The Beast You Let In

Gr 9 Up–A gripping tale of supernatural horror that draws readers in from the beginning. The story begins with a teenage party, a legend of a murdered girl, and, of course, a supernatural summoning event. Twins Beth and Hazel arrive at the party, but Beth departs early and doesn’t come back. The next morning, Hazel finds Beth’s bed empty and the search begins. Eventually, Beth is found...but is it Beth? Or has the spirit of a girl murdered more than twenty years ago inhabited Beth’s body with revenge on her mind? Hazel forms an unlikely alliance with Beth’s friends to figure out what is happening and how it ties their parents to the murdered girl, Veronica Green. In true supernatural horror fashion, a beast is unleashed and commences to kill those who have wronged Veronica—and their descendants. Deaths are described in detail, but are not extremely graphic. Told in alternating points of view, the author is able to give the characters voice and depth. However, there were times that the narration is a bit confusing, and readers may need to refer to the chapter headings to figure out which character is narrating the chapter. The characters are diverse in terms of race and sexual orientation. There are enough plot twists to keep readers guessing and invested all the way up until the end.