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krogalik's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Child death, Blood, Bullying, Medical trauma, and Violence
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? N/A
4.0
A delightfully spooky, humorous and marvellously plot twisty romp that hooked with the promise of ghost-filled antics, that I’m happy to report did NOT disappoint!
I’ve yet to visit York (the setting for Sixteen Souls) myself but Rosie Talbot’s beautifully atmospheric world-building and wonderfully descriptive prose really brought the city and all of its rich, uniquely haunted history to life.
I also loved the dialogue, and the use of British colloquialisms, which made all of the characters’ interactions feel waay more realistic —it was almost as if Talbot had eavesdropped on actual ghostly conversations, making for an incredibly immersive and entertaining reading experience.
Our loveably endearing cast of characters helped with that too. Aside from the obvious villains and a few of the Mouldy Oldies (old spirits who essentially govern the city’s ghost residents) , I pretty much loved them all. Particularly Charlie (our reluctant, ghost seeing MC) and his spectral, ride or die besties Ollie and Heather— as well as the highly amusing George Villiers, who won me over with his rather amusing antics. I also liked fellow seer Sam whose adorably sweet romance with Charlie gave me supernatural Heartstopper vibes that I’m excited to see more of.
If you’re looking for something spooky to read this autumn, but also love heartwarming found family vibes, LGBTQIA and disability rep —then I thoroughly recommend checking this out. Just make sure to check the TWs beforehand.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and Gun violence
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma
Minor: Homophobia, Ableism, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Transphobia
analenegrace's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This was a fairly well-done YA fantasy with well-done LGBTQIA+ characters (gay, trans, bisexual, unlabeled), but its magic system was incredibly confusing and hard to follow at times. This made the actual plot hard to follow.
Talbot's characters were interesting and complicated characters who felt well-developed, and as a disabled reader, I thought the disability rep was good with a character who dealt with his limitations and succeeded but wasn't magically fixed and didn't just "get over it" like some disabled book characters tend to do.
Talbot's characters were interesting and complicated characters who felt well-developed, and as a disabled reader, I thought the disability rep was good with a character who dealt with his limitations and succeeded but wasn't magically fixed and didn't just "get over it" like some disabled book characters tend to do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma
kaz_brekker1's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Blood, Child death, and War
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Gun violence
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
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
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
mxbluet18's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Trigger warnings for Sixteen Souls include: death, PTSD (depictions of past events/flashbacks); torture (remembered); suicide (hanging); child abuse (remembered); blood and blood magic (implied); body horror/occult horror; kidnapping; decomposition of a corpse; violence and murder; parental death (on page); anxiety and panic attacks; use of a firearm; transphobia and homophobia (off page)
☆
☆
First impressions, amazing. It has chapter titles and a map. Both good features for books to have. As well as the very English colloquialisms and northern words and phrases.
~
This is a really well written book, with some amazing representation, and lovely characters. It was interesting reading a book that so heavily featured spirits and magic (the two things aren't always included together).
~
I found a couple of the friendships surprising and unlikely but they really worked. And I was mostly unsurprised to find a healthy dose of pining (as with many queer YA stories).
~
I also really liked that the trans and gay representation was really subtle. In the sense that the fact that there was a trans and gay characters wasn't front and centre, and wasn't a particularly large part of the overarching plotline.
~
The guilt aspect, and the reason both Sam and Charlie are seers took me by surprise, but it also makes a weird sort of sense. I thoroughly loved this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone.
☆
☆
First impressions, amazing. It has chapter titles and a map. Both good features for books to have. As well as the very English colloquialisms and northern words and phrases.
~
This is a really well written book, with some amazing representation, and lovely characters. It was interesting reading a book that so heavily featured spirits and magic (the two things aren't always included together).
~
I found a couple of the friendships surprising and unlikely but they really worked. And I was mostly unsurprised to find a healthy dose of pining (as with many queer YA stories).
~
I also really liked that the trans and gay representation was really subtle. In the sense that the fact that there was a trans and gay characters wasn't front and centre, and wasn't a particularly large part of the overarching plotline.
~
The guilt aspect, and the reason both Sam and Charlie are seers took me by surprise, but it also makes a weird sort of sense. I thoroughly loved this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Murder, Suicide, Violence, Torture, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Medical content, Grief, and Transphobia
jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Phenomenal writing by Rosie,
From disabled rep to queer rep set in the beautiful city of York where I live I literally couldn’t put this book down at all!
From start to finish I was stuck deep in. For a debut it has phenomenal writing and I’ve never read anything like it.
Definitely a forever fave
From disabled rep to queer rep set in the beautiful city of York where I live I literally couldn’t put this book down at all!
From start to finish I was stuck deep in. For a debut it has phenomenal writing and I’ve never read anything like it.
Definitely a forever fave
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gun violence, Hate crime, Stalking, Transphobia, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Grief, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Death, Homophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Sixteen Souls
By Rosie Talbot
Worldbuilding : ★★★★★
Plot : ★★★★★
Character developments : ★★★★★
Ending : ★★★★★
By Rosie Talbot
Worldbuilding : ★★★★★
Plot : ★★★★★
Character developments : ★★★★★
Ending : ★★★★★
Okay, where to start? I just wanna say... I really love this book so much. I love how enganging the plot and story are.. the character developments from the ghosts, the seers, the other side characters that also important here. This book written beautifully and perfect!
"Seers are like buses; none around and then three come along at once."
The character development between Charlie and his ability as a seer, I love it. He's been so pessimist all the time and always said that he can't do anything. It is called by self discovery for me. It's not because he can't; but just... he doesn't know yet what seers capable of.
Also, I love how Charlie's sisters; Lorna and Poppy that knew that their brother has ghosts friends all along by the feel. They can feel the invisible; which is I thought they... as characters are smart.
I also love Leonie and her knowledge about solving the mystery of the trapped souls around York. She can't see ghosts without cryptolenses. But, she can decipher the clue about the magic sigil to make a ghost trap. Which I think... she is brilliant.
And... Sam. I love Sam so much as I love Charlie. Sam is really a comfort strong character all along. One of his best quotes that I love as I read through the story is so heartwarming.
"I'm not OK, Charlie, and ... I don't know if I will be, maybe not for a very long time. But I've been talking to Miri and she's helped me realize that moving to Florence feels like running away. York was my big fresh start. It was the place I came to be my true self, and I am myself here, with you and our ghosts. Plus, I still need to take you on that date."
-Samuel Harrow.
Sixteen Souls is a brilliant debut novel from Rosie Talbot. It's thrilling, chilling, emotional, funny yet so romantic and heartwarming. And ... I was just glad that finally the selfish weirdo Caleb Gates died even though some ghosts didn't want to be free and chose to stay inside the multiloop; including Mr. Harrow who chose his project over his freedom as a soul.
Overall, Sixteen Souls is perfect. Can't wait for the sequel if Rosie plans to make the sequel and continue Charlie's journey in York; with Sam and their ghosts. Bravo, Rosie! ♥
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Body horror, Death of parent, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Child death, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Cursing
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Torture, Transphobia, Ableism, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders