Dark Souls by Paula Morris

Title: Dark Souls
Author: Paula Morris
Publisher: Point (August 1, 2011)
Source: ATW Arc Tours

I enjoyed read Paula Morris' Ruined, so I was happy to get the opportunity to review her latest book, Dark Souls. 

From GoodReads: 

Welcome to York, England. 
Mist lingers in the streets. 
Narrow buildings cast long shadows. 
This is the most haunted city in the world. . . 

Miranda Tennant arrives in York with a terrible, tragic secret. She is eager to lose herself amid the quaint cobblestones, hoping she won't run into the countless ghosts who supposedly roam the city. . .

Then she meets Nick, an intense, dark-eyed boy who knows all of York's hidden places and histories. Miranda wonders if Nick is falling for her, but she is distracted by another boy -- one even more handsome and mysterious than Nick. He lives in the house across from Miranda and seems desperate to send her some sort of message. Could this boy be one of York's haunted souls? 

Soon, Miranda realizes that something dangerous -- and deadly -- is being planned. And she may have to face the darkest part of herself in order to unravel the mystery -- and find redemption.

Paula Morris has a writing style all her own. I think you could hide one of her books among nine others, and I'd be able to pick it out with ease. What I enjoy about this style is tone and mood it sets. It gives that creepy vibe, which is appropriate for books about ghosts. Neither of her books are fast paced, but the slowness adds to the book instead of detracts.

Dark Souls follows the story of Miranda, a girl who recently survived a tragic accident and can now see ghosts. Her parents, unaware of her new ability, take her to the most haunted city in the world. Yay, you guessed it. A certain level of chaos ensues.

I enjoyed Dark Souls because I couldn't guess what would happen. There were lots of pieces to the puzzle and I could figure out certain aspects, but not others. The characters had me questioning their motivations and sincerity, but rightly so. No out-of-left-field stuff. Overall, sufficient curiosity throughout the story and satisfying ending.

Another thing I love about Paula Morris' books is how they end so completely. So many books end up as series or have cliffhanger-ish endings (and you all know how much I like series, so I'm definitely not dissing them), so it's nice to read a stand alone book once in awhile. I can easily imagine more to the story because the characters are so complete, but I'm not left yearning for more. Ms. Morris gives me all I need.

Overall rating: Borrow or buy.