#A Soul Reclaimed by Shayna Grissom

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A Soul Reclaimed: #bookreview

A Soul Reclaimed: #bookreview #bookblog @ShaynaGrissom @VioletaNedkova #indieauthor #writingcommunity

A Soul Reclaimed

A Soul Reclaimedby Shayna Grissom is literally set in Hell. The main characters, Nora and Aegis, visited every circle of Hell. In Dante’s Inferno, there are 9 circles of Hell (Limbo. Lust. Gluttony. Greed. Anger. Heresy. Violence. Fraud. Treachery.) In A Soul Reclaimed, there are 7 levels that are similar to Dante’s circles but not exactly the same. I try not to think about…

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A Reclaimed Soul

A Reclaimed Soul A fascinating attempt to humanize Hell, this book has a LOT going on. #fantasy #youngadult #YALit #YAFantasy #amreading #newrelease #kindle #kobo #nook #ibooks #bookblogger #bookreview #blogtour #bookblog #4stars

A Soul Reclaimed Shayna Grissom Publication date: April 1st 2019 Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Hell is divided into seven regions. The first region is designated for the purest of souls, the seventh is for the evilest. There was once a king of Hell, but the steward family has ruled for centuries.

Nora, the stepdaughter of the steward is undone when her mother and step-father…

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NEW RELEASE!

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A Soul Reclaimed 

By Shayna Grissom

Publication Date: April 1st 2019 Genres:  Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Hell is divided into seven regions. The first region is designated for the purest of souls, the seventh is for the evilest. There was once a king of Hell, but the steward family has ruled for centuries. 

Nora, the stepdaughter of the steward is undone when her mother and step-father take away her beloved tutor, Peter. When Nora confronts the steward and her mother, the discussion is heated and ends with the steward in inexplicable pain.

Shortly after, Nora finds herself in the Starry Wood. Peter told her of the perils within the forest, and it’s not long before the inhabitants of the wood find her. 

A giant hunter named Aegis comes to Nora’s aid. He is drawn to Nora, compelled to protect her from the steward’s assassins, the giants, and the evil souls who escape the seventh region. 

Together, they travel the seven layers of Hell to discover why the steward is so threatened by a teenage girl.

Goodreads

Excerpt:

He assumed the corset was the culprit of my breathing problems and tried to remove it. At first, he attempted to untie it, but when the laces didn't free me from the stills, he resorted to breaking the strings. Being free of the corset helped some, but it didn't stop the hyperventilation. 

A knock at the cabin door only made things worse for Aegis. "Hello, this is the second mate, Mr. Torres. Is everything all right in there?"

Aegis opened the door and brought the man in. "I can't get her to stop doing that," he said in a panic.

"What were you doing to her?" the man accused.

"What?" Aegis realized what the man thought. I was half dressed and hysterical.

"No, I didn't touch her—I thought the corset was hurting her. She was upset and started making that noise, and I didn't know what to do."

Mr. Torres swung into action. He stepped into the bathroom and produced a bag. Aegis watched him suspiciously as he held it over my mouth and nose. After several inhalations, I could breathe normally. Working intermittently with the bag, I caught my breath. The pounding in my temples was so loud all I could do was close my eyes and shield myself from daylight.

Aegis sighed in relief. "Thank you so much. I didn't know what to do." The second mate seemed confused by that statement. "You've never seen her hyperventilate? Are you newly married?"

"No, not married—I'm her escort," Aegis said.

Mr. Torres didn't seem convinced.

"I am employed by her family to take her to the third region to stay with her aunt. Normally, her mother accompanies us, but her mother was sick."

The second mate approached my bed and kneeled on the floor beside me. "Miss, is it as he says?"

"I'm so sorry," I said. "I've never done that before. It's as he says. Aegis would never do anything to hurt me."

Mr. Torres nodded in satisfaction. "It's all right. I have six girls at home, so it's an everyday occurrence in my house."

I laughed despite the looming exhaustion. "That sounds like great fun. I don't have any siblings."

"Oh, well, you're welcome to pay us a visit. Our house is the one that everyone avoids in the fourth region."

"I thought that was Abigail's bed and breakfast," I teased.

Mr. Torres laughed. "We are Abigail's ugly stepchild. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

I shook my head.

"All right. If you need me, I'll be on deck," he said.

Aegis showed the man out while thanking him profusely. He closed the door and rested his head against it. For all his worry of trackers and outlanders, it must never have occurred to him that his biggest battle would be to protect me from myself.

Purchase:

Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo

Author Bio:

Shayna Grissom was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She currently resides in Seattle with her husband, two children, and her beloved pets. Shayna draws inspiration for her writings from binge-watching too many shows with far too much wine. She is a lover of the macabre, the strange, natural sciences, and films that feature vivid colors and imagery. Her favorite film director is Guillermo Del Toro, and her favorite books growing up were Anne Rice novels.

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From one bookaholic to another, I hope I’ve helped you find your next fix. —Dani

Have a book you’d like to suggest or one you’d like me to review? Please feel free to leave your comments down below.

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Book Review: Hell meets Lord of the Rings in A Soul Reclaimed by Shayna Grissom

Book Review: Hell meets Lord of the Rings in A Soul Reclaimed by Shayna Grissom

Hey guys how are you all doing today? It has been a long time since I last made a post and I apologize for that but I have been busy with finals for college and have had bronchitis for the last two weeks. I’m feeling so much better now and after a well needed rest I am back and hopefully better then ever! So without further adieu lets get onto the book review. Today I will be reviewing a book…

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Spotlight & #Giveaway - A Soul Reclaimed by Shayna Grissom @ShaynaGrissom #Fantasy http://bit.ly/2LGQIu6

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A Soul Reclaimed by Shayna Grissom

A Soul Reclaimed by Shayna Grissom

…

A Soul Reclaimed

Shayna Grissom Publication date: April 1st 2019 Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Hell is divided into seven regions. The first region is designated for the purest of souls, the seventh is for the evilest. There was once a king of Hell, but the steward family has ruled for centuries.

Nora, the stepdaughter of the steward is undone when her mother and step-father take away…

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A Soul Reclaimed | Indie Reads #1

What's this? A new series dedicated to indie authors? You bet! We're kicking this off with A Soul Reclaimed by the very talented Shayna Grissom!

Text version found here. Let me know if you’d like me to read your book! Also, check out the Indie Helper Database, a must for all aspiring indie authors!

[aeschknight]

Indie Reads #1

I’ve recently started to do book reviews for indie authors and I’m going to post them separately from my monthly reads. Let’s start with the debut novel of Shayna Grissom! My video review can be found here and links for the book and author are at the bottom!

A Soul Reclaimed by Shayna Grissom

Published: 2019

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Page Count: Roughly 350 pages

Part 1 of a Series

A Soul Reclaimed is the debut novel of Shayna Grissom. It follows the story of Nora, a sixteen-year-old girl, as she searches for where she belongs. But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s a traditional coming of age story. The entirety of the tale takes place in Hell. Yeah, actual Hell, though most of it is rather pleasant. Hell is divided into seven regions and not all of them are hellish. (For a little bit of fun take the soul placement test; I got the third region which is the only one with dogs!)

Nora finds herself all alone in the world (er, Hell) with no real idea of what to do and how to survive. Luckily, her hero comes in the form of Aegis, an incredibly old vampire who somehow wound up being my favorite character. Together they travel throughout Hell and, eventually, Nora realizes where she belonged all along...but if you want to know where that place is, read the book ;)

The book itself starts off a bit slow; not unbearably slow, though. I was engaged enough to keep reading even if I hadn’t been asked to review this book but it took me until later on to become super invested in the story. It’s a quick read, something that you want to keep reading and not put down. I genuinely enjoyed it.

Besides the slight slow pace in the start there are a few other things I’d like to mention. We see an incredible amount of Hell and actually get to experience it. Shayna did an incredible job making sure that the reader could see the world without telling them. There isn’t pages upon pages of descriptive detail about the landscape but we can still visualize it clearly in our minds. It’s extremely well done.

Nora as a character is interesting and we see her mature and change throughout this book. Her mindset is that of a teenage girl who has been thrown into a very adult situation; so exactly how it should be. She’s a believable character. Aegis, as I mentioned, is my favorite because he is a very well developed character with a lot of depth. The Steward we also get to see quite a bit of. Nora’s mother, is my only character issue because she comes off a bit flat. However, she’s also made out to be a rather flat person so perhaps that’s for the best.

My only true issue with this book in any way, shape, or form is the ending. We spend 300+ pages with Nora on her adventure and, towards the end of the book, she decides to take what’s hers. Unfortunately, this whole situation is way too easy. Now, I need to remember that this is fantasy and a young adult novel so things don’t have to be entirely realistic but still. Without much spoilers I’ll say this, Nora ends up having to fight the crown (or Steward, I guess). She manages to get the entire military on her side, which is unbelievable in itself. Wouldn’t at least a few side with the Steward and his money? Then when it comes to the actual show down it takes, what? Two chapters, roughly 12 pages of conflict and roughly 6 pages of actual battle. It felt too easy. Plus, the book ends there, with only a little bit of story left.

BUT! This is only the beginning! For a debut novel, this was a well-crafted and enjoyable story. For the first book of a series, it did a good job of making me look forward to the next one. I genuinely recommend this book. It’s a fun, enjoyable read that made me laugh out loud plenty. But it also offers some commentary and insight about the world around us (here and now) and how, if we truly try, we can change the world for the greater good.

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Buy the book! https://www.fountainbookstore.com/book/9781988281698

(As always this links to a local bookstore. It’s available in many other popular retailers but you should always try to support your favorite local shops!)

You can find more about the book at https://www.sgrissom.com/

And check out Shayna on Twitter https://twitter.com/ShaynaGrissom/

If you’re interested in having me review your book, send me a message!

*The author was kind enough to give me a copy of the book but this is my genuine, unbiased review.