Wistful YA~CLAIRE DALY: Reluctant Soul Saver & A Giveaway!

Wistful YA is my reoccurring spotlight, giving young adult literature center stage.

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Young Adult reads, even when honing in on deep or serious subjects, can be refreshing, giving us an altered or new view of life itself. I really feel this next story does that quite well. Check out my most recent YA read and help the author celebrate its release.

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CLAIRE DALY: Reluctant Soul Saver by Michelle Brouder
Publisher: Month9Books Release Date: September 2015 Genre: Paranormal Romance Pages: 204
I'd like to thank the publisher for supplying me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. 
Favorite Line/Passage: I stood, but still I could not look at him. He reached out and lifted my chin with a touch I will never be able to describe in a million years. When I looked up at him, he removed his hand and I wanted to die from the lack of it. (page 255)
Description: When seventeen year-old librarian wannabe Claire Daly is dragged kicking, screaming and cursing from everything she loves—her mam, her cozy Irish village and the dreamy boy next door—to take up arms in the battle of good versus evil, she learns the hard way that sometimes you don’t get to choose your own destiny, destiny chooses you.

Claire’s life plan is simple: head off to university to get her degree in library studies, summon up the courage to tell her best friend Chas that she loves him and live happily ever after. She never once entertained the idea that she might possess divine powers, that she might be predestined to battle Hell’s demons, or, to complicate matters further, that another love of many lives past might turn up on her doorstep. But life doesn’t always go as planned, and when a co-worker is viciously attacked by a demon and her own family threatened, Claire must face the truth: she is called to a higher purpose and has no choice but to answer. Claire sets aside her dreams and begins learning how to deal with the Unholy once and for all. Armed with only a crash course in soul saving and her wits, she gears up for the ultimate show down in Hell. But will it be enough?

COVETED! MUST HAVE!

My Splats: a stranger, friendship, attraction left not returned, and family history with a whole lot of souls getting in the mix.
Claire is your average young adult girl simply moseying along her young adult world when BAM! something happens that tells her all is not as it seems. I guess as YA readers one might expect this sort of thing, but you might not expect where this one goes. 
I was drawn in from the opening scene, which builds a strong introduction to Claire, her family relationships, and her current world. But then comes the BAM! Lights illuminate from her palms, which is astonishing in itself; more astonishing is that her grandmother - who totally and completely saw it (Claire's mind) - doesn't seem stunned at all. Dah-dah-DAH! Thus, you keep reading....
Her family is surely close, but also ingrained in their faith - something Claire has always struggled with. Doubts of the ever-after, the great beyond, and all that plague her. Despite her family's loyalty to Holy Mass, praying the Rosary, and other rituals, she's never given it much thought ... until she realizes her BAM! was a strange reaction to holy water. And then a mysterious young guy starts popping up everywhere she is. It's like he's stalking her but ... not. Once again, the mystery in the story keeps it fueled. 
Claire is a likeable girl. She's easy to relate to and youthful with a tender, shy quality. I enjoyed how she has a host of supporters. Lots of YA stories find the main character on their own or unwilling to confide in others. Don't get me wrong. Claire has her abrupt moments, especially struggling with her faith, and what she learns about herself and the world she thought she knew. But for the most part, she wants to do whats good and right. It was refreshing to see this character grow stronger as the pages turned. 
The story really gets going when Aunt Julia, who Claire never knew existed, comes out of the woodwork to help her hone her divine powers. Worst of all, Claire is forced to go live with this lady she barely knows and eat all sorts of granola-like stuff Julia calls food. As you might suspect, this relationship is way more than it initially appears. Soon tension, conflict, questions, and yes, ultimately tears seep in and out of both characters. But you'll have to read to find out why. ;)  
Traveling to save souls is something only found in movies; but for Claire, it turns out to be real and tests what little faith she has. And when something horrible happens to Julia, and Claire takes a risk, it ignites dangerous consequences she might not be able to handle. 
Please give some Alleyway love to the author Michelle Brouder!

I was born in western New York, the oldest of 5. I've loved reading since I was very little. From the age of 9, I've wanted to be a writer. In high school, I wrote a lot of angst-ridden civil war dramas ala Gone With The Wind, knowing more about the Battle of the Bull Run than a normal teenager should know. I dabbled in writing after that but didn't get serious about it until 2006, when I decided that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I've had many interesting jobs but my passion has always been writing. I lived in Ireland from 2006-2013 with my husband and 2 boys. We moved back to the US and settled in Florida briefly (2 years) before returning back to Ireland in August 2015.  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

a Rafflecopter giveaway And one more thing: a Kindle Countdown deal for Claire Daly: Reluctant Soul Saver by Michele Brouder will run from Nov 12th-19th, and it will be available for 99¢. So check it out here: http://amzn.to/1kCFggN.
What is your take on stories that incorporate faith as part of the story fuel?