Happy Release Day, Robyn Jones!! Soul Twister releases today and I have my review, plus an interview with Trent, and two giveaways for y'all.
My interview with Robyn and my favorite quotes posts on Thursday.
This blog tour was organized by Jaclyn @JC's Book Haven.
***
Soul Twister by Robyn Jones
Touched Girl #3
Release Date: July 21, 2014
Genre: New Adult, Paranormal Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. And then I purchased my own copy today!
Rating: 5 Bookworms
Synopsis
Months into recovering from the bloody events that took place in Soul Bender, Anna Pierce is ready to get back out there and fulfill her self-crafted destiny. Sadly, no one in her life feels the same way. The emergence of buried memories and out-of-the-blue powers send her straight into regular sessions with the school counselor. If only she could talk about her overly protective vampire boyfriend or the real threat posed by former friends turned enemies or her new guide who makes her former guide look like a bowl of sunshine. Anna has a lot going on, but at least she's too busy to think about her first Christmas at Ella's.
Wow! What an amazing read. Ms. Jones uses the perfect blend of suspense, action, mystery, romance, and humor to create a riveting story that I didn't want to put down. In fact, I was rather shocked when I flipped the page only to realize it was over.
In my previous reviews of Touched Girl novels, I waxed poetic about Ms. Jones' use of words to convey the setting, characters, and emotions in such a way that it all is so visceral. Soul Twister is no different. While reading, I felt as if I could see every location, see every action, and feel every emotion. This, of course, leads to tight connections with the characters. I'm so invested and enamored with each of them - even the bad vamps - that I was glued to my kindle.
Soul Twister finds Anna learning to cope with the aftermath of Brad, while also learning more about the Touched Girl powers she continues to manifest. She must also learn to control those powers as she's facing new dangers. But she's also just an 18 year old girl. Witnessing Anna trying to balance both sides of her life - trying to pass her classes and decide on a college while hunting vamps and loving one - was touching at times and comical at others. I adore watching Anna - having been stuck in her own head for so many years - learn to be communicative through words and actions.
At Anna's side are a colorful cast of characters, both human and vampire. Peter, Anna's vamp boyfriend, continues in his quest to deal with all the interesting bonuses of being Anna's boyfriend along with figuring out how to protect her. Peter often says that they make each other more human and while some of his actions and reactions frustrated me, I relished the fact they were very human.
Ms. Jones does a phenomenal job of allowing us to know Anna's parents through flashbacks. It's incredible how present they are in the story, in Anna's life, despite Anna having lost them. Anna's grandma, Ella, cousins Betsy and Sara, baby Sam, the study group of Chuck and Trent, Cody/Eric, and even neighbor Ted, surround Anna in a cocoon of love that is so needed since the loss of her parents. Ella with her sex talks and Betsy with her snark, provide giggles when things are getting tense. Sara and Sam are good with the hugs. Anna's family is huge when you add in all the vamps and it proved Anna's words:
"You get to love as many people as you can. That's the trade for a short life. Love big and life seems long."Forgiveness and redemption are important themes in this series and I enjoy watching as Anna works out an understanding that works for her. Anna sees goodness in everything (or tries to), is so forgiving of people, and wants happiness for everyone. But she's not afraid to take down a bad vamp. Even when hunting vamps though, Anna is looking to redeem them.
I'm not doing the story justice here. There's so much about Soul Twister, the vampire/Touched Girl mythology, the suspense in wondering if Anna will survive her latest battles, the interactions of all the characters, even the action scenes, that all combine for an enthralling read. I'm very eager for the next installment.
Sad and beautiful with a hidden dose of attitude. Anna doesn’t remember, but I saw her Sara’s baby shower. She gave me a dirty look, sort of. She didn’t look at me, but I got the picture.
I have to ask because I need to know...Why did all those bad words come out toward Anna? Did you mean to be insulting or are you just "bad with words" like Anna said? I mean, I wanted to punch you sometimes with the observations that flew out of your mouth...
Anna would love this question. I go off what I see, but I’ve recently discovered there is a world beyond our seeing. Do you remember that she said I’m bad with my words and good with my mouth?
What was the point of continuing to hang around at Anna's when it seemed you stayed frustrated with Anna and only ended up upsetting her?
She’s addictive.
So, how did you feel when Anna stepped in front of Jason's fist? Did it hurt your ego at all??
I wanted to shake her and tell her to stop getting hurt! It pissed me off. It still pisses me off because she steps in front of fists in one form or another all the time.
How did you feel/what did you think about Anna's effect on your mom?
I don’t know how to put it. God, I want to hold onto her until she understands what she gave me, but she slips through my fingers. The girl is sand in the wind.
I was sorta impressed that you were so calm after learning some pretty scary stuff about Anna's world? Why didn't you run?
It was a relief for some of the pieces of the puzzle to finally fit together. And it feels good to know her this way.
Did learning about Anna's other world help you to understand Anna and her lack of honesty better?
Anna would definitely tell you my learning about her other world did very little to help me understand her. I get it all wrong. We’ll see about the lying thing.
What is it about Anna and her kisses? ;)
She gives you bliss wrapped in pure love, but that’s just the poetic part. The girl has no idea how insanely hot she is and when she kisses you, it’s never a show.
Thanks again, Trent! I really appreciate your candor. ;)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
My boys make me laugh every day. I steal pens; I try real hard not to. I collect those free bookmarks at the checkout counter at libraries. I've had more stitches than anyone I know. I love stories; writing them, reading them, watching them. You can email me at robgirlbooks@gmail.com.
