Review: Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

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.

Review:

Shattered Souls has been on my watch list for months, ever since I first read the summary. Luckily, with spellbinding romance, a clever premise, and unique characters this breathtaking debut completely lived up to my expectations.

Lenzi was a character I liked right away. She was so real and someone I was rooting for from the start. Her personality shines throughout the novel and she was incredibly well developed. Lenzi stayed true to herself even in the roughest of times and never let anyone stop her from doing what she felt was right. There are so many YA heroines that I would want to be friends with in real life and Lenzi is one of them. Unfortunately for Lenzi she doesn't have many friends, except for her boyfriend Zak. Zak was a constant in her life who only wanted the best for her and although he didn't always shine, you could tell his feelings for Lenzi were true. Zak was an intense character and he added a unique side to the story. But Zak isn't the only guy in Lenzi's life.

When Alden enters the scene, Lenzi's life is forever changed. He informs her that the voices she hears and the visions she sees aren't signs of schizophrenia. In fact, Lenzi is actually a reincarnated Speaker and Alden has been her Protector for centuries. Lenzi learns she can communicate with and assist lost souls and help them achieve peace to move to the other side. Alden was a sizzling and sweet guy who was there for Lenzi when she most needed him. His antics were endearing and he was very complex. Without him Lenzi would never have figured out the truth behind her powers.

Mary Lindsey truly made Shattered Souls her own and the execution of the story was amazing. All the plot twists and blistering action kept me turning the pages; anxious to see what the outcome would be. The premise was really well done and the explanations were all believable and intriguing. While reincarnation has been done many times before, Lindsey put a twist on the idea and I loved reading about Lenzi and Alden's histories together. The writing was also excellent and made the book that much harder to put down. There was a lot of build up to the ending, which did not disappoint. It was startling and engaging, and kept me on the edge of my seat to the final word.

This was an overall fantastic debut that combined so many things that I love in a story- romance, action, mystery, and a kick-butt protagonist. I definitely recommend checking this out in December, it is paranormal at its best and I can only hope a sequel is in the works!

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

December 8, 2011/Philomel

/336 Pages/Young Adult

Source: ARC Tour