Misty Fitch | Fearfully Made

When fifteen-year-old Jacob Lau is pulled from the crumpled remains of his mother’s car, no one can explain why he was driving or why the police can’t find his mother’s body. Made a ward of his uncle and thousands of miles from home, a beautiful and mysterious neighbor offers to use her unique abilities to help him find his mom. In exchange, she requires Jacob to train as a Soulkeeper, a warrior charged with protecting human souls.

He agrees to her demands, desperate for any clue to the mystery of his mother’s disappearance. But soon Jacob finds himself trapped in a web of half-truths, and questions her motives for helping him.*

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As I was working on A Princess Broken, I realized how long it’s been since I’ve read fiction, and never have I written it, so it was necessary to see what it should look like.  I read several books by different authors and stumbled upon a young adult book called The Soulkeepers by GP Ching.  It happened to be free in iBooks during that time, so I got it and held on to it for a while before finally reading.  I don’t usually read book descriptions because I don’t want it to give anything away, so I downloaded this one based solely on its cover not knowing anything about the characters or plot.  I had no idea what I was about to get myself into. .  .

When I started reading The Soulkeepers, I thought at first it was going to be a Twilight-type book, but by the second chapter, I knew my assumption was wrong.  I quickly found myself encompassed in the lives of Jacob, Malini, and Dr. Silva; none of which were remotely related to any characters made popular by movies today.

Honestly, nothing I can say about this book will be able to do it justice.  G.P. Ching did an amazing job of painting a picture of the people, the scenery, the smells, and the feel of everything with her words.  I was taken away to Paris, Illinois and walked alongside of Jacob as his destiny so beautifully unfolded.  Ching’s writing was so precise that I could smell the Watchers when they were near, and I could feel the frustrations of Jacob as he discovered who he was created to be.  I took the journey with these characters, and they became friends I couldn’t wait to hear from each day.

When I can read a book and feel as though I’m watching a great movie, I know I’m reading something remarkable.  I want to see everything the main character sees, and by the end I want to feel like I’ve been where he’s been.  This book did exactly this for me and more.   At one point in the story, Jacob finds his way to a mysterious garden.  I saw the exotic plants and could smell the corpse flower.  I heard the voices, I ran into the massive tree hidden by the garden’s wonders, and then I paused.  I paused and re-read the garden scene and listened again to the voices speaking to Jacob.

My mind went back to Genesis where Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden walking alongside of God and listening to his voice.  Then, I considered how Eve must have looked at the fruit as she experienced the very first spiritual battle ever.  She could hear God’s voice telling her not to eat of the forbidden fruit, but the serpent was in front of her hissing intoxicating words to persuade her to take a bite.  Much like Jacob, she had to decide which voice to listen to.

The scene Ching presented in this chapter was so reminiscent of the story in Genesis but at the same time it was very different, so I was pulled in wanting to know more.  I knew I wasn’t reading Christian fiction, but I still caught myself wondering if there was some type of Biblical reference in this paranormal book.  I felt a need to read on and see where the author was taking me.  The more I read, the more fascinated I became by the author.  Her immense knowledge of the bible and the situations of the characters are so symbolic to what is written in the Old Testament, and it literally blew me away.

As a writer myself, there are no words I can think of to explain how in awe I am of what GP Ching did when writing this book.  It is an absolute must-read for anyone.  It’s not limited to those who call themselves Christians nor is it limited to those who do not.  It is a masterpiece of words placed together in a way I’ve never seen.  The Soulkeepers had me on the edge of my seat at every turn of the page.  I couldn’t put it down.  I found myself wanting to read on, and I noticed a sadness as I got closer to the end.  I wasn’t ready to leave the story.  I wanted to keep walking with Jacob and Malini and see what continues on past the last page of the last chapter.  I felt like I was like I was losing friends.  If you’ve ever read a book so well-written and so intriguing, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

A most excited moment came when I turned the last page to see a sneak peek of the first chapter in book 2.  I didn’t realize what I was reading was the first of a series!  Immediately I purchased it and devoured it in 2 sittings (review to come later).  Next month, GP Ching will release book 3 of this series, and I’m on edge waiting to purchase mine as soon as it’s out.

If you enjoy reading, I highly recommend The Soulkeepers.  I believe we are on the forefront of something that’s about to bust open the trend of young adult books worldwide.  If you have read the book or plan to read it, comment here.  I’m considering doing an online book club for this series for those who might be interested.

Are you interested?

GP Ching will be doing a blog tour soon for the third book in the series.  She will be stopping by HERE in April to talk to you about the book!  I’ll give you more details the closer we get to the date.

*The Soulkeepers’ Website

***Note: cursing is gently scattered around in this book, but she is careful to stick to “tame” words and uses them in a way that the reader doesn’t feel violated.  While there are no sex scenes, there are a couple of intimate scenes between two characters.  Ching is quick to let the reader know nothing more happened than a kiss or loving gesture.  A brief moment of sexual temptation is included and shows the reader how sex and sexualizing women is used so often to bring someone to do evil things.  The reader may feel uncomfortable during that one moment, but I believe it’s because it’s so well written the reader feels she is right there as it’s happening.

Related articles

• The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching (creativedeeds.wordpress.com)