic loss and her attempt to escape her pain leads her to a stranger and a mysterious retreat. Returning to her beautiful home in the woods, Rosie's deepest wish comes true but in a particularly cruel twist of fate, her dream soon turns into a horrific nightmare that tests her deepest bond.

Part three is where the two storylines come together with a terrifying supernatural twist that will put even the most ardent horror fan on the edge of their seat when evil is unleashed in the aftermath of Jude's disappearance. Stevie finally uncovers the ghastly secret about the strange occurrences that have happened in and around town over the last several years. Just as he is piecing together the events that have plagued the town, Stevie also learns the stunning truth about what happened to Jude and in the aftermath of his discoveries, his life goes in a very shocking direction.

Although initially a little slow-paced, The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn catapults to an adrenaline filled and sinister conclusion. An imaginative and suspense-laden novel that I highly recommend to fans of the horror genre. ( )