Blog Tour: Review, Top Ten & Character Bios: The Soul Thief by Majanka Verstraete

 

The Soul Thief

(The Angel of Death Series #1)

by Majanka Verstraete

Publisher: Booktrope

Published: November 11, 2014

Genre: YA, Paranormal

 

When sixteen-year-old Riley is injured in a car crash and sees a girl stealing a boy’s soul, she’s convinced she’s hallucinating. But when she sees the same girl at the hospital later, she knows she wasn’t dreaming. That’s when Riley learns her secret heritage and who she really is: a halfling Angel of Death. Riley must come to terms with her new reality and supernatural abilities, but before she can do this, girls her age start dying in mysterious circumstances. It’s up to Riley to figure out why, what the innocent victims have in common, and what she can do to stop them.

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Character Bios

Riley – At age sixteen, Riley has always led a normal life. That is, until she’s stuck in a car crash, meets an Angel of Death and finds out she’s a Halfling Angel herself. Now charged with having to escort the souls of the deceased to the afterlife, finding a way to control her new powers, and somehow survive high school, she has a lot on her plate. She’s brave and supportive of her friends. She loves spending time with them, and with her family, especially her little sister Cassie. She also hangs out a lot at her Grandma’s shop, Herbie’s Herbs. She’s intelligent and has a great sense of humor, but she’s struggling with her new life and what it means to be a Halfling Angel.

Leander – An immortal Guardian, he’s the Angel set up with the task to help Riley control her new powers.  The Council is wary of Halflings ever since an incident with a Halfling named Darius, now over half a millennium ago, so Leander is always watching out for Riley and making sure the Council doesn’t start seeing her as a threat. He’s struggling with his feelings for Seraphyn, an angel he’s been in love with for centuries. He’s loyal and caring, and taking his job very seriously.

Katie – Katie is one of Riley’s best friends. She’s flirty, spontaneous and outgoing, and has a positive view on life. She’s all about emotions, about doing what you want whenever you want it, and about seizing the day – carpe diem. Whenever a problem presents itself, she faces it head on, without hesitating.

Michelle – Riley’s other best friend, Michelle is a self-proclaimed geek with a love for Lord of the Rings, video games, studying, and Star Wars. Considering how their personalities clash, it’s remarkable Katie and Michelle get along at all. Michelle would do anything for her friends. She has a logical mind and knows how to stay calm in crisis situations.

Craig – The fourth member of their best friend cycle, Craig is very intuitive. He knows something is wrong before his friends even mention it to him. He’s always there for his friends, and when you don’t want to get judged, he’s the person to talk to. Sometimes he struggles with being gay – not because he’s confused about that, but because not everyone has accepted that part of him yet. But his friends and parents are okay with it, and he’s thankful because of that.

Herbie – Riley’s Grandma, Herbie, owns a shop called Herbie’s Herbs. She’s also a witch, and the only one who knew what Riley truly is, but she never told her. Riley loves her Gran, but this betrayal stung a lot and has hurt their relationship. Herbie is always ready t to help though, be it with spells or just pep talks.

Top 10 Reasons to Read The Soul Thief

1. The main character – Riley -- is awesome. She’s definitely no damsel in distress.

2. It’s not a typical YA paranormal with the focus on the love interest. The focus is on the main character and what she’s going through.

3. No insta-love.

4. It has a few twists and surprises you won’t see coming (at least I hope not!)

5. It features angels. And they’re hot.

6. The main character has an actual family who cares for her and loves her, whereas most YA novels don’t mention family, or don’t focus on them at all.

7. Riley gets to fight vampires.

8. She also gets to hang out with her friends and crack stupid jokes, and even hang on with her Grandma.

9. There is some romance though, so don’t get turned off by number two from the top tens.

10. Someone might just come by and steal your soul tonight if you don’t read it.

REVIEW

This book reminded me of why I enjoy the YA PNR genre so much. With plenty of excitement and mystery as the protagonist learned that life was not as normal as they had always believed, and as they set out to really discover themselves and their new abilities. And although this book had many of the usual cookie cutter aspects of this genre, it was also filled with enough twists and turns to keep me interested and guessing. 

I enjoyed going along for the ride as Riley learned about her new abilities and discovered more about this new existence that was suddenly thrust upon her. There were many intriguing characters in this story and I wanted to know more about them. It was great to see that Riley had a happy home life with two loving parents, even if things were a bit more complicated under the surface. 

This was an easy read that flowed well and sucked me in with each flip of the page. The ending definitely left me wanting more, and I'm eager to continue on the journey with Riley and her friends. I only hope that the conclusion she came to at the end of this book is the right one, although, I have a feeling there's plenty more adventure and chaos waiting in store for her.

 

About the Author

 

Majanka Verstraete begged her Mom to teach her how to read while she was still in kindergarten. By the time she finished fifth grade, she had read through the entire children’s section of her hometown library. She wrote her first story when she was seven years old, and hasn’t stopped writing since. With an imagination that never sleeps, and hundreds of possible book characters screaming for her attention, writing is more than a passion for her. She writes about all things supernatural for children of all ages. She’s tried to write contemporary novels before, but something paranormal always manages to crawl in. Majanka is currently studying for her Master of Laws degree, and hopes one day to be able to combine her passions for law and writing. When she’s not writing, reading or studying, she likes watching “The Vampire Diaries” and “Game of Thrones,” spending time with her friends, or playing “World of Warcraft.”

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Tour Schedule

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November 14
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Here is What I Read - Author Interview, Dreamcast, Soundtrack, Excerpt
Writing Belle - Character Bios

November 15
A Book Paradise - Author Interview, Soundtrack, Excerpt
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November 16
Roxy's Reviews - Review, Character Bios, Top Ten
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Nerd Girl Official - Excerpt

November 17
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Star Shadow Blog - Character Bio, Dreamcast, Soundtrack
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November 18
Kristy Centro - Character Bios
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Little Hyuts Reviews - Dreamcast

November 19
Step Into Fiction - Review, Excerpt
Behind the Pages - Author Interview, Dreamcast, Excerpt
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The Avid Reader - Soundtrack, Character Bios

November 20
Tracy's Nook - Review, Character Interview
The Pleasure of Reading - Excerpt
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Becky's Barmy Book Blog - Top Ten, Excerpt

November 21
Relaxed Reads - Dreamcast
Renee Entress's Blog - Review
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