I preface this review with a simple statement - I rarely review young adult novels. I was intrigued by the Egyptian links in the description so I thought let’s give it a try. Book of Souls is not a bad novel. It would make for a cute anime or manga series. Nisha Blake is a nice lead, morose but loyal to her friends and family. Bullies make her life difficult, particularly in the wake of her ability to see when someone will die. She doesn’t whine to be saved or spend all her time batting her eyelashes at Blaze (the male lead).

Don’t expect a highly developed story. Book of Souls is cute and moderately interesting, but it targets an audience where teen romance is the central interest, as opposed to plot complexity. There are plenty of pop culture references that book loving teens will get. Egyptian gods make for a nice change from zombies and glittering vampires. I think young teens will enjoy this book, but it is not for adults looking for a good urban fantasy,

Keeping audience in mind, I rate this book 4 for teens 3 for adults

4 / 5

I received a copy of Book of Souls from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

I don't think that the blurb for this book did it justice. I admit that I was intrigued by the "angel of death" portion as well as the mention of hallucinations but it seemed like it would be a typical YA fantasy novel that focuses too much on the romance aspect. I'm never been so happy to be wrong. This book did have a bit too much romance in it for my taste but it mostly focused on Nisha and how when people die in her town that she tends to be in the vicinity.
I thought that the story was really interesting. I love the idea of having a character that feels emotions with such depth and is so empathetic towards others regardless of the cruelty that she suffers at their hands because they are afraid of her. I loved Nisha as a character. She cared about other people so much that she sacrificed her own happiness and ability to live life to the fullest in order to keep others safe. She bore the bullying and being treated as a pariah with grace. She went as far as to defend these bullies them saying that it was because they were afraid. I mean...talk about strength! This book was more psychological in nature than action-packed because Nisha struggles with what is real and not real. She believes that she is crazy so she tries to get through things on her own. I have reason to believe that the next book will have far more action in it. I want to say what I loved most about the story but there is nothing in the blurb about it so I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I will say that there is Egyptian mythology involved which I think is easy to ascertain from the book cover if you look at the symbols. I have always been fascinated by things of that nature and was excited that the author decided to run with it. I think that this was a solid start to this series and I am intrigued by what will happen in the next book.

This book was a mix of reincarnation, mythology, and teenage romance. I was immediately sucked in, but be warned – there is a cliffhanger ending!

Nisha is an outcast, and is more often known as the “angel of death.” People around her end up dropping dead with startling frequency, so I guess it’s an appropriate nickname. Even though she tries to keep to herself so as not to endanger anyone else, she somehow manages to accumulate a fiercely protective group of friends. They range from popular girl to stoner weirdo, but they are pretty amazing friends. Then comes the new kid – Blaze.

Nisha and Blaze end up meeting in the police station, where she’s being questioned about her appearance at another tragic death. They are immediately drawn to one another, but Nisha is determined to protect him from her curse. Blaze, however, will not take no for an answer. On top of this teenage drama, there’s also the fact that Nisha is seeing Anubis everywhere death follows her. Her night terrors get progressively worse, and there appears to be an increase in her general weirdness.

All of this culminates in a gruesome cliffhanger I was sad to see happen. I was so absorbed in the book that I didn’t realize there would not be enough time left to resolve all the action. Nisha and her friends find themselves in desperate peril and I’m absolutely dying to know how they find their way out (and if everyone makes it out alive!).

This book was so hard to get through, it was just so boring and the character Nisha was just so annoying. They way she kept referring to herself as the angel of death in nearly every sentence was just so annoying. The over use of referencing to other books/movies/music just seemed like the author was trying too hard.
The way Nisha wallowed in her self pity probably made me roll my eyes a million times.

Disclaimer- I received a free eARC copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchance for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book. Normally this is right up my alley- mythology, YA, a love triangle, finding out you have supernatural powers but for some reason it just never clicked with me. I was actually shocked to see how highly it is rated versus how little I enjoyed it. Maybe it wasn’t the book. Maybe it was just me.

I struggled to keep reading. I found the plot slow, the adults written as very unrealistic, and the thing I had the biggest trouble with was the character names and the constant references to pop culture. I don’t mind an occasional reference, but it felt like a constant name dropping type thing.

The names of some of the characters were a little over the top and ridiculous. The bad boy love interest is Blaze, and two of the supporting friend characters are Shaggy and Scooby. I just couldn’t take the book seriously after that.

Blaze is winning the game of YA love interest bingo. New in town? check. Edgy cool kid name? check. Accent? check. Tattoos? check. Rides a motorcycle? check. Mysterious Tragic Backstory? check. MMA fighter? Okay that one was new to me. He even had a room full of kittens. Oh, and he and Nisha spend most of their time arguing over who is worse and more dangerous for the other. That part made me laugh and realize they were made for each other.

There were certain scenes that felt extremely unnecessary, like Nisha walking in on her aunt and uncle, described in detail down to their cartoon character underwear. I’m not sure how that moved the story forward or added anything. I was too busy adverting my eyes and suffering secondhand embarrassment.

I found most of the plot twists to be very predictable, and I think a lot of the events were over written and more dramatic than they deserved to be.

I’ll say in concept, I like this story. I’m just not sold on the execution here. Some more attentive editing, both of story and the actual text was needed- I found a few wrong words and typos, one in particular was hilarious as the students were described as sacred when the author clearly meant scared. Some trimming and story edits would go along way for this book, along with renaming Shaggy and Scooby. Please. I beg you. I want to like the book, I really do.

I felt like the story never really got going, until the very end. I can’t forgive the author for the last chapter, and the army of cats saving the day. That part ate up the last of my goodwill for this book. A sequel is clearly in the works, and I may read it, because I’m a masochistic that needs to know how every story ends, even the ones that frustrate me.

Just finished reading the "Book of Souls" and I really enjoyed it. Although it has been a long time since I was a young adult , I liked this book a lot. The story involves a teenage girl who has some close friends, but is ostracized by many of her classmates as well as adults in her small town. Many refer to her as the " angel of death". She has dreams and hallucinations which she does not understand. Some seem to revolve around old Egyptian stories her mother had told her. I found this book interesting and it has action as well as some romance. I was disappointed by the abrupt ending but look forward to reading her next book.

Great story with likable characters. The progression of the story was a bit slow for me and the flashbacks were a bit confusing. I really liked Blaze's character development. Overall it was a fun read but a bit anti-climactic for me #netgalley #bookofsouls

THE BOOK OF SOULS is the first book in a new Young Adult series called; THE GODS OF EGYPT. This is set in the Present Day and features regular teenagers. At least we think they are normal teens.

Nisha Blake wishes she was a regular teenager, one who could fade into anonymity. However, Nisha has quite a sinister reputation. Students and even some teachers and other adults refer to her as "The Angel of Death."

Why would anyone make up a nickname like that? Well, Nisha has had the unfortunate experience of witnessing multiple deaths, starting from a very young age. This includes the murder of her parents a year before the story begins.

Fortunately, Nisha has a few terrific friends that she can always count on. If not for them, her Aunt and her boss at the local bookstore, Nisha would probably have been committed to the local Insane Asylum.

The story contains: visions, hideous monsters, a super sexy MMA fighter, magical spell-books, murder, nasty teenagers, popularity contests, mob mentalities, a wicked simmering romance, ancient Egyptian artifacts and an epic battle between good and evil.

I enjoyed the story but I have to admit that there were a few things that bothered me:

1. There were multiple typos throughout the book. (Since the copy I received was an ARC - Advance Reader Copy, I am hoping and assuming these will be fixed before the actual release date.)

2. In this age of anti-bullying, I found it difficult to believe that some of the teachers openly bullied Nisha. I am not naive, I know that teachers can be bullies, but they are not usually so blatant about it. In almost every school, a teacher who bullied a student would be fired immediately.

3. This one is probably just me, but each time someone plopped down on a bed, the author said they "plummeted" on the bed. Every time I read that phrase it made me think of someone jumping out of an airplane and plummeting through the sky and landing on Nisha's bed. Ok. Ok. I know that is weird, but I can't help what is conjured in my mind when reading.

Other than those few items listed above I enjoyed the story. It starts out quickly and the tension never lets up. Even on the final page, readers will find themselves on the edge of their seat. The ending is a cliff-hanger that will have readers signing up for the author's newsletter to find out when Book Two of the Gods of Egypt series will be released.

My favorite character is Izzy. Izzy is Nisha's cousin and they have grown up more like sisters than cousins. In fact, Nisha and Izzy now live together with Izzy's Mom & her boyfriend in Nisha's parents house. This arrangement only came about as a result of the death/murder of Nisha's parents. If I had to choose a single word to describe Izzy, that word would be "loyal." Izzy is gorgeous, she's popular, she's in love with an amazing guy, and yet she always has time for Nisha. Not only does she make time for her, but when someone is bullying Nisha, Izzy's protective and fierce side comes out. When that happens, it even causes the captain of the football team to take a step back.

To sum up my feelings about this book, I think it was an easy, fun read that teens looking for an escape from reality for a little while will very much enjoy. Not only that, but they will learn about Egyptian mythology along the way.

I rate this book as 4 out of 5 Stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My only disappointment with this book is that it came to an end. So many times I have found faults in books that disappointed me, but none came as I flew through Book of Souls. Nadine Nightingale created a world and characters that brought me back to my childhood love of all things ancient Egypt.

Nisha's hallucinations pulling you into the past and present draw the reader in. They make her question and doubt her sanity making you want to find out if this is all in her head, or if it is truly happening. Nisha is a character that you will love to watch grow as the pages turn. Not to mention her group of friends are so fiercely loyal that it will make you wish that you had them for your own. It only gets better when Blaze enters the picture and watching the handsome London native mature with the book and the connection he shares with Nisha with capture your heart and mind.

This isn't your typical YA novel. This book flows with a quality that is hard to find in most books of the YA genre. The characters are more mature than you usually see and Nadine Nightingale did an amazing job writing a book that YA lovers and non-YA lovers will love all the same. This book is absolutely perfect for mythology lovers, teens, adults, and really anyone who wants a book that will make you sad it comes to an end.

I'm genuinely sad now that I've finished this book because I need to know what happens next straight away. I'll be honest and say this surprised me in a awesome way - I was excited by the prospect of a story involving Ancient Egyptian mythology (I used to be a little obsessed when I was younger, to the point where my family had to take me to see the ruins so I'd stop reading books about them) but it's written in a way that had me falling in love with the book so fast!

I love the use of "hallucinations" throughout to really place the reader in both the past and present simultaneously. Adding to this the doubt of the Nisha with regards to her own sanity and you find yourself needing to read more to find out. Nisha herself is a character you feel so bad for at first but as the story matures she matures with it. She's a lovable character throughout aided by the many references to popular movies and TV shows - which makes it somewhat easier to emphasise with her also.

Blaze melted my heart about halfway through the book, he was such an interesting character and it was great to watch the depth of his character develop. Then there's Nisha's friends - Izzy (her cousin), Oz (Izzy's boyfriend), Scooby and Shaggy - they're such fierce friends that I'd love a group of friends like that! Izzy and Oz have a relationship which is just so adorable to read about. There are a lot more characters also which are so well described that it really helps with the world building.

I don't want to spoil anything past halfway, because you absolutely need to read this book, but the ending had my heart racing!

Do you remember the 1999 movie ‘The Mummy’ starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz? The **good** movie version of the ‘The Mummy’? Well, I do and I loved it!

‘Book of Souls’ reminds me a lot of that movie. Narrating main character, Nisha, is the daughter of an Egyptian who thinks she hallucinates visions of Anubis, the Egyptian God of Death, each time she is nearby someone who is about to die. Her physical proximity to tragic accidents and the dying have granted her a rather nasty reputation around town, which in turn takes a toll on her self-esteem. Nisha tries to remain under the radar, as everyone from the most popular cheerleader in school to the town’s police chief express their dislike for her.

Then Blaze moves to town, set on getting to know Nisha and reminding her subconscious of past lives. It doesn’t help that his good looks are turning all the girl’s heads and that his MMA skill has half the guys wanting to learn from him. Though Nisha is attracted to the charming London-native, she tries to keep her distance; both to detract attention from herself and to keep him safe. After all, she believes proximity to her leads to death. Luckily for readers, Blaze wears her down and gets close (in a clean-YA way).

Unlike most high school-based YA novels where the main character is somehow ‘different’ or ‘other,’ it was nice to see that Nisha is not a loner. Her cousin is supportive of her, rather than her main bully, and the girls have several friends who all hang out together. That she takes part in typical teenage banter is a nice change.

Can’t wait to read the next entry in the Gods of Egypt series! ‘Book of Souls’ will be available on February 9th.

Perfect for fans of YA and mythology, including Lindsey Fairleigh’s ‘Echo’ series.