publisher: Philomel
date of publication: December 8, 2012
format: hardcover
pages: 336
source: purchased
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository
From Goodreads:
A thrilling debut story of death, love, destiny and danger
Lenzi hears voices and has visions - gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she's a reincarnated Speaker - someone who can talk to and help lost souls - and that he has been her Protector for centuries.
Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.
What I Thought
If it involves ghosts, I'm there. The premise behind Shattered Souls held much appeal for me and I had been eagerly awaiting a chance to sit down and read it. The idea of reincarnation added to a good ghost story sounded aces to me, so not reading this book wasn't really an option for me. Though it started out somewhat slow for me, Shattered Souls soon developed into an eerie, spooky story of past lives and spirits both benign and malevolent.
The progression of the storyline was a tad awkward due to the rapid cycling of emotions and opinions that the main character, Lenzi, goes through. Some of her decisions were altogether too sudden to be totally believable. The 180 she performs with regard to her feelings for Zak and Alden was enough to give me literary whiplash and I found myself wishing for a bit more internalization from her. Once Lenzi had fully learned about her background and abilities, however, things began to pick up and I quickly became enmeshed in the story. The sheer creepiness of the primary antagonist along with the sometimes comical encounters with the more benign spirits Lenzi comes in contact with made for a very fun read. I only wish there had been just a little more challenge in the big altercation. I do wonder what will happen next, however.
While it wasn't quite what I expected, I came to enjoy my time reading Shattered Souls. It has an intriguing premise, interesting background information, and a sinister threat, all of which make for a fun read for a cold afternoon. I look forward to seeing how things progress as the series continues (though it looks like there will be a 2 year wait at this point). I rate Shattered Souls at 3.5 hoots, earning it a 4 hoot distinction.
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