Shattered Soul by Jennifer Snyder Review & Interview

July 15, 2011 by nightlyreading | 3 Comments

The first few lines…..

Life. Life’s a bitch and then you die. So, fuck the world and let’s get high.

That was my motto.

Publish Date: May 14, 2011

Received: Coupon code from author for Smashwords in exchange of a review.

Purchase: Amazon         Smashwords         

Goodreads Blurb:

Hellish Nightmare…

If seventeen-year-old Seth Bradson were to describe his life in two words, those would be the two he’d choose. Seth prefers to cope with his crappy existence by spending his days in a drug-induced haze. But when Ali Carson steps into his life, Seth finds something he’s subconsciously been seeking—a new drug, one that consumes his mind unlike any other.

Love.

In a moment of unforgivable weakness, Seth allows Ali to try crystal meth, his most addictive temptation. This single event begins the unraveling of both their lives and forces Seth to learn the definition of regret the hard way.

My Review:

I had started this book and did not stop until finished. Since it is a short read, it only took me a couple of hours, but I was addicted to finishing the story of Seth and Ali. I had wanted to read this book for a while now and once I had it in my hot little hands, I could not resist temptation. I had to start it.

The Storyline…..

I can only sum up this story in one word….gripping! Ms. Snyder took a story and wove it into one that anyone could understand. You did not have to be an addict to feel for the characters. These are occurrences that happen every day around the world. Probably more often than we know or hear of. I just could not put this book down once I started reading.

The Characters…..

Really this story saddened me as I watched these characters that could be so full of life, wither away to nothing and waste their lives away to feel a chemical happiness. I loved Seth. As much as he seemed like a coward, he really was stronger than he gave himself credit for. Ali was so sweet and pure that it made me wonder if people really do get hooked that easily?

In Conclusion…..

This was a heartbreaking read for me, it really hits home when you have an addict in the family. So many nights waiting and wondering where they are or what they were doing. This book literally left me in tears and the ending will shock you. This is not your typical addiction story since both the main characters are addicts and it was interesting to see how quickly things change when one addict is trying to sober up and the other is going off the deep end!

 

 

Author Interview:

Did you have to do a lot of research for Shattered Soul? What was it like?

 

Not really, no. Addiction is such a wide spread issue that even if you haven’t suffered the effects of it personally, chances are it has still touched you in some way, whether it be from a relative, a friend, a friend of a friend, or even the person who sat beside you in high school. The only little bit of research I did do was looking up spellings, usages, and effects.

 

How did you come up with the storyline for this book?

 

Honestly, and I’m sure people are probably sick of hearing me say this, but I was folding laundry on a Sunday afternoon when Seth’s voice popped into my head. It was the scene in chapter seventeen, on page 132-133, when Seth is distraught due to a decision Ali makes, a decision he feels will haunt him forever. It was a really emotional scene and from that moment on, Seth gripped me and I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about him until his story was told.

 

I love the cover of the book, did it take you long to come up with?

 

Actually, yes! I spent hours searching through stock photos! Until I saw this soul wrenching picture of someone who looked so shattered and I instantly thought of Seth.

 

Are you working on anything new?

 

Yes, I’m in the process of writing a YA Paranormal Romance novel. I’ve also got a few ideas scribbled down for a new future Edgy YA novel.

 

Any advice for new writers?

 

Read, read a lot.

 

* Special thanks to Jennifer Snyder for giving me a copy of her book for this review and taking the time to answer my questions!