Shatttered Souls Review

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey
Series: Souls #1
Published by Penguin on December 11, 2011
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
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.

 

    Julie’s Review        

I really enjoyed Shattered Souls – it is right up my alley and is absolutely what I like to read. I thought the idea of a YA ghost whisperer story was really cool. I enjoyed the mysterious beginning where Lenzi didn’t really know what was going on and why she couldn’t remember her past lives as a Speaker. I think dealing with ghosts and trying to help the Hindered achieve closure and move on is such an interesting concept. The idea of soul sharing, a type of voluntary possession, blew my mind.

The love triangle was actually really important to the plot of the story. I usually don’t like them in YA but here it made a lot of sense. The last third of the book was so emotional. This book deals with sacrifice and fighting to keep those you love. It also does a little bit with mental illness awareness and substance abuse. I really liked the ending, even though it was predictable, it was very satisfying to me. I love the concept of “There’s hope until the last second.”

I kind of wish there was more development in the earlier part of the book. We got a few memories of their previous lives and met some side characters, but some of it felt brief. Lenzi’s battle with the Malevolent felt like it happened a bit too soon with her only recently learning about her job and abilities.

I enjoyed that the book is set in Houston and Galveston. Yay for a book set where I live!

   Rose’s Review       

In Rose’s world, there are either Speakers or Protectors and as a Speaker, she has a job to do, – help the hindered souls move on.  She has been doing this all of her lives. Yes plural. The Intercessor Council brings her back lifetime after lifetime along with her Protector, Alden.  Rose’s job is that important. The problem? Lenzi has no clue why she is hearing ghosts in her head, who Rose is, what a speaker does and why this dude claiming to be her protector is trying to convince to “share her soul.”  Lenzi has no clue she IS Rose.

I liked this book. I liked the setting (local). I liked the premise (ghosts). And I liked the characters’ names (Rose, especially!).  What an amazing evening my co-blogger and I just had, with author, Mary Lindsey. It was wonderful to hear all the ways the author’s content transformed into the book we discussed at our book club tonight.  I found myself wanting to read the book the author had first written, gore and all!  However, the end result is a completely YA paranormal teen romance.  And I liked it.

I found the world Mary Lindsey created in the book easy to follow as well as intriguing.  I loved the pain element in the book. As the author put it, “the price of magic is pain.”  The book’s main character, Lenzi, does not just help hindered souls move on, she does so at detriment to herself. Soul sharing is required for Lenzi to aid the hindered, a process that is both dangerous and painful and does not in any way guarantee success.  This made soul sharing a risky undertaking. I like the whole concept of the Intercessor Council and Speakers and Protectors.  I would have appreciated more on the backstory of Rose and Alden and the demon that haunts her. Overall, I found this book an intriguing, fast paced read that actually went a little deeper than I expected. Although this book deals with dark elements such as hindered souls, death, substance abuse, mental illness, and dysfunctional relationships (is there really any other kind???) it still radiates a positive message: “There’s hope until the last second.”

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