Friday, July 16, 2010

SOUL CATCHER by Leigh Bridger

Book One, The Outsider Trilogy
Publisher: Belle Bridge Books
Date published: October 2009
ISBN: 978-0982175682
Dark Urban Fantasy
Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained via Publisher


Livia Belane has lived many lives and each time she faces demons who want her dead. Never remembering her past lives, little Livia finds herself repeating the same mantra: Draw them, Trap them and Burn them. When her mother finds out, destruction happens and Livia is left alone to be accused of her families’ deaths. Sent to a mental facility for a crime she didn’t commit, upon being released years later, she is drawn to Asheville, NC and lives her life alone though an eclectic group gathers around her for her, refusing to leave her be. Until one night, the demon that chases her throughout her lives, finally catches up and rapes her, leaving her for dead. Now Livia has to recall her past lives as a Soul Catcher in order to stop the demons as well as her soul mate, Ian, who paired with her as a Soul Hunter, they will be able to stop the evil that stalks her. Can she remember in time before she is killed yet again?

SOUL CATCHER is an interesting premise to a new trilogy that at times can be a little confusing. The writing was good, the author had a good premise and the character Livia was intriguing but there were a few issues I had problems with in this book. One was the amount of characters-good and bad-that seemed to pop up, get your interest then fade away with no reason given. It made me want to gnash my teeth in frustration at times. Another was the story felt a bit off-kilter, like the author was trying to get everything she needed to set up the series yet it didn’t come across very well within the book. At times it felt a bit forced and rushed. I felt the story could have been tighter without all the extra secondary characters and fleshed out a bit more. The story did take a bit of time to get flowing smoothly and once it did, it kept me enthralled. I do have to warn there are some particularly dark scenes in here (rape, murder, graphic sex scenes, etc) that may not appeal to everyone.

SOUL CATCHER was an interesting twist on past lives and I enjoyed the story even with its slow start and other issues I had about it. I look forward to reading the next in the series and if you like dark, gritty stories that will chill you to the bones then grab SOUL CATCHER. Just make sure to read it in the daylight hours as it can scare the socks off of you at times.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

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