Possessed by Kate Cann

Rayne feels like London is closing in on her. It’s the heat, the nagging of her mother, her controlling boyfriend, and the incessant noise that makes her feel trapped and drives her crazy. So when she’s offered a position at a secluded estate in the countryside, she almost immediately accepts. Out here, there’s space, trees, and blessed silence. But Rayne’s transition to this new atmosphere isn’t quite so smooth. Morton’s Keep, her new home, is spooky to say the least and surrounded by rumors of horrors past. Rayne tries to ignore these scary stories and focus on just doing her job, but it soon becomes apparent that the horrors of Morton’s Keep aren’t all just hearsay and only from the past. Something evil is afoot, threatening to unleash itself upon the world once again.

Let me just say to begin that Cann sure knows how to tell a good story. Rayne’s tale starts out innocently enough; at first, she appears a teen just craving a bit of freedom. But when she moves out to Morton’s Keep and time passes, the reader realizes there’s something larger and more sinister at work in Rayne’s life. Cann mixes the duties of Rayne’s everyday life with strange and unnatural occurrences well, easily transitioning the focus of the tale from all of Rayne’s frustrations with her life to the evilness attached to Morton’s Keep. Characters in this story aren’t all that strong, particularly protagonist Rayne. Her personality is a bit all over the place for the majority of the book, making her difficult to relate to. However, the thrill of the actual story makes up for this. In addition, the story cuts off at the perfect place, leaving readers in suspense of the next probably catastrophe.

Possessed is sure to be enjoyed by fans of Dark Visions by L.J. Smith, Wicked: Witch & Curse by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié, and The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong. I eagerly look forward to the continuation of Rayne’s exciting story.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from Amazon Vine