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nicoledean's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
2.0
📖 Edie works as a body for the Elysian Society. A company that allows clients to reconnect with loved ones that have passed on. When she meets Patrick, a widower who wants to reconnect with his deceased wife, Edie becomes obsessed with the couple. As her obsession grows, her life and everything around her spirals out of control.
💠This book had a very interesting concept. Even though I wasn’t really liking it, I couldn’t stop reading because I just had to know how everything was going to unravel. I liked the writing, but sometimes I felt a little confused as to what was happening in the story. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the big reveal. In the end, it just wasn’t for me. I closed the book and just kind of went huh 🤔. I did enjoy the murder mystery aspect of it though.
📚Read this if you like…
Slow burn thrillers
Creepy vibes
Murder mysteries
SciFi thrillers
💠This book had a very interesting concept. Even though I wasn’t really liking it, I couldn’t stop reading because I just had to know how everything was going to unravel. I liked the writing, but sometimes I felt a little confused as to what was happening in the story. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the big reveal. In the end, it just wasn’t for me. I closed the book and just kind of went huh 🤔. I did enjoy the murder mystery aspect of it though.
📚Read this if you like…
Slow burn thrillers
Creepy vibes
Murder mysteries
SciFi thrillers
kivt's review against another edition
2.0
This honestly wasn't very good. Neither the concept nor the execution were especially original. The experience of reading it was fairly cold and hollow. I kept waiting for the book to start, and waiting for us to know anything about the characters, and neither of those things ever got around to happening. I get that it's a stylistic choice to reinforce the themes of the novel, but it wasn't effective.
tatyanavogt's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 2.5
I didn't like it, I didn't hate it.
I think the idea of the book was pretty cool but the story was a little all over the place and it didn't have the impact I felt like it should. Again, I didn't think it was bad but I just don't feel like I'd read it again. I guess to a degree I was a bit disappointed. The idea was so cool that I wanted it to be more than it was..
Spoilers stuff:
One of the biggest things that bothered me was her "crime". I didn't think it was a big enough thing for her to be shunned by him/everyone. Not saying that I think what she did was okay, but it didn't seem like a big crime, especially when she described it the way she did.. I dunno. God forbid someone take too many sleeping pills after not being able to sleep for days.. What a criminal! She doesn't need help, she needs jail... I dunno..
Also she hinted at physical scars that were not explained by the event. And that suggested something more sinister.
Plus what was the point of the wife's presence. I dunno, I thought it was a cool idea but nothing really came of it. It was just lightly mentioned. I feel like a lot of cool ideas where brought up and not really fleshed out. It could have used some work tying everything together.
After reading it I just felt meh... Thinking back on now, I'm a little disappointed. Cool Idea but it didn't work for me.
I didn't like it, I didn't hate it.
I think the idea of the book was pretty cool but the story was a little all over the place and it didn't have the impact I felt like it should. Again, I didn't think it was bad but I just don't feel like I'd read it again. I guess to a degree I was a bit disappointed. The idea was so cool that I wanted it to be more than it was..
Spoilers stuff:
Spoiler
One of the biggest things that bothered me was her "crime". I didn't think it was a big enough thing for her to be shunned by him/everyone. Not saying that I think what she did was okay, but it didn't seem like a big crime, especially when she described it the way she did.. I dunno. God forbid someone take too many sleeping pills after not being able to sleep for days.. What a criminal! She doesn't need help, she needs jail... I dunno..
Also she hinted at physical scars that were not explained by the event. And that suggested something more sinister.
Plus what was the point of the wife's presence. I dunno, I thought it was a cool idea but nothing really came of it. It was just lightly mentioned. I feel like a lot of cool ideas where brought up and not really fleshed out. It could have used some work tying everything together.
After reading it I just felt meh... Thinking back on now, I'm a little disappointed. Cool Idea but it didn't work for me.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
It deserves more than a 3, but due to so many unanswered questions and a bit of predictability in some plot aspects, I can't give it anything higher.
Spoiler
What really was wrong with Eddie? Was the baby actually Patrick's? What was the reason Slywia stayed with Eddie after so many others didn't? And not as important, but what happens to Dora since she lived in Renard's apartment?babybirdnoco's review against another edition
3.0
At times this book was confusing and I had to re-read or put the book down, at others it was thrilling and I couldn't wait to read what happened next. If you don't believe in spirits then this book is definitely not for you. However if you've ever been curious about your loved ones after they pass this book could definitely peek your interest!
The Possessions was Sara Flannery Murphy's first book so I will definitely be interested to see what more this author comes out with in the future!
The Possessions was Sara Flannery Murphy's first book so I will definitely be interested to see what more this author comes out with in the future!
celjla212's review against another edition
4.0
I give props to the author for finding such a unique premise for a book. It's not quite clear how things work, but suspending your disbelief ensures you will enjoy this story.
Edie is very good at her job, which entails slipping in and out of consciousness while a dead person's (spirit? soul? it's never really named) speaking through her. She is basically going along day after day until she finally, unexpectedly, makes a real connection with a client. Patrick Braddock is visiting Edie to contact his recently departed wife. As Edie channels Sylvia, she finds it harder and harder to separate herself from Sylvia's former life, and Patrick as well. She soon becomes entertwined with him, and as she gets in deeper and deeper she learns that even though your body might be one with another's, you can never truly get to know their secrets.
I found this book easy to get absorbed in. Edie is a shaky, very withholding narrator, but as she opens up and learns more about Sylvia and gets closer to Patrick, she becomes more intriguing. While I have put this book on my "thriller" shelf, there are no really scary parts or anything where you're holding your breath waiting for something to happen. The true deliciousness in this story is watching Edie slowly start to become someone completely different from herself.
I cannot say I particularly loved the characterization. The reader learns almost nothing about Edie until the last 5 percent of the novel. And even then, the way her past is unraveled takes you a few minutes to think about.
As I have thought about this book over the last 24 hours since I've finished it, I've loved it more. I definitely read it quickly and lost track of time in its' pages. I would recommend this novel to those who like their stories to unwind slowly...because delayed gratification is what makes this book work. I am looking forward to more from this author.
Edie is very good at her job, which entails slipping in and out of consciousness while a dead person's (spirit? soul? it's never really named) speaking through her. She is basically going along day after day until she finally, unexpectedly, makes a real connection with a client. Patrick Braddock is visiting Edie to contact his recently departed wife. As Edie channels Sylvia, she finds it harder and harder to separate herself from Sylvia's former life, and Patrick as well. She soon becomes entertwined with him, and as she gets in deeper and deeper she learns that even though your body might be one with another's, you can never truly get to know their secrets.
I found this book easy to get absorbed in. Edie is a shaky, very withholding narrator, but as she opens up and learns more about Sylvia and gets closer to Patrick, she becomes more intriguing. While I have put this book on my "thriller" shelf, there are no really scary parts or anything where you're holding your breath waiting for something to happen. The true deliciousness in this story is watching Edie slowly start to become someone completely different from herself.
I cannot say I particularly loved the characterization. The reader learns almost nothing about Edie until the last 5 percent of the novel. And even then, the way her past is unraveled takes you a few minutes to think about.
As I have thought about this book over the last 24 hours since I've finished it, I've loved it more. I definitely read it quickly and lost track of time in its' pages. I would recommend this novel to those who like their stories to unwind slowly...because delayed gratification is what makes this book work. I am looking forward to more from this author.
beeta_laskowski's review against another edition
2.0
I found The Possessions interesting.. I loved the author's writing style but overall didn't care for the story. I found it hard to believe that the main protagonist, after 5 years of detachment, was infatuated with her client after the first visit. Infatuated enough to become obsessed with his life and insert herself into it. At times I felt like perhaps I had somehow missed something because of how the story progressed.
An enjoyable premise and writing, but not a book I would quickly recommend.
An enjoyable premise and writing, but not a book I would quickly recommend.
melissagallant_'s review against another edition
1.0
I'm so upset with this book for having its 'big reveal' be blaming someone for having a mental illness.
alliehwilliams's review against another edition
4.0
The writing is so beautiful and the setting and storytelling are so unique that it kept me hooked through some slow spots. Recommend.