Possessed (review)

Rayne has reached a breaking point: her flighty mother gives her too much responsibility for her little brother, the boyfriend she long hoped for leaves her feeling smothered, and she can't bear another day in overcrowded, hot London. Off she goes for a new job at Morton's Keep, the sprawling country estate that is hiring a waitress, but all is not as it seems there. Rayne loves the isolation, the quiet (a new experience for her), and most of all the hunky, mysterious new boy who erases all remaining doubt about whether she should keep her beau back home on the back burner. Unfortunately, the history of the estate is sordid, grotesque, and, it seems, prone to repeating every generation or so; having stumbled into one such recurrence, Rayne quickly shifts from worrying about fitting in to surviving her sadistic new friends. The rich descriptions of Morton's Keep and the untamed wilderness around it evoke a clear, gothically enjoyable image of an elegant, refined property contaminated with a slow decay (from both time and the evil forces that exist within the walls). Unfortunately, Rayne, self-absorbed and too easily (and way too persistently) swayed by a handsome face, is not as intriguing and memorable as the setting in which she finds herself. In addition, the pace is inconsistent, with a languid introduction, lengthy build-up of the mystery, and a frantic, brief conclusion that may leave readers with several unanswered questions. Even so, horror fans seeking a good scare may find compensation for the issues in the many creepy candlelit scenes, unexplained noises, and ominous rituals.