M. Verano

I finished this book in a week...but not because it was a page-turner that I couldn't put down. It was definitely a quick read, but it had a really slow build and not much of a climax. The "chapters" were journal entries, so sometimes they were a couple of paragraphs and sometimes they were a few pages long. I think that's why it seemed to go fast, because I made it through a lot of entries in one sitting. There wasn't really anything exciting going on until the last 75-100 pages or so. I also needed another 20-30 pages at the end to explain the ending and tie up some other questions and loose ends.

All in all, it was just kind of so-so. Would I read it again? Definitely not. Would I recommend it to others? Sure, I guess so. If you like a little bit of mystery and intrigue, or are interested in supernatural stuff maybe. Please note that the main character is a teenager, so if you aren't into Young Adult books, you probably won't be interested in this book.… (meer)

Originally, while I liked the book OK, I thought the story behind the "haunted" house and the possession was very standard and a little cliché (though there were some interesting red herrings - I definitely thought Raph was a ghost, with how weird and reticent he was acting).

But once the novel hit the final few pages, once we figured out the tragic backstory behind what was happening and found out it wasn't quite over is when it really impressed me. Paige being the one possessed was, again, hinted at, but I thought it was residual energy from Logan, not an actual full-scale possession. The final "journal" entries were incredibly well-done, depicting someone who has absolutely no idea of what they've done either because of mental illness or something more supernatural. There maybe could have been a little bit more hints towards mental illness, but everyone saying they were worried about Paige and her not understanding why put the reader in her shoes and did work on some level.

Obviously, there were some questions left - why was Paige the one chosen as the conduit? Because she was a girl the same age as Amelia? Then why was Logan the one having seizures and not her? Why didn't it stop once they burned the letters and discovered what happened? Why did the therapist tell Paige to avoid Raph? - but definitely a pretty spooky one.… (meer)