Soul Chaser: Raven's Journey by Nicholette Campbell

DESCRIPTION AS ON AMAZON:

 Life as we know it follows a clear course: a person is born, goes through life, and dies. We are not given the choice to deviate from this routine. But what if we were?
 Soul Chaser carries readers to a world where sixteen-year-old Raven Bishop must struggle with this choice time and time again, not for her sake, but for the sake of others whose lives she can save by repeatedly relinquishing her own.
 The decision to die, and die over and over again, however, is not an easy one for anyone to make, let alone a girl who barely lived her own life--but the fate of Raven's soul depends on it. Will she make the right choice?

I would rate this book 3.5 stars. The unique premise for this novella enticed me: sparing children from the pain of death by dying over and over again yourself - ingenious. I had to purchase it. The idea that innocent young people would be spared ugliness and pain and simply move on to a better place would bring a small comfort in this crazy world. 

Raven's struggle in completing her destiny was interesting, but her task and her goals were hard to understand at first. I felt there could have been more behind the story about why she wasn't supposed to feel emotions for the children. How soul chasers were chosen eluded me as well. Soul Chasers chose their successors, but who made a good soul chaser? How did they know when it was time to choose a successor? Why was Raven chosen? 

The focal point of my confusion in this book was when I read in the description "not for her sake, but for the sake of others whose lives she can save by repeatedly relinquishing her own" - I thought she'd literally save their lives and the children would continue to live on if she suffered death over and over again. 

There was a ton of emotion packed into little over fifty pages in this story, and even though Raven wasn't supposed to feel emotions, the author succeeded in making me feel them. That was especially true with the death of Elijah. 

Overall, I enjoyed "Soul Chaser" and would recommend it as a distinctive thought provoking short read. 

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'Americans Bombing Paris' by Thomas Bartlett

'Americans Bombing Paris' by Thomas Bartlett was a pleasant surprise. If you're not prone to reading political books, please don't fear this story. The political backbone is centered around the United States vs. Iraq and the people caught in between, but the flesh and blood of the novel is the romance between Johnny and Naya. The act of throwing stones- a childish prank, you think? I was shocked by the turn of events and how Johnny and his friends' attempt to give the mighty pause snowballed into something unexpected, something more than they had considered possible. The story is brilliantly navigated through Johnny's memories and keeps the reader teetering between the intense chaotic destruction of fiery explosions as the bombs go off and the burgeoning relationship between Johnny and Naya leading up to France ignoring warnings not to continue trade with Iraq, therefore being punished with the bombing. I was entertained by Mr. Bartlett's unique voice and strikingly vivid descriptions, and he succeeded in dazzling me with the conclusion. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.


A copy of this book was supplied by the author in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

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"Horses" by Gemma Watts

Helpful and informative book for animal lovers or those curious about horses. Many fun facts I hadn't known, and tidbits of knowledge that could come in handy in the future. Could be a reference for a child writing a report, or anyone writing anything who wants to talk about horses and have it feel natural and real. I purchased this book for my nephew to read. 

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