Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
I picked up Repossessed with a bunch of other books but read it first because I liked the cover. Hey, it looks naughty and I wasn’t disappointed. When a demon tires of torturing souls, he decides to take a vacation. He hops into the body of American teenager, Shaun, a few seconds before the boy is supposed to die. Instead, the demon alters his future and takes over. Kiriel, the demon, proceeds to drink up his human experiences. Having monitored Shaun from Hell, Kiriel fits pretty seamlessly into the stride of Shaun’s everyday. As the story progresses, we learn how Kiriel fell from Grace and his true goal; attract the attention of the Creator.
Raised a Catholic, I was lead to believe the worst part about hell was not the torment, fire and general misery but instead, the nothingness of the absence of God, that to be apart from God was the harshest punishment. It certainly is for Kiriel.
I love the concept. I even grow attached to Kiriel. He certainly makes improvements in Shaun’s life. But the story is not properly fleshed out. It feels more like a fifth draft. I believe there is more to explore. And while there are some great moments (“I’m going to plunge myself into the expanses of her many charms. The line’s moving, Bailey; scoot up.” 65) I really wanted more.
A 2008 Printz Honor book.
Corvus said,
August 23, 2008 at 4:18 am
I feel exactly the same way, I checked out a handful of books but picked up Repossessed, mainly, because the title was interesting. The book was, too. I, like you, became very personal with Kiriel and his journey through Shaun’s eyes. The end left me wanting more, and I was sad it ended so…suddenly and left me wondering, what’s going to happen next? Will Kiriel get noticed by the Creator? What will happen to Jason, Shaun’s wayward younger brother? And, what will happen to Lane when Shaun regains consciousness and knows nothing of her relationship, and doesn’t love her? Certainly a good book, with emotions and character development well done, and description is great, also. I was disappointed, but in almost a good way. The author should leave you wanting more, right? Overall, I was glad to have plucked this book off the library shelf from sheer curiosity, and would recommend it to most adolescents and teenagers. Read ‘Repossessed’, because you’ll see really just how much humans take their sinuses for granted. You’ll be pleasantly surprised, in more ways than one.