Lenzi hears voices. She also sees visions--gravestones, floods, a gorgeous guy with steel gray eyes. She knows she must be going crazy, just like her dad did. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't do anything to help, and the voices just keep getting louder, the visions more intense. But when Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, everything makes sense.
Sort of.
He tells Lenzi that she's a reincarnated Speaker--someone who can talk to lost souls and help them move on--and that he has been her Protector for centuries. But instead of embracing her abilities, Lenzi struggles between her life as the girlfriend of a sexy musician and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. Yet time is running out; a malevolent spirit has been trying to destroy Lenzi for ages, and he will surely kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.
Her choices are clear: Destiny or normalcy. Alden or Zak. Life or death.
Sort of.
He tells Lenzi that she's a reincarnated Speaker--someone who can talk to lost souls and help them move on--and that he has been her Protector for centuries. But instead of embracing her abilities, Lenzi struggles between her life as the girlfriend of a sexy musician and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. Yet time is running out; a malevolent spirit has been trying to destroy Lenzi for ages, and he will surely kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.
Her choices are clear: Destiny or normalcy. Alden or Zak. Life or death.
Details:
To be published December 8th 2011 by Philomel/Penguin
The Elliott Review:
Shattered Souls is a haunting tale filled with emotional depth and near-paralyzing suspense that grips as each new piece of mystery unfolds. The skillful characterization combined with mystery, the paranormal, and horror makes the narrative flow natural and graceful - a serious pleasure to read (addictively).
Lenzi is a troubled girl in a relationship with a troubled boy, Zak, but then Alden appears and seems to know about Lenzi's issues and reveals that they are not, in fact, issues but part of her ability, as Speaker, to help souls deal with their past baggage and move on into the afterlife. For ages, the two of them have been reincarnated together to form a team to assist these troubled spirits. The fact that Lenzi can't remember any of this when she so blatantly should is a massive problem.
As Lenzi spends more time with Alden, her feelings for him grow into what she believes she has felt for him in previous lives. Zak doesn't take is now spending time with this mysterious new stranger, and his actions of course push Lenzi and Alden closer together. As she remembers more and more about their lives together, it becomes apparent that perhaps their past isn't as uncomplicated as she first thought.
The emotional depth of the characters mixed with the exciting plot elements are what made me basically forsake all of my other life-ly duties in favor of reading this book. I wish I could talk about the amazing, gut-wrenching, climatic ending in detail, but I will, alas, let you discover that for yourself!!!
Source: Thanks to Kari at The Teen {Book} Scene for organizing this tour. You can view other stops on the tour here.
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Terrific review! I love a book with characters that I can connect with on an emotional level. It really does increase my enjoyment of the book.
ReplyDeleteI really loved this one too. I liked how uncomplicated the plot was. There definitely was a wonderful plot but the author also let the characters be themselves and it was really about Alden and Lenzi getting to know each other. Super fun read! Great review!
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