Dark Souls

The Good Stuff<br /><br /> * Ghost story and a mystery all rolled up into one fantastic tale<br /> * Fast paced story and intriguing enough that you didn't want to put the book down -- hence why I am a wee bit tired this morning since I was up till 1 am reading it<br /> * Parents are not jerks -- I know I couldn't believe it either - gets an extra .5 Dewey for that alone<br /> * Spooky <br /> * A bit of history thrown in which will hopefully intrigue the reader into looking for further info<br /> * Opening to story sucks you in -<br /> * Did I mention ghosts -- I love the ghosts <br /> * Relationship between family members is very realistic<br /><br />The Not so Good Stuff<br /><br /> * Some of the coincidences are pushing it in terms of believability<br /><br />Favorite Quotes/Passages<br /><br /><br />"Miranda's parents, of course, went nuts at the prospect of a 360-degree view because - she'd often observed - anyone middle-aged thought that gazing at views and gardens and distant horizons was the most interesting thing in the world."<br /><br /><br />"It was probably in some parenting book, one of a list of things you should say to annoy your teenaged children, along with "take that look off your face" and "what's that long sigh for? and "I don't know what happened; when you were little you were so sweet."<br /><br /><br />"Musicians were easy to spot because of their instrument cases and - Miranda couldn't help noticing - dubious fashion choices."<br /><br /><br />What I Learned<br /><br /> * In England: Streets are called Gates, Gates are called Bars and Bars are called Pubs<br /> * Little bits of English history and ghosts that I didn't know about<br /><br />Who should/shouldn't read<br /><br /> * For anyone who enjoys a good ghost story, especially a mysterious one<br /> * Perfect for more mature middle school reader and YA's (and old Mom's who love ghost stories)<br /><br />4.5 Dewey's<br /><br /><br />I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review -- and BTW thanks a lot Scholastic I had spooky dreams last night

To be totally honest, I think Dark Souls was one of the best book I have really enjoyed reading in 2011. And I am really surprised that after a book being so good, very less people anticipated reading it.<br /><br />First of all, I love the cover. The spookiness, the buildings, the creativity, especially the title, and the way the girl is running towards the boy, I love it. It gives us the complete picture about what type of book it is, whats it gonna be about and how the city/town looks where it takes place. I just hate these closeup faces covers nowadays. <br /><br />I really liked the story. Its a kind of book you will read continuously and wouldn't put the book down even if its 3 am in the morning. I just freaking <b>LOVE</b> the author's writing. The way she wrote the story, the characterization, everything was perfect. I guess the only negative point was the story itself. It was a bit slow but overall, I was entertained. And then the ending was a bit unfair to the readers but then slowly, slowly I came to like the ending. Because today authors make heroines behave like, "OMG! I need you, I will die and all other stupid stuffs without you!" but in this, she made it different. It was like, the hero tried to make her stop but she was like, "I need to move on and I am happy how I am. Goodbye." and I think thats how a heroine supposed to be. She was strong and in spite of hating her curse, she made her mind that she doesn't cares and she will be free one day. Girls are not weak and it was a brilliant way the author used to show it. <br /><br />I loved the book, I will rate this book 4.5/5 stars and I would love to read her other book, ruined one day :)

This book should get a rating of five because it was constantly exciting and kept me wanting to read. I would recommend this to teenage readers because they can relate to the characters cause the characters in this book are around our age. Also if you are some one who likes ghosts books this will interest you. I recommend this book because I didn't want to stop reading it. It was constantly interesting. In this book there is a girl who is in a care accident. In that car accident her best friend died. After that night nothing has been the same, she has been seeing dead people ever since. When her family goes on a vacation to the most haunted place in the world she meets some one. Go along with this young girl and experience what she is seeing.

Based on the cover alone, I had a strong feeling Dark Souls would be eerie yet delightfully so. As it turns out, my predication was right on. However, it also provided some great additions: a beautiful setting, interesting characters, and plot lines that constantly managed to twist and turn in surprising ways!<br /><br />One of my favorite parts of Dark Souls was the setting. I've never read book that has taken place in York, England before, and boy have I been missing out! From Paula's beautiful and breathtaking descriptions to seeing Miranda adventure through the city, more times than one I felt like I was right there on those crowded streets, seeing all the enchanting storefronts and old buildings light brightly for the holiday season. Best of all, I loved how through the use of ghosts and their stories, Paula was also able to bring a bit of a historical aspect to York as well. It gave this book a great edge to say the least, especially when it was used to further the plot. <br /><br />The characters in this one were great as well. From the first page, Miranda managed to fully gain my attention, as not only was she likable and easy to root for, but she also had a lot of spunk and mischief buried deep down- some of which managed to come out in full force during Dark Souls! What I liked most about her character, though, was seeing how she managed to grow and develop as the book barreled on. I also enjoyed the addition of Miranda's brother Rob as well as his love interest Sally. Because while they were secondary characters, they still managed to steal the show when they appeared on page based on how adorable and cute they were together!<br /><br />As mentioned before, the plot of this was another high point of the novel. It constantly managed to surprise and thrill me as new plot characters as well as plot lines where introduced to give this book 360 degrees turns more times than one. Making the book even better was Lord Poole, a charming and interesting old man, as well as Nick, Miranda's sidekick in York. Both ended bringing a lot more than I expected to the book, and without them, I fell Dark Souls wouldn't nearly be the same. Lastly, the climax of this book was intense! I never was exactly sure how exactly it would end, and even when it did, I was still a bit shocked about how everything unraveled!<br /><br />Eerie, beautifully written, and action paced, Dark Souls provides a thrilling and unique ghost story, one that is sure to have many readers flipping the pages, eager to know just how everything will end! Paula Morris has certainly created a fabulous book, and I can't wait to read more by her!<br /><br />Grade: B+

A haunting ghost story, an intriguing mystery, and a rich historical setting mixed with a mild romance create the perfect elements for an engaging read. I thoroughly enjoyed Dark Souls. I love the way Paul Morris was able to blend tragedy, paranormal activity and center the story in historical York, England. Her descriptions of York and historical references really captivated me. As much as I would love to travel there and walk among the cobblestone streets, Paul's vivid descriptions made me feel like I walked along the streets with the story's main character Miranda Tennant. <br /><br />After a recent tragedy, Miranda's parents decide they're taking her and her older brother Rob to York, England for a family vacation/work get away. Hoping they can try and put some closure of the accident behind them, Rob &amp; Miranda's time in England brings a whole new set of interesting events. Miranda's still reeling with her new found gift, or maybe it's a curse, she can see ghosts. Unfortunately for her York, England's rich history is the perfect place for many of it's ghosts to reside. The most engaging part of the story for me was the way Paula introduced York's history, which was through Miranda's interest in and learning more about some important places. She does this to try and understand why she's seeing so many ghosts and why they're appearing, looking the way they do. One of the interesting things about Dark Souls's ghosts is they bare the marks of how they died. <br /><br />Wrapped into this unique ghost story is a great mystery. There's the ghost a young guy who appears in the window across from Miranda's and the mysterious Nick, the story's love interest, who knows a lot about York's history and it's ghosts. Nick has some secrets of his own and he seems to have the ability to appear out of now where. Then there's some strange incidents happening around town, which tie into York's tragic past. I liked the minor twists and turns Paula threw into the story's plot that kept me guessing. <br /><br />I enjoyed the characters in the story, but my connection was with the setting. I really like Paula's writing because her vivid descriptions of both the story's scenes and setting give her book a realistic feel. It's not hard for me to picture myself there, seeing the cobblestone streets, the buildings and the various places Miranda goes to. I liked the feel of the story, the direction it took and the elements Paula gave it. I really enjoyed Dark Souls and I recommend picking it up. It's a great clean cut book that I think readers 13 yrs &amp; older would enjoy.

Miranda, her brother, and best friend were in a car accident 6 months ago and her best friend was killed. Since that day Miranda can see ghosts. Now her family are taking a 1 week work vacation from Ohio to York England and there are a lot more ghosts in York. Miranda falls in love with two boys while in York. Nick, the weird goth boy who can also see ghosts, and the beautiful boy in the window across from hers.<br /><br />This might be the stupidest thing I've ever read. Its basically pre-teen goth fanfic that makes absolutely no sense.

Promising prologue and a nicely atmospheric setting, but this story wasn't nearly as deep or complex as I'd hoped it would be. To be honest, the dialogue is so clunky and the pedantic plotting occasionally got so tiresome that I almost gave this a 2, but towards the end it picked up again<input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="c98fbcf8-ebc0-41aa-9b06-1c2c71033106" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="c98fbcf8-ebc0-41aa-9b06-1c2c71033106">, especially with a non-typical conclusion to the romance</label>.

3.5 stars.

A ghost story that centers around The Shambles in York? Yes, thank you! While this wasn't the best book I have read this year, it was a lot of fun! There was references to some of my favourite British historical characters, references from Northanger Abbey, which is my second favourite Austen. And yes, nearly at the end, with a character named Miranda, there was finally a quote from The Tempest. I laughed because of the Northanger Abbey stuff and because of the part when a fellow has an exchange with the main character that ends with him saying, "I thought all Americans were Mormons." I had a somewhat similar exchange once at Westminster Abbey. This one had just the right amount of eerie to make my skin crawl a wee bit in a few places and it was filled with history and I just loved it!

when i finished the last chapter, i somehow got goosebumps, but the epilogue ruined the mood for me. overall, quite better than I was expecting.