The Evil Within by S. M. Hardy

BUY ON AMAZON

The Evil Within by S M Hardy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was excited to read this book, I always love a good paranormal thriller. It started out promising, even if the initial premise was not at all original; personal trauma followed by a mental breakdown and an escape to a secluded cabin in the woods. However, the longer I read, the more I realized that I was to be severely disappointed.

Again, a cabin in the woods followed by the untimely death of a loved one is hardly a new concept, so in order to make it succeed, the following story line would need to be mind blowing. Instead, I read a very wordy, British, small town version of the Mr. Mercedes trilogy by Stephen King. All of the suspense and tension fell flat due to the author's overuse of adjectives and her tendency to over explain a scene. She somehow managed to not leave enough to the imagination while also leaving me confused due to a lack of information. It seems that sometimes she got so wrapped up in descriptions that she left out actual, necessary details. I was constantly going back a few pages to see if I had missed something crucial, only to realize it hadn't been explained, or at least not clearly enough.

None of the personal stories or people were realistic, or relatable; everyone lacked depth. Their "mysterious" stories either weren't worth hiding in the first place or just boring. The "fight scenes" were muddled and hard to follow. Everything, really, was hard to follow.

This author clearly has talent, but suspense is not her forte.

View all my reviews

Many thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

---