And here we go with yet another magnificent book and its even more magnificent review! I know that we all want to read a new book about ghosts and haunted houses! Right? I would certainly hope so because otherwise this poor reviewer wasted her time writing this review. Luckily though, I have faith in you all, my lovelies! Read on!
Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Sometimes Rest in Peace isn't an option.
Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts—and it's ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.
When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie's longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.
But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he's never seen before—a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.
Kacie can't ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster.
There are many books that I used to
love to read. Some of those are romantic, paranormal books. Like
Twilight for example. Yes, there was an extreme problem in those books. I mean hey, the man was a
vampire for crying out loud! What problems wouldn't arise?
But, as I have grown older and matured a bit, I have come to see a pattern in a
lot of these paranormal, supernatural books. There is ALWAYS some kind of romance with the teen protagonists. No, I do not think that there is anything wrong with that. Hell,
Harry Potter had romance in it, but it was not as
prominent as some books that have been published in recent years. There is nothing wrong with a little romance, but when there is so much that it seems to take away from the actual plot and purpose of the book, then we have a problem, and I begin to wonder what the genre of the book is: paranormal or romance. It is most definitely possible to be both, but only in a balance. When the one is in more abundance than the other, the romance for example, then I start to think that it's just another romance book written for teens.
Tortured Souls seems to me to be one of those books. Yes, it has a great plot and great characters, but for me, there was entirely
too much romance!!! One of the most refreshing things about the book, though, was the idea of it. Vampires are starting to wane off a little bit in their popularity, and it seems as though werewolves, zombies, and the Fey are what's replacing them. In this book, however, there are clairvoyants and psychics. How many books have those? Not many. What I adored most about this was the difference in what was being told. Despite the romance problem I had, I enjoyed meeting the different characters who balanced one another out.
One of the things that I love reading so much about though, is when characters are able to build relationships and are able to solve a problem. They are able to come to a resolution. I suppose that I find it refreshing because, in reality, not many people are able to do that. Therefore, I love to imagine another dimension with all the book characters I have read about living together in their awesomeness and accomplishing things that people here on Earth cannot seem to be able to do. Now, that is another good thing that I can say about
Tortured Souls - the characters are compatible. They get along well and have their differences, but in the end, they know what true friendship is about.
Also, the reality in this book is incredible. What Kacie and her mother have as a relationship is something a lot of people have. Mothers are not as old-fashioned and nurturing as they once were. There are the very few that are, but most are not. I loved how Ms. Wheaton expressed that in this book. She did not make it so that everything is happy-go-lucky; she made it real. I appreciated that.
All in all, this is a good book. Despite the romance aspect of it that I did not like, it is something I would most definitely recommend.
My Rating:
Playlist
Sooo.....you know how you always see a scene in a movie or read a passage in a book and a song just pops into your head and then you're just like, "This song really fits the scene?" Well, that is what this playlist is for. See if you can determine which song goes to what passage, scene, or chapter! Challenge yourself!
Everything hurts. My arms are wrenched behind my back, and I’m curled up in the
fetal position on my side. When I try to move, to ease my screaming muscles, I realize
my arms are tied together. Panic surges through me as I squirm against my bonds.
Shivers race along my body from the frigid cold. A sharp pain bites into my cheek. As
I shift my head, I realize a small rock is embedded in my cheek. My eyes open to inky
darkness. Though I can hear shuffling and scraping, I can’t see anything. My heart races
and I choke back a sob.
Where am I?
Light flares to life, burning my eyes and leaving me blind for several moments.
When I can see again, I cringe at the ghastly vision. Several spirits surround me in vivid
corporeal form. They appear as they did in death—bloody, mutilated, bright images of a
horrible tragedy. I recognize the raven-haired girl. I’ve seen her broken body numerous
times in my nightmares. She teeters on legs shattered beyond any hope of repair were
she still alive.
Two spirits flank her, both boys around ten years old. Their forms are so solid,
they appear alive, but the grievous injuries make it clear these boys couldn’t possibly be
among the living. No one could survive such extensive injury. One boy’s head hangs to
his shoulder, only attached by a band of sinew. His blond hair is soaked in blood where
it brushes his chest. Bile rises in my throat. I wonder if I can vomit during a vision.
My eyes move to observe the other boy. It’s hard to tell anything about him because
his face has been destroyed. The right side is concave and his nose is missing. Gulping
down a breath of air, I hold it in, willing the overwhelming nausea away.
It’s just a vision. I repeat this over and over in my head until I can breathe again.
“Help us,” the girl rasps in a voice that sounds like she’s gargling gravel. “He won’t
stop hurting us. You can save us. Please!”
“I’m so scared,” the boy with the dangling head whispers. “He’s getting worse. What
will happen if he destroys our souls?”
“I-I don’t—” Before I can continue, an angry voice cuts me off.
“You left!”
The accusation comes from the boy with the smashed face. His voice
echoes all around me, loud, furious. “You were here and you left! You left us alone with
the monster. How could you?”
“Where?” I ask in a hoarse whisper, flinching at the raw pain that sears through my
throat. “Where are you?”
“Be quiet!” the girl orders in a whisper. “He’ll hear us.”
“Who will hear you?” I ask becoming desperate. “Where are you?”
“The manor,” the girl replies, her head darting around in frantic movements. “He’s
coming!”
“What manor? Who’s coming?” I ask in an urgent whisper.
“Foxbl—” The girl disappears in a flash before she can finish.
“Kassandra Ramsey,” a deep male voice says from the shadows. “How nice to see
you here. You can’t help them, you know. Soon you will belong to me and my reign of
terror on the mortal plane will begin.”
“Who are you?” I shout to be heard above the sinister cackling. Someone has been
watching too many melodramatic old movie villains. “What do you want?”
“You, my dear,” the voice says in my ear.
I jump, trying to scramble away from the phantom’s breath against my face. With
my arms tied behind my back I don’t get far. A hoarse scream leaves my throat, but it
seems to make my tormentor laugh harder. Pain sears through my ankle, such horrible
pressure. I can feel the outline of fingers ending in what feels like sharp claws.
“Soon, Kassandra, soon.” The dark voice is hollow in my ears as I slip into blessed
unconsciousness.
About the Author
Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs and four cats. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals. Her house is filled with dragons, though she does lament that they are the porcelain, non-flying variety. Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!) Her debut novel, Shadow Fire, is the first book in The Light Chronicles series. Watch for book two, Stolen Moon, a standalone sequel, coming soon.
She currently lives in San Antonio, TX but has been somewhat a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different cities and states. Her family enjoys travel, anime & are video game fanatics. Zelda, Fire Emblem & Namco 'Tales of" are some of her favorite franchises. Kimber Leigh is addicted to fairy tales, both the dark and the light. The Brothers Grimm is one of her favorite reads.
Amber Garza is the author of the Delaney's Gift Series and many contemporary romance titles, including Star Struck, Tripping Me Up and Break Free. She has had a passion for the written word since she was a child making books out of notebook paper and staples. Her hobbies include reading and singing. Tea and wine are her drinks of choice (not necessarily in that order). She writes while blaring music, and talks about her characters like they're real people. She currently lives in California with her amazing husband, and two hilarious children who provide her with enough material to keep her writing for years.
