Book Review: Soul of Stone

By Sara Steven

Danielle Lyndon, owner of a 200-year-old bookstore in Greenville, Alabama, has built a fortress of suspicion around her heart. A tragic fire has taken the lives of her beloved Grandmother and mother, leaving her with nothing but an ancient collection of magical books.

Facing what seems like an eternity of loneliness and abandonment, her life is inexorably altered late one night when a runaway teenage girl breaks into her store and Danielle receives a mysterious text message…from her dead mother.

The only person who can help her is Aaron Donnell, a reckless, tormented drifter with haunting silver-blue eyes who is searching for the burglar, his younger sister. Aaron somehow holds the answers to the mysterious texts, but he’s arrogant, dangerous, and is clearly no good for her. The problem is . . . . she’s falling in love with him.

Consumed with Aaron’s mysterious darkness and the prospect of locating the source of the texts, Danielle allows him to unwittingly drag her into an insane, mystical world where human trafficking is the usual, black magic reigns supreme, and inhuman power lasts forever. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

Traci McDonald combined so many of my favorite elements and genres within Soul of Stone, with touches of fantasy and mystery, romance and magic, told with eloquence and intrigue. It started out with such a great hook, and an excellent way of introducing Danielle to its readers. I felt I learned a lot about her with just that first chapter, and it made me want to continue reading about her life, the bookstore, and the important role she has to play in its survival. She never imagined that would extend out into her own survival, as well.

I loved the heat between Aaron and Danielle. It reminded me of a yo-yo, where, as much as they try to put distance between them, some invisible force brings them back together, over and over again. There is the shared interest of finding Aaron’s sister and trying to figure out why Danielle is receiving texts from her deceased mother, but the chemistry between these two becomes its own plot twist, a constant fight that blends into and over everything.

I appreciated the research aspect to Soul, that the supernatural elements were well-described. I don’t know if what was incorporated regarding some of the more mystical characters was “real” or not, but it felt real, and that’s what mattered most to me. Not once did I feel the need to look up a ritual or description mentioned in this story. It was laid out for me perfectly, easy to understand and follow, allowing the author the ability to give her own artistic liberties, while allowing the reader to fully see the picture she’s trying to paint.

This is the first book in the Ice and Stone series, and I very much look forward to reading the next one when it’s available!

Thanks to Traci McDonald for the book in exchange for an honest review.