Customer Reviews

Soul Kiss

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The language of this novel is so beautiful that I found myself rereading sentence after sentnce to savor the words. I finished this book in two days not because I read it quickly but because I could not put it down. Youngblood's words are the kind you should enjoy slowly and read some outloud to feel them on your tongue.There are parts of this story that are disturbing. Mariah gets raped as a young teenager--devasting--but written in a way that does not sensationalize it or provide fodder for perverts. The sexual attraction between Mariah and her father disturbs but rings true and is thankfully not acted upon.The part of this book that i related to most is a story most lesbian and bisexual women will find very familiar. It describes the pain felt by adolescent Mariah as she loses the love of her "girly girl" friend to heterosexual puberty. I think we have all been there.Unlike other reviewers i don't think that this book contains any sexually explicit scenes. I don't think that the plot is unfocused or the story depressing. This is one of the best books i have ever read--and i have read a lot of books. It is as near perfect as humanly possible. It has a spiritual beauty to it that will resonate in your soul long after reading it. It does indeed kiss your soul.

I was looking for a story to read that would have a young girl as the main character; I also wanted to read such a book in first person. That's how I found "Soul Kiss". After reading reviews I purchased the book last fall and just finished it in January. I found "Soul Kiss" to be immensely satisfying. It's the story of Mariah who is sent to live with her two elderly aunts; her mom drops her off and Mariah begans to wish to be reunited with her mother in the worst way. She carries these yearnings for many years and has various adventures as she reflects on the events which happen in her life. The writer Shay Youngblood has a style I wish I could call my own. I adored the imagery she used; the descriptions of some Mariah's thoughts about how much she yearns for her mothers ("I miss my mama, but I don't want to. I am seven years old and yesterday is today, tomorrow never comes.") It was just a pleasant and poetic type of fiction; the kind I've love to be able to read all the time. I love the book and I hope you will get a copy, read it and enjoy it too. It's that good.

Damn! This book deserves a bestselling status. It was hauntingly nostalgic,erotic and sad, but funny at the same time. My mother left me in the hands of strangers too, but my life story is not as entertaining as the narrator's. I would cringe at the mere thought of seducing my father or worst, posing nude for him. Sometimes I was moved to tears as I read the narrator's painful quest for love and the feel of belonging. I was not surprised at her fettish for self gratification considering the fact that she was a lonely,healthy teenager. Neither was I phased by her desire for same sex relationships. I think she should've acted upon her sexual attraction to women. Forget about childhood games. I was looking forward to a deeper, more mature relationship between the narrator and one of the objects of her attraction. Nevertheless, I admire Youngblood's subtle, erotic approach. I can't get over the fact that it was a tease, but hey, it makes us think and undoubtedly seduces the imagination---especially with a little poetic flavor.

Soul Kiss is by far one of the best first novels I have ever read. Read is a gross understatement. I devoured this book in two days. I could have completed it in one, but as with any luscious meal, it required savoring. It was as anticipated, as delicious, and as satisfying as Thanksgiving dinner. This story flows as elongated poetry. Brilliant and beautiful, Shay Youngblood's writing style stirred my emotions and awakened every sense.

Kudos to Shay Youngblood.

I would actually give this book somewhere between three stars and four stars.

Poetry is an amazing thing, and my favorite place to find poetry is locked in with prose. This book consists of almost nothing but prose/poetry, and I think that is a good thing. The words are captivating. At the same time, I thought that some of the "poetry" did not have enough meaning, and in some places it made me think that the author had tried to hard, unecessarily, to make poetry instead of telling the story. Overall, I wanted more. Despite all the difficult events that Mariah, the protagonist, suffered through, I finished the book understanding only that Mariah had had a hard life, and still not knowing Mariah very much at all. The metaphors and the colorful images painted by the poetic lines were often interesting, but sometimes hard to accept coming from someone of Mariah's age without any childlike ways, habits, or vulnerabilities to temper them.

"Soul Kiss" is quite a good book. The good thing about it is that the author (Shay Youngblood) is talented, this is her first novel & she's done a good job. It's a "coming of age" story of a young girl who is deserted by her drug-addicted mother, & who tries to make sense of life & to deal with her pain. The story is well told & there are some very touching scenes...The only thing I didn't like was that the book was kind of short, meaning that the characters I think were not that well developed, & the story itself left some loose ends. Shay Youngblood seems to be a creative & inspired writer, so I look forward to reading her next books in order to see whether she's developed her writing style.

This book is Excellent. It is an easy read, but I guarantee you will enjoy. It is good to the last line. I've read this book 3 times. And every time I read it, it feels like it is the first time. Mariah, which is her main character, holds your hand and emotionally takes you into her world. It is a world that is filled with pain, love, misunderstanding, and questions of one's sexuality closure to open wounds. Shay Youngblood did an excellent job.

At first, Soul Kiss seems like another sad story. However, after reading only a few pages, it becomes clear that Shay Youngblood is telling a different story. If you are looking for a happy, uplifting read, leave this one alone. After the first couple of pages it is clear that this story will not have a happy ending. But if you want to read a story with complex characters who do more than comlain about the man shortage, then you may want to check out this title. The only draw back is that Youngblood tends to bring up plots and them drop them. I easily could have read another 100 pages. I am holding out for a sequel.

I picked this book up in the library while waiting for my son. With little expectation, I started reading it, checked it out of the library and finsihed it the next day. It is well written and moving with a new twist to the lives of women both black and white. As an avid reader of novels by African American women is find that many of the stories blend together in my mind after a few days. However, SOUL KISS will stand out.

Shay Youngblood's debut displays some fabulously creative writing, full of poetry and beautiful imagery. I would recommend the book based upon her writing style alone. The plot is a tad mournful...an young girl is abandoned to live with her Aunts by her drug-addicted mother. The girl grows up and never really develops her own personality as she is obsessed with the hope that her mother will reenter her life and wastes most of her youth daydreaming about life with her messed-up mother and reuniting with an equally messed-up father who she has never known. Sadly, the young girl misses most out of her own youth focusing on what can never be and misses out on a wonderful life she would have know had she recognized the love and guidance her Aunts were providing. But through the poetry of Youngblood, you will see and feel this young girl's pain. Haunting! Parental Warning: lots of descriptive, sexually oriented scenes (mostly homosexual)