Review: The Possession of Cassie Quinn by Kathryn Knutson

 Author: Kathryn Knutson

Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc

Page Count: 200 pages, Paperback

Date Published: June 1st 2012

Find it on Goodreads: The Possession of Cassie Quinn

Source: A copy was sent to me by the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb from Goodreads:

A long, dark driveway towards an old farmhouse. A new stepsister with a nasty streak. A little sister who runs off. Something sinister lurking in the woods. Cassie Quinn's new home comes with . . . complications. Cassie never believed in ghosts before. But now she is receiving strange messages, telling her to stay out of the woods. Are the messages just a ploy by her stepsister? Or are they warning her of an evil that stalks the shadows of the woods beyond her home?

 My Thoughts: The only word I can use to describe this book would be creepy. So very, very creepy. 


When Kathryn first contacted me asking if I'd like to review her book, I was hesitant, only because I have never really read any YA horror books. But as creepy as the cover is, it also drew me in and the synopsis sounded so intriguing. I am so glad I decided to read it. It was so.... creepy! 

The book started off in a way that would be expected for a horror story, slow and with lots of build up. Cassie and her mother, sister, step-father and step-sister are just moving into their new house when the story kicks off. Cassie and Ashleigh (step-sister) begin to notice strange things going on in the house, illusions and cryptic messages on walls, Andie, Cassie's little sister, goes wandering off in the woods and says that Cassie led her into the forest, when really she was waiting for her on the other side. Then they find out that a boy had drowned in the pond. Cassie, Ashleigh, and their new friends all become immersed in a mystery, trying to figure out who or what is haunting them. All they know is something is there, watching them, and waiting for one of them to venture out into the woods alone...

I made the mistake of trying to start reading this at around 1am... It was dark, everyone asleep, and my house is kind of creaky and likes to... settle, at night.  Needless to say, after about 30 pages I had to put it down and read something happy, cause I was getting creeped out. But I picked it up the next day and couldn't put it down. I read it all in one sitting, because it was just so good! Knutson has a great talent for mysterious horrors, and making them feel real to the reader. Even though a lot of the things that happened were things we see in a lot of stories about hauntings, it felt unique and different. I really liked Cassie... She was very rational and I appreciated that she thought of all reasonable explanations before she could even think of something like ghosts. There were a lot of secondary characters in this book, but they all played a role and were never just there. We learn a bit about each of them, so that was nicely done. I never felt confused or wondered why the author wrote that, because it all went with the story, and that's how it's supposed to be, right? I loved Cassie's and Ashleigh's new friends and old friends alike. They were all great, as well as the two adults who helped them with the ghostly activities. Their parents were there too, and played a part, as well as the little sister, Andie. Everyone had a spot and a reason to be in the book. Which I loved.

I think any fan of something freaky would enjoy The Possession of Cassie Quinn. It was written well, with lots of suspense and detail. It was a quick read, and it left on such a huge cliffhanger, I was in shock. I am so excited to see what happens in the next book, which is being released June 2013. I'm sure it will be filled with creepiness and freakishness! 

Happy reading!
~Kristy