Fractured Soul Review

 I have to begin by telling you I’m a fan of the prequel to this book, Fractured Light, so when Rachel asked me to review Fractured Soul for an endorsement, I jumped at the chance just so I could read it before it was released. Good decision on my part. (You can read my review of Fractured Light here.) 

 It isn’t often that a sequel comes along that’s even better than the original, but Rachel managed to do that with this book. I read the entire book in a couple of days, sneaking it in between when I was supposed to be working. I couldn’t wait to read the next chapter, and was disappointed when it ended. Not because I was disappointed in the ending but because I wanted more pages to read. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

In Fractured Soul, Llona and May decide to attend Lucent Academy, an idea presented to them in the first book by Aunt Sophie. Lucent Academy is supposed to be a safe haven for girls with gifts like Llona and May, but things aren’t always what they seem. Lucent Academy is under attack from some evil forces that desire the destruction of the Auras. In the midst of that, Llona is experiencing some dark feelings that go against the light. What seems like normal teen rebellion turns out to be something that threatens her very soul.

I’m not going to give away any more of the story than that, other than to say that not only do the necessary characters play a part (helllllo, Christian!) but that new characters are also introduced that I hope to see plenty more of in the next book. In fact, I’d like to see an entire book based on Liam and how he came to be.

Fractured Soul is a brilliant sequel, exceeding even the remarkable first book in the series. Fast paced, exciting, and intriguing, it kept me guessing until the very last page what would happen next. The ending was shocking and heartbreaking, but absolutely perfect as a lead-in to the next book. Fractured Soul will haunt your every waking moment between the times you’re reading it, and stay with you long after you’ve finished. It’s an amazingly well written and engrossing story that I highly recommend—after you’ve read the first one, of course.

 Since Rachel was kind enough to interview me and write a review of my upcoming novel Rapunzel Untangled, I returned the favor. (In other words, I totally ripped off her idea.)

Interview:

CCB: Fractured Light (which I love) introduced us to Llona and her specific gift of being an Aura. In the sequel Fractured Soul you take Llona in a completely unexpected direction where she has to deal with the darkness we all fear we have inside. What made you decide to go that direction with her?

RM: In Fractured Light, Llona had to deal with external issues - learning to use Light as a weapon, which she did very well. But in Fractured Soul, I wanted her to learn balance between using light for good purposes vs. using it as a weapon, and this was made even more difficult because of the Vyken who bit her at the end of Fractured Light, which filled her with a power-hungry, contentious poison.

In life, one of the hardest challenges we will ever face is conquering our inner darkness. It's that voice that tells us we're not good enough or tells us not to worry about consequences. Llona is no different, but in her case, if she can't conquer her inner beast, she'll turn into the very monster she's trying to kill.

 

CCB: Sequels can be difficult to pull off when your first book is so loved and successful. And yet, you wrote a sequel that I think is even better than Fractured Light (which, if I didn't mention, I happen to love!). Did you feel a lot of pressure as you were writing it to exceed what you'd created in the first book?

 

RM: For sure. I didn't realize sequels could be so hard. Not only do you have to write a story just as good or better than the first book, but you also have to make sure there are no plot holes from the first to second book, and then you have to make sure they all tie all together.

CCB: The ending of Fractured Soul is a huge cliffhanger. This means, of course, that you have another book in the series to come (right? Please say yes). How many books do you have planned for the series, and did you always intend for it to be a series? 

 

RM: I always knew there would be three books. Llona whispered this to me half way through Fractured Light, even showed me how it's all going to end. The third book is titled FRACTURED TRUTH. Lies have been told and Llona must figure out who and why. 

 

CCB: Where did you come up with the idea of Auras, Furys, Vykens, and Guardians?

 

RM: Aura's came first. I wanted a girl character who could manipulate light for both good and bad, however she decided. And for conflict, I wanted any type of fighting to be forbidden among Auras, which meant they'd need protection, hence the Guardians.

As for Furys, the name came to me right after I wrote a few paragraphs about May. It just fit.

The name Vykens was the hardest to come up with. In fact, even when I was finished with the novel, I still didn't have a name for the creature who hunted Auras for the light in their blood. I changed it three times before finally settling on Vyken.

 

CCB: Are Llona, May, Christian, Sophie, or any of the other characters in your book based on anyone you know personally? (In other words, is there a real Christian out there in the world?)

RM:There is some of me in both Llona and May, but I won't tell you if it's the good or the bad parts. :) As for Christian, he has the hero response, which means he reacts immediately to a crisis no matter the consequences to him. My husband is like this. It's a quality I wish I had.

Sophie and the other characters were entirely themselves.