Saturday, July 7, 2007

Soul Song by Marjorie Liu-4 1/2 stars

I have only read one story of Marjorie's thus far, and while I loved it, I haven't been able to find all the books in the series and the time to read them back-to-back. After reading this book, I will make the time!

This book was sent to me through Dorchester's buzz campaign, so please pass this review on to anyone you think might like to know more.

Kit and M'cal both come from blended relationships and this helps to bind them. Kit is a musician who can see murders, but is otherwise human. M'cal is part merman who is bound to a witch.

Kit is anguished by her powers and with the loss of hr grandmother, she's spinning out of control. She can't come to terms with her helplessness. She reaches out in desperation to help a young woman and falls into a very dark side of humanity.

M'cal is sent to destroy Kit, but he doesn't want to kill her. The compulsion may take away his free will.

This book barely missed out on being a five star read, and I rarely rate anything that high (maybe one in seventy-five books, if that). The characters are vibrant and brilliant, they jumped off the page with the talent of Ms. Liu's pen. Their conflict is real and the suspense adds to the story instead of detracting from it. Ms. Liu is a wonderful new talent, a budding super-star and this book shows why in bright color.

Kit's anguish and M'cal's emotional distress add so much to the story, the subtle layers bringing this story to a level I rarely see in romance. Every thread is neatly tied off and the ending is satisfying beyond reason.

I had to put this book aside and collect my thoughts before writing this review. I also didn't want to read anything else for a few days. This is a story to savor and muse on. Ms. Liu is a bright shining talent in the romance field.

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