A review by drakoulis
Sixteen Souls by Rosie Talbot

5.0

A savory, fast-paced paranormal mystery/romance - an excellent debut novel!

Rosie Talbot's debut book has everything:

-a distinct set of characters to who you will quickly get attached
-rich worldbuilding
-eerie atmosphere, feeling of danger lurking in every corner
-a (very) complicated background for the main character
-tackling sensitive issues (disability) with care and realism
-a cute romance between two boys who can see the dead
-supportive friend group, including living and dead people
- a happy ghost dog

Charlie's life took a turn for the worse a few years ago, when he got sick. Meningitis took his lower legs and killed him for a minute or so, until the doctors brought him back. And when he came back, he could see the dead.

York is full of them, and most of them are not friendly. Some are trapped in death loops which can be fatal for seers. Others want to use seers for their own benefit. Even the friendly ones - such as Charlie's friends Heather and Ollie - have the side effect that everyone thinks Charlie is crazy talking to himself all the time.

But when a mysterious threat causes several of the ghosts of York to vanish, Charlie has to reluctantly team up with the new seer of the town, Sam Harrow (who happens to be very cute) and face everything he was avoiding since he came back to life.

This paranormal story is not your usual ghost-story: ghosts are of course an integral part of it, but it's as much Charlie's coming to terms with his new self journey and accepting his odd found family. I loved all the characters, and the way Rosie Talbot weaved the past with the present in the plot.

Sixteen Souls hits the ground running and I can't wait for the continuation of the series! US followers, the book will be availabe in USA August 1st!