Thursday, March 10, 2016

Throwback Thursday Book Review: Lonely Souls by Karice Bolton

Some of you may know that I originally had my own blog, Beauty but a Funny Girl, prior to joining Bookish (now Bookish Lifestyle). I was thinking the other day about all those reviews I left behind when I transferred and thought they should get some love too - no matter how badly written and newbie they come off! So I present to you: Throwback Thursday Reviews! Every once in a while I'll post an old review from Beauty but a Funny Girl, unedited in terms of content, with the exception of any spelling or grammatical mistakes. It's definitely going to be fun and interesting to see how my tastes and writing style have changed over the years!



Series:
Witch Avenue Series #1
Genre:
Young Adult, Witchcraft, Paranormal
Publication.Date:June 29, 2012
Pages:305 (Kindle)
Published By:  Bulldog Press
Website:Karice Bolton

Lonely Souls on Goodreads
My review copy:
Received in exchange for an honest review

Where to get:
  



It’s two weeks before Triss turns 18, and her world is about to change into the most magical one imaginable as she readies herself to enter The Witch Avenue Order... that is until her mother’s disappearance. Instead of celebrating her transformation, she finds herself spreading rose petals into her mother’s empty grave.

When Logan, her best friend from junior high, moves back to town for college, he vows to help her find the answers she so desperately seeks surrounding her mother’s disappearance. As they begin uncovering clues, it becomes apparent that the life of white magic they both grew up loving is not what the majority practices, and their lives are in danger.

With a haunting feeling that her mother may still be alive, she begins to hear a call to the wilderness. Triss realizes that in order to find the answers she needs, she must learn the ways of her ancestors and become the hunter, not the hunted before it’s too late, and she becomes part of the lonely souls.

(Goodreads)

Originally posted March 29, 2013 on Beauty but a Funny Girl

I went back and forth with Lonely Souls. I liked it, I disliked it, I loved it, I disloved it. (I never hated it, hence "disloved.")

Bolton takes a bit of a difference aspect to the witch lore. I feel like she combines what we know and her own spin on witches to make a unique world. These witches are part of a coven, use magic wands, and herbs in their magic. Part of me feels like Bolton created something between a witch and a Wiccan, which I really liked.

I liked Triss. I thought she was a strong character (especially in the scene where she tells off a "mob"), who held onto her belief that her mother wasn't dead, and didn't allow a boy to throw her off track. She comments a few times that while she is falling for Logan, she can't allow her feelings to stop her from finding her mother.

Logan, well... I don't know. He was so enamored with Triss and I wasn't really sure why. I know that sounds harsh, but I don't mean it in that way. I'm talking the all of a sudden strong feelings Logan has for her. Yes, I know they were friends when they were younger and that means something, but they hadn't seen, let alone talked, to one another in years. It reminded me of the guy that says "I love you" on the first date. Yikes.

That's not to say he's a bad person. He's protective, he's smart, and he genuinely cares for Triss - plus he's been tempted by the dark side (I hear they have cookies). He is an amazing help to Triss in her search to find her mother, I just wish his feelings had been more gradual instead of instant and in your face.

I also would have liked for it to be less Triss and Logan romance and more finding of Triss's mother. I don't mind the romantic aspect to stories like this, I just mind when they over power the integral part of the story. Because the book is part of a series, I'm willing to overlook that aspect and hope that as the series continues, we get back to the adventure/mystery and the romance becomes more subplot than plot.

The ending definitely opened up the rest of the series and we find out a little bit more about what (possibly) happened to Triss's mother.


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