Tomes of Shadowstalking

Welcome to the land of shadows, where evil is the greatest power, where nightfall marks the birth of terror, where your very soul is at risk. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with black magic and dark souls and encounter the monsters rule these wicked places.

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Hannah doesn't know it, but her life is about to turn into a battle for surival. First, though, she has to deal with the possibility that she's going crazy. After all, why would she write notes to herself that are obvious threats to her life? The truth, however, may make her wish she was truly insane, because maybe then she could cope. Because there is another world that runs along side her own, and two of its most powerful members have ancient bonds to Hannah. Both want her and will stop at nothing to get her, but for very different reasons. The vampire, Thierry Descouedres, because he is her soulmate, wants to love Hannah as he was denied repeatedly through the ages. But the other, Maya, is a vampire far more powerful than Thierry, as she is the one who made Thierry a vampire to begin with. And Maya wants Hannah dead and fully intends to kill her, the same way she killed Hannah's previous incarnations. Will Hannah be able to escape from Maya's grasp, or will she be slain once more before she can unite with her soulmate?

Soulmate shows, more than any of the other Night World books, just how strong the soulmate principle really is, extending from the days of hunter-gatherers all the way to the modern era. Not even Quinn and Cat's bond in The Chosen can compare. But to have someone deliberately (as opposed to inadvertantly) interfering in that bond--even so far as to repeatedly kill--is a new twist to the situtations that have plagued Night World protagonists since Book One.

This book does a great deal towards explaining the origins of the witches and the lamia (born vampires), including the schism that arose between the descendants of Hellewise Hearth-Woman and Maya, the mother of the Redfern clan of lamia. I could wish that the author had spent more time on the schism--and I do--but to have done so would have detracted from the main story, which I definitely didn't want. All the same, it's nice to finally know the background to the story Thea told in Spellbinder.

While a YA novel--like all of L.J. Smith's other books--Night World: Soulmate is a terrific novel that readers of all ages (well, of dating age at least) can enjoy, whether it is from an interest in vampires and witches or from the appreciation for a "destined" romance. But younger readers, I caution you that there is some violence, so proceed with caution!

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