Soul Possessed Blog Tour: Interview, Review, and Giveaway!

I'm super excited to be participating in the blog tour for SOUL POSSESSED, the second installment in Katlyn Duncan's THE LIFE AFTER series. Lots of awesome stuff included in this post, so be sure you read all the way to the very end!

A review of:

SOUL TAKEN (The Life After #1) by Katlyn Duncan

Release date: June 4, 2013

Publisher: Carina UK
Genre: YA Paranormal
ARC provided via Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. 

Dannie says: Super cool concept and killer world-building. Pun intended.

After-life just got a lot more complicated

Maggie is a Soul Collector. It’s her job to transport souls from the Living Realm to the After – but during a mission to find a stolen soul, she ends up stuck in a teen mean girl’s body. 

Trapped, Maggie’s soul is catapulted into Ally’s life – and the human world she hasn’t experienced for one hundred years. But, as a descendant of the most powerful beings in the After, Maggie must rescue Ally before the girl’s soul dies… 

To survive, Maggie must uncover devastating secrets – because with one soul taken by a terrifying enemy, Maggie’s could be next!

WHAT I LIKED

The romantic subplot. By the end of the book it was a love for me, but at first I felt a little unclear about who was crushing on who and who I wanted to win. I can't say anymore for the sake of spoilers, but suffice to say, I was totally Team Somebody as I began reading book 2!

WHAT I LOVED

Though at times I felt like it came at the expense of character development, I loved, loved, LOVED the world-building in this book. I haven't read a huge ton of paranormal recently, but this stood out to me as a unique concept compared to those I had read. A big part of that was world-building. I felt the author did a great job of weaving the world-building elements in a way that wasn't too telly and I was very engaged with that aspect of the book from start to finish. 

WHAT I WANTED MORE OF

A more likable "victim". Maggie and Cooper spend a lot of time talking about how Ally "deserves better". I'm not sure I agree. She's kind of, well, a bitch. And while the narrative gives us motivations that factor into that, at the end of the day we make decisions for ourselves and we are accountable for those decisions. I would have been more invested in the book's outcome if I had found Ally likable. At the same time, I felt like this was an interesting and unique choice on the author's part, creating dissonance in the reader while still keeping us invested in the story. And the author did a great job in that respect. 

More showing of Maggie's skillz as a Soul Collector. The characters kept saying Maggie was "the best", but I didn't feel like the author showed us why this talent was unique or challenging when compared to other collectors. I think if we'd seen early on how difficult her task us or a true display of her talent, it might have endeared her to me more. 

Related to the previous comment, a stronger connection to the main character. While I definitely liked her and bought into her journey, I had a hard time connecting with her at first. Three chapters in, I felt like I hardly knew anything about her. Part of that was the plot itself, and the narrator's lack of memories, which made her a little unreliable, something I struggle with in general. By the book's end, though, I was totally bought in and ready to move immediately on to book 2. 

Which I did. :)

Short story long, I didn't skip a beat before moving on to Book 2. Check it out via the links below and let me know what you think! And stay tuned to this blog later this month for my review of SOUL POSSESSED! 

GOODREADS | AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | NOOK UK | KOBO | iTunes US | iTunes UK | CARINA UK

About Katlyn Duncan

Katlyn Duncan was born and raised in a small town in western Massachusetts. Her overactive imagination involved invisible friends, wanting to be a Disney Princess and making up her own stories. Her bibliophile mom always encouraged her love of reading and that stayed with her since. Even though she works full time in the medical field Katlyn has always made time for books, whether she is reading or writing them.

Katlyn now lives in southern Connecticut with her husband and adorable Wheaten Terrier and she is thrilled to finally share her stories with the world.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | GOOGLE+ | PINTEREST | TUMBLR

Tell us a little about your writer's journey so far:

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember but late last year I was finally offered a contract for three books. It was thrilling to be recognized and I am still on Cloud 9.

Okay, let's hear your Twitter Pitch!

For Soul Taken: A Soul Collector finds herself stuck inside a mean girl’s body. As she tries to find her way out she is thrust into a dangerous adventure.

What inspired you to write this book? How is it a book only you could write?

It was one of those divine interventions where the idea just popped in my head one day. I think I’m the only one who can write this story because these characters and the world are of my own imagination.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

Letting my imagination run wild.

What's your least favorite thing?

Not having nearly as much time to read books other than mine. My TBR list is rapidly growing.

Now it's time to brag a little--What do you love most about your book?

The covers are fabulous!

Okay, now a little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio with James Lipton.)

What is your favorite word?

Murmur

What is your least favorite word? 

Irregardless

What turns you on?

Toned calf muscles on men

What turns you off?

Liars

What sound or noise do you love?

The dishwasher running

What sound or noise do you hate?

Nails on the side of a car

What profession, other than your own, would you most like to attempt?

Pianist

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear G-d say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “Welcome”

Finally, what's the one question you've always wanted to answer in an interview? (And of course, you have to answer it!)

“Can I give you some cheesecake?”   Absolutely

Thanks, Katlyn! And stay tuned next month for my review of Book 2: SOUL POSSESSED! 

About Soul Possessed

Title: SOUL POSSESSED

Author: Katlyn Duncan

Release Date: October 28, 2013

Publisher: Carina UK

Series: Book 2, The Life After Trilogy

Genre: YA Paranormal

ISBN: 9781472044556

Life after Life

Now Maggie has been given the chance of her after-life to become a Guard, nothing will stand in her way. Not even the undeniable attraction she feels for her trainer and past love—Jackson. But when the battle between Shadowed and Guard begins again which side will she choose?

When her boss, Felix, partners Jackson and Maggie up with Ally and Cooper to investigate terrifying Shadowed activity, she doesn’t think it could get any worse. Jackson and Cooper barely tolerate each other and this time, Maggie isn’t just proving her loyalty to the Guard during one mission...she has a side mission too. One so secret and so dangerous she can’t tell a soul...

GOODREADS | AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | iTUNES US | iTUNES UK

This Week on the Tour

Nov. 4^th Chasm of Books – Guest Post

Nov. 5^th Lost in Ever After – Review SOUL TAKEN

Nov. 6^th Left to Write – Review SOUL TAKEN & SOUL POSSESSED + Interview

Nov. 7^th Book2Buzz – Interview

Nov. 7^th Endless Reading – Review SOUL TAKEN & SOUL POSSESSED

Nov. 8^th Moonlight Gleam’s Bookshelf – Review SOUL TAKEN & SOUL POSSESSED + Guest Post

The Giveaway

There is a tourwide giveaway for an Amazon eGiftCard valued at $15 USD. It is open Internationally to anyone who is able to accept an Amazon GC. There is also a tourwide giveaway for a set of Kindle eBook copies of SOUL TAKEN and SOUL POSSESSED to one winner. The giveaway ends on Monday, November 11^th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

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