So I got this book years ago as a present and I am just now getting to it. After reading it, I wished I had read it sooner. Sometimes reading paranormal/fantasy/YA fiction can get boring. Novels in these genres can blend together, and each book sounds the same. The thing that made "The Exorsistah" stands out amongst many previous reads was Burney's main character of the novel, Emme. Emme is our sassy and fierce narrator that has been through good and many bad times. Though she feels mostly burdened by her paranormal (seeing demons) abilities, she strives to keep positive and not let it put her down.

The things I enjoyed the most about this novel was the action scenes, Emme's (entire) character, the many comedic moments, and the overall plot of a teenager trying to not only find her place in the world, but to control and use her power (for the better good).
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Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Quick true story: when a kid I work with began about a year and a half ago, I realized that I could only understand about 2 or 3 words out of every 6 or 7 he said. Finally, I had to ask another co-worker: "what the heck is this kid saying?" This was my first introduction to Ebonics. The definition of Ebonics is "African American Vernacular English," and if you've never heard of it, don't worry - as soon as you start reading THE EXORSISTAH, you'll know exactly what it is.

I give the book 5 Stars, regardless, because even with the Ebonics it's a great read, and once you pick up the flow of the writing style and the way the characters speak, you'll quickly begin to go with the flow and enjoy the story.

Emme Vaughn is only a month away from her 18th birthday. She's just fled the best foster home she's ever known (her mother is gone, shut away in the nut house), and she's wasting time in a Walgreens in the middle of the night. Enter the finest brother she's ever seen, quickly followed by a dude up to no good, who happens to also be accompanied by a demon.

Yes, Emme can see demons, whether she wants to or not. She's always dealt with it the best she can, using her faith in God to get rid of them when she needs to. But now, the fine brother turns out to be a priest-in-training who wants her to join his cause - that of doing the "work" of exorcism.

THE EXORSISTAH is a great, fast, fun read. Emme is a great character, as are all of the secondary characters. Everyone is well-defined, the dialogue is perfectly believable (Ebonics included), and I just loved everyone in the story.

I can't wait for a sequel, which the ending just calls for. I really recommend this one to everyone - it would be perfectly suitable to teens as well as adults. This one's a winner! ( )

The title alone is two stars and it really is not bad for a series geared toward African American Christian teens. The plot is as follows: Emme is a teen runaway nearing her 18th B-day and she can see demons, she runs into a guy she falls in love named Frankie, who wants to be a priest, and he lives with Father Rivera and Mother Nicole; they fight demons through exorcisms. Kind of like Buffy, just instead of actually fighting demons with karate chops, they say the Lords Prayer and such. A lot of the problem with the book (besides the tragically trying too hard to be all that type dialog) is getting bogged down with plot movement. Burney spends 15 pages just on trying to find a way for Emme to go with Frankie to see Mother Nicole when they meet for the first time. They talk and talk and talk in circles in a lot of parts, not sure if that is supposed to convey hesitation or apprehension or exposition of character, but it really just holds the story up. Still, over all and for the geared audience, this one should be a winner and the dialog IS funny, (I found myself cracking up) which I don't think it is necessarily supposed to do. Here's a quote: "Lord," I silently prayed, "Can you help me stay feminine-looking? A cute brotha is standing right here, and a sistah still needs to look good, even if she is battling the power of Satan." Amen. Now it was time time to kick butt.-- uh huh, stuff like that....First in the series. ( )