Book Review: Beautifully Broken

Title: Beautifully Broken
Series: Spellbound #1
Author: Sherry Soule
Published: June 2011

They say every town has its secrets, but that doesn’t even begin to describe Whispering Pines. The townsfolk are a superstitious lot and the mystical disappearance of a local teen has everyone murmuring about a centuries old witch’s curse.

Sixteen-year-old Shiloh Ravenwolf is a heritage witch from the Broussard family, a family both destined and cursed. When she takes a summer job at Ravenhurst Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan, and immediately becomes spellbound by his charms. Yet she is determined to discover the connection between them before it’s too late.

Finally, Shiloh's met someone who is supercute and totally into her, but Trent may be the next victim on the supernatural hit list. And Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him. Complicated much?

It sucks to have a destiny, especially since Shiloh would rather spend her summer being a normal girl who worries about clothes and boys, not the supernatural. But she’s never been
normal and the stranger things become the more her own magical senses awaken.

With cryptic messages from a pesky wraith, she will begin to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist, and decide how much she's willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.

Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance.

My Thoughts: This book started out a bit creepy with ghosts, demons and shadowy figures, only to get even more creepy and redoubtable near the ending! Some parts really gave me the creeps! (Madison especially, for those of you that have read the book)

This book had every ingredient to make a great and thrilling paranormal read; ghosts, witches, demons, white and back magic, dysfunctional families, a haunted house and a cursed city. I just wished that the writing would have been a bit more polished and structured. There were some jumps between contexts that were a bit confusing. But since Soule is a fairly new and young author with great talent and imagination, there is certainly a promise of even better books to come!

As for Shiloh and Trent's relationship, it developed a bit to quickly for my taste. They met rarely during the first months, but Shiloh still developed strong feelings for him almost immediately. But I couldn't feel an attraction or spark between them.

Rating: 3.75 of 5

Read my interview with author Sherry Soule here.

Author Interview: Sherry Soule

Hi Sherry, and welcome to YA Vampire Books!

1. Please tell us about your newest release, Beautifully Broken!

Quirky, Shiloh Ravenwolf is a sixteen-year-old heritage witch that lives in the gloomy town of Whispering Pines, where teenagers have mystically disappeared for years. When construction on Ravenhurst Manor unleashes a sinister evil, the body count rises. And Shiloh's would-be boyfriend is next on the supernatural hit list. Shiloh decides it's her duty and Destiny (Yes, with a capital "D") to find out what is causing the unexplained phenomena before it claims another life...

2. Shiloh Ravenwolf, the main character in Beautifully Broken discovers that she is a witch, and that she can see ghosts, demons and other creatures from the underworld. Shiloh's experiences are so well written, that I have to ask: Have you, or anyone you know, ever experienced an unexplainable event, or felt the presence of a spirit or ghost?

No. But I’ve always had a morbid fascination with ghosts and haunted houses.

3. If no, would you like to be able to see ghosts? (Personally, I would freak out!)

No way!

4. Talking about Shiloh Ravenwolf, I just love her name! Was it hard to come up with, or was it an easy match?

Good question. I changed her name three times. Actually, I loved the name that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt picked for their daughter—Shiloh. And then I just made up a last name, since Sioux Indians didn’t usually have surnames.

5. Shiloh is very interested in architecture, is that anything that interests you as well? How much of “you” are there in her character and personality?

I love victorian architecture. I dream about victorian homes. It’s weird. Lol
As for my personality, well, I do tend to blurt stuff out without thinking sometimes and I can be snarky.

6. Beautifully Broken is the first book in the Spellbound Series, do you already know how many books you are going to write, and the primary storyline of each book?

About 5, I think. The books are already written, just need to be edited and polished.

7. Lastly, the name Sherry Soule is probably new to most readers, please share some interesting facts about yourself!

I have won numerous awards for my short stories and now write fulltime. I live in San Francisco Bay Area with my family and my black cat, Charm who long ago accepted the fact that I’m not a morning person, rarely cook, and love all things supernatural. Currently I am hard at work on the next book in the Spellbound Series.



'This or That':
Winter or Summer
Reading or Writing
Humans or Supernatural beings


Three favorites:
-Author: Rachel Vincent
-Book: The Iron Hunt
-Movie: Insidious

Three Dreams:
-Job: bestselling novelest
-Vacation: Disneyland
-Meeting: James Marsters

If any of my readers would like to find out more about you or your writing, where can they find the information?

Official website: http://sherrysoule.com/
Blog: http://www.sherrysoule.blogspot.com/
Book Trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uqVXKygvUs&feature=youtu.be
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11634793-beautifully-broken

Thanks for stopping by my blog, and good luck with your Spellbound series!

Stop by the blog later this week, to read my review of Beautifully Broken!