I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A would-be defender from another world finds herself hiding within the mind of a young teenage girl in our world, there to stop a powerful entity known as the Soulworm from destroying the world as it possesses the best friend of the girl she is hiding within in author Edward Willett’s “Soulworm”. 

The Synopsis

She was never meant to be sent into the strange parallel world known as Earth . . . but now, trapped inside the mind of a teenager like herself, she must find a way to save it from destruction.

For years, Liothel has waited in vain for her powers to manifest themselves, so that she can become a full-blown Warder, defender of the realm of Mykia from the mind-controlling spirit creatures known as soulworms. But when a soulworm escapes from the Warden’s citadel through a magical portal into the parallel world of Earth, it is her spirit that, entirely by accident, is sent in pursuit.

She finds herself, a helpless, unsuspected observer, in the mind of Maribeth, a teenage girl in the small Canadian prairie city of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, in 1986—and discovers the soulworm has possessed Maribeth’s best friend, Christine.

Somehow, she must find a way to save Earth from the plague of death and destruction the soulworm and its offspring will release if allowed to spread across the unprotected planet. Only she knows the danger—and only she can stop it.

The Review

This was a memorable and captivating read. The author did an excellent job of world-building in this book, touching upon the fictional world that Liothel hails from and the mythos of their culture and society as a whole. The way he was able to integrate this new world into our own and showcase how their powers and worldviews manifest within the minds and world of these teenage girls was incredible. The tension that builds and the way the battle brewing between Liothel and the Soulworm entity mirrors the growing drama between Maribeth and Christine was fantastic to see play out on the screen.

The fantastic storytelling of the author’s fictional world and the imagery found within the writing style of the author’s work made this a thrilling and enthralling read. The way action and suspense of this YA read play into the theme of finding one’s purpose in life, making this a heartfelt and memorable reading experience that is not to be missed.

The Verdict

Mesmerizing, engaging, and thought-provoking, author Edward Willett’s “Soulworm” is a must-read sci-fi meets fantasy YA read. The twists and turns in the narrative, as well as the infinite world of possibility that is presented to the protagonist of this story, make this a crafty and creative read that is impossible to put down. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

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Edward Willett is an award-winning author of more than sixty books science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction for both children and adults. He’s also host of the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers: “Conversations with science fiction and fantasy authors about the creative process.” (http://www.theworldshapers.com). He successfully Kickstarted and edited a new anthology, Shapers of Worlds, featuring authors who were guests during the first year of the podcast.

Among his novels are twelve published by DAW Books, one of the premier publishers of science fiction and fantasy publishers: Lost in Translation, Marseguro (which won the 2009 Aurora Award for best English-language science fiction or fantasy book by a Canadian author), and its sequel Terra Insegura (a finalist for the 2010 Aurora Award); Magebane (written as Lee Arthur Chane); the Masks of Aygrima fantasy trilogy for DAW Books, written as E.C. Blake; the stand-alone science fiction novel The Cityborn. His Worldshapers series began with Worldshaper (“a rollicking contemporary fantasy,” Publishers’ Weekly said in a starred review), and continued with Master of the World and The Moonlit World. His latest is The Tangled Stars, a humorous far-future space-opera adventure. Willett is also the author of The Shards of Excalibur modern-day YA fantasy series for Coteau Books, I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust, a collection of science fiction and fantasy poetry published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing, and Paths to the Stars, a collection of his short fiction; Blue Fire a YA fantasy written as E.C. Blake, and Star Song, a YA science fiction novel that was a finalist for the Aurora Award for Best Canadian YA Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel, all published by Shadowpaw Press

His YA fantasy Spirit Singer, recently re-published by Shadowpaw Press, won a Saskatchewan Book Award; he’s been shortlisted many other times.

Willett is represented by literary agent Ethan Ellenberg.

Born in Silver City, New Mexico, Willett lived in Bayard, New Mexico, and Lubbock and Tulia, Texas, before moving to Weyburn, Saskatchewan, with his family when he was eight years old.

He studied journalism at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, then returned to Weyburn as a reporter/photographer for the weekly Weyburn Review, eventually becoming news editor. In 1988 he moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, as communications officer for the Saskatchewan Science Centre, and in 1993 he became a fulltime freelance writer. He still resides in Regina.

Besides being a writer, Willett is a professional actor and singer who has performed in dozens of plays, musicals and operas in and around Saskatchewan, hosted local television programs, and emceed numerous public events.

He’s married to a telecommunications engineer and has one daughter and a black Siberian cat named Shadowpaw.