Book picks similar to
A Prisoner Within by J.M. Northup


psychological-thriller
need
young-adult
abuse

Hope's Decree


Angela McPherson - 2013
    All Trinity Whitebone hoped for was a normal one. She is the direct descendant of Pandora and fated to rectify the terrors released into the world by her curious ancestor.Blain Heros is the sworn guardian created by Zeus to protect Trinity. His mission is to train her to defend humans against Pandora's curse. For Blain, training a mortal for battle is impossible. For Trinity, taking orders from an overbearing immortal whose touch leaves her dizzy, is hopeless. But with each passing lesson, frustration and confusion give way to an electrifying bond. Together they are a force to be feared, only defending humans against an ancient curse isn’t the only threat in the world anymore. A band of rogue immortals is hunting Trinity because her power is key to unleashing an unholy darkness into the mortal realm. As the war between light and dark brews, Trinity vows to fully embrace her fate—or die trying. *The final book in The Fated trilogy is coming out soon*

Untethered


Katie Hayoz - 2013
    In fact, there are times she can’t even manage to stay inside it. Junior year is off to a less than stellar start for Sylvie: Her parents are splitting up, her little brother is sitting at her lunch table, and she’s the target of the school bully. Plus, she accidentally astral projects, slipping out of her body again and again at all the worst times. Sylvie is cast as the class freak and a medical misfit. She wishes she were somewhere else. Someone else. But it's only when her best friend catches the attention of the boy Sylvie's loved in secret since the fifth grade that Sylvie makes up her mind to do something drastic. Sylvie intends to get Kevin by any means possible -- even if it involves treachery, deceit, and the dark side of the paranormal. After years of trying to ignore her ability to astral project, Sylvie finally decides to embrace it. But she also decides to embrace the shadows that accompany her on her out-of-body experiences. Opening herself up to the shadows and their evil, Sylvie comes up with a malicious plan. She is positive her scheme will give her what she wants, but she doesn’t count on it all spiraling out of control.Untethered by Katie Hayoz explores the intoxicating and dangerous world of jealousy and obsession when coupled with paranormal ability. It is a touching, sometimes funny, sometimes heart-breaking novel that speaks to the self-doubt lurking in us all. ****Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion ***Runner up in the Mslexia Children's and YA Novel Competition.

Rosalind


Abby Paden - 2013
    Rosalind is whisked away to a nearby town where she finds that her parents weren't unique in their transgressions, and that those who claimed friendship weren't really friends at all. Follow Rosalind as she meets new people in a new town, tries desperately to embrace the normal life she never had, and does her best to deal with an old wound that returns to threaten her new existence.

Whispering Wind


Karin Reeve - 2014
    This gift must remain hidden, or her entire species will perceive her as a threat. Upon her move to Williams, Arizona the woods on the mountainside become a refuge, the place where she can let her power flow free. Skin Walker, Larkin Taylor has dreamt of the same girl since his twelfth birthday. While on a run in his wolf form, he catches the scent of something overwhelmingly powerful. When Larkin comes face-to-face with his dream girl, he is astounded to find that she is real. Desperate to be close to her, he joins her as the wolf where he witnesses first-hand the true depths of her gifts. Though he should destroy her for what she is, he finds himself struggling with a fierce need to protect her and the secrets she harbors. His own secrets are threatened when his former best friend bumps into Taryn at the local café. Keiryn Falcon is instantly smitten with the new girl in town when sparks, quite literally, fly between the two as she brushes past him. The moment she is out of sight he takes to the skies in hawk form to follow. When he spies Larkin jumping down from her bedroom window, Keiryn sees nothing but red, knowing what kind of a monster lurks within the black dog. Bearing the physical scars that Larkin inflicted on him five years ago, Keiryn pledges to keep Taryn from falling victim to the same fate.While her heart wages a constant war between the boy that is bound to protect her and the one she shares a deep, inexplicable connection with; who will she choose, and will that choice destroy them all?

Retro Demonology


Jana Oliver - 2010
    Her debut solo trapping experience should be a breeze, just a harmless Grade One after all. But throw in some dippy hippies (whose peace signs and Patchouli really aren’t driving any demons away), one mischievous demon, and a run-in with the police, and Riley might not be able to pull it off...

In Her Skin


Kim Savage - 2018
    Life on the streets of Boston these past few years hasn’t been easy, and Jo is hoping to cash in on a little safety, a little security. She finds her opportunity in the Lovecrafts, a wealthy family with ties to the unsolved disappearance of Vivienne Weir, who vanished when she was nine. When Jo takes on Vivi's identity and stages the girl’s miraculous return, the Lovecrafts welcome her back with open arms. They give her everything she could want: love, money, and proximity to their intoxicating and unpredictable daughter, Temple. But nothing is as it seems in the Lovecraft household—and some secrets refuse to stay buried. As hidden crimes come to the surface, and lines of deception begin to blur, Jo must choose to either hold onto an illusion of safety, or escape the danger around her before it’s too late.

The Girl in the Wall


Daphne Benedis-Grab - 2012
    The only person who's dreading the party is Sera, Ariel's former best friend, whose father is forcing her to go. Sera has been the school pariah since she betrayed Ariel, and she now avoids Ariel and their former friends. Thrown together, Ariel and Sera can agree on one thing: this could be one very long night.They have no idea just how right they are.Only moments after the concert begins and the lights go down, thugs open fire on parents and schoolmates alike, in a plot against Ariel's father that quickly spins out of control. As the entire party is taken hostage, the girls are forced apart. Ariel escapes into the hidden tunnels in the family mansion, where she and Sera played as children. Only Sera, who forges an unlikely alliance with Hudson Winters, knows where her friend could be. As the industrial terrorist plot unravels and the death toll climbs, Ariel and Sera must recall the sisterhood that once sustained them as they try to save themselves and each other on the longest night of their lives.

Clouds Gathering


David Beers - 2016
    His corner office looks out on Dallas’s beautiful skyline. His amazing wife and children love him. His father and sister adore him. John has it all. Except every few years, when Harry shows back up. Harry wants John to kill people. Harry wants to watch the world burn. Murderous thoughts take hold of John, and as flames ignite across his life, the sky doesn’t send cool rain water, but blood to feed their hunger. If you love taut, psychological thrillers, grab Red Rain today and prepare to sleep with the lights on!

Forget Me Not (Summit Lake Thriller, #1)


Kristen Middleton - 2018
     When a deranged lunatic starts targeting single mom, Amanda Schultz, with threatening letters and "presents" on her doorstep, she turns to the police, who offer advice but no real help. At the mercy of a psychopath, Amanda realizes she's in a game of cat-and-mouse, where the killer keeps changing the rules and the winner... is the only one left standing. Language, violence, and adult situations. Warning - reference to sexual abuse but no graphic details.

Into the Deep


Lauryn April - 2012
    After almost drowning, Ivy finds herself with an ability she doesn’t want, an ability to uncover secrets which quickly begins to redefine what she thinks about the people around her as well as herself. Because of this ability, Ivy becomes the one thing that stands between an angry teen and the death of every student on campus. The only problem is she doesn’t know who wants everyone dead. Will she figure out whose secret is that they’re planning to blow up her school, or will she fail to find him in time?Through her search to do the right thing, Ivy discovers that knowing the thoughts and secrets of those around her may just tear her apart.

Safe and Sound


Lindy Zart - 2012
    She has a secret no one can know. Once a safe haven, her home has turned into a prison, and she fears if she doesn't somehow escape, she will lose herself completely. She finds her escape in Jack; a troubled young man with a cynical smile and eyes that see all Lola tries to hide. But even Jack can't save her from the evil at home.

Talisman


S.E. Akers - 2011
    . . but sometimes, it's her destiny. When strangers sweep in to save Shiloh Wallace’s rural West Virginia town, she soon realizes her humdrum "human" life will never be the same. The unnerving telepathic event rocks the suspicious high school senior with questions that leaves her desperately seeking the truth. With freak occurrences mounting at every turn, Shiloh finds herself barreling down an unimaginable path that ultimately leads to her destiny. She is a Talisman, an elemental supernatural being who can wield powers drawn from ancient stones that grant her abilities beyond her wildest dreams. Now, along with the aid of her newfound mentors, Shiloh must come to grips with accepting the illustrious Diamond Wand of Adamas as her fate, while saving her town and those she loves from an evil Talisman hell-bent on destroying everything that stands in his way of claiming her coveted diamond as his own.

Deep Fried and Pickled


Paisley Ray - 2012
    She has barely had time to acquaint herself to the dorm food before finding herself threatened by a jealous She-Devil, fending off the advances of a thirty-something redneck, and stumbling upon an art fraud scheme. To top things off, her parents go their separate ways: her mom to follow a psychic calling; her dad adrift in his midlife crisis.Bad decision-making, law-bending behavior, and surprise romances make freshman year memorable in Paisley Ray's DEEP FRIED AND PICKLED.

Kat & Maus


Brad Chisholm - 2018
    He becomes obsessed with proving his wife Kat's loyalty after discovering a hidden cache of journals and intimate photos which document a sexual appetite she has never shared with him, even though they have been married for ten years.Mark broods over Kat's journals – until fate provides a way for him to test Kat's loyalty.It's brilliant – as long as Kat never finds out.

Gateway


Christina Garner - 2011
    Ember's want her dead.Ember has always known she doesn't belong in this world, but when she takes matters into her own hands, she winds up in a mental institution.  There she draws the attention of Taren, a mysterious boy with a dangerous secret.  When demons attack and they are forced to flee together, Ember learns her secret might be the deadliest of all.  With a gateway to hell about to open in Los Angeles, Ember must choose--will she save the world... or end it?