Book Review: Possessed by Kate Cann

Possessed by Kate Cann
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: Available Now
Publisher: Point
Pages: 336

Summary: 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 -- before she becomes a ghost story herself?

My Review: Possessed was an interesting book with great potential. Rayne, the protagonist was tired of living in London with a noisy environment, possessive boyfriend and a restricted apartment. She needed a new type of scene. An outlet presented itself on a job post for Morton's Keep, an old country mansion. Rayne was desperately seeking an escape and succeeded to sway her mother's decision in letting her go. Her initial response to the Morton's Keep was that it was creepy. Her intuition was spot on but being that her mind was up in the clouds, she ignored the red flags.

The people around her were weird and as a reader I quickly picked up on there hidden agendas. However, I was disappointed that Rayne was naive and clueless. I considered this trip a way for her to mature and blossom into an intelligent young lady. So, it was sad to see that it didn't turn out that way. I did enjoy Kate's writing because it was easy to read and it flowed nicely. I just wish the suspense came earlier in the book instead of the last chapters. I enjoyed it but it had a lot more potential taking the supernatural route. The part when the mansion's past was revealed was my favorite. In the end, I was left with questions. I did not know where Rayne stood. I wasn't too share about her future plans and if she grew as a person. I guess I'll have to find out in the sequel :) Overall, a nice read with a decent plot.

**Read Chapter One here**

My Rating:

Source: Received from author for honest review

Author Interview:

Kate Cann is the author of Possessed, she lives in England with her husband, daughter, son and dog. She worked as an editor for many years before writing several books, including Ready?, Sex, and Go!, which were bestsellers in the UK.

For more info on Kate, visit her site:
http://www.katecann.com

Other books by Kate:
Diving In (Art & Coll, Book #1)
In The Deep End (Art & Coll, Book #2)
Sink Or Swim (Art & Coll, Book #3)
Spanish Holiday
Grecian Holiday
California Holiday
Mediterranean Holiday

Go here for further books...

Author Interview:

1) How old were you when you started writing? I was a teenager when I really got into writing (I think that’s one of the reasons I love writing for teenagers). Long, tortured diary entries full of love or loathing, that I later used for the Diving In trilogy. Plus I wrote a historical romance with friend of mine - each installment circulated round the class and the girls would say what they wanted to happen next….

2) What inspired you to write Possessed? I love the Gothic genre, its subtlety and dark, romantic atmosphere - hints and whispers and half-understood things. I wanted to create a true Gothic heroine who has to confront her deepest fears and survive. And I loved the idea of having to burrow back into history to find the solution to a present threat. Plus a lot of the fuel for Possessed came from my longing to move from London to the countryside. Not so much for peace as for something wilder and more natural, to see the stars at night and hear the wind in the trees.

3) Are the characters in the books based on someone you know? Not really, not for this book. But Ethan’s forthright character is pretty similar to my son’s!

4) What was the hardest part about writing Possessed? Honestly, this book just flowed, I loved writing it. But I think the middle of every book is the hardest. You’re on a roll at the start, setting the scene and atmosphere, introducing the characters and plot. Then the middle is where the real work occurs – before the last bit where you’ve (hopefully) worked it all out and tied up the plot and you freewheel joyfully to the end!

5) If you had to describe your book in one word, what would it be? Oooh, that’s hard. At the risk of sounding a bighead - COMPELLING.

6) Out of all the books you've written, which one is your favorite and why? Ask any author that, and most will say the one they’ve just finished writing. I adored writing Possessed and its sequel (Fire & Rayne in the UK ). I see the books as two halves of a whole; when I wrote the sequel, in some ways it felt not so much a progression as going deeper into the first book – uncovering deeper, darker layers. It was almost spooky the way it all unraveled, as though I’d planned it subconsciously.

7) Do you have any other projects you're currently working on? I’m finishing off a book I’m writing for adults (as opposed to young adults!), then I really hope to be able to finish a Young Adult book I’ve started called Witch Crag. It’s set in a dystopian world where rebellious women are persecuted as witches and the only way they can protect themselves is by fleeing to a gloomy crag and then acting as witches to scare their persecutors away. It’s about how we mythologize ourselves - about image and reality and truth, and the crossings over between them. With a fair bit of gore and lust and fear thrown in …

8) What book are you currently reading? The Poison Garden by Sarah Singleton. She’s brilliant, another YA author and a good friend of mine.

9) Do you have anything to say to all your readers? Thank you for reading my fangless books! Vampires are cool but real boys are ultimately more challenging, more fulfilling …more flesh and blood!

10) Tell us something about yourself that no one knows about - I can prune roses in a Zen trance of perfectness. Well I hope I can – I hope I haven’t killed them all off.

**Thank you so much Kate for this lovely interview!**