Review: Soul Protector

Review: Soul Protector

Title: Soul Protector

Author: Amanda Leigh Cowley

Words: 76190

Rating: ****

Review Source: The Author Amanda Leigh Cowley

Back of Book Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Gracie doesn't know she's a Soul Protector. After being dragged on a night out to celebrate a friend's birthday, she discovers she can switch into other people's bodies. Within minutes she manages to switch back, but doubting her sanity, decides to keep it to herself until she can work out why it happened. On a second switch, unaware she has a visible aura, she gets abducted by a monitor, Dan. It's his job to hunt down corrupt Soul Protectors who steal bodies for their own benefit. Once he establishes Gracie is innocent, he helps her switch back and looks after her during recovery. Dan explains to Gracie how Soul Protectors are bound by a code to only switch for the benefit of vulnerable people. Gracie falls in love with Dan, but finds he has hang-ups of his own. Finally understanding the rules, Gracie switches for a third time to help someone in need. During this switch her past catches up with her, and a chain of events unfold which shock her to the core.

My Thoughts:

Gracie’s boyfriend left her for her younger sister causing her to spiral into depression and to become incredibly self-conscious. When she is at her friend, Lydia’s (Lydia is everything Gracie wishes she was, beautiful, successful, and not single) birthday party. Lydia’s boyfriend proposes causing Gracie to feel even worse about herself. She wishes she was Lydia and poof… she becomes Lydia. The shock of it causes her to faint and when she realizes what happens she manages to change back and Lydia does not seem to know what happened.

She switches with Lydia again to try to figure out what happened and she ends up putting her life in danger as well as breaking some very important rules. She is kidnapped by Dan, a monitor, who hunts down corrupt soul protectors. Once Gracie learns the rules she realizes how much danger she was in and is totally freaked out by the whole thing. She wants nothing to do with being a soul protector even though she knows that what Soul Protectors do is very important and good. 

She and Dan begin falling for one another, but because of his issues with a previous relationship he ends their new relationship causing Gracie to become depressed all over again. She runs into a woman who really needs a Soul Protector to help her get out of an abusive relationship so she decides to embrace what she is.

Gracie is a really sweet character and I often felt sorry for her but she was also strong enough to move beyond her grief over her two relationships and to become a Soul Protector and help save vulnerable people. Her insecurities were a little annoying at times because she is such a great person and she just can’t see it, but I was cheering for her the whole time.

Dan is the handsome good guy that you wish you knew. He helps Gracie through some tough emotional times and I wanted them to end up together so badly. He also believes in her when she doesn’t believe in herself.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Gracie and Dan, and I found the idea of Soul Protectors really unique and interesting. I think that Amanda Leigh Cowley has created a great world and institution that has elements of the paranormal and suspense. This is book one in the series and I look forward to reading the next ones.

I give it a ****