"A YA dark fantasy about a girl whose skill is Shield projection"
Reviewed by Clare O'Beara
Posted May 31, 2014
Young Adult Paranormal
This is a dark, YA urban fantasy tale in which a girl named
Karla begins by telling us about her day at school, at home
and her waitressing job. Life is about to get more exciting
than she would have wanted, however in POSSESSION OF MY
SOUL. A man named Lucas introduces himself to Karla,
earning the annoyance of her school pal Paul. Then
following an alarming sequence of events Karla wakes in a
strange house with Lucas, a Japanese woman and an English
man, who try to explain that she has died and come back to
life, and they are taking care of her. Karla panics and
tries to escape.
Outdoors however Karla meets unpleasant people called
Starkoffs who use to their own advantage a power to create
an invisible shield. Saved from their weapons by Lucas and
his friends, Karla now learns that she has inherited this
power too and must use it to help others. The Starkoffs
have turned to cannibalism to extend their powers and
anyone with a shield skill is their preferred diet.
Life becomes highly dangerous and battle is joined on
several occasions. The author has great strength at
imparting the strong visuals of her action sequences while
her heroine continues to grow in personal strength as she
has to become equal to the new challenges. Readers who do
not enjoy horror may find aspects of this story too strong
for them; otherwise anyone who likes to read about a strong
YA heroine overcoming her past and a series of
difficulties, while gaining the respect of young men, will
enjoy this dark fantasy.
SUMMARY
The Three Immortal Blades is a captivating story about Karla
Grey, an ordinary young woman struggling with a unique
ability. Karla is a Shielder; an exceptional fighter born
with the rare ability to project a shield for protection.
However, Shielders are not the only kind that possesses such
a talent. The Shielders battle a war that has been raging
for centuries against the Starkorfs, who endeavor to harvest
humans and Shielders alike to obtain immortality and power. Amidst the chaos of war and death that surrounds her, Karla
must also confront the charming Elemental Breathers.
Powerful and volatile, the mysterious Elemental Breathers
are quick to conjure up the element they inherited power
over at birth. Unfortunately for the Shielders, the
Elemental Breathers also have at their disposal a depth of
knowledge unmatched by any living being, making them
indispensable to the Shielders in their quest for truth. Whilst engaged in battle Karla begins to hear a woman’s
voice echo in her head and throughout her dreams. Karla
faces many new and daunting challenges while simultaneously
searching for a reason as to why the unknown woman seeks to
possess her body. Karla must unravel the purpose of her curse. Finding herself
embroiled in a bitter war armed with a talent she has yet to
gain control over, she fights to find a way to end it all.
But first she must learn to never let her shield down. The
woman manipulating her thoughts may be dormant for now but
she has every intention of possessing Karla. Mind, body, and
soul. Karla must choose between right and wrong: the charming
Lucas and the selfless Paul, death and life, lies and truth.
Within this new reality the search for the Three Immortal
Blades starts.
Excerpt“Hello?” I croaked. My kidney had felt like it had frozen; shards of ice
stabbed me from inside. My knees buckled and I fell, tumbling to the
pavement. I managed to keep a firm grip on the phone that was now clutched to
my stomach. I opened my lips to release a scream–the pain was horrific—but no
noise left my mouth, leaving the tension locked inside my body.“Karla, where are you?” Mum’s voice was panicked and teary; my dear mother
that had always took care of me. My body felt like it was decomposing under
the force of a hundred spears. My wrist shook with the intensity of
supporting my weight against the pavement. It felt like a good time to tell
mum that I loved her and that this may be goodbye- because that’s what my
body was telling me. “Karla?” I could hear the pain in her voice. “Karla, you need to get home.
Now.” I heard my dad in the background telling mum to ask where I was and
where he could pick me up. It ripped me to shreds to imagine how heartbroken
they would be to know how much pain I was in. I braced myself and yelped as I
resurrected my body, only for my feet to sink once again beneath my weight. “Karla, I’m so sorry, baby!” Mum started crying and I heard the shifting of
the phone. My body felt like it was drifting—panic swept over me making my
pain unbearable. “Karla? Karla?” Dad’s voice was as frantic as mum’s. “Karla, get home now. We
have things to discuss.” He sounded jumpy and tearful. I took one step back,
and my leg buckled again. I tried dragging the other leg under my body but
they could no longer move. My body is shutting down on me. My eyesight was blurring into blotches of black and then, blotches of green.
The pain was like venom triggering every nerve of my body to shut down. I
can’t handle it anymore. “I love you,” I gasped into the phone, while tears
replaced the stream of rain drenching my face. “What? Are they there? Don‘t become what they want you to, sweetie. Please!”
my dad shouted. I heard mum scream in the background and I felt her pain
layer on top of mine. I can’t breathe. Don’t become what they want me to?
What is Dad talking about? “What who wants me to be?” I whispered, wincing as I felt myself dipping in
and out of consciousness. A loud ring echoed through my head blocking out the
noise of my father and the rain; then silence. All noise was lost. My knees
collapsed at the same time as the world around me. I can’t breathe. I can’t
breathe. I thudded to the ground again, barely able to see my hands in front
of my face. My lungs wouldn’t accept any air now. My body had completely stopped. My mouth filled up with blood, and I could
feel it dribble onto the road underneath my face. Relief and fear was all
that functioned in my mind. Relief to know that the pain will go away; fear
to know that I’m dying. I felt ice-cold hands lifting me off the ground from the waist while another
hand cradled my head. My eyesight could only determine the outline of his
shadowy face. The sadness it contained reflected my own. Rain washed over
his face and dripped off onto mine. His lips moved as if he were shouting,
but I heard none of his rage or furry. Only bliss. My face was cradled in
Lucas’s chest; he was embracing me in his arms. My eyesight slowly was taken
away from me, leaving me in the dark. I can’t breathe.
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