The Doctor's Demons

by Maria Abrams

Child psychiatrist Hannah Cohen thought she could handle difficult cases. But medical school never prepared her for Elena. Nor the demon that's possessing her. Hannah finds a way to rid Elena of her demon, but not without a price.

Years later, Hannah has grown comfortable exorcising the demons of her patients. Until she meets Lucas. Whatever is inside of Lucas is far more powerful than anything she has faced. The denizens of Hell are angry with Hannah. And they sent one of their leaders to destroy her.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Adult, Demons

236 pages, Paperback

Published April 22, 2022

About the author

Maria Abrams is a mystery novelist who lives in Colorado with her rescue frogs and dogs. Her favorite color is orange.

www.mariaabrams.com

Reviews

[Adrienne L · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like possession horror, there is an entertaining story in The Doctor's Demons amidst the poor writing, paper-thin characters and grammatical errors.  Two-thirds of the way through, this was probably going to be a 2 star read for me but the sloppy writing got even worse in the final section of the book.  For example, one paragraph ends with the sentence, "It was blank and almost flat, like a blank sheet of paper." And the following paragraph begins, "The houses that lined my street were poor shape."  There are plot devices that are built up and go absolutely nowhere.  There are some serious formatting issues, and there's just some really lazy writing (it's a rectory not an abbey! Ugh!).
I don't recommend this one. 

[Nina The Wandering Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started this book with a friend as part of a Buddy Read but we both decided to DNF it. It's just....not good. The writing needs work and there seems to have been little to no editing done (lots of misspellings). This basically read like a caricature of a possession novel, nothing creepy, nothing compelling, just...two dimensional, underdeveloped characters I cared nothing for and a demon that seemed too silly on paper. The story idea is good, but it simply wasn't executed well.

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really quick and digestible read. This was such a fun read that I couldn’t put down. Some really intense scares following a genuinely likable protagonist who is trying her best against the forces of evil. I really couldn’t put this down and highly recommend it to anyone that likes possession, exorcism stories, and even the more psychological aspects of those things. If you’re a fan of the show “evil” you’ll love this.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like possession stories you'll love this! This read so quickly! It reminded me of the horror cult classics of the 80s 🤗 great imagery and spooks!

[Horror Sickness · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoy possession stories, you are going to have a good time with this one. This was a quick easy read that dives into the possibility that some children that go to psychiatrists, might actually need an exorcist.

Hannah is finishing her studies and is about to become a doctor when she meets Elena. Elena is a very special case and will change her life and the way she works as a child psychologist forever.

After Elena, she notices that there are many other children out there possessed by evil demons and their parents have no idea. Through her career she tries to help these children. Until she meets Lucas, a case that might be too dangerous, even for her.

Even though I truly enjoyed the theme and getting to know the cases that Hannah was working with, I did find something missing. Maybe learning more about Hannah or getting a stronger ending might have helped me love this more than I did.

The ending just felt not like an ending if that makes sense. I was hoping for a big reveal or a big twist but that never came.

However if you love possession stories specially with kids, this will be an entertaining read for you.

[Barbara Behring · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an average horror story for me. There were so many typographical errors in the arc copy that it constantly pulled me out of the story. Also, the ending seemed rushed and unsatisfying.

[Tracy Paden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look, it wasn’t a bad story. In fact, the story itself is good. With a little work, it could be really good. But this author needs to hire an editor. The amount of typos in this book is inexcusable. Using the words “her’s” “our’s”, the misplaced apostrophes and forgotten letters in words… at one point the character’s name is even in the wrong spot. Please hire an editor. If you are the author reading this, I’ll do it. I just want - NEED you to get rid of these typos. The typos alone, honestly, are enough to keep me from reading another one of the author’s books.

[Jesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining, pulpy read, lowered by resolving the climactic confrontation in one paragraph and truly slovenly editing and proofreading. Let this one sentence (!) stand for the whole: "The similarities in the two building's architecture was too similar to be a coincidence" (172). That's two freshman-level grammatical errors and redundant phrasing, all within 14 words. Good lord.

[Brian Bowyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralling, Demonic Entertainment!

I had a lot of fun with this one, and finished it in two days. It's a fast-paced read that checked off a lot of boxes for me. If you're a fan of creepy horror fiction, you can't go wrong with this one. I'm looking forward to more from this author. Highly recommended!

[Tamsin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want a refund and an apology.

Gaaaaaaah! Am so disappointed as this COULD’VE been a really great book. The writing and editing (did they hire an 8 year old to do it?) were craptastic and I couldn’t punish myself any further at 60%. DNF.

[Kevin L · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent little novel loaded with creepy AF imagery. The pages just flew by as I read hoping that Hannah would make it through to the end.

[Elizabeth Sagewood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. Firstly the grammar, punctuation and formatting errors were inexcusable- there’s no reason to not edit. The story itself sounded compelling from the synopsis but the pacing and structure needed help, the delivery wasn’t great. I found the story to be bouncy, shallow and it had a lot of filler. It had such a great premise but it needed more development and better research. Furthermore, it needed to focus more on the possession and exorcism element and bring something new into the equation.

[Rich Rosell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really love this book overall, but big kudos to Abrams for a pleasant amount of creepy imagery in here. Those dark little details kept me hanging on, as the story of a child psychiatrist confronted by demons never really delivered what I had hoped for. I would certainly read more Maria Abrams going forward, but this one was a bit too uneven for me.

Sidenote: this yet another Clash release peppered with sloppy editing and typographic quirks. Not a ton, but enough where they stick out and kind of take you out of the moment. Clean it up, Clash!

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t to bad. I liked the story but the amount of spelling errors was driving me crazy. This should have really been proof read… a few times it seems.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was certainly an interesting plot, the spelling errors completely ruined any full enjoyment.

Be careful when diving into this book - if spelling errors cause you to stop enjoying a book, then don't pick this one up. There is a TON.

[Grim-Mama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book was part of the April 2022 Night Worms Horror Possessed package. The cover and story vibe feel like those quick horror read books from the 80’s.

In full transparency I saw some reviews after I finished it and while I’ll agree there are a fair number of editing issues I’m not going to re-drag the book here for that. I have no idea what goes into the writing/editing/publishing process. Can it get in the way of your reading experience (sure) and if your particular about that just be aware.

Overall it held my attention well enough while I was lounging at the pool (prior post) with my eyes multitasking between my book and the water. I came back to it the next day to finish it up over my morning coffee. It has all the potential given the subject matter. I just wish it had gone deeper - into the kids to hook you to their plight, into the the history/power of the demons to cause you to fear them, or into Hannah’s experiences to help you believe in her abilities as a main character. As a summer pool read it works well enough. I just didn’t leave the pages particularly shook in any manner.

[See Kritz Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this novella more. I loved the idea, and still do. I think with more work, this would have been so much better.
I had originally given this 3 stars, but I have to take one off for the complete lack of editing. I'm not one to nitpick, but it was truly atrocious. At times, the characters are being called the wrong names, which is not only inexcusable, but confusing as well. There are so many random typos and errors that would have been caught with a simple spell check. Sometimes there are random # marks in the book. No reason. I can overlook some things, but this just took me out of the story and was sloppy.

The story itself.....lacked demons. Oh, they were there, but most of the time we are just bumbling around in the MC's head doing nothing when the best part IS THE DEMONS!
There is talk about how the MC has dealt with so many with other patients, but why can't we see that? Show us! Maybe this author was on a deadline and had to quickly turn something in. This seemed more like an outline than a fleshed out story. I just needed more.

[ZenWhisperReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very poor editing. I am usually ok with the minor forgetting of a letter or punctuation but when you call the character the wrong name then it just makes me feel like the writer doesn’t care or is being lazy. It completely messes up the flow of the story line.
I also found her character development of the minor plot to be problematic and hinted at another sign of laziness in the writing. The Author played too much on stereotyping that hinted on the side of racism or just lacked of intellectual thought on her part.
This was very disappointing due to the story line being intriguing and I just wished that the Author may have put more self awareness into what she was writing instead of trying to fill the page with preset stereotypes.

[ahintofoctober · Rating 1 out of 5]

Congratulations, after almost 20 years in the top spot, All That Lives: A Novel of the Bell Witch has been bodily thrown from its pedestal as worst book I've ever subjected myself to - let's all give a sarcastic round of applause for The Doctor's Demons!

The levels of apparent laziness on the part of the writer AND the publisher are unacceptable. I can suspend disbelief - I read horror, of course I can! - but there's a limit, and this went WELL past that.

"PUBLISHED BOOKS I AM BEING ASKED TO PAY MONEY FOR SHOULD NOT BE USING ALL CAPS TO INDICATE YELLING!!!" I crooned in a loud, angry voice.

"AND THAT IS NOT WHAT PSYCHIATRISTS DO!!!" I screamed next. "THIS IS NOT HARD TO LOOK UP! YOU HAVE GOOGLE! LEARN HOW MEDICAL SCHOOL AND RESIDENCY WORK, NEWLY-TRAINED PSYCHIATRISTS ARE NOT GIVEN CARTE BLANCHE TO TREAT *DEMONIC POSSESSION*!!!!!!!!!" I then growled if a growl sounded like a very angry person shouting at the top of her lungs, which mine did.

"Say!" answered Plotta Dumba, my new pateint. "Did yuo k now their are devises thar chekc yor spell ing and grammer???" She nodded with a smile. "And look, if your kid is possessed, of COURSE you get sent to a SUPERMAX PRISON. Y'know, like where they keep terrorists, and mafia bosses, and those involved in espionage, and... uh... Mark. Mark's daughter is possessed, but we can't have him running around after letting that happen," she frowned.

Then Plotta went looking for more possessed children, because otherwise she might develop a personality.

"Hey, Peppa," smiled her boss, Supreme High Hospital Guy, "I will let you do whatever you want, but ha ha ha, there is another problem - YOUR NAME!!!!!!!!!!!"

...And two pages later, someone noticed, and Plotta returned.

Wow.

There are a lot of REALLY bad books out there.

There are a lot of people writing formulaic thrillers and romances, drag-and-drop new locations and favorite hobbies and send off to the publisher.

Typos tip-tap past editors, apostrophes go AWOL, comma comas happen.

...But there is a limit.

This book is an insult to every person whose money was taken to put a little more in the pockets of a writer who cannot be bothered to do BARE MINIMUM research on ANYTHING and her insultingly lazy editor who apparently can't be bothered to standardize italics or ALL CAPS for emphasis (...do not use ALL CAPS for emphasis in a published book...), fix glaring errors like names randomly changing for SEVERAL pages before changing back, or do a thing about spelling, grammar, and punctuation issues. Like... at all.

Save your money. Or spend it on a colonoscopy instead - at least your doctor, unlike the main character here, knows what they're doing.

[Marissa Harbison · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT!

The idea for this book is a really interesting one however there are a lot of things that just made the book meh. First off it could have gone through an editor a few more times. There are a lot of grammar mistakes and some of the sentence structure just doesn't make sense. Second I think this book could have been longer. It feels like everything happens within a few weeks. And it is a shorter book (like 220 pages) so I guess that is to be expected. It's so so hurried and I feel like so much is glossed over. Third the characters are jusr kinda there. Dont really get a of emotion or change of any sort. Honestly I could look past all that because like I said the story itself is an interesting one but that ending!! I was going to give this book a 4 star until the ending!! There was a big build up to the show down between the MC and the demon and nothing. Just a few words back and forth and "oh I believe in myself" and suddenly the demon is dead. What?! And during the build up, the characters were just so nonchalant about everything, which is weird considering the situation they are in. Not to mention the MC is a psychiatrist but there was a part where she gives someone sutures and it mentions she couldn't sterile a sewing needle and it bugged "the doctor in her" wrong kind of doctor.
It was just disappointing to say the least.

[Tara Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. A lot of people have pointed out the typos in their reviews, and they aren’t wrong. Normally, I can get past typos if I can understand what the sentence is supposed to say or if they aren’t egregious, but wow, this was bad haha. The main character’s name was completely wrong in two different spots. The story itself was ok. The gore was not gratuitous, but there was some good body horror imagery there in a couple of scenes. Idk how to describe it, but this story almost felt too basic to me, or like it didn’t add anything new. I think the “soul totem” concept was cool, but it didn’t seem that important to this story. The main demon also gave me Freddy Krueger vibes with the dream manipulation aspect. I didn’t really care about the characters other than one of the children featured, Elena. There was a lot of telling rather than showing and about things I didn’t care about, like Hannah’s running routine and her relationships with other people. I’m not mad that I read this, I was just hoping for more.

[Jonathan Godwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book that I received it as part of my Night Worms subscription. The story was interesting, and while this was the third book about demon possession I had read in a month, I still found parts of it suspenseful and scary. Horror books like this one have become my jam lately, so I had a good time reading it.

One thing I found distracting with this book was the editing. There were quite a few typos in this book; I feel like it could have done with another review before publishing. Missing words, part of a paragraph where some of the pronouns were missing, characters' names were used incorrectly, "#" left in places where I think the author intended to note a separation for the editors, and in Chapter 30, there was the regular chapter heading and then a line that read "Chapter 30" before the text started. Again, I enjoyed the book overall, but the editing was distracting in places.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read about a psychologist treating demon-possessed children. Definitely made good on the promise of the killer cover. Just the right mix of that sort of fun, schlocky old-school horror vibe, and the ways that horror tropes can be used as wonderful metaphors for all sorts of actual, normal, real world stuff - demons are about the perfect example of the latter. Some surprisingly good character work, too. Another great pick from Night Worms.

There were some reviews I saw complaining about the typos. Folks should have a little more patience and understanding when it comes to indie publishers - they don't have the money and resources of the great big publishing houses (and guess what, they put out books with typos, too). I once read a book that printed a chapter out of order - that's a boo-boo that matters. A few typos? NBD.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up to 3 stars
I don't know if the text errors made me dislike the story. I try to give each book the respect it deserves. The issue for me is that errors in the text pull me out of the story. Getting a name wrong or using the wrong tense or the wrong word can become confusing. It muddles up the story. So there were a lot of errors I saw in this text. I found myself focusing on the errors and losing the story.
I did find the premise and the twist on the subgenre to be an interesting thought experiment. A psychologist as exorcist rather than a priest. Religion removed completely - I liked the idea and I did think that some parts of the story worked very well. I just wish that I could have read the book without picking out the errors.

[Hectaizani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough story about a child psychiatrist who discovers that some of her patients are infested with demons. Because of her experiences with the first one she figures out how to help them and things are going well. Until, Hell decides they've had enough and sends a next level demon to take care of the problem.

The book could have used a copy editor. There were a number of misspellings and at one point the protagonist accidentally called one of her patients the wrong name.

The horror elements were good, with some tense scenes. If you're a fan of stories about demonic possession you might like this one.

This was a Night Worms Horror Bookbox selection possibly from April 2022 if I remembered to add it to my Goodreads when I received it.

[Bella G · Rating 1 out of 5]

I ended up not liking this book at all which is a shame cause the cover is beautiful. I feel so mixed cause the book had so much potential but the going back and forth felt very scattered and the story is hard to follow especially since the summary on the back stated Hannah had been exorcising demons FOR A WHILE! I was into the whole Elena incident but technically she did nothing to cast the demon out instead we follow Hannah whose actually in a private practice looking for Elena while dealing with Lucas and the whole things just felt chaotic and unorganized ….. read at your on opinion and feel .

[Livvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book was good could of been better if the climax aka the show down with the demon wasn’t so lame. It was like this huge build up and the 1st exorcism scene was phenomenal that the actual big bad showdown was just crap. Like excuse me? That’s all it takes to kill a king of hell? It’s like the ending of the new IT, that’s what kills the demon??? Really??? This book could of been like 7 pages long then.

[Doug Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. I love possession stories and the idea of a therapist who specializes in demonic cases was intriguing. But the lack of editing and proofreading really affected my enjoyment of this book. I believe that with the assistance of an editor, this could be a rewarding reading experience.

I did find about halfway through that the story became compelling enough that I was able to enjoy the read and more easily overlook the grammatical issues.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely love the premise. The execution…not so much. This book reads like an entry on r/nosleep. By those standards, though, it’s actually pretty decent. The writing style is clunky and cliché, the plot is underdeveloped, and the editing is pretty much nonexistent, but it was fun as hell to read. I’d love to read more from this author as they develop further.

Also, can we talk about that front cover?! I’ll probably keep this book for the cover art alone. So deliciously fun.

[Shahna (VanquishingVolumes) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book probably would have had promise if it hadn’t suffered from being so poorly edited. Multiple formatting errors, spelling errors, and grammatical errors pull the reader out of the story. And beyond that, the story was not consistent in its flow. I think the author had something to work with, but the execution paired with the poor formatting yielded a less then stellar experience. I pushed through to the end trying to see beyond the errors, but ultimately the story just fell flat.