The Evil Within

VOYA - Ava Ehde

Lindsay is forced to fight for her sanity when she has to return to the exclusive but sinister Marlwood Academy and all her former enemies in this haunting sequel novel of possession. She's already suffered the loss of her mother, as well as all the family finances due to her prolonged illness, watched another student, Kiyoko, die, and lived through her own nervous breakdown. Now she must pull herself together to fend off the spirit of Celia, another long-dead student. Marlwood initially had been a reform school so intent upon turning out "gentle women" that the director often had a doctor perform experimental lobotomies to make the girls more pliable. A deadly fire nearly a decade before left many troubled, often evil, spirits. In addition, her status as a scholarship student often makes Lindsay a target for the other wealthy and frequently spoiled students. Mandy, possessed by Belle, is both her tormentor and a longtime girlfriend of Troy, who has recently been hitting on Lindsay. This eerie, chilling tale is unusually well-written and hits its mark. The characters are alternately sympathetic and scary, and the two sets of love triangles between Troy, Mandy, and Lindsay, as well as the ghostly David, Belle, and Celia, deepen the depth and layers of this tale. The topic is timely and popular; teens will line up for it as a pleasure read. Reviewer: Ava Ehde

Children's Literature - Dana Benge

Returning to the exclusive, all girls' boarding school, Marlwood, where she feels like an outcast, is not what regular girl Lindsay Cavanaugh wants to do. She does not want anything to do with spoiled, wealthy Amanda Winters and her entourage. But she discovers going back to school is the only way to rid herself of the spirit of former Marlwood student, Celia Reaves. Celia has possessed Lindsay since last semester, but Lindsay has no idea why, or what Celia wants from her. As Lindsay slowly uncovers the secrets of the old school, she realizes that she and Amanda Winters are both possessed by the spirits of former Marlwood girls who were involved in a bizarre love triangle. Lindsay also uncovers a secret about the school's past that is even more frightening. She and to-die-for Troy Minear, who happens to be Amanda's boyfriend, discover a book containing the names of the nineteenth century Marlwood girls who were targeted for lobotomies. Holder creates a believable cadre of mean girls along with a truly scary plot; however she includes a large number of other characters who seem irrelevant to the story, and leaves some central questions unanswered. Contains references to teenage drinking, incest, and rape. Reviewer: Dana Benge