Beautifully Broken by Sherry Soule Review

Beautifully Broken by Sherry Soule
(Spellbound, #1)
Release Date: August 30, 2011
Publisher: Moonlight Publishing; 328 pages

Thirteenth daughter. Heritage witch. Demon slayer.

They say every town has its secrets, but that doesn’t even begin to describe Whispering Pines. The townsfolk are a superstitious lot and the mystical disappearance of a local teen has everyone murmuring about a centuries old witch’s curse.

Sixteen-year-old Shiloh Ravenwolf is a heritage witch from the Broussard family, a family both destined and cursed. After she takes a summer job at Ravenhurst Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan. But Trent may be the next victim on the supernatural hit list, and Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him. Complicated much?

After receiving cryptic messages from a creepy wraith and frightening threats from a demon, Shiloh finally begins to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist. Now Shiloh must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.

Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance.

I would like to thank the author, Sherry Soule, for allowing me this opportunity to read her novel, Beautifully Broken, in exchange for an honest review.

This book, the premise of the book, had a lot of potential. I really enjoyed the idea of where this story was going and honestly, I did enjoy where it ended up but my issue was the dialogue along the way. We have this incredibly good looking bad boy, Trent Donovan, who comes off as a stuck up rich kid. Which, let’s be honest, sounds totally hot for one of those boys you love to hate…or hate to love…or both. Unfortunately, a lot of the things he said I didn’t find believable for a seventeen year old boy. A lot of what Shiloh says sounds cute, you know, but not exactly realistic. Because of this, it took away from the plot for me. It took away some of the excitement because I had to sit there and go “No. That’s not what someone would say” or “No, that’s not the reaction someone would have to that situation”, you know?

I’m not saying it was horrible, it was just distracting, is all. The book itself, the story and the idea behind it was great. Witches, demons, ghosts…and who knows what else is around the corner is exciting for me. There was a lot of backstabbing, trust issues and drama, as is necessary for any good YA novel. Of course, there was also plenty of sexual tension between Trent and Shiloh, which is also certainly needed!

The pacing was good. Some scenes seemed repetitive at times but I understand why they were in there. It was to show how important Shiloh was and how badly the evil demon wanted her dead. I get that.

This isn’t the best book I’ve read but it’s certainly not a bad book either. I would recommend this book for something fun and cute to read. Especially if you’re one who likes to steer away from the big publishing houses, this would certainly be for you! 

Oh, did I mention I love the combination of Shiloh ancestry. Part of an original family of witches that founded Whispering Pine but also half Native American. Such an interesting combination that works oh so well!