[Review] 7 Souls by Barnabas Miller & Jordan Orlando

Title: 7 Souls

Author: Barnabas Miller & Jordan Orlando

Publication (dd/mm/yy): 28/03/11

Publisher: Penguin Australia

Source: For review (Publisher)
Age: 16+ (sexual references, heavy violence)

Pages: 360

My Rating:

 

Summary:

Mary expected her seventeenth birthday to be a blow-out to remember. Instead, she wakes up naked and scratched, in a mortifyingly public place, with no memory of how she got there. As her life spins out of control, Mary begins to think that someone is out to get her. But isn't she the popular girl everyone loves?

My thoughts: 

I was so excited to read this book, but no amount of expectations could have prepared me for what I was getting myself into. I tentatively give this book a 4, because it fits somewhere from a 3.5 to a 4.5, depending on how I want to go about it.

7 Souls was incredibly interesting and a lot of the time, ESPECIALLY AT THE BEGINNING, I had no idea what was happening. The authors cleverly dispense little pockets of information as the story progresses, which kept me engaged and raring to continue flipping the pages (once I got past the 150~ page mark).

That all sounds pretty good, but I can't just ignore the fact that I was really confused and not at all really bothered to continue reading. The beginning was painful to sit through. Perhaps it was just a shock of culture difference--the third person perspective and just the writing style in general really did throw me off base. Which is why I said in the beginning how unsure I am where this book stands. Considering this is not a book I can see reading again anytime soon . . . .

I really don't want to describe how the story plays out, because the whole story IS what made 7 Souls a really good book overall. I loved trying to figure out who was "in on it", why things happened and, just trying to make sense of it all. I failed miserably across the board, but still, it was a hell of a ride, this book.

There wasn't that much engagement with the characters, but I feel that it didn't matter that I didn't feel any really attachment to most of them. I liked Dylan and Ellen and Amy, and I found it really clever how the authors incorporated an ancient Egyptian prophecy, with an exuberant amount of complexity, and only after reading this book did I finally understand what the title alluded to, as well as all the details of the book (such as the eye featured on the inside cover!)

Overall, 7 Souls was much worth the wait. An invigorating and stimulating read that will have readers clenching their jaws and turning the pages--especially fans of novels involving murders and mystery (or M&M).


Thanks to Penguin Australia for the review copy.

Quotes:

Buy:

Live in Australia?

Fishpond | Readings | Dymocks | Angus & Robertson | Borders | The Nile

Live elsewhere?

Amazon | The Book Depository

Links:

Goodreads Page


I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.

Challenge: --

Teaser Tuesday (16)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab the book you are currently reading and randomly post two non-spoiler sentences.

The Book

7 Souls by Barnabas Miller & Jordan Orlando

Pages: 300

Release date: March 28th 2011

Genre: YA, contemporary, paranormal, mystery

Ages: 15+

Synopsis:
Mary expected her seventeenth birthday to be a blowout to remember, courtesy of her best friends, fellow New York City prepsters Amy and Joon, and her doting boyfriend, Trick.
            Instead, the day starts badly and gets worse. After waking up in a mortifying place with a massive, unexplainable hangover, Mary soon discovers that nobody at school is even aware that it's her birthday. As evening approaches, paranoia sets in. Mary just can't shake the feeling that someone is out to get her—and, as it turns out, she's right. Before the night is over, she's been killed in cold blood.
            But murder is just the beginning of Mary's ordeal. Her soul gets trapped in a strange limbo, and she must relive the day of her death through the eyes of seven people—each of whom, she finds, had plenty of reasons to hate her. As Mary explores the mysteries of her world, discovering secrets that were hidden in plain sight while she was alive, she clings desperately to the hope that she can solve her own murder, change the past, and—just maybe—save her own life.
            With its blend of suspense, horror, fantasy, and realism, 7 Souls is an adrenaline rush of a thriller.

The Teaser

"There was the pain, first and last, that booming drumbeat of agony in her head--the kind of pain that made her want to curl up and die. It was woefully familiar. She recognized that pounding, that rhythm: her heartbeat, as slow and regular as a muffled bass drum from the worst band in the world, playing their worst song over and over."

(pg. 1 - first lines)

Mysterious, eh? Can't wait to delve into this book!!

 Hope you enjoy this week's Teaser Tuesday!


This week's question:


What do you think of the title of this book: "7 Souls"? Fitting or disastrous?