Melanie Wells

This book was an honest waste of my time to read. I hate saying that because I think books are amazing and worth the time, but the author relies on way too much deus-ex-machina to fix major plot holes.

Basically, the main character (who is quite obviously the author) prays her way through every plot problem and just waits for the answers to come to her.

It's an incredibly weak plot with a heroine is doesn't do much of anything. I was very disappointed because this book came highly rated here on Goodreads.

I felt like this review said everything I wanted to:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/461382429?book_show_action=true&page=1
… (meer)

Dylan Foster has elected of her own volition to follow the wending labyrinth of mysteries and intrigues surrounding the kidnapping of a young neighbourhood child. As the police turn up no substantive clues in finding the child, Dylan relies on a constellation of unlikely sources to aid her in the quest for truth. Chilling coincidences and the unsettling dreams of a six-year-old girl, Christine Zocci, lead Dylan on an epic and shadowy journey filled with bizarre twists and feints as she unravels an even deeper mystery. As opposed to other “whodunit” books of this genre, the tale is imbued with a more intensive psychological focus, involving haunting symbols and the paranormal connection between dreams and reality.
Melanie Wells employs sinuous, rolling description in this suspenseful drama. With a natural flair for dialogue, My Soul to Keep is a spellbinding example of a writer at the top of her prose, and an exemplary highlight that just may outshine her other offerings such as The Soul Hunter and When the Day of Evil Comes. As in her other two previous novels, Wells truly excels in writing characters of profound depth and in providing her readers with a mystifying and sinister atmosphere that truly compels. Moments of levity occur throughout to give the story a strong sense of pace and realism, allowing readers to catch their breath when the macabre richness of the tale becomes vertiginous. This interplay of shadow and light effectively make this book a kind of literary chiaroscuro, and will provide delight to those readers who wish to be swept up by the intriguing and sometimes shadowy details of the human mind… (meer)

I absolutely devoured this book. What I want to share is how much I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it so much I took it with me to the Raven Cafe on Saturday. I squeezed in reading while my husband took his contacts out before bed. Basically, if I could read When the Day of Evil Comes even for a moment, I did it. Truly I only put the book down in order to not be rude.

The story introduces us to Dr. Dylan Foster who is a psychology professor at SMU. Dr. Foster sounds like the kind of woman I would have aspired to be when I was growing up. She is strong, well educated, beautiful, and has direction. Dylan's main flaw might be that she is a bit disconnected from those around her. She seems to have few close ties. Life may be slightly predictable and a bit boring for Dylan, but that changes rather quickly after an afternoon picnic with her colleagues at a lake.

From a meeting with a strange and rather creepy individual, Dylan finds herself on a path to possible personal destruction. Her usually ordered life is slowly coming unraveled with her professional ethics being questioned and her very career being put in jeopardy. Worse still she seems to be under some sort of spiritual attack, and that is far more difficult to get ahead of when you are accustomed to an orderly life where the rules are usually followed and most things are easily explained.

This story had plenty of edge and mystery to keep me reading. It contained characters that were entirely realistic and believable. This is a book that kept me actively engaged from the very first chapter. Seriously, I did not want to put this down. There were some questions in the story that kind of left things up to the reader, but that could be so you can find out more in the other books in the series.

Melanie Wells took me on a very interesting ride that I enjoyed thoroughly. I look forward to reading the second book "Soul Hunter" this week, and if it is anything like the first, I will be devouring "My Soul To Keep" the week after.… (meer)