Aimee's greatest fear is that her mother was crazy and like her mother she is crazy too. At night her dreams are filled with warnings, visions of things to come. Her touch has the power to heal others wounds. But is it all real or all in her head? Is she really being haunted by her dead mother, is her best friend really being possessed, does The River Man really exist?

Alan's worst nightmare was moving to a town where football was all but none existent. But thing just went from bad to worst when the girl he liked already had a boyfriend, his cousin acted increasingly out of character and his athletic abilities were causing more problems then they were solving. But he soon realizes that there are more important things to worry about, like the man in the river.

After Obsession comes possession and with that the end of all. A dark presence has always existed in the river, it was The River Man that took Aimee's mother all those years ago, The River Man who now threatens the life of Alan's cousin. But with an evil so ancient, what chance do a couple of teens have to save a loved one when no one else in town is willing to believe The River Man exists? ( )

I might have loved this book, really loved it, if it wasn’t for the love story.

After Obsession is written by two authors and the story is told from two perspective - Alan and Aimee. Aimee has visions, she sees the future and it’s never pretty. Alan, half Native American, is labeled a Spirit Warrior by his spirit guide and is in touch with the spiritual aspects of his Native American heritage. Aimee’s view is written in the odd numbered chapters while Alan’s view picks up in the even numbered chapter.

In the beginning, it was a little disorienting switching between views, however, both characters are so differently written that it was easy to slip into a rhythm and figure out who is who without needing to know which chapter you were reading. While Aimee was a fun character, I liked reading Alan’s perspective, mostly because he went into things I haven’t read much off - his Native American heritage.

The possession story itself, while not completely scary, was still suspenseful enough to leave me biting my nails as I turned the page (but, I’m a bit of a scaredy cat, so I might not be the best judge of these things). Courtney is being possessed by an evil spirit, however, I can’t say that I cared too much about what happened to Courtney, and I wish this was different. I might have rooted for her some more, if there was more story around why Courtney did and believed as she did.

The biggest issue I had with this story was Blake. Or more precisely Aimee’s relationship with Blake. Blake was a great source of conflict for Alan, however, every thing he did to Alan could have happened without him being to be Aimee’s boyfriend. Aimee’s excuse for breaking up with Blake - though a good excuse - seemed convenient. Her entire relationship with him seemed unnecessary. Along the same lines, the relationship that developed between Alan and Aimee seemed convenient and rushed. I couldn’t believe in their sudden connection to each other, so whenever the romantic story line came up I couldn’t help but feel a bit cheated, as though it was just there to be there.

The love story aside, After Obsession was a quick and fun read and will be good for those who enjoy a little bit of suspense.
( )

I liked this book. The romance factor in the book is quick, almost to quick. The only fault I had with this book is toward the end it became predictable and seemed to drag on. ( )

Aimee and Alan share connections. There's Courtney, who's Aimee's best friend and Alan's cousin. There's the dreams Aimee has with Alan as her mysterious savior. And there's the forboding sense of evil that both feel taking over their town. It occurs to the reader a lot quicker than it does to these two "gifted" ones that Courtney is possessed, and that's just one flaw of this book. Characters never seem to act sensibly, the romance feels overwrought, the exorcism is not at all compelling. Told in alternating voices, Alan's half Native American heritage is a mildly interesting note but the book is a lackluster and predictable read. ( )

Both Aimee and Alan have things they might not want everyone to know about them. But when they meet each other after Alan moves to Aimee's Maine town, they can't keep their secrets hidden.

And both believe that the strange things that have been happening in the town are related to something that's haunting them.

They're both wrong, though. It's Courtney, Alan's cousin and Aimee's best friend whose father recently died, who's truly haunted. Alan and Aimee are going to have to work together - and fast - if they want to save Courtney . . . and maybe even the whole town, including themselves.


Carrie Jones is known for her strong female characters that are anything but damsels in distress and rather than needing a male character to save them, often end up saving (or at least aiding) the male characters instead. In After Obsession Aimee, the female lead is definitely no damsel, but the male lead Alan is able to help her without being chauvinistic or thinking she's some sort of helpless female, either. Alan and Aimee really work together as a team (the even chapters are from his point of view, the odd from hers) and it's great to see (read).

The events of the novel all take place over a pretty short period short period of time, but neither the novel nor the characters' relationships feel rushed. This is likely because so much (all important) is shown. As a reader it feels like we're seeing just about everything happening to Aimee and Alan. Novels that take place over weeks or months have to be more sparing with what they show so that things develop slower.

As we do see so much (from the characters' family life, to their school experiences, to the abilities/secrets and the Big Bad) it's easy to understand how things develop as quickly as they do. And, of course, there's the conflict, which can always speed things along and/or intensify things.

Once again I love Carrie Jones' writing for it's realness (even when some not so real things are involved!) and how easy it is to connect to her characters . . . and now I'm a fan Steven E Wedel's first YA, too.

9/10 stars