Book Review: 8 SOULS by Rachel Rust

8 SOULS

by Rachel Rust

Standalone

YA Paranormal Horror

ebook, Paperback, 253 pages

May 6, 2019 by Entangled Teen

Blurb:

All her life, seventeen-year-old Chessie has had recurring dreams about a little white farmhouse. Quaint? Not quite. The house is the site of the unsolved murders of Villisca, Iowa, where eight people were slaughtered in 1912. With her parents on the verge of divorce, Chessie is stuck spending the summer with her grandparents in Villisca—right across the street from the axe murder house.

She’s soon hearing voices calling out for help and begins unraveling a link between herself and the town’s bloody history. And when she falls for a cute boy harboring a big secret, the pieces fall into place as she at last discovers the truth of Villisca's gruesome past…

My Review:

COVER: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 This cover is awesome. You usually associate pink as a happy color, right? Well, I'm loving that more creepy books are getting pink/hot pink covers. I love the blurred typography of the title and the large 8 in the center of the cover that looks like someone painted it on but was running out of paint. Behind that we see a silhouette of a girl standing in what appears to be a field, which definitely fits the small Iowa farm town setting.

 

Summary/Tagline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 “Death isn't always final." - This adds to the paranormal vibe of the story before you even read the blurb. It brings forth visions of hauntings and ghosts and evil spirits...

 

Characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 I really liked the main character in this book. Chessie has been plagued by recurring nightmares about an old farmhouse... but not just any old farmhouse. The Villisca Ax Murder House and these dreams would not be complete without blood, gore, and bodies strewn in front of windows. She's learned not to tell anyone she's still having these dreams because it would mean a one-way ticket back to a shrink. You would think that would make her unable to trust others and kind of spooky and weird right? But I actually liked her right off the bat. She's well rounded and a survivor in the manner of speaking that she doesn't let these nightmares (and eventually daymares) change who she is as a person.

Worldbuilding: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Imagine going to visit your grandparents in rural Iowa. I'm not sure if you've ever been to Iowa, but it can't be much different than rural Wisconsin - and there isn't much to do in rural Wisconsin. But then imagine finding out that your grandparents live across the street from a house infamous for a gruesome family massacre nearly 100 years earlier. A massacre that's culprit was never caught. Oh... and did I mention this is the house you've been having nightmares about for as long as you can remember? Welcome to Chessie's world! I thought the author perfectly incapsulated the feel of a small town and the history of Villisca's famous unsolved murder and the house that still remains to this day. 

Actual photo of the Villisca Ax Murder House in Villisca, Iowa

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 I went into this one knowing a bit about the Villisca Ax Murders due to watching an episode of Ghost Adventures so I was really excited about the premise of this book. I think the author did a fantastic job building up the story with Chessie's recurring nightmares and the history of the house across the street from her grandparents as well as the recent disappearances of young girls. I liked the build-up with the creepy occurrences (like when Chessie hears someone say her name and ask for help though she's alone in her room) and loved the surprise at the end. I had high hopes for this book going in and it didn't let me down!

Overall  🌟🌟🌟🌟 4.2 of 5 Stars!

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟

4.2 of 5 Stars!