photo credit: Ian-S

Possessing Rayne, officially completes the [intlink id="926" type="post"]R.I.P III Challenge[/intlink] for me. However, as I’ve had such a blast reading books in this genre (and at this time of year as well!) I’m going to keep on going for a little while longer!

I was handed this book by a friend last time I was visiting them, with the promise it wasn’t “too girly” (I think I might have baulked at the Kate Cann back library ) and she was right, for the most part it is not too girly at all, yes there are one or two mentions of clothing and make-up etc. that point towards the books target market, but nothing that actually made me want to put the book down and pick up a nice Matthew Reilly

Rayne couldn’t wait to get away from everything: her mum, her boyfriend, the estate. But the solitude of Morton’s Keep isn’t all she thought it would be. It’s eerie and more than a little creepy. When she meets St John, Rayne soon forgets her worries; he’s like no one she’s ever met. So why is everyone warning her away from him? She knows there’s something people aren’t telling her. But how can she find out the secrets everyone wants to keep hidden …and more importantly, know who to trust?

Kate Cann does a great job of showing the claustrophobia Rayne is feeling on the estate, however at first glance Rayne is annoying whingy teen, and you begin to wonder if are ever going to be able to care enough her and what she is about to go through, to be affected by any scares or threats she will receive – this is a problem problem in a scary story as if you don’t care what happens to someone it is hard to be scared for them.

Thankfully things improve when Rayne reaches Marcle Lees and the Manor House as she becomes much more likable. And despite an almost constant feeling of uneasiness, she begins to relax into the space the Manor House and it’s grounds provides, and when she meets some friends who appear to be on her wavelength (certainly more-so than her boyfriend back on the estate, Damien) she decides to stay. In fact, Rayne begins to distance herself from home, starting to avoid calls and texts from both her mum and Damien and even starts to lie to them in an effort to avoid them further.

The people around her – and the reader – either know or can suspect something is wrong with St John and his little coterie of friends and the aura they transmit wherever they go. As Rayne begins to learn more of the Manor’s horrifying past, she starts to put the puzzle together, and realises herself, that St John is more than he seems.

Possessing Rayne, is nice spooky book and thoroughly engrossing, if it hadn’t been my commute book, I could quite easily have read it in a couple of sittings. Depending on your propensity to being spooked, it’d be perfect to read on a stormy night, in front of the fire, with glass of wine in hand.

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Buy, Possessing Rayne, at Amazon