Book Review: Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Publisher: Philomel/Penguin

Publish Date: December 8, 2011

Hardcover, 336 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal
 ISBN: 978-0399256226

My Review:
Shattered Souls was one of those books that to me was so intriguing and different that it was hard to put down.

I picked this one up on a day I was home sick from work.  It was one of those blah days that I really didn't expect any book to capture my attention, but Shattered Souls captured my attention from the very first page.  I liked Lenzi, I wanted to know more about her so I kept reading and then the story kept building and the plot kept accelerating and next thing I knew I was halfway through the book.  It really grabbed me.

The characters were interesting.  Lenzi was my favorite and I really liked Alden as well.  Zak annoyed me at times, but I think that was the point.  No matter whether I liked them or not I fell that Ms. Lindsey did a wonderful job with the characters.  I felt I really got to know them, especially Lenzi and Alden and at the end I wanted to know them even more.  I think they will even stick with me for some time to come.

I loved the ghost story part, it was well done and had me intrigued.  The fact that Lenzi could talk to lost souls was really interesting and gave the book that little bit of extra thrill.  There is also romance and I loved that angle of the book - it is young love at it's best and I enjoyed reading it.

If you like your young adult reading with paranormal mixed with romance then this is the book for you.  If you like your paranormal to be a little different from the average book, then this is the book for you.  If you enjoy well-plotted and interesting characters then run, don't walk on December 8th to get a copy of Shattered Souls (or use your finger to pre-order online from an indie bookseller).

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:

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.

About the Author: 
Mary Lindsey says that writing is a natural expression of her love of reading and a fascination with the flexibility of the human imagination. Having received a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Drama from the University of Houston, she currently teaches acting to children and teens at a private studio in Houston, Texas. Mary lives in Houston with her husband, three kids, two dogs, her daughter's pet rats, an Australian Bearded Dragon, and dozens of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches.

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FTC Information: I received this book through Teen Book Scene for an honest review.

Teaser Tuesday (6)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

He completed a sketch of a small boy, omitting the face, of course. He ripped the page away from his sketchbook and flung it to the ground. He completed another sketch in a few minutes and flung it away as well. Works of genius fell from him like leaves from an autumn tree. The people pounced upon them, murmuring with wonder.

From The Opposite of Art by Athol Dickson

About The Opposite of Art


A great artist is cast into the icy Harlem River by a hit-and-run driver. His heart stops, and he sees something that defies description. Presumed dead by all who knew him and obsessed with the desire to paint the inexpressible, he embarks on a pilgrimage to seek help from holy men around the globe. But is it possible to see eternity without becoming lost within it? After a quarter of a century, when the world begins to whisper that he may be alive, two people come looking for the artist: the daughter he never knew existed, and the murderer who hit him on the bridge all those years ago,

Book Review: Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

Publish Date: November 1, 2011

Hardcover, 336 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult
 ISBN: 978-0062009708

My Review:
Dark Eden captured and held my attention from the first page until the very last. I was deeply invested in what was going in with Will Besting and the other 6 teenagers who went to Fort Eden with him. I didn't view any of the app things so that might would have improved my experience. I think that was part of the whole experience, but with the ARC I wasn't sure what to view when (I'm not very app savvy I will admit). Ignoring the app part, and just focusing on the book, as I said the book engaged me and there were definitely surprises around several turns in the book, but somehow the book just did not live up to it's hype for me. And I think it's just a personal thing because I know several reviewers have raved about this one. I think I went in expecting a little more. There was just something missing in the story for me and I can't quite put my hands on what it was. It seems like the plot was missing something.

I liked the characters, they were varied, but except for Will and Marisa, you really didn't get to know any of the rest of them. This is because the book is told from Will's point-of-view and because it is told this way and the nature of how the story takes place it is hard to get to know the other characters.

One thing I really liked was the suspense of finding out each characters' fears. That was fascinating and well done, so the book was definitely worth my time to read, it just wasn't one of my personal stellar reads of the year.  
My Rating: 3.5/5.0


Anyone else have some other opinions, maybe clue me in to something I missed?  Tell me about it in the comments or email me (crystalfulcher (at) ec.rr.com). Please link in the comments if you have a review of this book. I like to link up other reviews if I have a so-so review of a book because I know it's just my opinion.

About the Book:

Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night's experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

Patrick Carman's Dark Eden is a provocative exploration of fear, betrayal, memory, and— ultimately—immortality.


About the Author: 
Patrick Carman is the New York Times bestselling author of such acclaimed series as the Land of Elyon and Atherton and the teen superhero novel Thirteen Days to Midnight. A multimedia pioneer, Patrick authored The Black Circle, the fifth title in the 39 Clues series, and the groundbreaking Skeleton Creek and Trackers books. He lives in Walla Walla, Washington, with his family.

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FTC Information: I received this book through the Amazon Vine program for an honest review.

In My Mailbox (6)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. To see this weeks list of participants go here.

 Winter's Shadow by M.J. Hearle (Paranormal Wastelands tour)

The Man Who Couldn't Eat by Jon Reiner (from the publisher)

A Lasting Impression by Tamara Alexander (Litfuse Publicity tour)

Triple Dog Dare by Jeremy V. Jones (From David C. Cook, through The B&B Media Group)

Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic (Teen Book Scene tour)

Chosen by Fate by Virna DePaul (Win from the From the Shadows blog)

The Opposite of Art by Athol Dickson (Tour from Glass Road Publications)

Bridge of the Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris (from the author for a tour in March 2012)

Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger (Teen Book Scene tour)

What did you get in your mailbox this week?