There's Someone Inside Your House

Publication Date: September 12, 2017

Publisher: Dutton

Pages: 287

Summary:

Makani Young's life is turned upside down when she trades in her beachfront life in Hawaii for a humble existence in Nebraska with her grandmother. But fear begins to creep in when a number of Makani's classmates become slain by an unknown killer. Together, Makani and her friends set out on a daring mission to unmask the hooded figure and end there town's suffering once and for all.

Review:

Writing is a challenge. Whether it's finding the right word to begin your story or deciding which characters to keep and which to kill off, writing can be a struggle. Especially when writing a book where blood is destined to be spilled upon the ink-stained words. But Perkins not only accepted that challenge; she crushed it. There's Someone Inside Your House holds the reader hostage in a gripping tale where murder haunts the street as teenager after teenager is brutally murdered by an unknown killer. Though they lock their doors and close all their windows, every person in Nebraska knows that absolutely no one is safe.

Plot:

A good writer knows how to use fear. An author must make the story engaging enough to keep the reader interested without scaring the reader into placing the novel back onto the shelf. Though such a combination is hard to achieve, Perkins masters the ability to manipulate a reader's emotions without scaring them senseless. Along with keeping the reader on their toes, Perkins sets an easy pace to the novel that makes the plot easy to follow and comprehend. However, I did feel that the relationships established in the novel were slightly underdeveloped. While reading, I couldn't help but feel that the associations between the characters were abruptly rushed together; along with the backstories for each being obscurely vague. Regardless, Perkins makes up for the rush of character development with her thrilling suspense and flowing prose.

Characters:

All of Perkin's characters had a unique role to fulfill in the story, and were easy to sympathize with as the dire fate of each was slowly revealed. But I did have a difficult time in forming a bond with each character. When reading a novel, I enjoy fearing for the characters lives and feeling relief when each one is delivered home safe. But I didn't develop as strong of a connection while reading There's Someone Inside Your House. Even though I would have enjoyed more of a connection with the protagonist of the story, I was entertained throughout the novel and enjoyed reading about the mayhem that ensues as the story progresses.

Setting:

I always enjoy reading novels that take place in a high school setting. Being able to resonate with the characters in a familiar setting adds a splash of personality to the story as a whole. Perkins choice to set her story in a high school environment added a direct appeal to young adult readers and added diversity to the Nebraska backdrop.

Writing Style:

In all honesty, Perkins' writing style was the main appeal to me in the story. The contemporary prose and thriller plot line blend together to deliver a refreshing and interesting story. I felt that Perkins' light-hearted writing style kept the story from being frightening while simultaneously keeping the reader engaged.

Conclusion:

There's Someone Inside Your House is a perfect blend of mystery and contemporary that offers a refreshing take on slasher thrillers. Perkins delivers a thoroughly engaging story and is well-deserving of four out of five stars. I would recommend this novel to any reader who enjoys to read books with invigorating twists, such as Bone Gap by Laura Ruby or All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. Thanks for reading. :)