Title: Shattered Souls
Author: Mary Lindsey
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
336 pages, Published by Philomel
Mary’s Info: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy The Book: Amazon
Summary: 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. (Summary provided by Philomel.)
My Thoughts:
I recently hosted a guest post by Mary Lindsey, author of the new YA novel Shattered Souls. Mary wrote about what she does when she’s not writing. Shortly after hosting Mary on the blog, I had a chance to read Shattered Souls. I absolutely loved it and have been dying to sing its praises to all of you.
Shattered Souls centers around a teen named Lenzi. When Lenzi begins hearing voices she is terrified that she is developing Schizophrenia. However, she has trouble believing what is really happening to her: she is hearing voices of lost souls. Enter Alden. Alden explains to her that they have both lived in previous lifetimes. She is a speaker. A person who can hear lost souls. Alden is a protector. His job is to protect the speaker. Alden is also a major hottie, and Lenzi soon finds herself developing feelings for him despite the fact that she already has a boyfriend. To further complicate matters, an evil spirit is trying to harm Lenzi.
Mary Lindsey has created an exciting new universe. The mixture of reincarnation and the spirit world is a a unique concept, and I was immediately hooked. The book is set on the Texas Gulf Coast. I LOVED the Galveston, Texas/Gulf Coast setting. I live on the MS Gulf Coast, and it’s nice to see the Gulf get some fiction love. I also thought the Galveston storm connection was compelling. My grandfather had relatives that lived around there during the time of The Great Storm of 1900. I grew up listening to some truly hair raising, creepy stories about the storm. So I was more than willing to believe that area would be home to some super pissed off ghosts!
One of my favorite parts of the book was the hierarchy within the Speakers and Protectors. The history and structure behind the organization that oversees the speakers and protectors was detailed and well written. It reminded me a little bit of the Talamasca organization that Anne Rice has in her witch and vampire novels.
Shattered Souls was a traveling ARC (Advance Review Copy). This means that I had to read it in a fairly short amount of time and mail it on to the next reviewer on the list. When I finished reading it I was sad to mail it off so soon, and I immediately preordered a copy. Yes, I plan to read this one again. With an amazing cast of characters, exciting plot, and beautiful Gulf coast setting, Shattered Souls is a novel I won’t soon forget. (I really hope there’s a sequel!)
Many thanks to The {Teen} Book Scene for having me on the Shattered Souls tour. Be sure and check out the other stops on the tour:
Sunday, May 8: Mary Lindsey’s Weblog (Opening Post)
Monday, May 9: Lauren M at 365 Days of Reading (Top Five List)
Tuesday, May 10: Melina at Reading Vacation (Guest Post)
Wednesday, May 11: Jessica T at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
(Author Interview)
Thursday, May 12: Cindy at Dog-Eared & Bookmarked (Cover Feature)
Friday, May 13: Jessi at The Elliott Review (Guest Post)
Saturday, May 14: Kari at A Good Addiction (Author Interview)
Monday, August 15:
Nafiza at Bibliophilic Monologues (Author Interview)
Tuesday, August 16:
Christine at WatchYA Reading (Tens List)
Kari at A Good Addiction (Review)
Wednesday, August 17:
Rie at Mission to Read (Where I Write)
Thursday, August 18:
Cyndi M at Dog Eared and Bookmarked (Author Interview)
Cindy at Books Complete Me (Review)
Friday, August 19:
Megan at A Trail of Books Left Behind (Author Book Picks)
Monday, August 22:
Alisia at Alisia Leavitt (Author Interview)
Tuesday, August 23:
Amber M at Down the Rabbit Hole (Guest Post: Ghost Movies)
Rachel at Fiktshun(Review)
Wednesday, August 24:
Nicole at Word for Teens (Multicharacter Interview)
Thursday, August 25:
Amber S at Me, My Shelf and I (Author Interview)
Jessi at The Elliott Review (Review)
Friday, August 26:
Rummanah at Books in the Spotlight (Guest Post)
Tuesday, September 6:
Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer (Review)
Thursday, September 8:
Stacy at Girls in the Stacks (Review)
Monday, September 12:
Melissa W at Mel’s Books and Info (Character Interview: Zak)
Jessica T at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile (Review)
Tuesday, September 13:
Julie C at That’s Swell (Tens List)
Wednesday, September 14:
Patricia at Patricia’s Particularity (Galveston History Feature Part 1)
Kelsey at The Book Scout (Review)
Thursday, September 15:
Cynthia A at A Blog About Nothing (Character Book Picks: Lenzi)
Friday, September 16:
Bonnie at A Backwards Story (Author Interview)
Christie at The Fiction Enthusiast (Review)
Monday, September 19:
Damaris at Good Choice Reading (Character Interview: Alden)
Tuesday, September 20:
Mandy B at The Well-Read Wife (Tens List)
Britta at I Like These Books (Review)
Wednesday, September 21:
Jennifer L at Larkin’s Book Bloggers (Galveston History Feature Part 2)
Thursday, September 22:
Harmony at Harmony’s Radiant Reads (Character Book Picks: Zak)
Bailey at IB Book Blogging (Review)
Friday, September 23:
Amanda T at Diary of a Book Addict (Author This or That List)
Monday, September 26:
Jenny at Supernatural Snark (Character Interview: Lenzi)
Julia at Rex Robot Reviews (Review)
Tuesday, September 27:
T B at Literary Cravings (Guest Post: Writing First Versus Third Person)
Wednesday, September 28:
Zoe at In The Next Room (Galveston History Feature Part 3)
Jessica E at Confessions of a Total Bookaholic (Review)
Thursday, September 29:
Mariah at A Reader’s Adventure (Character Book Picks: Alden)
Friday, September 30:
Casey at The Bookish Type (Guest Post: Worst Writing Mishap)
Melina at Reading Vacation (Review)
Tuesday, October 4:
Stacy M at Urban Fantasy Investigations (Review)
Thursday, October 6:
Page E at One Book At A Time (Review)
Monday, October 10:
Rachel at Fiktshun (Author Interview)
Heidi Z at YA Bibliophile (Review)
Tuesday, October 11:
Danna at Friendly Reader (Tens List)
Thursday, October 13:
Allison at The Allure of Books (This or That List: Lenzi)
Friday, October 14:
Alyssa at Teens Read and Write (Author Interview)
Lauren R at Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf (Review)
Tuesday, October 18:
Kira at Mrs. Boswell’s Book Bag (Review)
Thursday, October 20:
Cyndi M at Dog Eared and Bookmarked (Review)
Monday, October 24:
Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer (Guest Post: Revision Letter Manifesto)
Tuesday, October 25:
Jennifer H at Late Bloomer Online (Ghosts Feature)
Crystal at My Reading Room (Review)
Wednesday, October 26:
Jenn W at Books at Midnight (Playlist with Book Quotes)
Thursday, October 27:
Michelle B at Hooked to Books (Author Interview w/ Book Line Answers)
Bonnie at A Backwards Story (Review)
Friday, October 28:
Anne L at Creativity’s Corner (Roaches, Fishes and more!)
Tuesday, November 1:
Andye at Reading Teen (Review)
Thursday, November 3:
Liz at Consumed by Books (Review)
Tuesday, November 8:
Amber M at Down the Rabbit Hole (Review)
Thursday, November 10:
Allison at The Allure of Books (Review)
Monday, November 14:
Jenny C at Mimosa Stimulus (Tens List)
Alyssa at Teens Read and Write (Review)
Tuesday, November 15:
Keyona at Only Sexy Books Allowed (Guest Post + Giveaway: Beeyaaa)
Wednesday, November 16:
Emilie at Emilie’s Book World (Setting Video 1)
Alison at Alison Can Read (Review)
Thursday, November 17:
Jennifer L at Larkin’s Book Bloggers (Tens List)
Friday, November 18:
Heidi Z at YA Bibliophile (Character Interview: Race)
Alisia at Alisia Leavitt (Review)
Monday, November 21:
Jen L at The Secret Life of a Bibliophile (Author Interview)
Jennifer H at Late Bloomer Online (Review)
Tuesday, November 22:
Crystal at My Reading Room (Character This or That List: Alden)
Wednesday, November 23:
Page E at One Book At A Time (Setting Video 2)
Damaris at Good Choice Reading (Review)
Thursday, November 24:
Zoe S at Zoe’s Book Reviews (Thanksgiving Feature)
Friday, November 25:
Kira at Mrs. Boswell’s Book Bag (Character Interview: Lenzi)
Christine at WatchYA Reading (Review)
Monday, November 28:
Melina at Reading Vacation (Hannah and Emily’s vid about Mary)
Rummanah at Books in the Spotlight (Review)
Tuesday, November 29:
Heidi at The Readiacs (Mary In Response to Her Daughters)
Julie C at That’s Swell (Review)
Wednesday, November 30:
Yani at The Secret Life of an Avid Reader (Setting Video 3)
Mandy B at The Well-Read Wife (Review)
Thursday, December 1:
Christie at The Fiction Enthusiast (Guest Post: The “Waffling Story”)
Britta at I Like These Books (Character This or That List: Maddi)
T B at Literary Cravings (Review)
Friday, December 2:
Jessica T at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile (Character Interview: Maddi)
Cindy at Books Complete Me (Agent Interview)
Michelle B at Hooked to Books (Review)
Monday, December 5:
Jessi at The Elliott Review (Guest Post from Andrea Cremer)
Lauren R at Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf (The Real Smith)
Rie at Mission to Read (Review)
Tuesday, December 6:
Lili at Chica Reader (Character This or That List: Lenzi)
Corrine at Lost for Words (Guest Post: Writing Method)
Patricia at Patricia’s Particularity (Review)
Wednesday, December 7:
Tara G at Hobbitsies (Setting Video 4)
Danielle B at Frenzy of Noise (Editorial Interview)
Mariah at A Reader’s Adventure (Review)
Thursday, December 8: FIVE POSTS – SCAVENGER HUNT
Katie at Mundie Moms
Kari at A Good Addiction
Jessica E at Confessions of a Total Bookaholic
Bailey at IB Book Blogging
Andye at Reading Teen
Jenny at Supernatural Snark (Review)
Friday, December 9:
Amber at Page Turners Blog (Character Interview: Alden)
Stacy M at Urban Fantasy Investigations (Setting Video 5)
Casey at The Bookish Type (Review)
Monday, December 12:
Trish at YA Bound (Crit Partner Interview)
Myranda at My {Reads} Da (Character This or That List: Race)
Jenny C at Mimosa Stimulus (Review)
Tuesday, December 13:
Madison at Locket Stories (Character This or That List: Zak)
Kelsey at The Book Scout (Anniebear’s Post)
Yani at The Secret Life of an Avid Reader (Review)
Wednesday, December 14:
Sara H at Eve’s Fan Garden (Setting Video 6)
Julia at Rex Robot Reviews (Guest Post: Pets and Writing)
Keyona at Only Sexy Books Allowed (Review)
Thursday, December 15:
Stacy at Girls in the Stacks (Video Interview)
Alison at Alison Can Read (Tens List)
Anne L at Creativity’s Corner (Review)
Live Chat at Page Turners Blog
Friday, December 16:
Liz at Consumed by Books (Character Interview: Zak)
Melissa W at Mel’s Books and Info (Review)
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Mandy Boles 