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The Possessed

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Jocelyn doesn't believe in the supernatural, but she senses that something is in her home.When her mother and sister begin using a Ouija board to contact their dead father, Jocelyn worries that it may lead to horrible consequences. Like the footsteps outside her bedroom door late at night. Or the pounding in the walls. Maybe even the reason why her sister is trying to ruin her life. Jocelyn finds a rational explanation for every strange incident until logic breaks down and sinister events ratchet up, convincing her that an evil entity has infested her home.With the help of a 95-year-old grandma and her teenage psychic protégé, Jocelyn will need to face her deepest fears, uncover a mysterious secret from her past, and test her faith in everything she believes about good and evil if she hopes to defeat the malevolent entity before it destroys her family.But what Jocelyn doesn't realize is that this demon has more nefarious plans than she could possibly imagine. And it's eager to set them in motion.

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2018

182 people are currently reading
126 people want to read

About the author

Kirk Kilgrave

29 books24 followers
Librarian Note: Also writes under the pen name Sydney Bristow.

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5 stars
80 (41%)
4 stars
50 (25%)
3 stars
38 (19%)
2 stars
14 (7%)
1 star
11 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Dez Nemec.
1,076 reviews32 followers
October 11, 2020
Pretty good book on possession. There were a few editing errors, but not enough to distract from the story. All in all, an enjoyable story.
Profile Image for Megan.
17 reviews2 followers
March 3, 2019
I really enjoyed the book. It’s one of those stay up way too late because you feel like you need to turn the page reads. I even thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. That being said, it seems like the book was thrown together. I ‘Report Content Error’Ed like 10 times at least. That’s why I didn’t give it five stars. Still worth a read.
Profile Image for Katrina Gradias.
119 reviews
December 28, 2018
Great Read⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a great book. If you like to read about demonic possessions then I definitely recommend this book. Jocelyn finds that her family is in trouble and must find a way to save them inspit of those who don't believe her. She has to find the courage to come face to face with a demon who's intention is to own Jocelyn herself. I can't wait to see what this author's next book is like. 🤓📚
Profile Image for Betsy Byrd.
213 reviews9 followers
December 30, 2021
Awesome!

I think I'm going to love this series of books! This first one was amazing! Even though I read them a little out of line but its ok.
Profile Image for Jeff.
165 reviews6 followers
December 20, 2020
Before I get to my review, I want to speak about a line early on in the book that was so dumb that was my first clue that I don't believe Mr. Kilgrave had an editor. The story has two twins, Noel and Jocelyn, the latter being the narrator. Jocelyn mentions that, and I'm paraphrasing here, Noel was so pretty that she could get any guy--single, married, gay, straight. I mean... seriously? He had to put gay in there? I understand what he was trying to do and emphasize that Noel is VERY pretty, but I assure you, as a gay man, no matter how pretty a girl is, I would not entertain the idea of going after her. He could've left it out or found another way to describe how pretty she was. The only pass I can imagine giving him is that the book was in first person and that was Jocelyn's thought-process. But, even thinking like that, it makes me disrespect and find our narrator to be an idiot.

THE POSSESSED tells the story of Jocelyn, who takes care of her alcoholic mother after her father passed away and in a lot of ways takes care of her twin sister Noel. The book starts out with the twins hearing banging on the wall behind the washer and dryer; since Jocelyn works fixing these kinds of things in houses, she does her best to identify the cause. She has no luck and then the rancid smell enters the house. Eventually, Jocelyn's boyfriend freaks out when she comes to visit, because Jocelyn apparently accused him of raping her and, knowing that she did not do it and after watching the video his students took, she knows it is her sister, who would never do something like that under normal circumstances. The story devolves into Jocelyn learning about possessions and getting help from two people she finds on the Internet.

This books bugged the crap out of me. I gave it two stars, because it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read in my life, but it was pretty bad. While Jocelyn is researching into the paranormal, there are obviously signs that Kilgrave did very little research. One, bad smells are used VERY often by the demonic (AND IN BOOKS ABOUT THE DEMONIC!!!) and it says she went through every site and book and that was never a sign of a haunting or demons. She also says that all the people she found on the Internet who specialized in the demonic are charlatans; that, I believe, but I also know there are people like Ed and Lorraine Warren. Despite what you think of these two, they are respected in that field, so I'm sure there were people she could find. I just think that there were clues about Kilgrave's lack of knowledge on this subject.

As far as the storyline goes, it was okay at the absolute best. I finished it, because it was one of those books that you just get through. I won't be recommending this one and will not read another book by this author. Maybe he will improve, but this was not an example of a well-written horror novel--nowhere near.

THE POSSESSED will receive a D+ on my grading scale. I could get through it, but there is no way that I would read it again or say that another person should read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
19 reviews
February 5, 2019
Damn good book

This book is a real page turner it was so hard to put down that I got behind on my chores.it was totally worth it 😁
Profile Image for Karrie.
194 reviews9 followers
January 28, 2019
I really liked this story. Sometimes it was predictable and not perfectly written, but there was plenty of potential to make up for any small mistakes. It was an addictive story with characters I enjoyed in spite of their flaws or possibly because of them. I will read more of this series and/or author most assuredly!
Profile Image for Jenifer.
1,081 reviews13 followers
November 6, 2018
Exhausted from the finale! This book was intense from beginning to end. I hated every time I had to put it down because I didn't want to stop reading. Also, another downside... when I wasn't reading I was so jumpy thinking I was hearing things! I was so sucked in!

Great book!

(Thanks to Hidden Gems for a complimentary copy of this book.)
Profile Image for Isaiah.
Author 1 book87 followers
January 14, 2022
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.

I got an ARC of this book.

The cover drew me into the book so quick. I wanted it to match so badly, but it really didn’t. The cover makes the book seem much scarier than it really was. I am saddened by it, but still glad I read the book.

The book itself was easy and quick to read. There is no needed lore or research to understand the basic plot. That is all explained pretty quickly. It is a great beginner demon possession novel. It isn’t anything all that special though. There is nothing that makes this stand out as supremely scary or unique. Hence, three stars. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t phenomenal. I enjoyed it, but will I remember the name of this book in two months? No clue.

The characters were pretty flat. The mom is an alcoholic dealing with the death of her husband from a drunk driving accident. That back story struck me as odd the whole time. The people I know who have lost loved ones to drunk drivers usually avoid alcohol like the plaque, they don’t become an alcoholic. The sister is, of course, prettier and more confident. Did I mention the sisters in the book are identical twins? The prettier part comes from the sister being 10 pounds lighter and wearing make-up. So that character sat with me the wrong way. So problematic and flat characters aside, they played wonderfully in the plot. The alcohol added another level to the demon possession plot line, but it wasn’t enough to be like “WOW, that was exciting”.

There was random accidental animal torture, but it was also super out of character and unrealistic at the same time. The violence, how it happened, and the person doing it didn’t add up. It added that guilt for the demon so it was convenient, but it just brought me out of the story.

So if you want an ok ghost story with a mostly female cast, then this would be pretty great. If you want to dip your toe into horror, but you are a self described coward, then this will be great.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
398 reviews6 followers
April 2, 2019
I finished this a few days and I've forgotten it already which says a lot.

I found this a hard read mainly because I didn't like the writing style and I wasn't sure in parts whether it was supposed to be funny...it certainly wasn't scary, and some of the dialogue was almost a parody, especially from the mum and sister.

The main character, Jocelyn, was a bit of a drip if I'm honest although obviously we were supposed to be rooting for her. The sister and mum were both irritating and funny in a strange combination of characters. The exorcist - well, if she had died not sure anyone would have noticed. The boyfriend - was he supposed to save the day at the end? It seemed like he should have returned or something to atone for his sins....but he didn't. There was no real resolution - was Jocelyn going to escape her dysfunctional family? Would her mum ever forgive her for doing something at the age of 4? Would the dad ever come through? No idea and frankly I don't care. Sorry Kirk Kilgrave if you read this but a 1* from me!
96 reviews1 follower
December 27, 2019
This was another fun read and the fourth book I have read by this author. Jocelyn has a typical dysfunctional family. Dad has died in a car wreck, mom is a former professor now alcoholic and her twin sister is more than a little boy crazy. Dad died two years ago but Sis and mom decide they want to play with a ouija board to talk to dad on the other side. Dad doesn't answer but something does. Jocelyn has to figure out the weird smell in the house, the strange noises and why her sister seems to have lost her mind. This is the second book in the series and a few characters from the first book are key players in this book but if you haven't read the first book you should not have any trouble understanding what is happening. The characters are developed well and even though mom and sis are very flawed you kind of feel sorry for them. There is an ending, no cliffhanger.
Profile Image for Anna.
25 reviews
January 31, 2025
This was poorly written and therefore really unenjoyable. The dialogue was clunky and didn't flow at all, it was almost like reading a foreign book that had been very poorly translated into English. The narrator would also say some dumb things, such as when she is describing her sister and she repeats that her sister is fit because she only has a highschool education and nothing else to fall back on - who says that? Or that she is shallow and insecure about her appearance because she has no education - really??? Just dumb sayings like that, and the generally poor writing style and numerous grammatical errors that pepper the book just all make it a very frustrating read. I skimmed most of it just to get to the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for The Bookish B¡tch .
66 reviews4 followers
January 2, 2022
A fun, creepy, modern possession story. Jocelyn is the main provider for her mother and twin sister. She begins to suspect a presence in their home after a ouija board is used to connect with her recently deceased father. Relationships and faith are tested in this haunting story. Trigger warnings: sexual content, allusion to rape, alcoholism and drug use. None of the characters are very likeable and I felt there could have been a little more character building to achieve that. Overall, a great story, especially in that the haunting tale is not told in a gothic setting, which is quite overdone in my personal opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Diana LaB.
13 reviews
June 23, 2022
Kirk Kilgrave does a great job of making you feel what the characters feel. Every book in their series makes you want to read into the late night and finish before dawn. I love the continuation of characters from all of the series and getting to know each of them a little better every book. This book “The Possessed” is a great read about demons! Jocelyn and her family have a rough road ahead of them. When life throws you down, hold on to your faith and hope that J.D. will come to lick your face and comfort you! Give this a read and you’ll understand Jocelyn a bit better! Also read the book series before this one because they’re wonderful and spooky!!
Profile Image for Karel .
201 reviews3 followers
May 21, 2020
And the Paranormal continues!!

This book is about a very disjointed family consisting of a mother and two daughters. There is so much chaos that the older daughter, Jocelyn, is starting to wonder why there is so much animosity between herself and her Mom and her sister. Her Mom is turning into an alcoholic and her sister is so nasty. It suddenly appears that the house might be haunted and Jocelyn thinks her sister might be possessed! How is she going to solve these problems? Who can possibly help her? Read on.
Profile Image for Lois.
56 reviews18 followers
April 9, 2020
Scary as hell!

The Possessed kept me on edge, completely freaked out and jumping at every little noise in my house. The story deals with the spiritual world, and Kilgrave has done his "homework". The Possessed is definitely not light reading; it's a creepy, scary, freak-you-out kind of read, and I did not want to put it down. I highly recommend The Possessed for those who are not faint of heart.
5 reviews
July 10, 2022
The whole series is so good. The way he decribes the demons is incredible. He did his research on that. I am a Christian but I watch more obsession over paranormal shows. What the demon explained about hell on earth. I can completely understand Domicles point of view. Alot of people believe God is responsible for allowing things to happen that should not happen. When I get to heaven I have lots of questions. And my animals better be there or me and God will have an issue.
716 reviews5 followers
June 29, 2022
Scary stuff, nightmarish. But entertaining in a twisted way.

This was somewhat like The Exorcist, suspenseful and scary. Learning how to deal with demons, reinforcing one's faith and forgiveness of the past are all elements of this well written story. Not for faint-hearted readers.
Profile Image for Gladys Collazo.
11 reviews
February 4, 2019
The Possessed

This book was awesome,I was terrified reading every page. It was scary, I once used a ouija board not realizing the consequences. And even thou it’s a board game,it does open portals for the evil,hearsay on other people experiences.
19 reviews
December 28, 2020
Julie Johnson

It was a very good beginning but near the end the demon had to much profanity and sexual content! I didn't like that part! But it was a good book other than that!! Look forward to the next book!!
Profile Image for Jett Jaguar.
9 reviews1 follower
October 1, 2022
I was enjoying this okay, so-so horror story until I got to this line:

“If she was determined enough, Noelle could get any
man, straight or gay, single or married.”

A slap in the face to the gay community.
Profile Image for Vicky Peplow.
Author 68 books63 followers
July 20, 2019
Amazing book really enjoyed it and the storyline was well thought out and definitely had me gripped and wondering what was going to happen next.
2 reviews1 follower
June 10, 2020
Assume

Very good book on the fight between the lord and satan. This could happen to anyone. Is a very good read
5 reviews
February 22, 2022
Good book

Exciting from the get go. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will start the next one asap! good work Kirk



175 reviews
October 22, 2022
Awesome book!

I enjoyed reading this book. The book was really good. I couldn't stop reading until the end. The author did a great job writing the book.
107 reviews
Read
August 17, 2023
Not rating it as after 15 pages, this book seems to be written for young adults, not my style.
11 reviews
September 5, 2024
Awesome book.

Second series I've read by this! Y yay author. Very well.written. Enjoy these books so much. On to the next!
Profile Image for Sandy Hall.
193 reviews
March 28, 2019
Great book for supernatural fans! Incredible characters! Can’t wait to read the next one!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews

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