This will not sound how it is intended to but my favorite part of this book was the end. Because it shocked me. Love me a good twist. Love the plot. The atmosphere is heavy and full of suspense. What I don’t like is the dialogue. It seems forced. And the use of the word “wicked” often took me out of an otherwise intriguing scene. Great for lovers of Stranger Things.

In 1987 sits an abandoned house hidden purposefully deep in the forest that has been watching...waiting....for hundreds of years. Everyone in this small town grew up hearing it’s local legend and lore passed from generation to generation. That place is cursed.. it’s dangerous.. it’s haunted. Most of all they know if you dare step foot inside you are never to be seen again.
This was one heck of a story that I kind of needed to sit back and have a whole moment with in order to really organize my thought process. So where to start but with the beginning, we meet five friends Alex, Reid, Clint, Danny and Heather Alex’s little sister. Early on we kinda establish everyone’s personalities with Reid being the leader but also the bully, Alex his level headed best friend, Danny who is often teased by the group for being over weight and Clint the smart ass know it all.
Then there’s Heather who was my first issue with this novel, call me salty for the things I’m about to write but these are just my opinions. Have I mentioned yet that Alex’s kid sister is a tomboy? How is me mentioning that she’s a tomboy relevant? It’s not but the author can’t help but to point it out at least every other paragraph along with the word “Wicked” which by the end of the book you grow tired of.
But let’s move on to the actual story itself which was really, really good at the beginning. It had a Strangers Things meets Channel Zero season 2 vibe to it that I really dug. There was a little part at the start that kind of gave backstory to the house, plus the chilling Shadow demon that always seemed to be lurking in the corner of your eye. From room to room this house was this fantastic maze with an intricate layout that you had to figure your way through or the shadow demon would find you and burn you alive inside out. Which I mean come on the whole premise so far sounds amazing and it was, I was glued to my kindle every step, every room... until around room 8. Around this time the pacing starts going all over the place, and this very well could be D.M Silciliano’s way of disorienting the reader the way the children were.
Then there were the, in my opinion, unnecessary elements like back stories that literally had no real purpose and they started popping up so randomly. These were things that could’ve been explained along with the back story of the house at the beginning or left out all together because it just took away from the story, along with the demon fairies? I don’t know? Some of it just dragged out I think for length because this novel was way longer than it needed to be and you can easily tell. I think if the story wrapped up around 120-150 pages short of the actual ending it would’ve made an awesome short novel or novella. D.M Silciliano had everything she needed to knock this one out of the park but ultimately left the ending a mess and me the reader unsatisfied..

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Inside is a horror story told by five different POVs: Alex, his best friend Reid, Heather, Alex's younger sisters, Danny and Clint. Prompted by Reid and followed by Heather, Alex and his friends decided to go to the haunted house, to prove isn't haunted and show others how cool they are. Scared by legends and stories the group chooses to visit the house, but at soon they enter the door vanished, leaving them trapped. Inside, a Shadow, a monster lies waiting, a fire menaces everything and, like in a videogame, they are forced to run, finding doors, escaping through windows and doors on the floor, while the house and the creature play with them, using their memories, their loved one to grab, haunt them and killing them one by one.

Inside is a terrifying story, really creepy and simply written. The characters are interesting. Reid is a bully, who lost his mother to cancer years ago and his father is an abusive alchoholic. Danny is very close to his mother, bullied for his being fat, Heather is the tougher one, refusing to do anything girly like playing with dolls and using makeup, choosing to follow her older brother and his friend. Clint is smart and loyal. Alex is protective and sincere, the most fooled by the house.
While running from place to place, trapped inside a manipulative house, they are pitted against one other, blaming each other, protecting and sacrificing one other until the shocking ending.

A scary story with the right creepy factor. It's a fast read, entertaining and gripping.
I liked the style of writing, the fleshed out cast of characters and the well crafted plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A well known haunted house sits in the forest, empty and unoccupied for many decades. All the locals know the story of the house, and that it is cursed and nobody ever goes there. However, in 1987 a group of five young teens decide to investigate the house and see if the stories they've heard all their lives are true. Led by the ringleader, and the strongest personality out of all the kids, Reid, they each are afraid to go in to the house for fear of what they might find and also afraid not to go in, for fear of being branded a "baby" and inciting eternal ridicule and teasing from Reid.

They enter the small one storey house and within minutes, the door, and their only escape, vanishes, leaving them trapped in the house looking for a way out. A wisp of a fire starts in the fireplace and smoke rises. A small hatchway appears in the wall and, with no other options, they go through it, in to another room that should not even exist given the small dimensions of the house. As one room ultimately opens an entryway into another room, on and on they go, running from room to room, terrified, from the evil that seems intent on disorientating them and ultimately taking them for itself. Is the house alive? Is what is happening to them real? Will they ever find their way out of the house?

I practically read this book in one sitting. The group of kids are like any bunch of young teens in the late 80's (a which point I was a teen myself so I completely empathised immediately!), each with their own unique personality and likeability. I was rooting for the kids the whole way through and willing them to find their way. I could imagine the house, with rooms changing and becoming similar to rooms the kids held in their memories, playing with them, and could almost feel the raging fire and acrid smoke as the kids fought desperately to escape. A really enjoyable read with an ending I wasn't expecting. 4/5

A group kids explore a haunted house in the summer before their freshman year of high school. The gour boys, and a kids sister who follows them go into the house. But as someone could might gues this house plays some tricks with the indruders. As they learn about this place it seems absolutely hopeless ever getting out of this house again. This was absolutely scary and haunts me while reading and still well after I finished it. Parts made shiver and the theme of friendship gave always some hope for an escape. A really well written book.