The soul keepers saga continues and the overall story progresses. As I said in the in SK#1, this series is more of a teen/young adult series. There is a bit of romance in the books, but so far nothing I wouldn't allow my 12 yo to read. ( )

This was such a great book, I truly enjoyed it and I'm going to read it again. The excitement that rushed through my body as I read this book was unbelievable. I love the imagination G.P. Ching has as she descriptively brought this story alive. I felt as though the book engulfed me and I had to keep reading to the end. Overall it was excellent cant wait to read book 3. ( )

Going into Weaving Destiny, I wasn't sure if I would love it as much as I did The Soulkeepers. Come to find out, it is one of those sequels that I actually liked more than the first book.

Told form the Point of View of Malini, Jacob's girlfriend, the story is action packed from the very beginning and its full of twists and turns. Malini is almost positive there isn't anything special about her, as Jacob and Doctor Silva think. A lot of the story focuses on Malini's journey to discover who and what she really is. One of my favorite parts of the story is Malini's journey. A journey to what? Well, read it to find out! A new character, Mara, is also introduced, and I couldn't help but love her. She really complicates things for Malini and Jacob and it was just really great to see how they worked things out... or do they? Mwahahahahah! Anyways, there is some pretty awesome stuff that goes on in Weaving Destiny, and it really keeps you on the edge of your seat. I had to force myself to put the book down to go to sleep, because it had me hooked and wouldn't let me go. And the ending! Just as epic as the ending to book one, if not more so. I nearly cried too. Some crazy stuff happens and I sat there like this -> 0_0 for five minutes. Also, I wanna note that the scene with the spiders and snakes thoroughly freaked me out. Congrats Ms. Ching, as it takes a lot to freak me out in a book, never mind in one scene!

I loved that the story was told mostly from Malini's point of view. Out of all the characters, she has to be my favorite. I don't know what it is, but she just really sticks out to me as awesome. I loved Dr. Silva, as usual, and I really liked her conversion from a sort of enemy-like figure in the beginning of The Soulkeepers into a great ally over the course of that book and into this one. Mara was a great addition and really threw things into chaos. She was a strong Soulkeeper and I really felt like she kind of... completed the team of Jacob, Malini, Dr. Silva, and Gideon.

Ms. Ching's writing was once again amazing. It really made me feel connected to the characters and it was very descriptive. The pace was perfect and I think she did a great job of going through multiple plot lines and not making me feel confused. My only complaint: it was shorter than book 1! But that's all right, because the way the book went, everything happened the perfect way and it really sets up for book three, which I can NOT wait for.

Anyways, FIVE stars to Weaving Destiny. It was one heck of a sequel and it definitely has me hungry for more more more!!!!!!
(Thank you to GP for providing me with a review copy of Weaving Destiny!) ( )

Compared to the first book, Weaving Destiny is definitely an evolution. I always felt like there was one unidentifiable, gnawing thing missing from the first, but it is rectified in Weaving Destiny. The writing is much better, the story-telling even more intricate and clever, and the characters seem even more realistic and likable.

This volume focuses on Malini Gupta, the title character, Jacob Lau's, girlfriend. I always liked Malini from book one, but I really didn't get the chance to come to love her as much as I do now, after getting inside her head and heart. What a neat girl she is! She has so much thrust upon her and simply doesn't feel like all the other Soulkeepers, that she's ready to do battle. She's not. It's a feeling so easy to relate to because, who would feel ready for that kind of life, being a normal person?

One of the pervasive themes of the story, I suppose for the entire series—but here it's really upfront—is the concept of 'destiny.' Obviously, its title is appropriate, because Malini begins the story believing, like so many young people do (I know I did!), that destiny is made for you by some cosmic force in the universe, and no one can do anything about it. We have to hope for the best and that's that.

But, what inevitably comes with age, maturity, and life experience is what Malini discovers through her trials: that she is, in fact, subject to destiny, but she is, in fact, the weaver of that destiny. I love how this theme is interwoven throughout, and her understanding of this concept is gradually obtained. She realizes she always had the power to shape her own future, and that pertains to everyone who's reading about her, too.

Read this if you want a sophisticated story with complex, real-world themes wrapped up in beautiful fantasy elements that is sure to entertain you. Think of it as the most delicious, wholesome, home-cooked meal prepared for you by a seasoned expert: savory, satisfying, and nourishing all at the same time.

I received this title from the author in exchange for an honest review. ( )

With most sequels, they usually fail to live up to their predecessors. “Weaving Destiny”, however, outshines “The Soulkeepers” and that isn’t a bad thing. While “The Soulkeepers” focused on Jacob: his struggle to adapt to life in Paris, Illinois, his fight to find his mother, and his new found power, “Weaving Destiny” focuses on Malini. During that final battle in “The Soulkeepers”, you can sense there’s something special about Malini. Spoiler: The fact that the Watcher’s were unable to see her until she brought attention to herself was enough to guess she wasn’t a normal human being.

But it isn’t just her new power that she has to struggle with. She believed that Jacob was her destiny, but what if this isn’t something she wants? With Dane, a former bully, and Mara, a new Soulkeeper in town, there’s more to the story than just Malini’s struggle to accept her new life. Malini is a strong character. She’s confident and able to look past the negative when we first meet her in “The Soulkeepers”, but everyone has a breaking point and Malini seems to reach hers in “Weaving Destiny”. Not only is she finding herself jealous of Mara, but she also finds herself questioning if this life – a life as one of them (avoiding spoilers as best I can) – is what she really wants. But it’s hard for life to return to normal after everything she’s seen in Nod.

The ending to the story finds Malini making her choice. It may have been expected, but Malini needed to be able to reach that conclusion on her own, so I felt it was a rather perfect ending.

If you haven’t yet read “The Soulkeepers”, get to it. Ching has crafted a wonderful tale of good vs. evil. I can’t wait for the next installment to see where the story goes from here! ( )