Shattered Souls Review

Date Published: December 8, 2011

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Number of pages: 326

Publisher: Philomel/Penguin

First Thoughts:

The concept of this world was pretty interesting, though the concept of ghosts is ages old the way the author chose to use the characters in the world wasn’t. The idea of a speaker and protector and how it worked was pretty cool to learn and see. This story does have reincarnation and I’m usually kind of against it, just never been a big fan of it (perhaps it’s been overdone in stories?) but in this story it worked, it piped my interest and made me enjoy the story even more, it added more depth and control to the overall plot of the story. The cover is gorgeous too, I loved the use of petals and color scheme, and it really tied the story as a whole on the outside. So, overall I found this an enjoyable and quick read.

Plot:

The plot was simple, there weren’t a lot of complicated sub-plots that you had to follow along, it was just straight and forward with the basic rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. The ending was pretty satisfying but to me there was a little snag at the end, like the author should have concluded the issue a little better and I know there’s going to be a second book to this world but it’s going to be a companion novel and therefore be in a different scenario so that leads me to believe that this little snag left behind will always be there and I’ll always wonder if it ever got solved…sigh. As for the overall concept like I mentioned earlier it was really interesting and though some of the plotlines were predictable and easy to read I did find it interesting and fast to read. The overall pace of the book was very quick, I read it within a two day period and had no trouble getting through it, though there are some slower moments in the book but to me they were essential to the overall meaning of the book. So  overall the plot was good but could use a little tweaking near the end to tie up all loose ends.

Romance:

The romance was like a said heard of, it’s nothing new but I enjoyed how it was gradual and didn’t always seem perfect, most YA books have romance be love at first sight and though it’s true a lot of us girls want that it’s just getting old, after you read it for like the hundredth time you just want something new; something fresh and though this has a little bit of that it also had some raw edges that you don’t always see in the romance aspect of YA books. So overall the romance fit in within the story and was a pretty good aspect of this book.

Characters:

The author did a really good job on creating likeable and realistic characters. She didn’t seem to draw up any that were too perfect or any that just get under your skin. They each had their own personality and flaws and integrated throughout the story in just the right manner. One of my favorite characters that this author created was the main protagonist Lenzi. She had such a complicated and in-depth character that I was surprised with the weight of it. I liked how the author showed us two version of the same person, it was cool to compare the two of them and judge the character in that aspect. As far as the minor characters they too were created just right and fit into the story in just the right moments. The characters were a great aspect of the overall view of the story to me.

Transformation of the Character:

There were a couple of transformations that were beautiful to see unfurl.  They were gradual but in a way predictable but I loved seeing the whole process take place, to see the little things that pushed them in the direction that they needed to go, it was fun and nice to see the end result. Though not everyone changed in this book the ones that did were well needed and deserved. I still think some characters needed to have their own transformations but they wouldn’t have felt right within this story, perhaps in their own time and own story they will.

Description:

I loved the description; I loved seeing how the author described both the emotion and the landscape around the characters. The author was able to grasp the scenes and describe in beautiful words on what it looked like and how the character was feeling at that particular moment. This is the type of description that can win a book over for me, it allowed me to better connect with the world itself and the characters. I wouldn’t say there was too much description for this storyline but there was a lot but it didn’t slow the overall pace of the story for me….it was just a steady and necessary thing for this world.

Style:

The style was good, I liked that it was from one POV and was in first person but I think this book could of done well also with multiple POV’s without confusing the reader. It would have been awesome to get into the minds of some of the other fellow protagonists and see the action taken from their eyes but I guess some of the secrets would have been unveiled too quickly for the story and maybe as the reader we would have felt like we were lacking something, so in the end the author chose what was best for the world/this book. As for the writing itself it was good and well written, I didn't think it was off or sloppy but more smooth and organized.

Quote of the book:

“The sun streaming through my open blinds lit the gold highlights in Alden’s hair. This was the first time I’d seen him in the light….he was the most attractive boy I’d ever met, and he looked way too comfortable lying on my bed.”

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Last Thoughts:

It was a fun and fast read and would recommend it to fans of reincarnation and ghosts. This book has a way of grabbing the reader’s attention and forcing them to continue reading till the very last page. This is a series I want to keep in touch and hope to see some the characters I met in this book appear in the books to come. But until then I did enjoy the book and look forward to seeing what else this author has in store for her readers.

My Rating: