Possessed

by Kate Cann

Book Overview

A dark, gothic tale set in modern-day England, this thriller love story will captivate fans of Twilight and Wicked Lovely. Rayne can't wait to start her summer job at a remote country mansion, far from the crowded, noisy London she so desperately wants to escape. But the retreat soon turns into a nightmare -- the mansion is creepy, the legends of ghosts keep Rayne up at night, and she doesn't feel safe anywhere. Can Rayne figure out why she's so freaked...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0545128129
• ISBN13: 9780545128124
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Point
• Length: 327 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.8" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Far Better Than I Expected

My only complaint about this book is that although the title is "Possessed," there is no possession in any way, shape, or form in this book. Due to this, I feel the novel could have used a better title. Anyway, I found myself really loving this book, even though I am a thirty-two year old man and far outside the "teenage girl" demographic this book is geared for. I really enjoyed the characters, the author's style of writing and the fast moving and intricate plot that this book contained. My favourite aspect is how the book never comes out and says whether there is anything supernatural actually going on, or if it is simply the beliefs and/or imaginations of the characters running away with them. Throughout the book there are real world explinations for the occurances (that may or may not be correct) and there is a lot of superstition, so it's quite easy to read this book as a supernatural thriller, or as a quirky book full of eccentric rural Britons. I also love how the main character is simply trying to find herself and so decides to leave behind everything she knows and is used to for a totally alien environment. I think everyone has the urge to do that at times, but so few people are willing to take that kind of risk with their security. I also liked that you were able to see the positive and negative aspects of her decision. Overall, I had a hard time putting this book down and not only would I love to see more of these characters, but I'll also be checking out other books by Kate Cann to see how they compare to Possessed.

Much with the shivers!

This book immediately brought up memories of dusty old Gothic/Victorian novels... you know the type. So add a modern-day London girl with a cellphone. There isn't much difference. And that is absolutely wonderful. I was still swept away into the eerie world of an old manor brimming with horrible histories and passionate-but-dark romances. Rayne is stifled and bored with her London life, family, and boyfriend. So, for a change of pace, she takes a job at an old manor in the English countryside. Of course, the place is delightfully terrifying and foreboding as well as possessing all the charm and beauty of the woods. Cann is enchanting at whipping up the proper setting. She soon falls in with a local clique and begins to date one of them. But even as she takes on a new life, terror surrounds the manor and the surrounding village. The story oozes with incredible imagery, extracts of British lore, and plenty of eeriness. I was hooked and read it in one setting. It's scary, lovely, and a perfect update of the old genre.

So much fun, I finished in two days!

When I opened the book, I was not initially impressed. The urban British dialect was a little odd at first, and the main characters felt off-putting, but this changed very quickly. Main character Rayne was frustrated with exactly those surroundings--her boyfriend, her single-parent mother and small child, the noise, the street culture. Her longing to escape all this takes her out to the country where begins her new life working at the old and mysterious Morton's Keep. The pacing perfectly builds suspense, never feeling forced or contrived and tempered by subtlety, and the "teen angst" subplot doesn't feel obnoxious as it so easily does, text messages notwithstanding. The characters are developed just enough to be believable, but very much in the style of a movie, not so much that it weighs down the story's progression. (In another genre, that might be an issue, but for a ghost story, it works very well.) "Possessed" quickly becomes a page-turner that, for someone like me, makes you just a little afraid of the dark. I recommend it for both teens and adults as a very fun, light read!

Well written, interesting plot, will have you up late at night!

I was up late last night plowing through the last 100 pages of this book. I knew I should have gone to bed, but I simply could not put it down! Rayne is set to head off to college, has the perfect boyfriend, and spends her free time helping her mom out by taking care of her little brother. With all that is going on she feels as though it is all very wrong. Rayne starts looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle of her life and finds that escape in an ancient country estate, hours away from her hometown of London. Morton's Keep is about 1000 years old, and its history is steeped in debauchery, murder, and hauntings. Rayne quickly finds out that while the owners like to dangle the carrot to attract ghost hunters, they keep relatively mum about the details of the estates past. Rayne finds herself very happy at the estate, and even manages to find a group of people her own age to befriend. She starts to realize how truly unhappy she was in London, and is eager to see where life can take her in this strange little town. Things are not always as they seem, and people are not always who they say they are. Rayne learns more about the history of the estate than she would have liked to know, and then finds herself to have been manipulated as a toy by a person with a surprising endgame. Kate Cann did an excellent job building the suspense. The story never dragged, and the hints and clues were revealed at an absolutely perfect pace. When the secrets were revealed near the end of the book, she made sure not to let the story lose steam. The book only got more exciting! A must read for fans of suspense. Appropriate for older teens, but perhaps not younger ones.

Possessed? More like obsessed or addicted!

Wow, this book was totally addicting! At first, I was turned off by the main character and her boyfriend's names: Rayne and Damian. It seemed so trite, so pretentious. I decided to overlook that one flaw and keep reading, and I am sure glad I did! So Rayne is trapped living with her single (and dating) mother and her 3 year old little brother. She has been dating one of the popular guys at school, Damian, but the two of them haven't had sex yet, and Rayne doesn't want to. She's just not too into Damian. Sure, she likes him, but love? Not really. We all remember high school romances to be passionate, obsessive and fabulous while things are great, but to have a "blah" relationship is a waste of time. Rayne feels pretty trapped. She longs to get away from her mom and boyfriend, so she looks for a job, and finds one working at a teashop at an old manor house. The manor house is old and spooky, but its the perfect place for Rayne. She loves the quiet and solitude, and the job seems to suit her. She moves in to a small little hut on the edge of the property called the "Old Sty" since it used to house pigs. Now its a two room cottage with a connecting bathroom. The first night Rayne sleeps there she has a hard night, and almost decides to leave, but she changes her mind. All the spooky things that happened to her could be easily explained to nerves, wildlife and wind. I was totally enthralled reading this book, and had to hide it under my desk at work to finish it. This was worth reading! For those of you who enjoyed Twilight, take a peek through this one. No moping Edward's or Jacobs, but the main character is really interesting, and you find yourself understanding her plight. I may be biased since I love books about haunted houses, old mansions, gardens, ghosts and spooks, but I adored this book. I think I may have to re-read it soon!