Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Come Closer

I quite enjoyed this short little read. It was a take on demonic possession I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced before, a very realistic downfall of questioning your own sanity and the feelings of losing control. I liked the interactions with the main character and the demon, the false sense of security the demon created for her while she was vulnerable truly manipulating her to the let the demon in.

I really enjoyed the parts where I wasn’t even sure if they actually happened, like the doctors visits that only made the possession take more of a hold and when our main character (can you tell I can’t remember her name, I think it was Amanda) would run into other people who seemed to have demonic energy within them. I also thought the freakiest part was the sad excuse for an exorcism and the description of the demon just kind of skittering around in the darkness of her mind’s safe space.

Overall this was a solid, short, spooky read perfect for my Halloween/Fall TBR.

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wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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mixeterna's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A quick and interesting read with a writing style I found immersive. The plot was intriguing and, while predictable at points, still had me holding out hope for the characters. I love the concept of a gradual possession that could be attributed to just a change in personality, by both others and yourself. I didn't find it particularly scary, however, and I would describe it more as an unsettling suspense than a horror. Overall enjoyable for the length.

Sadly, the ending felt cliché to me and was a bit disappointing.

Amanda's relationship with Ed, while they had their happy moments, read to me as consistently strained since before her possession, so the overwhelmingly romantic notions towards him came across very forced. Maybe that's the point - that she doesn't care about her grievances with him anymore since her life was completely destroyed by Naamah. But to me it felt a bit cheesy, and the last line just confused me. It's a shame because I really enjoyed the chapter directly before it, where Naamah had almost completely taken over and we only got glimpses of her life between blackouts. It could have been more powerful and unsettling if it stuck with that.

There was a semi-frequent use of homophobic slurs throughout, including in the very first scene, and some racist rhetoric which was never really addressed. The main character isn't painted as a likeable person, but it still made me pause and wonder whether this was a reflection of her character or just the author. There was also a conflation between demonic possession and mental illness at points,

especially since she ends up institutionalised at the end

, which strays into dangerous ideas around things like psychosis and DID. This brought my enjoyment for it down a lot.

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