Writing about the afterlife is a challenge. No one on this side of existence has seen the other side. A lot of people would even say that there is nothing after death. That is even the official government policy in China. But people have been hoping, even insisting that there must be something more from the very beginning of human history. So, writers have attempted to describe what life might be like there. I have read a lot of these books. They are interesting, and when they are done well, there is a lot to think about and talk about. There are many approaches you can take to write about the afterlife.

I like the approach Deb McEwan has taken in Beyond Possession: The Afterlife Series Book 4. I like the tone. It is funny, almost irreverent, but it just tiptoes up to that line. It doesn't cross it. It looks at deep questions from the perspective of everyday people in extraordinary situations. I liked it. I liked the characters in Beyond Possession: The Afterlife Series Book 4. I feel they are the greatest strength of the novel. Don’t get me wrong, Deb McEwan can write. She writes very well, and that skill is at the forefront as characters interact. Setting is done well and the situations, plots, and sub plots are great too, but the characters are what sold me on the idea that maybe there is an afterlife. And that if I have time, I should read the first three books in the series.

Beyond Possession is the fourth book in Deb McEwan's The Afterlife Series. There are angels and evil souls. While angels are trying to maintain peace in the world and keep the evil spirits away from the good souls, the devil's minions are trying everything in their power to increase chaos. Amidst this battle between good and bad, there is a fight for authority amongst the angels. One of many chores of angels is to ensure the smooth birth of a soul into the world; however, when one of such soul birthing operations (of Val) went amiss due to an over-confident angel, somehow Val entered into the body of a child named Daisy (who loved being called Ninja). Her family noticed a behavioral difference in Ninja, but were unable to put their finger on the problem. With Val being in Ninja's body, Ninja's own soul got stuck with nowhere to go. With evil souls -- Harry and Goth being the two most active -- on a mission to create as much trouble as possible, it's imperative to rescue Ninja.

The author has done a fabulous job of presenting her perspective on angels and evil souls. The angels are not filled with miraculous superpowers. They are struggling with the fight between the devil and God. They are always on the move and are following the orders of a committee. They are punished for not being obedient. Apart from all this, they must respect a hierarchy. They are promoted and demoted, according to their actions. One might think that all this would have taken away the angelic factor of the angels, but that would not be farther from the truth. There is a vibe about these beings that distinguishes them from humans. They take away all the darkness and spread happiness all around. The expectations by a reader of a character show great writing skills. The author managed to convince me that the angels would fix everything. The opposite is true for evil souls. The author managed to produce a fear of evil in my mind. I was convinced that these evil minions would harm many people.

The paranormal parts are spread throughout the book, but they could be more horrifying. If you are a fainthearted person like me, then you would start sleeping with one eye open; however, if you are an avid horror reader, you would not be frightened by the paranormal activities. This in no way demeans the gripping plot of Beyond Possession. I could not put the book down without knowing what happened to all the characters. If you think it's only about angels and evil, it's not. Human characters share an almost equal space with these divine beings. This implies the presence of a range of emotions, envy and love being the two most compelling emotions. I would recommend this book to readers who like a quick paranormal story with a gripping plot. The author has written a story that will not disappoint readers.