The fifth book of the Montgomery Lake High series, The Forces Within, switches gears from the halls of Montgomery Lake to the halls of a haunted mansion. The story begins with Andy Rosetti finding himself stuck in an unfamiliar location with some of his closest friends. However, this location is not just unfamiliar, it is seemingly possessed by supernatural forces that have everyone acting out of character. Between his friends going missing, finding himself acting on impulses beyond his control, and trying to search for any sort of memory of how he even ended up in this situation, Andy becomes overwhelmed with panic. Except, this panic quickly turns to confusion when Andy wakes up in the hospital, and everyone around him has no memory of the events he swears were real. The Forces Within explores the battle between light and dark temptations, such as the battle between God and Satan, within the characters at Montgomery Lake and just how strong one has to be in order to be free of any evil interference.

When Andy awakens in the hospital, he refuses to believe that the mansion was just a dream, instead he swears it was a sort of spiritual interference trying to reveal a message to him. What he cannot understand, however, is what exactly he should do about the message. Each element to the mansion, such as the secret passageways, Chantal being secluded from the evil forces, and Leslie’s deceitfulness, is a metaphor for something bigger in the real world, but only Andy is able to see the full picture. He is torn because continuing on as if the dream he had didn’t happen might be selfish to those around him, but doing what he thinks God is pushing him towards is going to cause some serious life adjustments. Yet, if what God wants is going to rid the evil forces out of everyone’s lives, it is going to have to be done.

The Forces Within is an insightful and unique approach to discussing the difficult decisions that teenagers are faced with making. For the students at Montgomery Lake High, they are constantly torn between doing what they think is morally right and what they think will bring them the most fun. The Forces Within allows for not only Andy to see how truly dark and dangerous choosing the morally wrong options can be, but allows for readers to experience it as well. In the end, Andy realizes that picking the option that will bring temporary happiness is only going to prolong the inevitable. If he wants to bring good to himself and those he loves, then change has to begin immediately.

ABOUT EMILY MCDERMOTT

Emily is a recent graduate of  Bridgewater State University where she completed a Bachelor’s Degree in English with a concentration in Literature. While at Bridgewater State, Emily worked in the Academic Achievement Center as a writing consultant where she helped enrolled students with any stage of the writing process. Being in this position helped Emily realize that working as an editor might be something she could see herself doing as a career. Currently, she is employed for a small business in her hometown of Bridgewater, MA while actively searching for jobs within the publishing field. She spends most of her free time reading books, playing with her dogs Neely and Kevin, going on coffee runs with her friends, and watching the Bruins with her dad. 

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