Review of "Possess" by Gretchen McNeil

Possess by Gretchen McNeil

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: ARC from Goodreads First Reads
Genre: Horror/Paranormal YA

Description from Goodreads: Rule #1: Do not show fear. 
Rule #2: Do not show pity.
Rule #3: Do not engage.
Rule #4: Do not let your guard down.
Rule #5: They lie. 

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 thoughts: Bridget Lui isn't your typical high school student. Her father was brutally murdered, she hears voices, she has a stalker, and she wears steel toed boots.  She is a loner and I think she would like to keep it that way.  She has a handful of friends and a whole lot of attitude.

She attends a Catholic school where her priest is teaching her to banish demons. Enter another priest sent from the Vatican to determine the recent increase of demonic activity leaving Bridget confused. She knows that clues are given with each banishment telling about the rise of a very strong demon.  Her job is to stop his rise.

This was a very interesting book. It is darker and edgier than typical YA books. I kept on reading waiting to see what would happen to Bridget next.  I love the relationship she has with her younger brother.  I think he is what keeps her grounded.  She develops some interesting friends and relationships in the course of the book.  Not recommended for younger or less mature readers. Also swearing and use of the 'f' bomb.