Fair warning, there might be spoilers ahead. Read on at your own risk. I'm not intentionally trying to bash the authors in any way with this review, so if it comes off that way please forgive me. When this was first coming out it was one of those books that prompted that reaction of OMG I HAVE TO HAVE THIS BOOK NOW. So of course as soon as it released I went out and bought it. Then it sat on my shelf for nearly two years. Sometimes when that happens and you finally get around to reading the book you're like why did I wait so long to read this?!?!?! That was not the case this time.The story starts off with one major event already occurring in the past before chapter one. Sometimes that works out well, sometimes not. For me in the case of After Obsession it didn't work. I felt like I was picking up where something had been left off even though it was the beginning of the story. So this left me confused for quite a while in the beginning. The "evil" in this book was not done well either. It didn't feel creepy at all, and the way it started showing itself just didn't make sense. So a lot of people are suddenly violent and aggressive for no inexplicable reason. By the time you do meet the source of this evil it acts completely juvenile. A big let down.Then there's the matter of the insta-love. I'm not a huge fan of insta-love in general, but then again I wouldn't actually classify Alan and Aimee as insta-love. They are insta-obsession. I would almost think the book is titled after them since the evilness had more to do with possession than obsession. One minute she's with this guy and they've been together for years. Then all of a sudden when he starts acting strange (because of the evil) she dumps him and instantly gets together with her obsession, the new guy Alan. They feel like they know everything about each other, which is funny because I felt like I didn't know either of them at all. None of the characters were fleshed out very well.This was just an unsatisfying read overall. So many plot holes, and the only time I could actually tell that it was being written by two different authors was when sentences in one chapter would be short and choppy, and other times they flowed so well. Personally I wouldn't recommend this read to anyone. I don’t know where the title of the book fits in with what I read inside the book but nevertheless, the book was just what I needed. The story is written in alternating chapters told from the viewpoints of Aimee and Alan. Alan has just moved from Oklahoma up to Maine with his mother to help her sister, as her husband is missing at sea and now she seems to be lost in her own world. Alan, who is not too thrilled to be making the move, is now at a new high school making that adjustment while dealing with cultural difficulties as his father’s Navajo blood catches the eye of his classmates. Aimee misses her father and although many feel the water will be permanent resting place, Aimee hopes for his return. All living together under one roof, the noises of the house start to take on a mind of their own and Alan realizes something is just not right within the house. Aimee’s best friend is Courtney and Courtney’s mother died many years ago. Many say her mother had a disease but she also had a gift. She was a healer. Courtney has the gift which she uses under discreet conditions but Courtney also fears she may grow up to become like her mother and get the disease. Strange things are happening at Courtney’s house too, which may sound like a haunting. But why now, after all these years? The lake holds many mysteries and the River Man is making his appearance. He’s bold and he knows what he wants. Courtney lying in a hospital bed, doctors confused at her diagnosis but Alan and Aimee know her possession is in the final stages. The River Man has to be stopped and the town has go back to what ist was, right?? Love the action, love the confusion, love the characters.I finished this book in one sitting, if that should say anything about it. Great adventure and the book went so fast! The bit with the Marilyn Monroe Cheeto was terrific and put some humor into the story line. I despised Aimee at first but as the story moved on, I thought her character did a lot of growing and maturing and I ended up cheering her on at the end. The librarian, she was a knowledgeable lady and I wondered if she tried to help Aimee’s mother or if that was even possible given her age. I do wish the ending of the book would have been longer as I wanted to know more about what happened to the characters and their lives. “For now, know that is not a man’s ancestors who define who the man is. It is what he does for himself.”
What do You think about Tourments (2011)?
DNF.After reading two reviews by trusted friends, i can see this isn't going to get any better.
—Mich
This book scared the pants off of; but then I am a total chicken.
—Tigers
scary didnt let me sleep especially at the knife scene
—cherrie
So creepy & interesting. It was worth buying.
—books
