Possession or Obsession?

A small, cold town in Maine. A creepy entity that has haunted the town for decades, despite the fact the townspeople refuse to acknowledge its existence. Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel transform a sleepy little town into a complete nightmare in After Obsession.

Aimee's town has suffered sea tragedies before with such a big fishing industry, but the most recent tragedy took her best friend Courtney's father. While they haven't found the fisherman, it is assumed they are lost, to everyone but Courtney. In danger of losing their house, Courtney's aunt and cousin Alan move from the midwest to help them stay on their feet. The tragedy is hard to deal with, but when the rest of town starts to act strange, the loss of the fishermen becomes the last thing on everyone's mind.

People start to act irrational and violent with little to no cause. Alan uses his Native American background to cleanse the house he shares with Courtney, but when she becomes moody, violent, and breaks out in seeping "acne", he suspects something is seriously wrong. Aimee, having lost her mother to mental instability, is worried her suspicions are symptoms of her own insanity. What they realize when they come together, though, is that the current events and past events in the town are no coincidence. Something is rotten in the state of Maine.

I went back and forth about this book before reading it, but I am glad I did. It was a really interesting stand-alone ghost story full if icky, creepy factors and mystery. I really loved Alan's character, who related to his Native American father despite never knowing him. I liked that his heritage was so important to him despite never being handed down to him. He researched his tribe, knew about their ceremonies and customs, and practiced on his own. It was a really interesting new type of character I had not seen before in YA. Sure he was swoon-worthy as well, but this inner conviction in Alan was really inspiring. It also brought this idea of the "modern Indian" out there in a way people haven't really seen before. I was glad the author's took Alan down this road. 

The story itself is a medium kind of creeper with looming mystery and possession. Courtney's symptoms are gross and scary at times, but don't expect "The Exorcism". This would make a good upper middle reader through young adult book for those kids who are a little more mature than their age, but not ready for some heavy horror stories. I really enjoyed the story, and would like to see these author's team up again!