Reviewed by Cheryl Schopen for Readers' Favorite

In The Demon Inside by ML Sparrow, eighteen-year-old Darcy had her whole life ahead of her. She had her loving family, the grades she needed to get into the university she wanted, and Alec, her devoted boyfriend with whom she saw her future. Then, things drastically changed. In The Demon Inside by ML Sparrow, creatures begin possessing humans, turning them into soulless cannibals that will attack and kill without hesitation. Suddenly, Darcy loses her parents, her home, and the world she once knew. She and Alec must now learn to survive and keep their loved ones safe. Even after finding what seems like a secure place to live, they struggle to adapt to their new life. And are things as safe as they seem? Can they survive in this world that is rapidly filling up with dangerous monsters?

This book had me hooked from the very beginning. It started out as almost a young adult romance novel. I was so immersed in Darcy and Alec’s new relationship that I forgot what the book was really about, and was so surprised when people began transforming into crazy monsters. I absolutely loved that because it wasn’t your typical zombie book that jumped right into blood and gore and carnage. We got to know and care about these characters first, and we were completely taken by surprise right along with them when the world took a turn for the worse. I’ll be the first to admit that I cried a few times along the way, which isn’t usual for me in an apocalypse-type book because I don’t usually care about the characters as much as I did with this story. I give ML Sparrow credit for doing such a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. Yes, there was action and violence, but the focus wasn’t on that. It was on a group of survivors trying to live in this new world, which makes this book stand out. With unforgettable characters and an imaginative plot, The Demon Inside is a must-read. I can’t wait to read more from this fantastic storyteller.