Review: Awesome!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 19, 2012
Once again I'm left at WOW.What I loved about this book:*Alexa, her inner strength, humanness, vulnerability, intuition and ability to protect others in spite of her own safety.*Kayden, the silent hero who doesn't pretend to be anything other than himself. What you see is what you get and it will always be honest.*Nelly and her ability to trust and love Alexa unconditionally.*Soraya and Akira, two little girls who are about 7 and 5, who embody innocence, pure love, have this powerful ability to take on the pain of others and are wise beyond their years. These two little girls were named after the authors daughters. *Beautiful tribute to them.**Action packed from the beginning and fast paced through out.*Mysteries are quickly revealed and the reader doesn't have to go through a thousand hoops to find out the answers to all these secrets.*How nicely the plot unfolded.*Every single twist.What I didn't love about this book:***Can't stand "The Mom".***Half Black Soul kicks off exactly where Blood Warrior ends and things start to happen rather quickly. This book took on the POV's of Alexa and Nelly, each taking a turn in letting the reader know what was happening on the road with Alexa and what was happening back at Two Rivers where Nelly was left behind. I mentioned in my review of Blood Warrior that I had a hard time believing in this connection Alexa and Nelly shared because of the intro we were given. In this book, having Nelly's POV allows the reader to get her as a person/powerful being and to better understand that connection.I didn't mention the little girls in the last review because honestly I forgot to but they do prove to be very important to me. Alexa is having a hard time holding on to her humanity or what she feels is right and wrong. She is having a hard time dealing with who she has to be although she puts up the front that she accepts it knowing she is who she is and that's ok. These two little girls offer her a love that she is not used to because of how she was raised. They are willing to take on her pain and protect her even though Alexa is supposed to be protecting them. They don't judge her and tell her that she is good. Kids of that age, 5 and 7, are good readers of people. They will either like you or they won't and it is on a very deep level where the reasoning only makes sense to them. The interactions between Soraya/Alexa and Akira/Alexa occur when Alexa feels the most darkness within her soul and they bring along a very different light than Kayden. Through all of this Alexa as broken as she feels, is still strong, pushes forward because she has no other choice, grows as a person and as a woman, breaking down at all the appropriate moments. All of this I could appreciate.Honestly, there were no bad parts in this book. I think the only bad part is that we have to wait for book three and the author plans on having as many books as the characters will give. I hate to wait so long but what can you do?I leave you with these parting words from Alexa!Quote: "There is no feeling that is comparable to that of being truly lost. I don't mean lost in the woods, or desert, but lost in the way that only can happen internally. Lost to the deepest, blackest pit of your soul, clinging to ghosts of past times, when you thought you knew who and what you were.When this happens, you have two choices; you can give in to your darkest inclinations, and accept what you are, or you can fight, knowing that it is a losing battle, that the good half of your soul is strong, but can never erase the bad part."On to the next!