Spiritual Warfare in The Forces Within

Montgomery Lake High #5: The Forces Within

After being trapped inside his own body, unable to communicate with anyone but his own thoughts, Andy Rosetti finally wakes up from the coma that controlled his life for one month. But upon awakening, Andy finds himself and his friends in an unfamiliar setting: a mansion riddled with secret passages and supernatural forces. As his friends fall prey to the entities surrounding them, Andy must figure out if the darkness lies within the mansion’s walls or within the people surrounding him.

*The Forces Within was originally published separate from the Montgomery Lake High book series. In 2018, it was added to the series because it follows the journey of the Montgomery Lake High characters after book #4. It can be read apart from the series without any confusion.

Book Review by Elizabeth Harvey of Needham, Massachusetts

The Forces Within is a perfect example of the battle between darkness and light. In the first half of the story, the mansion is perceived as being haunted or possessed with the spirits of Leslie’s relatives who have passed. All of the characters encounter darkness while searching for Chantal and each interaction depicts the individual spiritual warfare that each person goes through in Andy’s dream.The characters who have the most amount of spirituality are attacked by darkness, but lean on their faith to ensure their safety. Chantal is greeted by an angel in her sleep that surrounded her with a blinding light in order to protect her from satan. The Lord uses Chantal and for this she will be blessed by Him. While looking for Chantal, Jon remains calm and resorts to praying. When he mentions religion Katherine begins to grow nervous and panics; she believes something is possessing her.

In Montgomery, Andy wakes up from a coma and finds himself on bad terms with God. He does not want to pray with Chantal and is struggling to know who he is. While Andy is still in the hospital, Jason visits him and asks for forgiveness. This is a huge step in the healing process for Jason’s overwhelming guilt that he felt for what happened and was a component in his road to sobriety and spirituality. Meanwhile, Chantal is overwhelmed that Andy is awake and she doesn’t want to be around him. God is always Chantal’s top priority, but it is not Andy’s, and Chantal cannot be with someone like that. Katherine finally realizes who her friends truly are, which is foreshadowed in Fallen Lake. Her discovery of the power of God helped lead her into the light and she was able to see everything much clearer.

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Tune in to Author Stacy Padula’s Interview with Doug Llewelyn

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