This was interesting and not what I expected at all. I knew it would be creepy but this was a type of creepy, strange that I've never read before and I really enjoyed it.
I liked the backstory at the beginning that explained Abby & Gretchen's friendship foundation and certain aspects about them, that could be used to explain things later on. This is something that I enjoy in the writing, that not a lot of authors do.
I was confused about what really happened with Gretchen. Obviously she was possessed, but I'm confused how it happened. I know there was the creepy house thing in the woods with weird symbols and signs and things, but is that what made her possessed? Was it the acid they took? I never really understood what made her become possessed. I could have missed it, but I don't think I did.
Seeing all the things that happened because Gretchen was possessed was super weird but fun in a way. As the reader, we knew she was possessed, but Abby didn't know and was desperately trying to figure out what was wrong with her friend. I also liked the different aspects, such as Gretchen's parents, Glee & Margaret, Abby's Parents and the school people played in the story as well. You could tell that these people were affected by Gretchen's demon but that they didn't know exactly what was going on. It was so infuriating when Gretchen's parents blamed Abby and then Glee & Margaret turned on Abby once Gretchen's demon made her seem normal?? It was wack, but definitely how I was supposed to feel as a reader. I cared about Abby and Gretchen. I wanted Abby to have her friend back and I wanted Gretchen to be okay, but I knew it would not be normal once it was all over.
Parts of the ending didn't sit right with me. It's hard to explain. The court process confused me and the exorcist's role in that confused me. I understood that Abby had to leave Charleston after all of that or else her life wouldn't be the same. But I didn't like some of the ambiguity of the flash forward in time. Details, that in reality, weren't super important to the story. But I wanted to know more about their futures leading up to when they met up again. I did like the part at the end of the book about
Gretchen being there for Abby until her end. It was sweet and wholesome that their friendship, despite having to go through and exorcism together, stood the test of time.
This was a creepy story with some gore and violence that I didn't exactly like. I won't go into more details than that to not spoil anything. But if you decide to read this, definitely check the trigger warnings because there are a decent amount!
