Amazon | Barnes & Noble | GoodreadsTitle: The Weight of Souls
Author: Bryony Pearce
Year Published: 2013
My Pre-Reading
Synopsis: Sixteen year old Taylor Oh is cursed: if she is touched by the ghost of a murder victim then they pass a mark beneath her skin. She has three weeks to find their murderer and pass the mark to them – letting justice take place and sending them into the Darkness. And if she doesn't make it in time? The Darkness will come for her…
She spends her life trying to avoid ghosts, make it through school where she's bullied by popular Justin and his cronies, keep her one remaining friend, and persuade her father that this is real and that she's not going crazy.
But then Justin is murdered and everything gets a whole lot worse. Justin doesn't know who killed him, so there's no obvious person for Taylor to go after. The clues she has lead her to the V Club, a vicious secret society at her school where no one is allowed to leave… and where Justin was dared to do the stunt which led to his death.
Can she find out who was responsible for his murder before the Darkness comes for her? Can she put aside her hatred for her former bully to truly help him?
And what happens if she starts to fall for him?
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Review: This book was so good, you guys! I literally could not put it down. I mean, I've never been disappointed by a Strange Chemistry title, but this one is probably one of the best ones I've read. It had mystery, scandal, ghosts, romance, Egyptian mythology, and so much more. And all of it was woven into this really beautiful story. I had to put off writing this review for a couple of days so that I could gather my thoughts and just not ramble on and one about how good this book was. But I think I still might end up doing that, so I apologize in advance.
Taylor has this really tragic back story that just keeps getting sadder the more you find out. And things just never get any easier for her. But she stays strong and somehow makes it through each day, and still hasn't been taken by the Darkness. So serious props to her, because I don't know if I would ever be able to deal with things the way she does. I've been reading a lot of books with strong heroines lately, but Taylor is different. She's strong, but flawed, and I think that makes her more accessible to readers than most heroines.
I really loved the way that Eqyptian mythology is woven into this story. The excerpts from Taylor's ancestor recounting the events that led to her "condition" are interesting, and might have been some of my favorite parts of the book. Sometimes the mythology takes over what's happening in the present, but in this case, it really makes the story richer and fuller. It sets it apart from other supernatural ghost books, and that makes such a difference.
The romance is not unexpected, but it does occur very slowly, which is nice. It seems like romances in YA books nowadays occur so fast and have no justification behind why the two characters "fall in love." Taylor's romance though makes total sense, and it's actually pretty adorable. It's a little sad though, because eventually it will have to end. But who knows, maybe there will be a way for the two of them to be together in a sequel or something (if there is one, although this book totally works as a standalone).
When I was reading this, I was very much reminded of the Anna Dressed in Blood series. Those are some of my favorite ghost books, and I think The Weight of Souls is totally on par with them. So if you've read the Anna books and loved them, I would definitely recommend this book. I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoys supernatural/paranormal books, or books with ancient mythology applied to a modern day situation. A 5/5 for The Weight of Souls!
--Ashley
Taylor has this really tragic back story that just keeps getting sadder the more you find out. And things just never get any easier for her. But she stays strong and somehow makes it through each day, and still hasn't been taken by the Darkness. So serious props to her, because I don't know if I would ever be able to deal with things the way she does. I've been reading a lot of books with strong heroines lately, but Taylor is different. She's strong, but flawed, and I think that makes her more accessible to readers than most heroines.
I really loved the way that Eqyptian mythology is woven into this story. The excerpts from Taylor's ancestor recounting the events that led to her "condition" are interesting, and might have been some of my favorite parts of the book. Sometimes the mythology takes over what's happening in the present, but in this case, it really makes the story richer and fuller. It sets it apart from other supernatural ghost books, and that makes such a difference.
The romance is not unexpected, but it does occur very slowly, which is nice. It seems like romances in YA books nowadays occur so fast and have no justification behind why the two characters "fall in love." Taylor's romance though makes total sense, and it's actually pretty adorable. It's a little sad though, because eventually it will have to end. But who knows, maybe there will be a way for the two of them to be together in a sequel or something (if there is one, although this book totally works as a standalone).
When I was reading this, I was very much reminded of the Anna Dressed in Blood series. Those are some of my favorite ghost books, and I think The Weight of Souls is totally on par with them. So if you've read the Anna books and loved them, I would definitely recommend this book. I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoys supernatural/paranormal books, or books with ancient mythology applied to a modern day situation. A 5/5 for The Weight of Souls!
--Ashley
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