A review by cady_sass
The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I struggled with this one. It’s difficult in the first half of the book to pinpoint what the plot is, and that keeps you reading until it’s almost too late to give up. I considered a DNF once we reached the point in which the actual plot gets revealed, but I was almost done so I stuck it out. I absolutely LOVED reading from the perspective of Stevie, the misunderstood and undiagnosed/untreated child with significant mental health challenges. Is his schizophrenic, is he suffering from Tourette’s, is it something worse? His family will not seek treatment so he just lives with his condition and its quirks, and I love him and his resilience so much, and his dedication to finding and helping his only friend. 
Where I struggled is in part 3 - the stories from part 1 & 2 come together and it makes logical sense but there is a great deal of animal death and I just can’t. Partially on me for not looking up triggers. Secondly, the ending is so sad. I am genuinely upset that this is where we ended up, and if we were going to end up here at least give me a couple other perspectives of those final scenes. Stevie deserved better. 
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