How do we stop the monsters from getting us even if we know they're gone?

Two years after surviving a harrowing experience, Daniel Robinson fights to maintain a normal life while battling the nightmares and demons that remain from his ordeal. His hope of recovery is quashed when his savior all those years ago ends up in danger in a plot for revenge. Can he overcome this new trauma and overcome his demons once and for all?

This is a continuation of the events from Ian's debut novel The Field, and though it is the second in a series, it doesn't carry allusions to the previous plot so that the reader of this book is lost. I will admit, I have not read The Field, but I do not believe that this was a detriment. In fact, Midnight House proves to work as a standalone piece.

This book carries an organic storyline that truly shows the character of the fallout of trauma. Though it was a quick read, it is also full of life-lessons about recovery, heartbreak, inner battles and personal development.

The portrayal of exhaustion from insomnia/nightmares really hit home for me, as I deal with chronic fatigue and terrifying dreams. I could feel Daniel's full-body fatigue through the pages. The fear of falling asleep and seeing images replay was very palpable. The natural progression of identifying and addressing issues regarding his trauma was evident: first with trying to admit that he was fine while using vices to get him through the day, to finally feeling comfortable with his friends/family in order to seek treatment and resolution.

Ian was very descriptive in his writing and his most of the dialogue flowed naturally. Despite the traumatic events of the book, he injected pieces of humour to break up the tense moments, which also helped amplify the brief hilarity experienced in teens as they explore life and relationships.

Some dialogue involving the relationship of Daniel and Amber came across as weak. I also felt that some of the dialogue from April made her appear much older than she is portrayed in the book. There were times when I questioned the motivation of Kyle and why there was such a serious degradation of his relationship with Daniel.

There were times I had a hard time following which perspective I was reading from, as there wasn't much indication on when the POV shifted - this could be assisted with clear titles at the beginning of chapters or sections in which this perspective changed. The chapters also felt a bit short/quick, which did give a bit of a jolting feeling during my time with the characters.

That being said, I did find this book and the narrative enjoyable. It speaks to a lot of real-life issues faced by young people in their formative years: relationships with family/friends, peer-pressure, bullying, trauma, depression, maintaining distant communications and many other aspects. Some parts were raw and revealing, but they also opened opportunity for conversation.