After Obsession
By Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel
ISBN# 9781599906812
Authors’ Websites: www.carriejonesbooks.com www.stevenewedel.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Annabell
Note: Some Spoilers Ahead!
Synopsis:
Aimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other, in a cold Maine town, they can’t stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel that something-or someone- is haunting them. They’re wrong. Despite their unusual history and powers, it’s neither Aimee nor Alan who is truly haunted. It’s Alan’s cousin Courtney who, in a desperate plea to find her missing father, has invited a demon into her life-and into her body. Only together can Aimee and Alan exorcise the ghost. And they have to move quickly, before it devours not just Courtney but everything around her.
Review:
As of late, I have been stuck in a rut of bland storyline books with generic characters and predictable plot twists to the point of complete boredom. The idea of playing with a stack of bottle caps became far more intriguing. Then a little horror-paranormal gem caught my eye at the book store and after what seems like weeks of humdrum plots, I found one that brought back some of the magic I loved about books. After Obsession is a book with a fast paced plot and likeable as well as relatable characters.The story is told from two separate perspectives, Alan Parson and Aimee Avery. Alan is forced to Maine because his mother wants to be around to help his sister who lost her husband. Courtney, Alan’s cousin and Aimee’s best friend, isn’t too happy to have her cousin invading her life since they don’t really know much about each other and she still refuses to believe her father is dead, still determined to believe her father is just lost at sea and will be found. To make things worse, the town doesn’t have a football team and Alan was a football star back in Oklahoma City. He begins to think his mother made a huge mistake until he meets Aimee and starts to feel that maybe things won’t be so bad after all. But soon enough, Alan and Aimee realize they are the only two normal acting people in a town where everyone’s dark side is coming out full force. Alan and Aimee set out to discover the truth about the town and what really happened to Courtney’s dad.Most of the plot to After Obsession is very predictable from beginning to end but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it immensely. I really liked that the book was told from the perspective of opposite sex characters. It was a lot of fun being able to see the way guys think and act around girls they like. Both Aimee and Alan had distinct enough voices where you could find a connection with how they felt. The plot was really the best character. The chapters were short and never felt like they dragged. The book is fast paced and written with light touches even in dark themes.
I really like the idea behind the demon having so much power to actually possess an entire town of people. It was a fantastic twist to the plot and created an authentic scary story. I also like the link the demon has to Aimee as well as Courtney. The suspense in the plot was palpable and strong. The characters were pretty well written but weren’t as well rounded or developed as strongly as the story behind the plot. I would have liked to see more broadened characters. Also, the romance between Aimee and Alan was sweet but not as built up as I would have liked. I wasn’t able to fully be emotionally invested in them.
I also really enjoyed the connection the story made with ancient myths of American Indian culture. I loved that Alan was Navajo and not made to be just the generic blue–eyed-blonde-hair-golden-boy-character.
Fans of Carrie Jones’ Need Series will be thoroughly satisfied and for those who don’t know author Steven Wedel (i.e. me! hehe) will find a new voice who works great long side Jones (Jones wrote Aimee’s character while Wedel wrote Alan’s character). After Obsession is one of those books you will find yourself willingly staying awake to finish and feeling so happy you did.
