The Book of Lost Souls (The Ivy MacTavish Novels) [Kindle Edition]

Michelle Muto (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

When teen witch Ivy MacTavish changes a lizard into her date for a Halloween dance, everything turns to chaos. And when no one is powerful enough to transform him back except Ivy, it sparks the rumor: Like father, like daughter. Ivy has heard it all before - that her father, who left when she was seven - was involved with the darkest of magic.

Making the rumors worse, someone uses an evil spell book to bring back two of history's most nefarious killers. Ivy's got a simple plan to set things right: find the real dark spell caster, steal the book, and reverse the spell. No problem! But she'll have to deal with something more dangerous than murderous spirits that want her and her friends dead: the school's resident bad boy and hotter-than-brimstone demon, Nick Marcelli. Nick's offering Ivy more than his help with recovering the missing book - he's offering her a way to ditch her scaly reputation as a lizard-lover. Demons are about as hard to handle as black magic, and as Ivy soon discovers, it's going to take more than a lot of luck and a little charm if she wants to survive long enough to clear her status as a dark witch, get a warm-blooded boyfriend, and have her former date back to eating meal worms before the week's end. 

Full length novel: 83,500 words/approx 324 pages.

Praise for The Book of Lost Souls

A Wickedly Fun Read.  ~The Fictional Bookshelf reviews

A thrilling tale of love, loyalty, friendship and coming of age... ~Erin Danzer, author of Losing Control

Muto has written a beautiful debut novel that will charm the hearts of readers both young and old. ~A Book Vacation reviews

Muto is a first class writer with a flair for creative and original ideas. ~Karen Fowler, author of Memories for Sale

About the Author

Michelle grew up in Chicago, but currently lives in NE Georgia with her husband and their two dogs. She loves scary books, funny movies, sports cars, chocolate, dogs, and changes of season.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 458 KB
• Publisher: Dreamscapes Ink (March 6, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004QWZ8LO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,283 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Michelle has always loved storytelling. When she was a child, her favorite stories were of monsters and things that lurked in the dark. Telling stories often frightened her classmates and got her into a lot of trouble with her teachers. They had no sense of humor.

As an adult, Michelle traded her love of writing for the corporate life where she was an IT professional. Today, she's doing what she loves best - writing and storytelling.

Michelle grew up in Chicago, but currently lives in NE Georgia with her husband and their two dogs. She loves scary books, funny movies, sports cars, chocolate, dogs, and changes of season.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Lost, Everything Gained., April 10, 2011

By 

Dean Mayes "The Hambledown Dreamer" (Adelaide, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Book of Lost Souls (The Ivy MacTavish Novels) (Kindle Edition)

I have to admit to being from the "Buffy" school of the paranormal rather than the "Twilight" one. There was always something so much more accessible about the Scoobie Gang in that former franchise that appealed to me and I'm almost ashamed to say that I stuck it out with them for the series entire run. I've not encountered anything that has captured a spirit of fun and grit the way Buffy has...that is until now.

The Book of Lost Souls by Michelle Muto is a totally original take on the paranormal genre that - similar to "Buffy" - captures a spirit of hip 'now'-ness that is engaging from the very first page. I've got to stress here that I was only subtly reminded of Buffy whilst reading "The Book Of Lost Souls". This is very much it's own story, which is an absorbing read that has comedy and wit, but also a more serious and perhaps sinister undercurrent running through it's narrative. There is action and mystery, romance and tenderness. It draws on classic archetypes and reworks them in a refreshing way and you actually enjoy the way Michelle weaves them into her tome. It's cleverly subtle - it doesn't belt you in the head.

Her cast too, are a vivid collection of characters, lead by the precocious and worldy Ivy, who reflect contemporary teens dealing with all the trials of growing up and dealing with peer groups, high school, difficult parents whilst dealing with the additional burdens of fangs, aversions to sunlight, wolf-like tendencies and the like. Muto's affection for her characters is clear and she imbues them with a rich realism and enthusiasm that make them leap off the page.

Muto's story craft is well honed. There is nothing contrived or superfluous and she has balanced the tension and excitement well with the lighter moments and the laughs too. The dialogue is sharp, settings are well described and visually accessible. Teens will most certainly love it and even cynics like a middle 30's parent can't help but smile.

The Book Of Lost Souls is a considerable achievement for Michelle Muto and I believe that it is a worthy addition to a genre that can perhaps, be a little too serious sometimes.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Magical times in Northwick High, USA, March 17, 2011

By 

Anne Michaud - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Book of Lost Souls (The Ivy MacTavish Novels) (Kindle Edition)

What I love about novels such as The Book of Lost Souls is how easily I lose myself in the story. Who wouldn't want to live in Northwick, a small American town where Regulars (humans) live semi-peacefully with Kindreds (witches, vampires, werewolves, zombies, trolls and everything in between). Even the high school sounds cool!

The author's love for her characters is palpable; they come alive on the page as they struggle to right their wrongs. And the best part? The teens go through the same angst as any other teen in any other town; their problems stay real and are easy to identify with. Teenage witch Ivy needs a date for the high school dance to make her main squeeze jealous and she changes a lizard into a top model to take her. The set-up is perfect for anything and everything to go wrong... and it does. Deliciously!

At first glance, TBoLS seems like just another fun ride in a supernatural world, but upon closer inspection, we discover that Ivy's struggle in fact feels very personal. Her father left her and her mother years ago and the cut runs deep, and the bitter betrayal turns trust into quite a challenge for the girl. Friendship and love are tested and a good dose of magic, tipping between black and white, is used to save the people she loves, even at the risk of consuming her.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A really fun story!, March 17, 2011

By 

kelly - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Lost Souls (The Ivy MacTavish Novels) (Kindle Edition)

I picked this up thinking it'd be a cute read - something to pass the time. I couldn't put it down! Lots of laughs, with a serious dose of seriousness underneath. The characters were all well done and lovable, and the plot multi-layered. I especially liked Devlin the Beezlepup and Spike. The author has a great imagination when it comes to Ivy's world. Where's the sequel? Bring on the sequel!