"Dark Souls" by Paula Morris
Review written by Diana Iozzia

"Dark Souls" is a young adult fiction novel, full of ghosts, thrilling romance, and exploration in historic York, England. I read this when I was in my teenage years, but I re-read this two summers ago, when I was visiting York, England.

Miranda and her family are on vacation in York for the summer, so her mother can participate in an orchestra program. Miranda makes friends with a hipster-like guy named Nick, who shows her around the city. Soon, you realize that Nick is very shady and might not be telling the entire truth about himself. With lots of haunted folklore, it creates a creepy setting for the lovely city. I personally enjoyed "Ruined" by Paula Morris much more than this book, but for a second novel, it was quite creepy and interesting. There is a great sequence before the final climax. Good read for a young adult novel with some thrills and chills. ( )

Mystery and ghost story that tries for depth but misses the mark by just a smidge.

Miranda and her brother Rob were in a car accident that their friend didn’t walk away from. Now, Rob is claustrophobic and ever since that night Miranda has been able to see ghosts.

Their family goes on a trip to England in an attempt to alleviate some tensions. Unfortunately, for Miranda this is one haunted city. The ghosts are everywhere, across the street from the flat they are renting and practically around every corner.

Miranda meets a mysterious boy, Nick, who has the same ability to see ghosts that she does. He shows her around town and tells her about what he knows of their ability. He also has an uncanny way of disappearing or appearing.

Essentially, Nick is the mystery part of this story. Who is he, why does he keep interacting with Miranda, and what is he up to? Interesting yes, but the interactions aren’t quite enough, or built as well as they could be.

Personally, I didn’t feel there was anything remarkable about Miranda or Nick. The story was rather slow until the action quickly picked up the pace at the end with an unexpected turn of events. It had a good ending that I didn’t expect, that salvaged things for me a bit. Plus the fact that I’m glad it wasn’t a YA romance, but overall, it lacked that certain something. Whether it was an absence of character building, or something else, I just never felt like I really got to know Miranda or build a real attachment to any of the characters. ( )

My students saw this book on my desk and now I have a waiting list to borrow it. Mind you these are kids who do not like to read!

So far I have not been disappointed by [Paula Morris]. I love the way she weave history in with the romance and mystery. In [Dark Souls] she goes from a tragedy in Iowa to the mysterious city of York in the UK. I do feel she could have developed the characters a bit more like she did with [Ruined] but it still has that lure and hook especially for reluctant readers. ( )

Highly Recommended

The opening scene in the story was a car accident. Miranda, her best friend, Jeanna and Miranda’s brother Rob were driving on a country road. They hit an oncoming car. Miranda and Rob were lucky to survive. Jeanna died and in passing, said goodbye to Miranda. That was when Miranda realized she could see ghosts. Miranda and Rob’s parents did everything the could to help their children cope from the tragic accident. They decided to go to York, England. Unfortunately, York was full of ghosts and Miranda was having a hard time dealing with that. Miranda met Nick, who could also see ghosts. A ghost named Richard was trying to manipulate Nick and Miranda into finishing up the work he started. Miranda realizes what is going on and has to figure out a way to save York Cathedral and her new friends and family.

This book is a good addition to a public or school library. The story contains mystery, romance and action. The characters are likeable and it’s nice to see a brother and sister who get along with each other and with their parents. I think this is a good book to share with young adults who are currently into reading paranormal fiction. There is nothing really objectionable for older students. The most graphic elements are descriptions of how certain people died before they became ghosts.

This book will also appeal to students who are into historical fiction. The descriptions of the streets of York were very accurate. Some of the British slang was explained to the American reader, so students would learn about some of those cultural differences. It would be a good book to use for library book displays. It would make a good book for a book club pick because it appeals to a wide teen audience. Any Common Core connections are not readily apparent. However, it is a good book to just read for fun. I enjoyed it and will be recommending it to students at my school. ( )

Full review on http://whatsnextthereadersgotoblog.blogspot.com

For six months Miranda Tennat has been able to see ghost. Six months ago Miranda's best friend Jenna died. Now she is going on her family vacation to York, England for her mothers concert. In the week before the fast approaching concert Miranda meets the mysterious Nick. But as the week progresses and Miranda finds out more about her gift she can't help but asking herself, "Is Nick who he says he is? Or someone with a darker past?" ( )