Alina Chase lives in a future America obsessed by soulprinting. Scientific advances have enabled the tracking of the soul by markers carried in spinal fluid. Reincarnation is now an established fact and the government maintains a database of all past lives. People without heirs can even make wills leaving their worldly goods to the person in whom their soul is reincarnated. But the discovery has led to problems and the problems have led to Alina's containment.
| Soulprint by Megan Miranda | |
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| Category: Teens | |
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Reviewer: Jill Murphy
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| Summary: | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 368 | Date: February 2015 |
| Publisher: Bloomsbury | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 1408855402 | |
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Alina, you see, is the reincarnation of America's most infamous criminal, June Calahan. And so, she is contained on a small offshore island. She's not imprisoned, you understand. She's kept apart from society for her own safety, after several attempts on her life, even one by her own father. And studies have suggested a correlation between criminal tendencies between lives of the same soul, so society concurs with government: Alina should be contained. It's best for everyone.
But Alina wants to be free. And when a chance presents itself, she takes it. But what of those who helped her escape? What of Dom, of Casey and of Cameron? What are their motives? Has Alina jumped from the frying pan right into the fire? Can she navigate the clues left by June and get to the truth?
I thought Soulprint was a very satisfying thriller. It's very well written; the prose just flows beautifully, making the book a pleasure to read. And there's plenty of twists and turns and derring-do keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout. And there's a nice dollop of romance taking up just the right amount of space in the narrative. It doesn't get in the way of the thriller aspect but it's not just an aside. I really enjoyed this read.
I will say: some of the plot twists are predictable and you will probably see them coming. But I think fans of this genre actually enjoy the game of predicting and being successful at it, so I don't see this as a real downside. And for me, personally, the whole soulprint idea was not credible. The book doesn't go the whole paranormal hog; it dresses up this reincarnation idea in a speculative, sci-fi way. I think, if you're calling it science, make it possible. Or, if you don't want to do that, just make it fully paranormal magic, you know? I did have to put that credulity aside to enjoy the rest of the book. If your feet are made of as firm a clay as mine, you might feel this, too.
Slight doubts aside, I'd recommend Soulprint to all fans of romantic thrillers with a speculative or pararnomal twist.
You might also enjoy The Dark Divine by Bree Despain or A Trick of the Dark by B R Collins.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Soulprint by Megan Miranda at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Soulprint by Megan Miranda at Amazon.com.
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