ambscray's review against another edition
5.0
"I like to imagine her as being possessed by the vast, awesome and awful monster that is popular culture. Possessed by the collective of ideas!"
This is the first book I've read in 2016 that had me texting and calling people about it right after I read it. I'm going to try not to hype it up too much and I'm also going to try and review it without giving much away because I would hate for someone to start it and already know certain things about it. That'll probably make this a very short review but that's okay! (I'll blog a spoilery one later.)
Rating: 5/5
I struggled with giving this rating because I tend to be stingy with my stars but I had to. I just really thoroughly enjoyed reading it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What I Didn't Like:
One of the first things I found to complain about were the possession cliches. I love scary movies, books, video games, etc. and there were a few things that happened in earlier chapters that had me rolling my eyes. However this can't count as a complaint now that I've finished because I understand now why they were there. Just read it. Do it.
I always have a weird thing about child narrators. Sometimes I just can't picture them saying some of the things they're written as saying, but I also don't have kids nor do I spend a lot of time around them so... What do I know?
That's it. Those are my only two complaints. This looks promising.
What I Liked:
I wish I could list in detail the things that I really enjoyed about this book but I refuse to spoil it for anyone. I'll try to be vague and say that I loved how smart it was. I'll definitely be checking out other titles from this author.
I really enjoyed the three different perspectives the story gets told from. You have blogger Karen Brissette who breaks down the television show (The Possession) for you. You have an 8-year old Meredith "Merry" Barrett who's sort of your "flashback" POV. Then you have the adult Merry Barrett who's recounting her story to an author (Rachel) who's writing a book about her/the things her family went through during their ordeal.
The thing I loved most about this book is that the scariest things in the book weren't what you might expect them to be going in. It's very much a psychological thriller as much as it is a horror story. I had to be careful not to read it too soon before I headed to bed.
Would I Recommend It?
Absolutely. I recommend it to any and all fans of horror, suspense, and psychological thrillers. This is not for young readers! I would suggest 17 or 18 and up.
andipants's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not normally a fan of possession stories -- it seems like so many of them rely on the premise, the "it-could-happen-to-you" factor, to scare the audience, rather than building up actual tension, and that doesn't work for me because -- controversial opinion time -- I don't believe in demons. A lot of them, this one included, also lean hard on the "is-it-a-demon-or-just-schizophrenia" angle, which gets zero mileage from me because my brain tends to go "yep, schizophrenia, next question." That said, I have certainly seen the odd possession story here and there that really worked for me, e.g. [b:My Best Friend's Exorcism|41015038|My Best Friend's Exorcism|Grady Hendrix|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533059241l/41015038._SY75_.jpg|46065002], and when I saw all the reviews about how pants-shittingly terrifying this one was supposed to be (including from Stephen King himself), I figured it might be worth a try.
Reader, my pants remain un-shitted.
There were certainly elements here that I enjoyed -- Merry is perhaps the most sympathetic and believable eight-year-old I've ever encountered outside of children's fiction. The author has clearly spent some time around kids, because her quirks and mannerisms felt spot-on. I also liked the content of the blog posts (even if the tone got annoying from time to time), although, counterintuitively, I think their presence actually detracted from the story as a whole. The dissection of horror tropes and clear-eyed (some might say cynical) analysis of the show as exploitative fiction fell right in line with my own thinking, but it also absolutely destroyed any kind of suspension of disbelief I might otherwise have built up for the "maybe it's real" argument. (And here is where the True Believers™ who go for the final twist will say,.)
In the end, the genre-savvy winks couldn't make up for how derivative the whole thing felt. All the creepy bits were shadows of movies you've already seen (as the blog posts so helpfully point out); even the major twist was lifted from. And the final little maybe-twist in the coffee shop was too little, too late for me; it wants to leave you guessing, unsettled, but at this point I don't really care enough to guess.
If you like possession stories, and particularly if you like worrying at that possessed-or-disturbed question, you might enjoy this book a whole lot more. It was competently done, and the characters are compelling. For me though, this just read as the tragic story of a mentally ill teenage girl who didn't get the help she needed, with horrific results. It was upsetting, certainly, but not in a creepy, fun Halloween way -- just in a depressed, we-need-to-fund-mental-healthcare sort of way.
Reader, my pants remain un-shitted.
There were certainly elements here that I enjoyed -- Merry is perhaps the most sympathetic and believable eight-year-old I've ever encountered outside of children's fiction. The author has clearly spent some time around kids, because her quirks and mannerisms felt spot-on. I also liked the content of the blog posts (even if the tone got annoying from time to time), although, counterintuitively, I think their presence actually detracted from the story as a whole. The dissection of horror tropes and clear-eyed (some might say cynical) analysis of the show as exploitative fiction fell right in line with my own thinking, but it also absolutely destroyed any kind of suspension of disbelief I might otherwise have built up for the "maybe it's real" argument. (And here is where the True Believers™ who go for the final twist will say,
Spoiler
"Ah, but that's exactly what the demon possessing Merry wants you to think!" Meh, sorry, still not convincedIn the end, the genre-savvy winks couldn't make up for how derivative the whole thing felt. All the creepy bits were shadows of movies you've already seen (as the blog posts so helpfully point out); even the major twist was lifted from
Spoiler
[b:We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724|We Have Always Lived in the Castle|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415357189l/89724._SX50_.jpg|847007] -- Merry, Merricat, SEE WHAT THEY DID THERE, HUH, DIDJA SEE IT?If you like possession stories, and particularly if you like worrying at that possessed-or-disturbed question, you might enjoy this book a whole lot more. It was competently done, and the characters are compelling. For me though, this just read as the tragic story of a mentally ill teenage girl who didn't get the help she needed, with horrific results. It was upsetting, certainly, but not in a creepy, fun Halloween way -- just in a depressed, we-need-to-fund-mental-healthcare sort of way.
deeh24's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
woolandwhiskey's review against another edition
4.0
A head full of ghosts was an odd, creepy book, in a mostly good way. Our main character, Merry, is the younger sister of Marjorie, who might be possessed or might have schizophrenia, or both? I still cannot decide what to make of that. But I think that's also the point.
rae_carr21's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
This Halloween season has inspired me to (very gingerly) test the waters of the horror genre. I'm not usually in the mood for dark, twisted stuff, figuring my mind is already a verdant garden of fear and anxiety, no need to go planting new varieties from outside sources. But I've found, strangely enough, that the right kind of horror read feels like the perfect escape. This one, about a teenage girl believed to be possessed who undergoes an exorcism on reality TV, was just the right amount of scary for me. Demon possession is not something I worry about happening to me on a day-to-day basis, so I was able to handle the fear quotient and get at the bigger questions the novel asks—like, is she really possessed, or does she just want attention? And either way, how far is this going to go before her family fractures under the weight of her antics?
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
chloep29's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
This was an easy read but I didn't find it particularly atmospheric, scary or creepy and found there no was no build up of tension. All of the characters were pretty unlikable and I really didn't like the blog sections of the book.
Just a bit underwhelming unfortunately.
This was an easy read but I didn't find it particularly atmospheric, scary or creepy and found there no was no build up of tension. All of the characters were pretty unlikable and I really didn't like the blog sections of the book.
Just a bit underwhelming unfortunately.
subpolka's review against another edition
Loved “The Cabin at the End of the World” - like, one-of-my-favorite-2019-reads loved. This one...eh, not so much. Abandoned at 34% mark.