Title: Lost Souls
Authors: Anne Cain and Barbara Sheridan
Publisher: http://www.samhainpublishing.com
Genre: GLBT (M/M) yaoi, paranormal suspense
Length: Novel
Rating:**** 1/2 (out of 5)
Over a hundred years ago Kabuki actor Ryuhei Nakamura and vampire Kiyoshi Ishibe became soul mates, then tragedy struck and Kiyoshi was killed. Ryuhei, a vampire, was inconsolable and since then he has grieved for his lover. Lost Souls is the story of Ryu’s search for his lost love, Kiyoshi.
The first time Ryuhei meets Jesse Shigeta he was 5 years old and it seemed that he was unduly attached to Ryu. What Ryu does not know is that Jesse had discovered Kiyoshi’s earthbound soul and he and Kiyoshi had become fast friends.
Almost 2 decades later Ryu meets Jesse again and he is now a gifted musical student. He is attracted to him and believes he has found Kiyoshi’s soul in Jesse’s body. Jesse is also fascinated by Ryu and initially he was going to try and reunite Kiyoshi and Ryu but his intentions undergo a dramatic change when he falls in love with him and now he is determined to be by Ryu’s side for all eternity.
What fascinated me about this story was the overlay of the cultural influences and their impact on the behaviour of the characters. Although I’m not as knowledgeable about the period as I would have wished, it’s clear that the authors have done a considerable amount of research and tried to make the background and the story as authentic as possible. The main protagonists Ryu and Jesse become lovers but gradually Ryu senses something is amiss and realizes that Jesse is not being truthful. As the story plays out with the influx of other characters, including the inimitable flesh-eating ghoul Gobei who had been Kiyoshi’s friend, I became more and more enthralled with the plot and the characters. This book is not about a typical alpha/beta pairing but rather it is about people that live by a different philosophy in a culture where behaviour and norms are not the same as those of western society.
Lost Souls is book 3 in this trilogy and while I read it as a standalone, I found the story to be quite compelling and easy to follow. The protagonists are flawed but sensitive, well developed characters, even Jesse who lied to everyone because he wanted Ryu and did everything he could to get rid of Kiyoshi’s ghost. There are some surprises and Jesse goes to extraordinary lengths to achieve his heart’s desire but does he get it? The end of the book is, like most fantasies, a stretch and most imaginative but I believe it was the author Terry Pratchett who said “Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere but it tones up the muscles that can”. If you want to find out what happens you will have to read the book. I will be reading Blood Brothers and Soul of the Night the other books in this series to get the backstory to Lost Souls and I would humbly suggest that you read them in order to fully enjoy the series.
Anne Cain and Barbara Sheridan did a great job bringing these characters to life and I loved the way the story flowed. If you appreciate eastern culture and yaoi, and even if you don’t but love a really terrific story, pick up Lost Souls which is available July 15.
I almost forgot I hadn’t read the review!! Nicely done, Wave, as always. I’m new to yaoi – I’ve only read Jet Mykles’ Heaven Sent books and I have Heroes & Ghosts at home, if it counts. But this story sounds original, with a very nice twist on the paranormal. I’m interested in what you said about the time period too. But since it seems better when read in order and I’ve had book 1 on my wish list for a while anyway, I’ll wait until I’ve reat Blood Brothers and Soul of the Night. 🙂
It’s a great idea to read them in order. Even though Lost Souls could be read as a standalone, the different characters make the case for reading the books in order.
Anne and Barb have another series called Child’s Prey about a yaoi rock band (there are 4 books) similar to Heaven Sent, that I think you might enjoy when you return from your European trip.
Thanks for the subtle encouragement in not buying more books I won’t have time to read before I leave for my trip :-DD. I need more remainders like that. But I will keep your suggestion in mind (and on paper), thanks :-D.
*hugshugs* You know, Mary…you might win some downloads for posting in the interview thread. 😀 So you might have some reading material to take with you on your trip!
Oooh, and I forgot…I’ve got some recs for you if you’d like to check out more yaoi stuff. 😀 You *must* read the manga series “Gerard & Jacques”–the plot is great (it’s set during the French Revolution), the artwork is charming, and it’s very romantic! Highly, highly recommended.
And if you want to stick to ebooks, I really enjoyed Bobby Michaels’ Jock Dorm series. It’s not exactly yaoi, but the characters are wonderful. I think you’d enjoy them.
Lol. Looks like I did win downloads after all – or the means to do so! 😀 Thanks a lot, Anne! And thanks for the recommendations. I’ll check them out. I never heard about “Gerard & Jacques” but I have a soft spot for historicals and I just finished a book that took place in 1780s, France. I didn’t even know there were historical mangas :). Has to be interesting. Thanks!