For readers of Nova Ren Suma, Maggie Steifvater, and Maureen Johnson comes a spellbinding tale about choosing your own path, the families we create for ourselves, and facing the ghosts of your past.In the town of St. Hilaire, most make their living by talking to the dead. In the summer, the town gates open to tourists seeking answers while all activity is controlled by The Guild, a sinister … ruling body that sees everything.Dec Hampton has lived there his entire life, but ever since his parents died, he’s been done with it. He knows he has to leave before anyone has a chance to stop him.His best friend Russ won’t be surprised when Dec leaves—but he will be heartbroken. Russ is a good medium, maybe even a great one. He’s made sacrifices for his gift and will do whatever he can to gain entry to The Guild, even embracing dark forces and contacting the most elusive ghost in town.But when the train of Annie Krylova, the piano prodigy whose music has been Dec’s main source of solace, breaks down outside of town, it sets off an unexpected chain of events. And in St. Hilaire, there are no such things as coincidences.
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Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Prelude For Lost Souls
By: Helene Dunbar
REVIEW
I love the cover of Prelude For Lost Souls. It’s awesome. The premise is so unique and compelling, and I knew I had to read this book. It was just as fascinating as I anticipated.
“One need not be a chamber to be haunted.”
-Emily Dickinson
This quote is at the front of the book, and it’s perfect for it. People, of course, can be and are haunted by many things that have nothing to do with ghosts.
In the town of St. Hilaire, the majority of its 367 residents are registered mediums, it’s a requirement to live there, and are overseen by an elitist town council known as the Guild. Every summer, the town opens to tourists (customers) seeking to talk to the dead. This doesn’t seem right to me. Preying on grief, despair and guilt? Not cool.
Three characters tell the story. Dec can’t wait to graduate and leave this place. His best friend, Russ, is intent on staying. Annie is a concert pianist whose train breaks down here. All three are dealing with some type of grief and anger. I won’t spoil it with details.
But, Annie ending up in St. Hilaire could be a coincidence, if there even is such a thing as a coincidence.
The story is atmospherically dark, mysterious and haunting. Secrets are here and waiting to be discovered. The powerful overly ambitious Guild are dangerous, perhaps more so than the dead. The author cleverly weaves the different strands together, and the result is a mesmerizing story unlike anything else you have read. And, Prelude For Lost Souls is ideal for the spooky season!
Oh man, my heart!
Every year I seem to find one book that takes me by surprise with how deeply it worms its way into my heart. It’s usually a book that, while I knew, (or at least hoped!), I’d enjoy, by the end I realize I never saw it coming. Hello 2020, meet Prelude for Lost Souls.
There’s magic and mystery, angst and heartache, found family and unbreakable friendships. And there were tears that I was absolutely not prepared for.
While things were a little slow to start, I soon found myself captivated by the world Ms. Dunbar created in St. Hilaire, and I am in desperate need of book 2. Though Prelude for Lost Souls wrapped up parts of the story, I feel like there is so much more to come and I can’t wait to see where Ms. Dunbar takes us.
Prelude for Lost Souls centers around the small town of St. Hilaire, a spiritualist community full of mediums. It follows Dec, Annie, and Russ, who are all brought together by a mysterious musical composition and their demons.
Splitting between three different perspectives, Prelude for Lost Souls follows these three characters as fate brings them together. While interesting, it seems as though the story is two stories brought together making it just a little distracting on the reader. Dec and Annie have their story about the musical composition. They are working on completing this melody while Russ is trying hard to prove to the council that he is powerful and should be the next student leader as he enters into his senior year. They are brought together by the piece of music, but Russ does not seem to fit into their narrative as much as one would hope.
The problem is Dec’s story is more about finding an escape from this town, and Annie is his escape; in fact, her music was his escape before she ever landed in their town on a broken train. Their narratives fit in together because they have so much in common, and Russ lingers on the edges of the story, like a third wheel.
Nevertheless, there is something beautiful about the prose. The ghosts and the music tie the story together in such a way that the reader can almost put these two stories together. By the end, it is easy to see how they work together to make one whole story, and it does create a beautiful story.
The reader is drawn in by the ghosts and by this mysterious musical composition that is incomplete. Dunbar is fantastic with her detail because it is as though the reader can hear the music while they are reading. It is haunting and draws the reader in.
The complexities surrounding the characters also engage the reader. Dec is still reeling from the death of his parents, unraveling the mysteries behind it and how he survived. Annie is reeling from the death of her teacher, trying to complete his last work. Then there is Russ who is trying to become a stronger medium while dealing with his feelings for Dec and the ghost of a boy who haunts only him. There is much intrigue in their dynamics and develop so it is interesting to see it unfold in the long run.
Prelude for Lost Souls is ultimately an enjoyable read. It haunts the reader just as the music haunts the characters, drawing them into the mystery and fantasy.