AIRICKA PHOENIX

 
 
 
Veiled from her previous existence as a gifted Angel, Tess is now a mere mortal growing up in foster care with her autistic foster brother, Dorian, and a twisted foster sister, Agatha—whose main goal in life is to torture them both.
 
Tess’ life has been dull and average at best; but all that changes with one look. When she inadvertently gazes into the eyes of the most popular guy in school—Alex Preston—Tess sees a glimpse of her previous existence.
 
Uncomprehending, Tess, wonders what those memories are and why she now feels like she knows Alex better than anyone in this world. More importantly, why is he haunting her dreams? Dreams so vivid, that they blur the lines of reality, awakening a slew of inexplicable paranormal abilities she didn’t know she possessed.
 
Frustrated and confused, Tess lives a double life… one where Alex has a girlfriend and Tess is a normal high school girl. And another, where spirits, visions, and dreams are true.
 
Is she going crazy or is she secretly dating Alex in her dreams?
(Excerpt from GoodRead)
 
 
 

 

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Living Soul & Veiled were both gifted to me by the author in paperback, both signed!
 
When Ms. Niccum put on Facebook that she was looking for people to review her book Veiled, I was all for it, except I hadn’t even read Living Soul. When I told Ms. Niccum this, she generously offered to send me both copies which I got about 2 weeks later in the mail. I started reading it right then and there!
 
Tess is an orphan. She lives in a foster home with two other children, Agatha and Dorian. I wanted to smack Agatha before the first chapter was even finished. Dorian was sweet and you just wanted to protect him from the evil only he seemed to be able to see.
 
The story rolled off quick. Three years of high school was easily packed into 13 chapters. Alex, our hero, doesn’t make a whole lot of appearances in this time. He and Tess have their brush-ins every so often, but it doesn’t happen often. I found this refreshing. It was nice to read a story about a girl who had bigger things on her mind, like graduating school, earning a full scholarship to university, building herself a future so that she can support her autistic foster brother. Tess day dreamed about Alex, thought about him, longed for him, but she still managed to lead her life. She taught herself to sew beautiful dresses (her dream was to become a fashion designer) and to crochet. It was a nice change for once.
 
But in that same breath, I would have liked a little more interaction between the characters. The attraction was there. The pull. It was all nicely platformed, but we see so little of Alex for the first half of the book. Even the dreams/visions Tess usually had where she was with Alex, began to ween and become less-and-less. We later learn it was deliberate on Alex’s part, and he gives his reasons, but I still wanted to reach through the book and smack him. Then, just when it seemed like everything would be okay, Tess graduated, Alex was there, they were together, everything was perfect… something else jumps up in front of them, separating them yet again. I wanted to shake something. Alex? Tess? The book? Who knows. I guess that’s just another nod at Ms. Niccum’s brilliant writing abilities. She was able to pull me in so deep into her tangled world that every emotion Tess felt, hit me like a ton of bricks.
 
I did like their guardian angels. Estelle and Celeste. They were hilarious together! And I just adored Katie, Alex’s little sister. She was my favorite character.
 
Now, if you’re expecting some happy young adult, cookie-cutter story, you’re picking up the wrong book. This book will tear out your heart and give it back to you salted. By the end of the book, I was in tears. I think I did shake the book this time. I was only saved from becoming a sniveling mess by the fact that I had book two sitting on the shelf waiting for me. All in all, this was a journey I won’t soon forget. I look forward to starting Veiled. Thank you, Ms. Niccum, for writing such an emotional roller coaster and for allowing us to take a ride.
 
 
 
So, in conclusion:
 
Will I read the next book? Absolutely!
 
Will I tell my friends about this book? Yes.
 
Did I enjoy it? Yes.
 
 
About the Authors
 
Silvina B. Niccum was born in Rosario, Argentina and raised in Buenos Aires. Her family immigrated to the US, when she was fourteen. She attended the University of Utah and studied Spanish Literature. Silvina now lives in Dallas, TX. with her husband and her three homeschooled children.
(Author’s website)
 
Author Sites
Website
Twitter (@SilvinaVeiled)
GoodRead