I really enjoyed the author's previous two books and the premise of this just sounded delightful so I was eager to start this one and see if it met with my expectations. And it did. The description of this being Beaches mets the Exorcist is spot on and Hendrix's signature humor is present as well. But the horror factor is still at a high level. Personally, I found Horrostor to be scarier, and had more wig out moments. Although there was a scene here that quite literally tested my gag reflex; so there's that. As corny as it sounds though what was really enjoyable about this book was how it dealt with the complex but endurng nature of female friendships.

The 1980's nostalgia factor is real with this book. However, it isn't saturated with these moments nor does it feel like a big love letter to the decade or that it was written just for that factor. As a matter of fact this book could take place in any decade since the underlying tone is the endurance of Abby and Gretchen's friendship. It is a slow build to the realization that Gretchen is in fact possessed but after that the pace is steady with the demon in Gretchen doing all they can do to start chaos around them, while Abby is trying to convince the adults and other friends around her that something is very, very wrong. The story is basically her journey of trying to bring Gretchen back and save their friendship.

Fair warning this is a slow paced book with a gradual pay off, even more so than Horrorstoor, but I feel the pay off is worth it as it was with that book. It is not gruesome or overly gory and it is really a suspenseful read that I would recommend for any horror book or movie fans.