Soul In Present Condition

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EN0ZOC2/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img

Rating:  3 stars

This is the first book I have read from this author, and I got a copy in exchange for an unbiased review.  Upon receiving the book, there were a few things that immediately caught my attention.  At the very beginning, the author starts by writing out descriptions of people, then giving them first names, then whole names.  That, to me, was a little thrown off.  It made it difficult for me to follow if she was talking about the same people, or someone new entirely. 

The storyline itself is a unique one, that much I can say.  The idea of a real estate agent who can talk to ghosts was one that made me raise my eyebrow, but the story itself did not disappoint.  From the very beginning, when she encounters her first spectre, the story grabbed me and sucked me in.  The characters are vivid and pleasant to read about, even if I did want to punch a few vampires in the face.  That was another thing--I liked the blending of paranormal entities in this novel.  It was a smooth transition, and the fact that vampires were involved in the human world, with the ghosts, didn't deter from the story at all. 

As far as critiques go, I felt that this novel needed quite a bit of polishing, which is why I couldn't bring myself to give it 5 stars.  I cringed at the amount of fragmented sentences and inappropriate punctuation thrown in.  At first, I was about to give up on the novel because of the grammatical errors, but I stuck with it, and I wasn't disappointed.  When I got a copy of this novel, it was called a "stand-alone" or part of a series.  I don't think this novel could stand by itself.  There were certainly some points where I was confused about what the connections were between characters, or why relationships were the way they were.  However, if you are looking for a decent read, and are not a grammar Nazi, this will be the book for you!