Monday, September 19, 2011

Review: Possess by Gretchen McNeil

August 23, 2011
Balzer + Bray

Synopsis:
Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.


My Review:
Possess is a creepy contemporary read that is sure to appeal all readers of YA. While it may take a few chapters to really get going, it makes up for the slow beginning with multiple twists and turns that are sure to surprise readers! While the book ends on a lighter note, it will leave readers begging for more from McNeil.

Bridget is a sarcastic teenager who is still in pain from her dad's death less than a year before. While at times she can be whiny and annoying, I could see that she truly had a good heart and was just frustrated with her "gift". I couldn't believe how involved in the story I became. I was so interested in learning more about Bridget's crazy ability to talk to and banish demons.

The side characters are equally as fun to read about! Bridget's friend Hector is hilarious! I loved the interactions between him and Bridget. I also liked Peter at first until he started acting...strange. I was so shocked at what happened to him!! My favorite character would of course have to be Matt. He is sooo dreamy and is determined to look out for Bridget. My favorite scenes were the ones between them!!

The demons in this story are not your average demon that you will find in YA nowadays. They are evil and not at all cute!! I was so creeped out whenever they Bridget encountered them. The scariest scene with them involves glass dolls. So chilling!

If you want to read about demons alongside a slow and sweet romance, Possess is the book for you! I am now a fan of McNeil's writing!

My Rating:

16 comments:

  1. Great review! This one sounds really good. I'll definitely be picking this one up soon.

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  2. Love the sound of the characters and the slow building romance. Can't wait to read this. Fantastic review :)

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  3. I seriously cannot wait to get my copy in the mail. I have my fingers crossed it will be here today! It looks extremely good. Great review!

    Rebecca @ Kindle Fever

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  4. I've heard a lot of good things about this so far and your review just made me want to read it even more. It sounds amazing!

    Thanks for sharing your opinion with us,
    Carina @ Fictional Distraction

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  5. I'm glad to hear the demons are evil and scary. Cute demons don't make a lot of sense to me.

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  6. This looks really good! The characters sound well written. Thanks for the review!

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  7. Great review! I felt the same way! Loved that the mc had some backbone!

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  8. This one does sound very creepy, and even though creepy books usually freak me out, it seems like it has strong characters and that always appeals to me. Looking forward to reading about Matt!

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  9. I hated the doll scene! *shudders* But yeah, I totally loved Possess, just like you! The twists were always a surprise, and the romance was so adorable! :) Great review, Bailey!

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  10. Hmmm...this is a book that I've seen around a lot but haven't really read a review for, so I wasn't expecting it to have a contemporary feel to it, must less humor, based on the cover. I'm glad to know there were some laughs to be had with Hector.

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  11. I felt it was more paranormal, set in a contemporary world, but maybe that's just me. I'm so glad you loved it though - I can't wait to read more of Gretchen's writing!!

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  12. I've heard so many good things about this one and have it in my TBR pile. I remember Hafsah's review made the dolls seem really creepy so I might not read it at night :) Plus, you mentioned a whole bunch of boys!

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  13. I'm way into creepy lately and books like this are completely satisfying my need for a shiver! Adding this one to the TBR...

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  14. Love books where demons are evil instead of cute!

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  15. I HAVE TO READ THIS.
    I HAVE TO BUY THIS.
    Thank you for the awesome review.
    & I love the cover. It is really spooky looking.

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I love comments and make sure to read everyone of them. I'd love to hear what you think!

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