Possession by Elana Johson

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publish Date: June 2011
Source: Library

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.

First of all, that description almost tells a different story than what the pages actually hold.

This book just didn't do it for me. It's really sad because it totally should have done it for me. I love dystopian and learning about new technology and societies which was a lot of what Possession was about. Something about it was just off though. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like when you can't remember the name of a person or a book or whatever and it bugs you ALL day. That's what this book did to me.

My high school English teachers used to preach the awesome powers of transitions. Sometimes it was a little obsessive, and I was all "for the love of all that is good, shut up already!" but after this book I'm a little more like "Preach it, sister!" What I mean by that is this: It felt like there were no transitions here at all. I was constantly wondering what amount of time had passed or how in the world we got to where we were. The beginning especially gave me this feeling. I was like "uhhmmm...did I miss something?" I was lost pretty often and that's definitely not how I want to feel in my reading.

Sadly, I wasn't really a fan of any of the characters either. Vi was whiny, Jag was often rude and sometimes controlling, and Zenn seemed like a controlling wimp. Don't ask me how that last one is possible, just trust me that it is. I did like Ty pretty well, but she wasn't really there much, sadly.

Also, the ending. What was up with that?

Final Thoughts: I had pretty high hopes for this one. Not hopes from hearing buzz or anything, but I kind of automatically put dystopians on a pedestal. Sadly, this one didn't meet my standards. I definitely wouldn't recommend this to anyone who's new to dystopian, but a veteran like it.


Pages: 416
Series: Possession #1
Rating: 2 stars