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thereadedit's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Unsettling: 😬😬/5
SCARY: 👻/5
DEATH: 💀💀/5
INTRIGUE: 🧠🧠🧠🧠/5
I went into Sixteen Souls with zero expectations. I'm a sucker for a beautiful cover and I fell. Hard. This cover is stunning and it says so much about the book without actually saying anything at all. I didn't read the synopsis before reading this because I really like to go into any kind of horror/paranormal books without knowing anything.
I am so glad that I did. Because it left nothing for me to be disappointed in. I greatly appreciate all of the representation that is whiting this book. There is LGBTQ+, disability rep for a double amputee, trans representation. With all of this rep I feel like it only deepened the connection with the characters. And you were able to get to know their true authentic selves.
Getting to know you're characters throughout the book and how they handle the different bombs thrown their way was executed so well.
The world building and all of the different characters can be a bit much but it was so well written you were able to follow everything within their respective timelines and lifelines.
I really enjoyed the relationships within this book and how well they were written. Having more LGBTQIA+ in YA is such a pertinent need and this book fulfilled the need so well. I wish that there would have been a bit more explanation of one of the characters journeys so that we could have known them a bit better. But I'm hoping that will come in a follow up book.
Unsettling: 😬😬/5
SCARY: 👻/5
DEATH: 💀💀/5
INTRIGUE: 🧠🧠🧠🧠/5
I went into Sixteen Souls with zero expectations. I'm a sucker for a beautiful cover and I fell. Hard. This cover is stunning and it says so much about the book without actually saying anything at all. I didn't read the synopsis before reading this because I really like to go into any kind of horror/paranormal books without knowing anything.
I am so glad that I did. Because it left nothing for me to be disappointed in. I greatly appreciate all of the representation that is whiting this book. There is LGBTQ+, disability rep for a double amputee, trans representation. With all of this rep I feel like it only deepened the connection with the characters. And you were able to get to know their true authentic selves.
Getting to know you're characters throughout the book and how they handle the different bombs thrown their way was executed so well.
The world building and all of the different characters can be a bit much but it was so well written you were able to follow everything within their respective timelines and lifelines.
I really enjoyed the relationships within this book and how well they were written. Having more LGBTQIA+ in YA is such a pertinent need and this book fulfilled the need so well. I wish that there would have been a bit more explanation of one of the characters journeys so that we could have known them a bit better. But I'm hoping that will come in a follow up book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Medical content, and Suicide
mxajlikesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Child death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, and Body horror
Minor: Cancer
anton13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Wow. Just wow. It’s not quite my usual read but nonetheless I loved reading it. It’s like Lockwood and co. meets Heartstopper. I love how different identities and people are represented. It was quite the roller coaster and I saw none of it coming. I thought I had it all figured out but boy let me tell you I didn’t. I really recommend it. So much love to this book and to Rosie for writing it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Suicide, Body horror, and Gun violence
Moderate: Medical content, Death, Violence, Child death, Cursing, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Bullying, Ableism, Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Cancer, Homophobia, and Torture
domann's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Blood, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
purrson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I received a copy of this with my RainbowCrate subscription and had no idea what to expect, but enjoyed it so much, I’m hoping for a sequel.
Teen melancholy comes in strong at the forefront of this YA story, with a main character who’s trying to hang on to normalcy despite ghostly drama only he can see, and (in very relatable/typical adolescent fashion) is sometimes so-self conscious, he doesn’t notice what’s right in front of him. But the pity party doesn’t go on too long, and it’s hard not to love the characters we meet (our MC’s new and old friends) as this mystery ramps into adventure.
Throughout this book a true love of the location—its setting’s present and past—really shines through, and brings the living and long dead characters and their history (or the times they represent) to life. It’s delightfully queer and inclusive (the main character has a visible disability), with some romance to boot. The villains are sinister enough to make the stakes properly high, and these teens deal with enough real life drama that the story stays grounded where it needs to be. It’s truly heartfelt, endearing, and delightfully spooky that I absolutely recommend it for a fun, good read.
Teen melancholy comes in strong at the forefront of this YA story, with a main character who’s trying to hang on to normalcy despite ghostly drama only he can see, and (in very relatable/typical adolescent fashion) is sometimes so-self conscious, he doesn’t notice what’s right in front of him. But the pity party doesn’t go on too long, and it’s hard not to love the characters we meet (our MC’s new and old friends) as this mystery ramps into adventure.
Throughout this book a true love of the location—its setting’s present and past—really shines through, and brings the living and long dead characters and their history (or the times they represent) to life. It’s delightfully queer and inclusive (the main character has a visible disability), with some romance to boot. The villains are sinister enough to make the stakes properly high, and these teens deal with enough real life drama that the story stays grounded where it needs to be. It’s truly heartfelt, endearing, and delightfully spooky that I absolutely recommend it for a fun, good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Medical content, Torture, and War
bleedinxheartx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I really wanted to love this book. The writing was just not great. The plot and idea were good but the writing was not executed well enough to pull it off. The characters were kinda interesting, especially the ghosts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Torture
Minor: Death
fe_aye's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Solid book, if you’re a fan of The Mediator series by Meg Calbot you’ll enjoy this. It’s the same sort of vibe with a new setting, new rules and a darker plot line. Reading this was simultaneously a blast from the past and something entirely new. An interesting take on the concept of being able to see ghosts and what that can do to your life.
Along with the paranormal is a good mystery element that keeps you guessing. Great book really enjoyed it.
Along with the paranormal is a good mystery element that keeps you guessing. Great book really enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death, Gore, and Gun violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Body horror, and Blood
Minor: Classism and Forced institutionalization
milessmiles's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I read this for my bookclub and it was fun!! :)
(positive)
- loved most characters, and even liked the main character towards the end (great character development)
- such a cool idea!! would love a sequel or a prequel
- i really liked the writing!
(negative)
- Just overall, my main issue with this one was the world building and the pacing. Would have loved to learn more about the world, i have way too many unanswered questions. And it felt pretty slow in the beginning and then rushed in the end.
- the random transphobia from the main character.. this didn't need to be in the book (was a huge critique point at my bookclub meeting too)
- just lots of trauma that kinda didn't get questioned mhh
(positive)
- loved most characters, and even liked the main character towards the end (great character development)
- such a cool idea!! would love a sequel or a prequel
- i really liked the writing!
(negative)
- Just overall, my main issue with this one was the world building and the pacing. Would have loved to learn more about the world, i have way too many unanswered questions. And it felt pretty slow in the beginning and then rushed in the end.
- the random transphobia from the main character.. this didn't need to be in the book (was a huge critique point at my bookclub meeting too)
- just lots of trauma that kinda didn't get questioned mhh
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Body horror, Death, Transphobia, and Suicide
micareads123's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Sixteen Souls is a fun, high-stakes book about a couple of boys who have come back from the dead and are banding together to solve the mystery of why some of the ghosts of York have gone missing.
I have seen a lot of reviewers say this book is “like Heartstopper, but with ghosts,” but I very much disagree. The only parallels I can draw between the two are the queer relationship and age range of the MCs, and some parallels could perhaps be drawn between the personalities of MCs of both stories, but the plot couldn’t be more different.
This book was a lot darker, tenser, intense and violent than I expected; that said, I did not check the CWs at the beginning of the book. That was okay for me, but I would urge other readers to check the CWs and TWs before beginning.
I did, however, think the plot was very original, and I appreciated seeing disability rep via the MC, Charlie, who had lost the lower parts of both his legs to Meningitis. He talks about his experience with using his prostheses and wheel chair, which was new for me. I was also happy to see trans rep via the secondary MC, Sam.
I enjoyed learning new words and colloquialisms from the York, England, vernacular. I love language and am always eager to learn more about the language spoken in a region other than my own.
Overall, while this book was not what I expected, I did enjoy it. I loved seeing the character development and cared about all of the characters involved, including the ghosts, who were utterly quirky and charming.
I am also interested in seeing — and will very likely seek out — whatever Talbot comes up with next, and I do suspect a sequel to this book will be in her future 😉.
I have seen a lot of reviewers say this book is “like Heartstopper, but with ghosts,” but I very much disagree. The only parallels I can draw between the two are the queer relationship and age range of the MCs, and some parallels could perhaps be drawn between the personalities of MCs of both stories, but the plot couldn’t be more different.
This book was a lot darker, tenser, intense and violent than I expected; that said, I did not check the CWs at the beginning of the book. That was okay for me, but I would urge other readers to check the CWs and TWs before beginning.
I did, however, think the plot was very original, and I appreciated seeing disability rep via the MC, Charlie, who had lost the lower parts of both his legs to Meningitis. He talks about his experience with using his prostheses and wheel chair, which was new for me. I was also happy to see trans rep via the secondary MC, Sam.
I enjoyed learning new words and colloquialisms from the York, England, vernacular. I love language and am always eager to learn more about the language spoken in a region other than my own.
Overall, while this book was not what I expected, I did enjoy it. I loved seeing the character development and cared about all of the characters involved, including the ghosts, who were utterly quirky and charming.
I am also interested in seeing — and will very likely seek out — whatever Talbot comes up with next, and I do suspect a sequel to this book will be in her future 😉.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Torture, and Violence
pan_to_ffel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide, Death of parent, Violence, Body horror, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Homophobia