Soulless (The Immortal Gene #1)
By: Jacinta Maree
Publication Date: October 1, 2015
Genres: Dystopia, New Adult, Supernatural
*I received a free ARC of Soulless from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange of an honest review.
Synopsis
Welcome to Soulless.
We are the generation that laughs at death.
Reincarnation; what was once considered a gift of immortality has become an eternity of nightmares.
Nadia Richards lives in a world plagued by reincarnation, a system of recycling souls where all past memories, personalities and traumatic events are relived daily in disjointed sequences. Trapped within their own warped realities, not even the richest and most powerful are saved from their own minds unraveling. Madness is the new human nature, and civilizations are crumpling beneath themselves trying to outrun it.
Within a society that ignores death, Nadia appears to be the one exception to the reincarnation trap. Born without any reincarnated memories and with printless eyes, the hot tempered 19 year old quickly becomes the ultimate prize to all those wishing to end the vicious cycle, or for some, to ensure they could evade death forever.
Readers discretion: Adult language, violence and some adult scenes. For mature audiences only.
My Thoughts
I don’t often get to read an action-packed dystopian novel that pulls me in as much as this one did. From concept to creation to publication, this novel seriously has it all. It’s all dark and twisty and made me feel all sorts of uncomfortable, but it a way that challenges what I expect when I read. How messed up is the idea that we could remember this life in another life? Or that we could wake up and remember all of our previous lives? What if you were a murdered in a past life, but this life you are an amazing, philanthropic person? What torment would you feel? And on the opposite side, what if you were that person born into an empty vessel, alone inside your head? Just those mere thoughts make me thankful that I’m the only one in this body and mind of mine.
The torment, gore, angst, and discomfort just make this story that much more incredible. True, this story won’t be for everyone, but it’s so well done that I can’t help but wonder what will come next. My senses were on overload through most of this book – I could smell the rotten stench of blood, see the tortured souls residing in each blacklisted body, and hear the cries of those lost in this world Maree has created.
Nadia is stubborn and brash, but that’s expected in the world she’s living in. Each character Nadia comes across is incredibly well-developed, but I would expect that in this story. Maree sets herself up with a complex storyline and sets the bar high with expectation. All of these characters are roommates with their past lives, requiring Maree to do some intense characterization. She hits all the right notes with the psychology. On the other side, she handles Nadia’s emptiness with the same finesse.
The only criticisms I can give are minor and definitely shouldn’t keep you from reading this book. The pacing is slower in some places, though I realize the whole book can’t be one big action scene. 😛 There were minor editing issues in my copy, but these should be all clear with the newer edition.
I could definitely see this book being signed on for a television series. In fact, I’d vouch for it and even audition! My DVR would be set and I’d watch, that’s for sure! Looking forward to seeing what else Maree comes up with next!
You can read other reviews for this book at Xpresso Book Tours!
The Final Countdown
Characterization – 4.5/5 Stars
Dialogue– 4.5/5 Stars
Plot – 5/5 Stars
Visual Imagery – 5/5 Stars
Structure/Pacing/Editing – 4/5
Ending – 4.5/5 Stars
Total: 4.6/5 Stars
Giveaway!!
- Winner 3: Ebook copies of Soulless & My Demonic Ghost: Book 1 + $5 Amazon gift card (INTL)
- Winner 2: Paperback copy of Soulless + $5 Amazon gift card (US/CAN)
- Winner 1: Paperback copies of Soulless, My Demonic Ghost: Book 1, and Soulless custom made notebook (US/CAN)
To enter this giveaway, enter the RAFFLECOPTER here!
AUTHOR BIO
- FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK!
WHIMSICAL FANCY 
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review, I really appreciate your honesty and taking the time and effort to write it. Ha ha ha, that’s awesome, yes I can definitely see a Nadia in the making here. I’ll try and ease up on her character in the future (maybe… I’ll see) XP.
I’m relieved to say I’ve had a new editor go through the manuscript, so hopefully those errors have all been cleaned up. Ekk!! I felt so bad, I really did think it was cleaned but alas things happen. Hopefully all good now.
Again, thank you so much for being a part of the tour and giving me a shot. I am so grateful.
warm regards,
Jacinta Maree.
LikeLike
You’re very welcome! Thank you for sharing this story with everyone! I love that you really developed your characters instead of sharing a surface of them. And why ease up? 😜 That’s what makes her stand out so much.
Errors happen. They don’t take away from this story whatsoever. I will go back into my review and put in a note that it has been gone through to update readers, though!
I look forward to reading your work in the future!! Keep writing and sharing your gift with everyone. 😀
LikeLike