Review - Redheads are Soulless

by Heather M. White
publisher: Heather M. White
date of publication: May 25, 2012
format: ebook
pages:
source: the author via SupaGurl Tours

From Goodreads:

High school senior, Sofia Black, has had a very hard life. Since her father's death 7 years ago, she has had to look after her drug addicted, alcoholic mother. School isn't any better for her either. The other kids constantly tease, and ridicule her. All she wants is to get out of her small hometown in Alabama.

When new student, Jason, shows up, Sofia's world is turned upside down. She doesn't understand why he wants to befriend her so badly... And, just when she thinks she can trust him, trouble appears.

Jason's twin brother, Robbie, moves into town, and things go haywire. Sofia is now running for her life - and Jason is forced to share hidden secrets with her. She learns the truth about her father's death, and finds out that she may not be as "human" as she once thought. She struggles to accept her fate, while fighting for her life.

Sofia Black has had a rough life.  After the sudden, bizarre death of her father seven years prior, Sofia has, for all intents and purposes, grown up alone.  Living a life of abject poverty with her addict mother hasn't been easy.  The cruelty of her classmates has only added to Sofia's misery.  Things begin to brighten, however, when a new boy, Jason, moves to town.  Though she is suspicious of him, at first, Jason could very well be what she needs to help her get through.  Jason's twin, Robbie, might have plans that will put a halt to the new feelings of contentment Sofia is beginning to feel, though.  When the truth of Sofia's background comes to light, things will never be the same again.

Sofia Black, as a character, is a tough nut to crack.  There are aspects of her personality that I enjoyed, such as her determination to better her lot in life.  There are others, though, that I found hard to reconcile.  While I understand that she doesn't trust anyone due to the way she has been treated at school, her initial conversation with Jason were above and beyond anything I would have expected of a sense of distrust.  In an attempt to put up a defense, it almost comes across as Sofia buying into her classmates' propaganda against her.  I didn't get much of a sense that she truly believed herself to be a worthwhile person, and that bothered me. 

The premise for Redheads are Soulless is truly an interesting one.  The mythology involved is new and intriguing and made for an interesting revelation.  I really liked learning more about the different beings that exist in this world.  However, a bit more background to establish the mythology would have gone a long way toward making it more established.  The pacing was another area that I found issues with.  It came across as very rushed when, in all actuality, it didn't have to be.  A few more pages to act as a bridge would have worked wonders.  The speed with which the relationships form especially stick out to me.  They wound up being less believable as a result.  Finally, the dialog was repetitive and, at times, awkward.  There were moments of truly seamless dialog interspersed with dialog that didn't flow so well, lending it a choppy quality.

Redheads are Soulless has a lot of potential.  Its imaginative premise and intriguing mythology puts it on track to become a great story.  However, as much as I wanted to fall head over heels for this book, it just wasn't happening for me.  My aforementioned issues with characterization, pacing, and dialog wound up being too distracting for me to fully immerse myself in the plot.  I would definitely be interested in giving it another go if there are edits, however.  As I said, the story has a lot of potential and I would love to see it come fully into its own.

Buy Redheads are Soulless at the Following Locations:

Amazon / B&N