ARC Review: Fragile Spirits (Souls #2) by Mary Lindsey

Fragile Spirits (Souls #2) by Mary Lindsey 

Expected publication: January 23rd 2014 by Philomel

Hardcover, 311 pages

Series: Souls

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Heat Rating: Kissing

Source: Thank you Penguins-Philomel for providing me with a physical ARC in exchange of an honest review.
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Summary from Goodreads

Paul has always known he was a Protector, fated to serve a Speaker who could hear the voices of spirits lingering after death and help those souls find peace.

Vivienne ignores the voices of the dead.

Paul has always followed the Protector’s rule book, preparing diligently for the day when he’d be matched with his Speaker and fulfill his destiny.

Vivienne never does what she’s told.

So when Paul is matched with Vivienne, they both find the pairing less than satisfactory. But a kidnapping, a malevolent spirit and power stronger than both of them may just prove that they are two halves of the same whole.

In a stunning story about the beauty of fate and the power of secrets, Mary Lindsey returns to the world of Shattered Souls with a breathtaking thrill-ride of a novel.

**Note from author: This book begins one month after Shattered Souls leaves off. Lenzi and Alden are featured in this book, but reading Shattered Souls is not a prerequisite.

First I wanted to say that I absolutely love the cover of this book, it is simply gorgeous. Second, I dove into this book not realizing at first that it was part of a series. Luckily for me and my mistake, thought the first two characters are featured in this book you do not need to read book 1 in order to realize what is going on.

Paul is a protector, he has always known he is a protector who is fated to serve another person called a Speaker. Speakers can hear the spirits that are unable or have not moved on from their death and their own faith is to help them resolve what's anchoring them to earth and help them move on.

It took a while longer but Paul finally get's his speaker Vivienne who at first wants nothing to do with him. Vivienne comes with a lot of baggage, and the girl is nothing he had seen before. Hot pink hair and black clothes put up a tougher front, but underneath is a scarred girl who simply wants revenge for her mother and aunts deaths.

With a malevolent spirit out there powerful enough to wreak havoc, it's going to take the two of them working together in order to defeat the man and put him to rest once and for all.

Loved this story, so much fun, entertaining and totally engrossing. I had a hard time putting Fragile Spirits down. I have been in the mood for ghosts stories lately and this had me attention from the start. I love the idea behind Fragile Spirits, and the world that Mary Lindsey has created. Original, fast paced that leaves you wanting even more.

I was so sad when I hit the end of the book, but I was happily surprised that unlike other young-adult books out there it did not end in a cliffhanger!

Lindsey does a wonderful job with characters, especially Paul and Vivienne, I loved how realistic the characters sounded and they weren't perfect. Not even Paul. The relationship starts of shaky, and the bickering between them pulled a smile more then once.  The build up to trust was slow and emotional for, but well worth it in the end. I had to remember several times that they are teenagers when Vivienne acted irrational, but it was fun to see her change through the book.

The budding romance between Paul and Vivienne was sweet but I am glad that it didn't cloud and take away from the story as I was more engrossed about the resolutions of their Speaker/Protector relationship and ghosts.

That being said, I also absolutely loved Race. I hope he get's his own book soon as well, I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us especially with Maddie. I couldn't stand Cinda, I thought she was the worse. I know she was just trying to help but she didn't listen and completely endangered the entire crew at the end of the book after they told her to stay behind when they went to take on the powerful spirit. Plus, I guess part of the animosity towards her comes from the fact that I really liked Maddie and Race.

Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this beautiful story. It had everything I could ask for. Great storyline, wonderful characters, and quiet an emotional ride in between. It held my attention until the very end and didn't let go until it was sadly, over.