**Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ Keeper of the Lost Souls ~ Kristy Centeno**

Hi y'all! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Kristy Centeno's Keeper of the Lost Souls. My stop includes my review and a giveaway. :)

This tour is presented by YA Bound Blog Tours. To follow along with the tour, click here.

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Keeper of the Lost Souls
by Kristy Centeno
Release Date: June 7, 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal

Summary from Goodreads:

Bryn McCaskey is young, naïve, and can talk to ghosts. Like her mother and grandmother, Bryn is part of a breed of witches called The Keepers of the Lost Souls, whose main purpose is to guard those spirits which are permanently or temporarily grounded in the world of the living.

Because Bryn is a witch, she’s fairly comfortable dealing with all sorts of threats, which she does with ease and confidence. Handling supernatural creatures is as easy to her as baking a pie. Dealing with people however, is something she is yet to learn how to handle.

Unfortunately, as her 18th birthday approaches, and the time for her to take on her first assignment finally arrives, Bryn is forced to confront her inability to communicate with others in an effort to save the one soul that can mean the difference between life and death for mankind.

Johnny Shaw is a lost soul with a personal vendetta against witches. A vendetta he has carried on even after death. However, as much as he might hate them, in order to stop a century old threat, he must join forces with one. When fate brings them together, not only will they be forced to learn how to work as a team, but they will have to depend on each other to stop an evil witch carrying a six hundred year grudge.

 

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My Review

Bryn McCaskey is a new high school graduate. She's also a Keeper Witch. As such, she has certain abilities and responsibilities. She's always been able to see and talk to ghosts. But now that she's 18, she gains the true responsibilities of a Keeper Witch. That of keeping watch over lost souls, those who are in danger of demon attacks, before they finally cross over. One of her charges proves to be quite a challenge.

Johnny Shaw is a newly deceased young man whose spirit hasn't yet moved on. He doesn't understand why but it seems fortuitous as he's the sole protector is his family's secret...one that protects mankind from evil. He isn't at all pleased that Bryn has shown up. He doesn't care what she thinks her duties toward him are. All he needs to know is she's a witch and therefore, he wants nothing to do with her.

I enjoyed watching these two characters butt heads as they figure out how to work together. Bryn is very determined to fulfill her duties where Johnny is concerned. Johnny is determined to maintain his life-long hatred of witches no matter how good they may seem or how cute he thinks this one in particular is. But to prevent his family secret from falling into the wrong hands, Johnny needs to figure out a way to let go of his hatred. 

Bryn doesn't have a lot of confidence. She's more sure of herself when it comes to her 'special' abilities, but socially, she has almost no self confidence. Bryn also has endured a great deal of bullying due to her 'differences'. (Kids aren't so accepting of someone who talks to things no one else can see.) So watching as Johnny breaks through Bryn's defenses and helps to build her self-esteem is satisfying. As is watching Bryn destroy the preconceived notions and prejudices Johnny has cultivated his entire life. It was heartwarming to see how forgiving Bryn is of everyone, even coming to the aid of people who tormented her during her childhood. This went a long way in swaying Johnny's opinion of her.

The supporting cast of characters is well fleshed out, especially Marianne. She's a ghost of a girl who was one of the worst bullies Bryn met. As she spends time with Bryn before moving on, she learns what a true friend is. I also like that she seems to be offering a lesson on bullying and making better choices, particularly when it comes to choices in friends.

Keeper of the Lost Souls is a unique story, especially as it incorporates elements of Chinese folklore. The writing is simplistic - definitely Young Adult. But I really like the story and the lessons it teaches. It is a pleasant read and I definitely recommend it for YA Paranormal fans.

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Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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About Kristy

As a child, I used to lose myself in an imaginary world by the means of a good book. Now that I’m all grown up, I get to create my own fictional realms and make them come to life in ways that most readers might not expect.

I’ve always had a passion for writing but never had the opportunity do so until now. After trying out numerous options I realized that writing was what I loved the most so when I found myself with some free time on my hands, I decided to give it a shot. As it turned out, my very active imagination helped me achieve my goals of creating believable plots with some ordinary, and some not so ordinary characters that helped the stories move along in one way or another.

As I keep moving along in achieving my dreams of becoming a published author, I divide my time in between my four children and my very understanding husband.​

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