Laura’s Review of Devils in the Dark (The Devil in Miss Drake’s Class Book 1) by Marcus Damanda

Synopsis

To most of the Facebook Fifteen, bullying Audrey Bales was just a game—until two deep cuts with a Swiss army knife changed everything forever. Audrey didn’t want attention anymore. After five weeks at Fairview High School, Audrey wanted to die.

The doctors did the only thing they could with her: they put her away.

But in Fairview, Virginia, the nightmare is only beginning. The chat session had not gone unobserved. The Facebook Fifteen have drawn the attention of an ancient evil that lives only to punish those who would prey upon the weak.

They are the ghosts of 1,000 dead children—1,000 suicides—and their master…

Their master likes Audrey Bales.

And as Audrey attempts to heal her mind and body, far from home, their master prepares for the revenge he will unleash upon her return. 

What I Loved

            Right away this book drags you into the drama and depression that is Audrey Bales and her messed up life.  Audrey could be any girl that kids see in school every day, you never know what’s going on inside someone’s head and how heart breaking it can be for them to be bullied every single day.  Going to school used to seem so simple, but through Audrey’s eyes you see it as the battlefield it truly can be.  Marcus Damanda has a wonderful way of conveying Audrey’s total despair that immediately grips your heart and you instantly want to be the person to save this poor girl and tell her it gets better when you’re older. 

            I love that this story was constantly changing point of views, and the very sinister element that is the observer who lends to the paranormal aspect of this overall plot.  You don’t know much about the observer and you know very little of what kind of powers this supernatural creature holds but you know in some way this thing is very very dangerous.  As the story evolves you don’t just get Audrey’s point of view, but you get what her enemies are thinking as well, which either will make you hate them more or sympathize with their story. 

Not So Much

            I really loved this story which definitely pleasantly surprised me.  But I guess the only complaint I would have is that I wish maybe there was some more build up in the beginning and more explanation.  The story immediately drops you into Audrey’s life, and as the plot moves along you learn the events that led up to her making the decision to end her life.  To me it would’ve been awesome to maybe experience those actions rather than just hear about them.  The same can be said for this evil creature that is the 1,000 souls of dead children, like who do they answer to ultimately?  Are there others like this creature, since there are certainly more than 1,000 dead children in the world?  I would’ve liked to have learned more about all of that and maybe more background and foundation to the overall plot.

To Sum It All Up!

            This is definitely not the usual books I read and was a real stretch for me, but I want to expand my reading genres and this series definitely interested me.  I was so happy I was not disappointed in the least.  I felt like the subject matter is very current which makes the plot all the more riveting and heart breaking at the same time.  Audrey is definitely a girl any person can get behind and be the president of her fan club. I loved how the story constantly switched point of views so you didn’t just get emotionally invested in Audrey’s story but everyone’s as well.  This made me kind of love some characters while totally despise others and for me any book that brings out such strong emotions is a huge winner.  I know that I am not a teenage girl in high school or junior high so I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to relate to what’s going on, but Marcus Damanda has a way of pulling you in and bringing the story to your level so no matter who you are, it’s easy to feel and experience this story in the best way possible!