Rating: My bookshelf, with strong parent supervision

Reading Level: Late Elementary, Middle School

I had a hard time reviewing this one. On one hand, this book could be therapeutic for readers who struggle with demonic oppression or mental health struggles. On the other hand, I tread carefully when dealing with mental health and demonic forces, especially because at one point the main character throws herself off a cliff when she finds that her plans to battle the darkness don’t work.

Possible Concerns:

  • Mental health, Depression. “The darkness” is vividly described. Although there are encouraging comments such as that the darkness will end or that we need only look at the light, I still would have caution if your reader struggles with depression.
  • Spiritual Battle. The “darkness” described resembles demonic presence. People feel empty and hopeless when they face it.
  • Suicide. The main character throws herself over a cliff when her plans fail. There is weak reasoning why she would do that, but it is clear she had lost all hope.
  • Magic, fairies, imps, goblins... In case you’re against magical creatures, beware they are around.
  • Orphans, people who have lost parents to tragedy.

Things I liked:

  • Change. The main character wrestles with change and worth growing up.
  • Honesty about mental/spiritual depression/oppression. The author describes very real experiences of hopelessness and emptiness that reflect the reality that many people face.
  • Dying to find new life. The hope the main character had in resolving her darkness didn’t work. Only “dying” (giving up) ended up being a solution. This relates to our fruitless attempts to find salvation in things of this world.

I wish there was a stronger Christ figure, but nevertheless, strong biblical parallels arise in this story about battling “the darkness,” a consuming force that could very well be interpreted as spiritual oppression. For most families, this would be good to read together and discuss, but readers with heavy mental or spiritual health battles should beware.