Tiffany King

Forgotten Souls, the follow-up to Meant to Be, by Tiffany King, is Book 2 in The Saving Angels series. In Book 1, we were introduced to Krista and Mark. Krista and Mark learned that they, along with two of their friends, Shawn and Sam, are descended from a line of Guides and Protecters. Their duty is to help forgotten souls, those who souls are at risk of being lost forever. In Forgotten Souls, their story continues. They have now been joined by Lynn and Robert, another Guide and Protector show more pair. Now that Krista, Mark and the others finally know what they are and what they have the ability to do, they must train with Haniel, an Archangel, to save the forgotten souls.

Forgotten Souls is the highly anticipated return to the world and characters author Tiffany King created in Meant to Be. If you ever read my review of Meant to Be, you'll know that I had high expectations for Forgotten Souls. The sequel does not disappoint. Within a few minutes of starting the book, I was back in Santa Cruz, on the beach and in main character Krista's head. King managed to slip me right back into the almost ethereal, dream-like mood that I experienced reading Meant to Be. I also felt that she has grown as an author and the writing reflects that growth.

In Forgotten Souls, we are given a more thorough explanation of the questions raised in Book 1. The background for the existence of the Guides and Protectors is given, as are the duties. While there is a religious background behind the existence, Forgotten Souls never sounds preachy. There is no delving into a particular philosophy, or denomination.

Here's my favorite part of Forgotten Souls ~ Haniel. Haniel is the Archangel tasked with training Mark, Krista and the two other couples. Haniel also worked with their parents, so there is a long history there. To truly appreciate Haniel, you should read King's contribution to The Glassheart Chronicles. Her story revolves around Haniel and the parents of Krista and Mark. It was tragic, beautiful and heart-breaking. That story will make you fall in love with Haniel.

And forgive me for saying this, but "Hallelujah" for no love triangles. Don't get me wrong. I like a good romantic rivalry as much as the next person. But I really, really love books that have a main couple who don't flip-flop back and forth, in and out of love. That's not to say that Krista and Mark don't have some serious obstacles to overcome. Their obstacles just happen to be a lot bigger than love triangles.

Forgotten Souls is a story of love, friendship, heartbreak, and ultimately good vs evil. No character is ever truly safe. The ending left my heart pounding. And, oh boy, what a cliff-hanger. That ending left me desperate, in the best of ways, for the next book in the series. show less

If any of you have chatted with Tiffany King on twitter, then I guarantee that you will agree with me that she is probably the sweetest person existing on twitter. But after I finished Forgotten Souls, I have come to the realization that Tiffany is capable of being mean because the ending to Forgotten Souls is outright cruel. I can almost hear the evil laugh coming out of that sweet Tiffany. But dang…she is a creative, compelling and fabulous writer! She has created a fantasy series not show more like any other series out there! Truly unique!

Forgotten Souls is the perfect sequel to Meant to Be. The majority of Meant to Be was primarily about 2 teen couples (Krista’s with Mark and Sam’s with Shawn) finding the one they are meant to be with for the rest of their lives. And it isn’t because they are just soul mates; they are Angels living as humans and have been paired up to complement each other. Their purpose is to go out and save the lost souls of people that have been hurt to avoid them from the temptation of The Dark One. In Meant to Be there was this fabulous, non-complicated romance that we find in a lot of teen romance books nowadays and then BAM we are hit with action. In Forgotten Souls they now know their purpose and they have found another couple just like them (Lynn's with Robert) and they know that there is one more couple out there. But Mark’s father is using the other couple for his evil purposes.

The three couples meet a hunk of an Archangel, Haniel, and he has come to them to teach them how to free lost souls. I was fascinated about the whole process and how this book had more craziness and action! There is a part in the book that I had my eyes bugging out of my head when Krista does something with her angelic powers to a few snobby girls from their school who have bullied Krista and Sam! It was freakin’ awesome! At about the middle of the book, the 3 couples plan a huge challenge to save a huge group of lost souls and it almost costs them their lives.

After all this fabulousness, their lives all take a turn for the worst. They know that they will soon have to face their worst enemy…Mark’s father (Satan’s little helper!) He has already done horrible things to both Krista and Mark and I couldn’t even imagine where this would lead.

The end of the book is majorly chaotic and action packed! And THEN…Tiffany rips my heart out, stomps on it to no repair and I sitting here thinking, “how will I ever recover from this ending?”

This was a relaxing, entertaining and easy read. So if you are looking for something to take your mind away from life, this is a series you should totally consider! show less

This book really blew me away. There were so many pieces of this book that not only drew me in to it, but it almost didn’t let me leave in the end. Tiffany King weaves a beautiful story of hope around one of the ugliest aspects of the human experience.

I’ll start out with the characters in the book. They were extremely lovable (with the exception of two, and definitely ONE). Once Kevin, Katelyn’s kid brother was mentioned, I knew he’d be one of my favorite characters. Katelyn’s show more character, while not all too likable for some of her values, is also a great character. She’s strong, loves her brother more than anything else in the world, and will do anything to protect him. What’s not to like? Katelyn has survived years of moving around the country and relentless abuse from her mother Lucinda. All the while she does nothing but hold out hope for her eighteenth year and a plan to leave the hell that is her home life behind.

The secondary characters were, while almost being TOO nice, believable and a godsend in times of need. The adults were always helpful, and through their actions from beginning to end they were a sign that life didn’t have to be lived how Katelyn and Kevin had seen it. There are great people in life and they are willing to help others. Even when someone was dealt a bad hand with parents and lifestyle, it’s nothing to settle for. There are ways out, and the adults and even teenagers, helped to show Katelyn an alternative.

Onething that kept getting on my nerves was the way Katelyn continued to endure the verbal and physical abuse dished out by her mother Lucinda. When her mother wasn’t in the mood to argue she was still using her daughter almost in a slave labor fashion because she couldn’t bother to do things for herself. This was appalling to read. But why do I praise this book? Well, it’s because of elements like this one. It’s UGLY, DISGUSTING, and downright UNACCEPTABLE; it’s also real life. This isn’t a unique experience made up for the world of fiction. There are families like this all over the world today. King painted such a graphic portrait for me as the reader that I couldn’t help but wish to jump into the story and save Katelyn and Kevin on various occasions.

Because of this way King’s writing captured me and kept me reading, it seemed like my emotions mirrored that of the character’s. There were sad moments (very sad ones), happy moments, and moments when there was nothing but anger. I’ve never wanted to jump into a book just to kill off a character so badly before. I think many readers will get this reaction when they read as well. Luckily the good emotions were ones of hope and happiness, those can always brighten the overall story.

This book succeeded in locking me almost completely into the story emotionally. This is something that has never been done by any book or author before. The last scene could easily have killed me if it went on any longer. It’s not that it dragged on and on, it didn’t. What happened is that when I read it, my heart was thumping so hard and fast in my chest that I thought it’d just burst, not allowing me to finish reading. I’ve never been this on edge for any book or movie before. That scene was pure literary magic for me.

From beginning to end this book will take a toll on the readers emotions. I don’t know how any reader will not feel at least the slightest emotional connection to this book. show less

*This review is for an ARC copy obtained from the author

The first thing I’d like to mention is that I waited until the morning to write this review. I wanted so badly to write it immediately after finishing the book…but I think the review would have looked like this: “HOLY F*** WHAT THE WHO AWGJADF AKDFGARGKL SHE DID WHA FDKJ KFMG OMG AMAZING…” And so on. Instead, as I do for many reviews that leave me with that reaction, I wait a few hours or overnight to absorb all of it.

I have show more yet to be disappointed by a book of Tiffany King’s so far. I’ve read both Wishing For Someday Soon and Forever Changed earlier this year. They both blew me away. This book lived up to this author’s previous standards.

What I was initially drawn in by was the characters. In the first few chapters that’s what kept me reading the most. Kimberly, the main character, is very likable. I especially like the artistic side she has. Through this, King was able to capture the beautiful settings in the novel.

There were many characters that I fell in love with. One of them was Amy (of course). When the reader meets her, it’s hard to not like her. She reminds me of a character out of Gilmore Girls. Since I love the fast-talking, eccentric, always a great friend personality of characters like Rory, Lorelai, Lane, and Sooki…Amy was a perfect match for a reader like me. I also really liked Rick. The story could have gone a different way, if King had given him a different personality or reaction to the situation at hand. I was surprised and pleased to get to know the loving man and new father that is Rick.

Since this book is set mainly in a summer camp for kids, it is only natural that there are great younger characters as well. Tiffany King seems to have a natural talent for touching the reader’s heart through these young characters. In her past books this is true, and she’s done it again in Unlikely Allies. These kids have gone through a lot in their lives. They are all children who are in the foster care system and haven’t known stability much. Camp Unlikely Allies was established to try to give children like them an opportunity at enjoying life and growing up.

Alyssa is one of the young characters that really touched me. She’s very closed off from others. She always has a wall up to everyone. The reader gets a little background on her and that’s when I wanted to just give her a huge hug. There’s a certain part of the story in which I was close to tears because of this little girl. That’s something King is also good at. Grabbing the reader in an emotional tractor-beam and playing with their hearts.

Now about the setting. It was a welcome change from earlier King books I’ve read. Most of it takes place in the mountains of Colorado. I’ve always wanted to go there myself, and the picture painted in my mind was beautiful. I think everything that’s great about being in the great outdoors enjoying nature was touched on here. While I don’t live in the Colorado wilderness, I do live in the wilderness for the most part, and I could picture myself easily going through some of the struggles that take place in Unlikely Allies.

What’s the main reason we’re here though? It’s not the characters or the setting is it? Maybe. I know a few readers will have picked this book up for the romance as well. AND the adventure. Both those elements are in this book. They actually go hand in hand. I was left baffled at times with the interaction between Kimberly and Mason. I questioned the relationship between them the entire time. It’s one of the reasons I had to keep reading. I needed to know who was going to strangle the other first, haha.

The struggled that they both go through later on in the book was great as well. I don’t know if King has been stranded and injured in the woods before, but I think she has written a very believable account of what it’d be like. I was left on edge the whole way through wondering what obstacle was going to arise next. Whether it was physical or emotional, everything kept me sympathizing for the characters.

I can’t say any more. There’s just so much greatness in this book. If Tiffany King wasn’t one of my favorite authors out there already, she’d have made it on the list with this one. I’m eager to see how other readers enjoy the book once it’s released. show less