The Soul Garden (Twisted Souls #1) [Kindle Edition]

Cege Smith (Author)

Book Description

In a post-apocalyptic world known as the Territory of Malm, infants are born soulless. With a hideous appearance and unquenchable hunger, they are kept out of sight until they are Chosen.

Long ago, the residents of Malm placed their faith in the Office of Souls to lead them and keep them safe after the human race was almost destroyed in the time known only as "Before". But someone long forgotten has other plans, and that means unleashing an unspeakable evil into their world.

Soul Implantation Day 3675 starts out like any other, and follows the paths of six people who are destined to meet in the courtyard of the Fountain of Souls: the lead acolyte for the Office of Souls, an adult soulless who has been biding his time for a soul, the Soul Garden's caretaker, and the parents of a Chosen with their daughter, who has a destiny far greater than anyone imagined. 

They bear witness to a soul implantation ceremony gone terribly awry which forms the backdrop of the beginning of an epic struggle between good and evil.

Length: 25,000 words

Currently available in the Twisted Souls series:
The Soul Garden (Twisted Souls #1)
Twisted Souls (Twisted Souls #2)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Cege Smith is a Minnesota based writer who is addicted to Starbucks lattes and B-rated horror films. She has been crafting spooky stories since she was twelve years old. She lives with her husband, two adorable stepsons, and miniature long-haired dashchund, Juliet, in the suburbs of Minneapolis.

Product Details

• File Size: 217 KB
• Print Length: 82 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006QNWP2Q
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,101 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #27 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > Dystopian
  • #50 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > Anthologies & Short Stories

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! April 24, 2012

By Jessica

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Just a few paragraphs into this book and I was hooked. This fast paced thriller took me about two hours to read and left me begging for more. A great series opener, The Soul Garden is well-written and highly imaginative. I look forward to the sequel, scheduled for summer 2012. It will definitely be on my watchlist.

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Great April 28, 2013

By Rick Gillispie

Format:Kindle Edition

This is a great story. It had me from the start. A world were souls are given out like in a lottery an souls are taken for breaking the law. Cege Smith has another great work here. I will be getting the next book in series.

5.0 out of 5 stars Different - in a good way January 10, 2013

By Kay Adkins

Format:Kindle Edition

I was given a digital copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. I do not know the author. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

This book has a very interesting storyline. All babies are born soulless. Souls are generated at the soul fountain. They are given out in a kind of lottery form. If a person is lucky enough to receive a soul, they had better be a very good person and follow all the rules or it can be taken back. People without souls, for the most part are just downright ugly - grey skin, red eyes, etc.
Women are required to stop working after marriage. Pregnancy must be granted to couples with souls by permission only. The race is regulated because of the lack of souls.

See? It's a great concept! The book is very enjoyable. Similar to Blood Rites by Jim Butcher, I found myself wanting to find out what happens next and not wanting to put the book down even for breaks. The characters as well as the backstory or "rules" are very well developed. I recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal, post apocalyptic, fantasy, sci-fi type books.

More About the Author

The written word is fundamental to who I am and what I do. When I was a kid, I escaped reality by diving into books that perhaps were sometimes too mature for me, but gave me a glimpse of "what if". I had the typical wild imagination and I was able to dream up all sorts of crazy new worlds to sink into based on the latest book I'd read.

I made my first foray into writing my own stuff when I was twelve. I wrote about two sisters trapped inside a haunted house that was shifting in time. Through high school I carried a little black book with a velvet cover in which I wrote all sorts of teenage angst poetry and ideas for short stories. Then I "grew up" and writing took a back burner to building a career.

*Cue usual music for yearning for things unfulfilled.*

The thing that kicked my butt back into writing was National Novel Writing Month, which I found in 2004. I'm not sure who was more surprised when I finished my first novel that year, me, or the characters I met in the story who finally found a home on a written page.

Since then I've written 4 additional novels and and 2 novellas and there is plenty more where that came from. I need to quiet the manic voices in my head! But whatever I write there always seems to be a paranormal element of some kind (ghosts, vampires, zombies, witches, wolves). The genre I land in seems to be more dependent on where the story is set, and I really have no issue with that.

I hope you'll connect with me here, on my blog, on Twitter, or Facebook and let me know what you think about my work. I'd love to hear from you!