Review: Soul Catcher (The Soulkeepers #4) by G.P. Ching

 

Be sure to check out my reviews of Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3.

 

Soul Catcher

(The Soulkeepers #4)

by G.P. Ching

March 2013

Format: eARC

Source: author

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Dane Michaels has been to Hell and back and isn't interested in repeating the experience. But as a human caught up in the Soulkeeper's world, his life isn't exactly his own. No one can explain why Dane was allowed through the gates of Eden, but it's changed everything. Now, the only one who can make him feel safe is Ethan, the telekinetic Soulkeeper with a dark past and a heart of gold.

When Malini asks Dane to be part of a mission to find the last Soulkeeper, Cheveyo, more than one team member thinks she's tempting Fate. But Malini suspects Fate has had a hand in Dane's life for some time and that he could be the key to unraveling Lucifer's latest plan of attack.

An eARC of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

*there may be slight spoilers for books 1-3*

When you get to the fourth book in a series, it can get quite hard to write helpful, coherent reviews without getting repetitive and spoilery, so I apologize if this review is vague and brief. But, the great thing about reviewing Soul Catcher, the fourth book in G.P. Ching's excellent The Soulkeeper's series, is that I can gush about how this series only gets better and better!

Like books one through three in The Soulkeepers series, Soul Catcher focuses mostly on a select few characters, and in this book Dane is given the chance to really shine. Malini, Jacob, and the other Soulkeepers find themselves continuing to train in Eden, trying to figure out Lucifer's next move, while desperately in search of Cheveyo, a new Soulkeeper who has gone missing. When the Soulkeepers embark on a mission to find Cheveyo, Malini insists that Dane not only be a part of the mission, but is an integral part. Meanwhile, Dane must sort through his confusing and exciting feelings for Ethan, the telekinetic Soulkeeper.

This series and author G.P. Ching continue to amaze and enthrall me! Soul Catcher proves that this series hasn't slowed down or suffered one bit. The angels and demons mythology is still incredibly fresh and captivating, the characters still intrigue and feel like old friends, while Ching's storytelling still rocks!

I've stated in earlier reviews that I love Ching's take on angels and demons, Heaven and Hell, and the humans caught between them, and she really takes her mythology to some unexpected and wild places. What I really appreciate about this series' Good vs Evil premise, is that it's not all black and white, and it certainly isn't cliché. Ching has created a premise that is smartly complex and refreshing, while still being relatable and believable. Like books 1-3, the world-building in Soul Catcher is great. Ching continues to develop and paint the physical worlds of Hell and Eden, while the history of the mythological world is deftly expanded.

I want to mention, like I do in my other reviews of this series, that even though there are different religious elements in these books, they are in no way preachy. The author does not throw any religious beliefs, values, or practices in the faces of readers. To me (a non-religious person), these books are simply awesome supernatural/fantasy reads with intriguing religious aspects.

The storylines, world-building, and storytelling are all fantastic in this series, but it's the characters that really sparkle! And in Soul Catcher Malini, Dane, and Ethan are brought center stage and given a chance to show what layered, lovable, and well-developed characters they are. Malini continues to be such a strong, admirable heroine with so much depth and heart. And Dane! Oh, how far this guy has come, from bully to compassionate hero, and how much I've grown to love him! And Dane and Ethan?! Be still my beating heart...

Ok, I'm gonna get all fangirly here because I ADORE the friendship and blossoming relationship between Dane and Ethan. We see far too little LGBT characters in YA, especially in YA books that aren't contemporaries, so I'm so glad Ching has written about an out and proud gay character (Ethan) and a questioning character (Dane). The genuine friendship and romantic feelings between these two feel so real and breathtaking. I love that Ching has taken the time to effectively explore Dane's confusion and excitement over his questioning sexuality and feelings for Ethan amidst all the supernatural elements and action in Soul Catcher.

And the baddest baddie of them all, Lucifer, continues to be one of my fave characters in this series. I just love what Ching has done with him and how devilishly charismatic and charming she's made him. What can I say? I have a strange fascination with the fallen angel.

Soul Catcher ends in a terrifically cliffhanger-ly way that has me so excited for book five!

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Soul Catcher is an awesome addition to an already superb series! Fans of the series will love where G.P. Ching takes her story and characters, and those just starting the series have a fantastic book four to look forward to. A MUST read book in a MUST read series! 

MY RATING 

 

You can get book one this series free on Amazon

G.P. Ching

Site / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

G.P Ching is the author of The Soulkeepers Series and variety of short fiction. She specializes in cross-genre paranormal stories, loves old cemeteries, and enjoys a good ghost tour. She lives in central Illinois with her husband, two children, and one very demanding guinea pig. 

Review: Return to Eden (The Soulkeepers #3)

Be sure to stop by my post for the Return to Eden Blog Tour to watch a video of G.P. Ching answering one of my questions and to enter to win some fabulous prizes!

TITLE: Return to Eden                 SERIES: The Soulkeepers #3 AUTHOR: G.P. Ching                  PUB DATE: 3/12 FORMAT: eARC SOURCE: from author in exchange for honest review

Dr. Abigail Silva has waited over 10,000 years for redemption and a chance at a real relationship with the angel she loves. But when you're made from evil itself, it's hard to remember if salvation is worth the wait. With Lucifer's plan coming to fruition, she must decide if God's offer of humanity is all it's cracked up to be, or if a deal with the devil is the more promising solution

THREE WORDS: Epic Final Showdown

MY REVIEW: I’m a huge fan of G.P. Ching’s The Soulkeepers Series (check out my review of The Soulkeepers and Weaving Destiny) and I’m glad to report that book three, Return to Eden definitely does not disappoint.

In Return to Eden we find Jacob, Malini, Gideon and Dr. Silva searching for fellow Soulkeepers as Lucifer hunts them down, while Mara is caught in the In Between with Death himself. As the newly found Soulkeepers train in Eden and Lucifer rallies his army, each character finds themselves facing their own personal struggles with doubt, insecurity, fear, duty and love. And in the end everyone must choose a side as an epic battle between good and evil, Heaven and Hell, Lucifer’s army and God’s warriors takes place.

Return to Eden is a thrilling and captivating closing chapter on what’s been a grand and exciting journey. I continue to be greatly impressed with Ching’s ability to weave an intricate and fascinating story that is both original and highly entertaining.

There is quite a bit going on in book three and several character storylines are focused on, but despite an abundance of story and character focus, the book paces nicely and never feels rushed and nothing feels glossed over. The story also takes place in several settings and Ching continues to create very vivid and intriguing worlds- Hell, Eden, the In Between.

Since book one, I’ve been simply fascinated with the ultimate Good vs Evil story that Ching has crafted, but Ching’s world in this series is anything but simple. Smartly and sharply written, the story of war between fallen angels and the Soulkeepers is a compelling and multifaceted one. Rich in actual facts and myths, the story Ching offers readers is as layered as it is entertaining. Although the series as a whole deals with religious themes and stories, I appreciate the fact that it’s never preachy or too in your face. I think religious people can enjoy the series for its religious symbolism, while non-religious readers (like me) can simply enjoy the series for what it is- an absorbing, well written and electrifying example of great storytelling.  

One of the things I love most about this series, and about Return to Eden especially, is how complex Ching’s characters are. Although there is an overall Good vs Evil theme throughout the series, not everything or everyone is simply “good” or “evil”, black or white. Dr. Abigail Silva is an incredibly complex and riveting character that is constantly straddling that thin line between redemption and being lost forever, and I’m so in awe of the way Ching has developed and characterized her.

One of my absolute favorite characters in Return to Eden is Lucifer! As weird as it sounds, I find Lucifer/Satan/The Devil to be one of the most fascinating characters throughout history and I’ve always been completely intrigued by him. I’m always impressed when an author can create an engaging, layered, witty Lucifer who is almsot likable in all his entertaining smugness, and Ching has done just that. So, kudos to Ms. Ching for an awesome Luci!

Romance. Love. Kissing. Return to Eden definitely has these things! Ching doesn’t skimp on the romance and the relationships between Jacob/Malini, Abigail/Gideon, and Mara/Henry(Death) are as enthralling and addicting as ever. My only complaint when it comes to the romance department is that the lovey-dovey dialogue is often a bit cheesy, especially during the Mara/Henry scenes. But this never distracted me from enjoying (and totally swooning over) the romance.

The story leads up to a breathtaking and surprising battle between the main characters and Lucifer and the Watchers. But the story doesn’t end there; there is a very satisfying epilogue and conclusion that I really loved…although, I’m super excited that there will be a book four because there are quite a few characters and stories that I don’t think are quite finished (i.e Dane and Ethan!!!).

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Return to Eden, with its intriguing story; compelling characters and heart-racing action, is an exciting third book in what has turned out to be an epically awesome series!

My Rating

5/5 Cupcakes

Find the author: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Purchase: Amazon / B&N / Website (signed copies)

G.P. Ching is the author of The Soulkeepers Series and a variety of short fiction. She specializes in cross-genre paranormal stories, loves old cemeteries, and enjoys a good ghost tour. She lives in central Illinois with her husband, two children, and one very demanding guinea pig. 

Now head over to check out G.P. Ching's video and enter the awesome giveaway!

Return to Eden (The Soulkeepers #3) Cover Reveal

The Soulkeepers Series by G.P. Ching has become one my favorite YA series, so I was super excited to wake up and find Ching's newsletter showcasing the cover of book three in my inbox today! And the cover, designed by Adam Bedore of Anjin Designs is absolutely stunning...

Dr. Abigail Silva has waited over 10,000 years for redemption and a chance at a real relationship with the angel she loves.  But when you're made from evil itself, it's hard to remember if salvation is worth the wait. With Lucifer's plan coming to fruition, she must decide if God's offer of humanity is all it's cracked up to be, or if a deal with the Devil is the more promising solution.

Eeep! I cannot wait to read this!

If you'd like you can read my reviews of book 1 and book 2 here:

• The Soulkeepers 
• Weaving Destiny

REVIEW: THE SOULKEEPERS

Title: The Soulkeepers: Book 1   Series: The Soulkeepers Series Author: G.P. Ching                       Publisher: Darkside Publishing Pub. Date:March 2011                Format: Kindle ebook Source: from author in exchange for honest review

The Soulkeepers

When fifteen-year-old Jacob Lau is pulled from the crumpled remains of his mother's car, no one can explain why he was driving or why the police can't find his mother's body. Made a ward of his uncle and thousands of miles from home, a beautiful and mysterious neighbor offers to use her unique abilities to help him find his mom. In exchange, she requires Jacob to train as a Soulkeeper, a warrior charged with protecting human souls. He agrees to her demands, desperate for any clue to the mystery of his mother's disappearance. But soon Jacob finds himself trapped in a web of half-truths, and questions her motives for helping him

With a title like The Soulkeepers I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but any expectations I had were greatly surpassed. This book gripped me tight and took me on a surprising, smart, and refreshing journey.

When the book begins we meet Jacob, a 15 year old boy who has just been in a mysterious car accident. Upon waking up in the hospital Jacob meets an uncle he never knew he had and learns that his mother is missing. Jacob is forced to move in with his uncle’s family in Paris, Illinois. In Paris, Jacob is confronted with small town bigotry, a mysterious neighbor and budding supernatural powers.

G.P Ching has weaved an intricate and enthralling story with The Soulkeepers. The novel relies on established religious stories and texts, yet the novel’s story itself is highly original and unlike any YA Fantasy that I’ve ever read. As driven as this book is by the fantasy and supernatural elements, it is the characters that give it heart. Ching’s characters are easy to connect with and I found myself quite attached to them. I found the two main teenage characters, Jacob and Malini, to be refreshing in the way that their personalities are not used for cliché purposes- their wit is not used as a razor sharp weapon, their sarcasm is not used merely for sarcasm’s sake, and their status as social outsiders is used organically and not to give them some kind of moral edge. Their characters just feel real.

And I must admit that I have a bit of a crush on Jacob. He, especially, is such a wonderfully crafted character. His emotions and state of mind are incredibly palpable throughout the novel. I appreciate the complexity of his character’s struggles and growth throughout the novel.

I found myself most fascinated by Ching’s character Dr. Silva, Jacob’s mysterious neighbor and Helper. No matter how much we learn or how much is revealed about her, the mysterious aura surrounding Dr. Silva never really fades. She reminds me a great deal of Neil Gaiman’s Silas from The Graveyard Book or J.K. Rowling’s Severus Snape from Harry Potter. She’s one of those masterfully created characters that are dangerously captivating and hard to forget.

The grandeur with which Ching writes in this book is quite breathtaking. Her added twists, turns, and renderings of familiar stories and myths are, as I’ve stated before, incredibly original and beautifully crafted. There’s something very thought provoking as well, not only in the topics Ching presents (God, angels, Heaven, Hell, good vs evil), but in the way she presents them.

I loved this book and cannot wait to read the rest of the series. You absolutely MUST read this book!

 My Rating

5/5 Cupcakes

You can learn more about and connect with G.P. Ching here:

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