Review: Possess by Gretchen McNeil

Title: Possess

Author: Gretchen McNeil

Publication Date: August 23rd, 2011

Published By: Balzer & Bray

Hardcover, 384 Pages

Source: ARC received for blog tour for an honest review

Summary:

"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."

Review: **** 1/2 = 4.5 Stars

Possess was a stunning, page-turning debut from author Gretchen McNeil. Taking place in San Francisco, the main character Bridget, who wants nothing other than to be left alone, begins hearing the voices of Demons after the death of her father. There are many things I look for in a YA paranormal novel, and this had it all, plus some. Action, romance, horror/thrills/mystery, and Bridget's attitude made it able for us all to relax a bit (even with the creepiness).

Bridget's ability to hear, and rid others of, Demons, was certainly a unique idea which allowed me as a reader to breathe a sigh of relief that not all books in similar genres have to share concepts/creatures etc. A breath of fresh air is the simpleist way to convey what this book is as a whole.

Bridget was a wonderful character. My favorite part about her has to be that she is consistantly her own character. She never lets others influence who she is. We see it time and time again, a female character will cave to her mans wishes, or even a friends, and let's face it, it's kind of depressing. It's refreshing to have a character that stands up for themself. Another thing I love, she has three best friends, all males, and she doesn't have something going on with any of them. They are best friends, that's it. Oh if only it were always that simple in books. Why can't a girl just have guy best friends without it elevating to something more??

Did I mention this book has a serious creep factor?? I've read YA books that can sometimes be creepy-ish... but this takes the cake. If you've read other reviews, I don't doubt that they mention the dolls. *chills* You'll have to read it for yourself, but let me tell you... read this during the day, or sleep with your light on... otherwise there is a high probability that nightmares will ensue.

Overall.. this is a must read. If you're looking for something original and captivating, Possess is right for you!

Cover Love: This dark, creepy cover fits the story within perfectly. Even without very much variety in the color within it, its still very eye-catching.

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To learn more about Gretchen McNeil or her books, check out her webpage or follow her on twitter.

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Sherry<3