Soul Stalker by Laura Kreitzer

Title: Soul Stalker
Author: Laura Kreitzer
Published: 2010
Pages: 370
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis: Being the Illuminator is not all happiness and light, especially when everyone thinks you are dead. When Gabriella decides to finally let her angels know that she is alive, Joseph and an unexpected friend help her. The Darkness Illuminator is not as in control of her power as she believes, which makes for a very comedic and endearing relationship that blooms between the three. A fender-bender debacle, a run-in with the cops, and a hiccup at the airport seem to all be worth it until Gabriella finds out her plan has backfired.

The three angels are missing, more mysteries pile up, and a new evil is brewing--so terrifying, in fact, that even the Soul Stalker herself is cowering in fear. Our heroine begins a jarring, romance-filled, heart-breaking journey that will lead her back to Italy, and ultimately to the answers she is desperately searching for. What will she do when they aren't the answers she expected? What happens when she unveils a truth, so deeply hidden, that it causes an angelic war?

There might be spoilers if you haven't read the first book!

Review: What a beautiful cover that's just as awesome as the book itself!

Soul Stalker picks up right were Shadow of the Sun left of. Gabriella needs the help of a friend to find Andrew and her other Angels. There are some new characters introduced that each play a part on things that happen and that help her reach her goals. Gabriella must decide what she has to do at every corner, especially when she learns some truth that might not be good.

I really like how Gabriella doesn't give up even if at times she feels like she has to. Even though most of the time she is told to stay put, she goes ahead and does what she's told not to. Another thing that I liked was that she wasn't always sure how to use her power. I think it showed that she may be powerful but that she still needs help controlling it.

Like I said, there are some new characters. I had my doubts about some of them but it was all explained. They were each different and I was happy that they were all there to help Gabriella. You also get to see how there is so much to the world that Gabriella was thrown into that isn't as nice or good as most might think.

This is a book different to most Angel books. Laura Kreitzer creates a world were she makes the Angels the way she wants to and not the way that most people see them. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read this book! Even if the characters are all in their 20s, they manage to appeal to those who like reading about teenagers!

Author Interview: Laura Kreitzer (Timeless Series)

Today we have Laura Kreitzer! She's the author of the Timeless series and her most recent series, Summer Chronicles.

Is there a reason that you decided to name your characters the way you did?

Yes, actually! I researched meanings, origins, and decided based on how it rolled off the tongue. If a character’s name is hard to pronounce, it can deter from the story. I didn’t want that to happen. Some of the names are friends and family who wanted to be in the books.

What were some of the hardest things when writing the books?

Having an off day is the hardest thing—you write and write and write, and you know it’s awful. It’s boring, and when you compare it to your other writing, you cringe. I’d like to say that writing a book is easy, but it isn’t. Only dedicated authors actually sit down and write a whole manuscript. Then there’s the editing. . . .

What made you decide to write about a main character who is an adult and with a career when most have teenagers as their main characters?

Here’s my gripe about YA. Young adult=young adult, not teenagers. My main character, Gabriella, is someone that young adults can look up to. She’s intelligent, has her own house, her own life, and her own career. If anything, maybe more teens should read about characters that aren’t teenagers. Gabriella is a young adult that is successful. It irks me how the publishing industry has turned YA into TEENS. Because it’s not just about kids in high school, it’s also about young adults. I like being the proverbial thorn in the publishing industries side. Hehe.

How did the idea for the series come to you?

Pulled it from thin air. Honestly. My mind is a playground.

What are some of the authors that have influenced your writing?

J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, and Suzanne Collins have influenced my writing greatly—especially J.K. Rowling. There are newer authors who continue to inspire me today. Those are Jennifer DeLucy and Julie Kagawa. They are fantastical authors and sweetie pies.

Did you always want to be an author or did you ever want to be something else?

I studied geography, geology, and mapping in college. For eight years, I worked in a dye-tracing laboratory where I was the senior lab and field technician at a non-profit environmental institute (Hoffman Environmental Research Institute). I’ve been to China to teach students and professors at South West University China, worked on classified projects with the government, and studied and explored the world’s longest cave. I also mapped underground water routes, wrote reports, guides, manuals, and had one of them translated into Chinese. My passion was working with the environment—I wanted to save the world. Then I started to write . . . now I’m a full time author, edit freelance at Obsidian Mountain Publishing, review books for publishers, and am the Program Manager for the Writing Collective at Fictionista Workshop.

How do you feel now that you know others are reading your books?

Nervous. Terrified. Delighted! I’ve had fantastic feedback and am thrilled that I could bring someone into my world. Reading my books is like reading my soul. I put everything into my titles.

The covers of the books are beautiful and would grab a reader’s attention. Did you ever imagine they would turn out like they did?

Yes and no. My graphic designer already impressed me with his portfolio, but when he sent me his first “update,” I was worried sick it would be awful. Instead, he impressed the hell out of me.

I love the covers! There's so many details in them amd if you look closely at them you can see them!

Shadow of the Sun by Laura Kreitzer

Title: Shadow of the Sun

Author: Laura Kreitzer

Published: February 2010

Pages: 510

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Gabriella's past is a mystery, but that never stopped her from achieving her goals. As a supernatural specialist, and far more intelligent than anyone her age, she has always been ignored by her peers. Because of the isolation she has always felt, she put her life and soul into her job. Being a supernatural specialist hasn't given her the divine intervention she always longed for, until one day a shipment arrives from Italy containing three dead bodies with an uncanny ability to regenerate. Gabriella is frightened and intrigued, but not as scared as she becomes when a dark creature attacks her.

As the bodies come back to life, the plot takes an unexpected twist that you won't see coming. The supernatural world only begins to unfold before her as angels appear, her dreams start to haunt her, and the very past she has forgotten comes back with startling clarity. Romance blooms, escape plans are made, an assassin is out to kill her, and death is only around the corner. But what is more terrifying than all of it is the fact she is the chosen one, the Illuminator, the one who will save them all.

Review: Despite being a big book it goes by fast!

Gabriella is supernatural specialist who graduated from Yale at age 19. She doesn't remember her life before the age of 5 but she soon finds out why. After receiving a shipment from Italy that contains three dead bodies, everything changes. Her life will make many turns that she never saw coming and will also learn many things about herself.

I liked that Gabriella wasn't one of those whiny characters who were always dependent of others. She's 24 and has a steady job with her own house. She knows that her life is different simply for being smarter than those her age. All throughout the book she tried to do what she thought was right and didn't let things stop her.

The angels were a great addition to the story. I won't say much about them but I loved the fact that they were just a bit different from others. They each had their different roles that I enjoyed reading about. Their history and what had really happened is something else that I really liked about it.

Even though this book could be labeled as an adult series, I think that YA book lovers would enjoy it as much. The feel of the story just makes it feel like something that would appeal to those who enjoy reading YA. Everything about the story makes me want to read the second book now!

I reviewed this book as part of a blog tour.

In My Mailbox (34)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. So this week I didn't know if I would be getting any books but I did!

For Review:

Shadow of the Sun by Laura Kreitzer 

Soul Stalker by Laura Kreitzer

and some bookmarks!

Thanks to Laura Kreitzer and The Teen Book Scene!

What did you get this week?