Review of Possession

My review of Possession by Elana Johnson is based on an ARC that I received as the winner of a giveaway held by Jill Hathaway of Jill Scribbles . The following review is my honest opinion of the work.

Goodreads Summary: "Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play."

Though we had a rocky start I ended up liking the character of Vi. She's exactly the kind of act first think later heroine that I can relate to. By the end of the novel she had really pulled herself together, figure things out around her, and make her own decisions about what she felt was right and wrong without having these spelled out for her. Which I'll admit wholeheartedly I wasn't sure she was ever going to reach that point after reading the beginning.

The love triangle didn't really work for me in this book. I could understand why Vi would be torn between Zenn and Jag, first love versus new love. In that aspect the whole thing logically makes sense; but as a reader I wasn't torn between the two love interests at all. I was Team Jag one hundred percent of the time, even when I knew he wasn't being completely honest with Vi...which was a lot of the time. Zenn on the other hand never managed to win me over. Yes he had his good moments but the rest of the time he just wasn't there for me. I feel kind of numb towards him, incapable of really casting judgment at this point.

As a whole I really enjoyed the novel though I know I'm going to have to read back through it to understand a few points. Why? There were a few dreams and flashbacks that I was thrust into with no warning that I kind of threw me off, leaving me rather confused for awhile before I was able to submerge into the plot again. A second read will fix this I'm sure as now I know when I go back through what to look for.

It's been entirely too long since I've read the quartet but the overall feel of this novel reminded me of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies. Technology runs rampant in both novels, both worlds are harshly divided, the love triangle, and both heroines are looking for an escape from the slot they've been fitted into by their societies. Which means if you liked one you might be interested in looking into the other as they are similar but with their own quirks that keep them original.

I'm giving Possession by Elana Johnson a out four of five stars review. I started this book this morning and managed to finish it in a mere couple of hours, that's how involved I got. Possession was a fast read but a good one and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the sequel when it comes out. Because I know there is going to be a sequel...with an ending like that there just has to be.