Kimber Leigh Wheaton - Tortured Souls

39. Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton (2014)
The Orion Circle Series Book 1
Length: 349 pages
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Started: 7 December 2015
Finished: 16 December 2015
Where did it come from? I originally downloaded a copy of this book for free from Amazon; although, many thanks to Kimber Leigh Wheaton as well for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 15 December 2014 from Amazon; Since 18 November 2015 from Kimber Leigh.
Why do I have it? I like paranormal mysteries and Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a new author for me.

Fifteen-year-old Kassandra 'Kacie' Ramsey has always been able to see ghosts - ever since she was a little girl. Some people might call her ability a gift; but Kacie would definitely say it is a curse. In fact, she has done her absolute best throughout her life to completely ignore her power, since all her so-called 'gift' has brought her is heartache and pain. As a matter of fact, Kacie would go so far as to say that her gift is ruining her life.

Kacie's mother left the family after walking in on Kacie talking with a spirit, and her father and brother still blame her for it. They may not have said anything about the incident specifically, but Kacie has sensed the subtle changes in their attitudes toward her all the same. Since her mother walked away from them, Kacie has done all she can to keep the spirits away. Yet as much as she has tried to ignore them, the ghosts have continued to be remarkably persistent in their attempts to communicate.

And it seems like things are getting steadily worse for Kacie, if that's even possible. A startling new power is beginning to emerge - a terrifying and gruesome new talent that Kacie sincerely wishes would go away. Nightly visions of a crazed psychopath's viciousness - scenes of ritualistic and murderous brutality - have recently begun to plague Kacie's dreams. And now, some malevolent presence is relentlessly pursuing her and driving her to the brink of insanity.

When the phantom manifests itself at a party, Kacie's longtime secret crush - Logan - saves her. When he invites her to join 'The Orion Circle', Kacie is genuinely flattered - yet undeniably mortified - by the exclusive society's sudden interest in her. 'The Orion Circle' is a group of supernatural hunters and investigators with chapters in schools all over the country. So, with the help of the Circle, Kacie soon learns to embrace her supernatural abilities; and for the first time in her life Kacie feels more in control of her powers rather than simply being a victim of them.

Yet the being known as the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. In life, he was a demented serial killer who targeted children. During that lifetime, he kidnapped and murdered thirteen children - imprisoning their innocent souls within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he searches for a way to return to the mortal realm and continue his demonic mission.

Drawing his power from the pure souls of the children that he trapped inside his house so long ago, he travels into the realm of dreams to find the perfect vessel. He recognizes something in Kacie that he has never seen before - a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul. Kacie can't ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan by her side, Kacie must fight the Foxblood Demon. Yet can they banish such a powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but also her eternal soul to the monster.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, this was a captivating story with an intriguing and fast-paced plot. I found these characters to be well-developed and extremely likable. This was such a great start to the series; I can't wait to read the next book. I give Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton a definite A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

May you read well and often