Soulmatch

Review by Booklist Review

Danzenbaker's debut novel tangles with questions of identity, destiny, and choice that are sure to resonate with teen readers. Sivon lives in a futuristic world where daily needs are automated, AI-enabled robots do most repetitive jobs, and everyone pays the price for their previous lives. Through a process called "kirling," each young adult learns about their soul's previous incarnations--material inheritances, romantic entanglements, and prior crimes included. Sivon's fears about her own past lives don't prepare her for the truth: she's a "new soul," one with no previous lives on record. Being a new soul catapults her to instant worldwide fame, but it comes with its own price. As the world watches, Sivon must discover--or decide--who she really is. This fresh, fast-paced take on the questions about identity, destiny, and choice that preoccupy so many teen minds is a solid sf pick for YA readers forging their own identities in a complex and demanding world. Hand to readers who couldn't get enough of Neal Shusterman's Arc of a Scythe series.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

During the 200 years following WWIII, the Global Coalition of Governments mandated a soul identification process called kirling, which matches people with their past lives, leading to unprecedented international peace and prosperity. Eighteen-year-old Sivon knows that there's something unusual about her soul and anxiously awaits her kirling, hoping for an explanation for her nervous tics and preternaturally gifted performance in games of strategy. Instead of the answers she seeks, though, Sivon is identified as a new soul with no previously recorded lives. Catapulted to instant celebrity, Sivon is recruited as spokesperson for the prime minister of North America in exchange for getting a security detail. She quickly discovers that the glamorous appearances of her new job, boss, and life belie a dark underbelly of corruption and deadly plots. But her investigations are complicated by her steamy yet antagonistic relationship with her 19-year-old bodyguard, Donovan. Debut author Danzenbaker conjures a futuristic dystopia that uses reincarnation to summarily explore ideas of criminal rehabilitation, predestination, and the perils of constant surveillance across a relatable first-person perspective that features ample dramatic intrigue and a forbidden, smoldering enemies-to-lovers romance. Characters are described as having "an array of bronze skin tones." Ages 12--up. Agents: Michelle Wolfson, Wolfson Literary. (July)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up--Sivon will be kirled--learning her soul's past lives and what they left for her--in a few days at the age of 18. Since the discovery of photographing and creating models of soul IDs, souls are matched throughout their lives and bodies. What a soul has done in a past life will impact the next, whether for good or ill, leaving an inheritance, viable career path, criminal sentence, or even a soulmate. Sivon knows from the aura her mother sees that she is different, and her anxiety is high when she arrives at the kirling institute. There she encounters circumstances that only fuel her worries, followed by an unprecedented kirling result. Thrown into a life she did not anticipate with a disgruntled bodyguard, she may be more connected to the souls around her than she could have imagined. In her debut novel, Danzenbaker's concept hints at ethical issues, but they are not explored deeply, with the focus instead on the idea of soulmates and connection, resulting in a plot-driven romance. VERDICT A quick standalone read for teen fans of the "enemies to lovers" trope with some mystery and thriller set against the backdrop of dystopian science fiction.--Christine Juedes

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

A futuristic society where souls are tracked and controlled across lifetimes forms the backdrop for this gripping debut. In the America of 236 A.K., every 18-year-old is required to undergo kirling, a process of "matching of a soul from a former life (foli) to a current life (culi)," using a global database. Sivon hopes her kirling results will offer her a much-needed sense of direction--until she realizes exactly how dangerous the system can be. Her fears of facing the harsh fate of a bad soul intensify when Ziva, a girl she befriends at the Semyon Kirlian Institute, is revealed to be Flavinsky, a soul notorious for taking their own life after every kirling. Sivon's world is upended after the results of her kirling bring an unexpected outcome, and she soon finds herself fighting for survival when secrets come to light. Danzenbaker takes a fresh approach to the genre, blending classic themes with an innovative reincarnation-based premise. Sivon is a relatable protagonist who captures the uncertainty of youth while demonstrating remarkable resilience. The plot is fast-paced and suspenseful, though the final act, packed with revelations, risks overwhelming readers with its convoluted complexity. Still, the writing remains sharp, the twists are compelling, and the story delivers an engaging exploration of identity, resistance, and the question: Does our past define us? Following "centuries of international peace and merging cultures," Sivon lives in a multiracial society. A thought-provoking and original addition to the genre; clever, thrilling, and impossible to put down.(Dystopian. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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1. KirlingKirlingkirling--(CURL-ing) n. The government-mandated matching of a soul from a former life (foli) to a current life (culi). Friday, August 24, 236 A.K.--Ashburn, VA I 'm not a bad soul. The mantra plays through my head as I scan my bedroom for items to pack. Not a bad soul. Not a bad soul. It would be easier to believe if not for the constant reminder coating my bedroom walls. My eyes squeeze shut, blocking out the perpetual swirling of rainbow colors--the mural Mom painted five years ago after finally caving to my pleas. She can read auras, the palette of energy each person emits, which she depicts in one-of-a-kind portraits for her rich and famous clientele. But mine looks nothing like her usual work, and not just because of the sheer scale of it. Normal people have one to two colors in their auras. I have them all. We don't know what that means. Stop thinking about your messed-up aura and focus on packing. What will you need for your visit to the institute? No matter how many times I've checked my list, I can't shake the feeling I'm forgetting something. Restless fingers twist my long brunette locks as I scan my room, waiting for something to pop out and scream, Take me with you! I definitely won't need any of my old art projects--paintings, holograms, luminous tapestries. Not even sure why I still have them except for their one common attribute: The center of each depicts the symbol I dream about each night, a circle with an X inside of it. I don't know what that means, either, but I bet my past lives do. Three more days. I clasp my hands together, using my thumbs to draw the familiar crossroads symbol into my palms. Only three days until my mandatory kirling, when these questions and more will be answered. What's up with my abnormal aura? Who was I in my previous lives? What should I do for a living? Do I have a soulmate? I yank my hands apart, groaning. Or am I a bad soul, destined to leave the institute in handcuffs? I flop into my hovering desk chair and spin, taking in the walls again. If I'd inherited some of Mom's artistic talent or my father's prowess with numbers and computers, my uncertain future wouldn't keep me up at night. Unlike me, they didn't need their kirlings to decide what to do for a living. Dad died before I was born, but Mom said several companies recruited him based on his past lives' successes. He ended up accepting the generous offer from the same government institute I'll report to this morning. I wish he still worked there. It would be nice to see a familiar face. The notification of yesterday's notable kirlings pops onto my specs, the high-tech glasses Mom gave me at graduation. I place my foot on the floor, coming to a stop. Maybe, just maybe.... "Sivon, are you ready?" Mom calls up. Her footsteps echo off the wooden stairs, accompanied by her whistled rendition of "Happy Birthday." The serenade sounds more like a funeral dirge than well wishes. Hurry, before she gets up here. Brows furrowed, I wave my finger to scroll through the announcements, searching for one name and one name only--Flavinsky. Please and Please no simultaneously whisper in my head, vying for dominance. Almost two years have passed since Flavinsky's expected kirling. Maybe they'll finally show up today, and I'll have one less thing to worry about. Not that I want someone else to be Flavinsky. No one wants to learn they're the most notoriously tragic soul in kirling history. In a perfect world, Flavinsky would never appear on this list again. I find the F s. F1NA7TC--CFO--three lives F4521F4--Surgeon--five lives FAR3ZNH--Celebrity Pastry Chef--three lives FY201O0--Comedian--four lives No Flavinsky. I pull in a relieved breath, then hold it through the sinking terror. Is that what my unreadable aura means? Am I Flavinsky? Mom reaches my doorway. To hide my panic, I turn my back to her, but after eighteen years, I should know better. She can see my aura from any angle. " Whoa. What's wrong? You're like a big gray cloud." Though my colors constantly shift, like the paint on my walls, she can pick up hints to my mood based on their intensity. I remove my specs and shove them into an outside pocket of my red duffel bag. With sweaty palms, I tug the sides together and zip it shut. "I'm nervous." She approaches and hugs me around the waist, plopping her head onto my shoulder. "I get it. Feels like yesterday I was heading to my own kirling." Her sage-like scent of kinetic paint will be sorely missed this week. I fill my lungs to lock it inside. Mom turns me to face her, offering a compassionate smile. "But you've looked forward to this for ages ." She jiggles my shoulders. "And finding out who you were in your past lives won't change who you are, Sivon. You'll go in my little Indigo and come out my little Indigo." "A grayish Indigo, apparently." I wish my aura were actually indigo blue and that wasn't just an endearment. I was too young to remember, but Mom says she started calling me Indigo after teaching me the colors of the rainbow. She was explaining that most people can't distinguish indigo light from its neighboring blue and violet. "Kinda like how I can't interpret your many colors. You're my little Indigo." The name stuck, and my aura is still indecipherable. Mom tells me not to worry about it, but how can I not? If my erratic colors mean I'm a bad soul, these could be the last minutes I'll spend in my bedroom, and the last time I'll ever see her. Mom cups my jaw with her terracotta hands, exactly two shades darker than mine. "I see past the haziness to that beautiful heart of yours. And nothing you learn this week will change how much I love you." "Aw, I love you, too, Mom." I wrap my arms around her shoulders, slipping my hands into her soft chestnut curls. "If I hit the jackpot this week, I promise to share my fortune with you." She scoffs and pulls back. "I wouldn't dream of it. The valuts from your former lives are yours to keep. Don't you think I would've had more kids if I wanted a share of their inheritance?" "I know, I know." I nudge her with my elbow. "But a brother or sister would've been nice." "Psh. You have Vivi and Corah. I couldn't have given you anyone better if I tried." I bite my bottom lip to hold back a smile. Vivi, Corah, and I have been practically inseparable since they moved to our neighborhood ten years ago. Their parents became my second parents, and their older brother treated me the same as his twin sisters--like a nuisance. But Vivi and Corah left to attend the North American Intelligence College two months ago. And my other friends have started their new lives as well. It sucks being the youngest in my class, the last to be kirled. My heart twinges. It's finally my turn. If I'm a good soul, like Vivi and Corah, like most people, I'll leave the institute with my career path and inheritance, maybe even a soulmate. But something tells me I'm not like most people, and that something is the mural swirling around my room. I lace my fingers together and knead a circle across my left palm, then cross it with a deep X before switching hands. "Are you sure you don't want me to come into the city with you?" Mom takes my hands to stop my nervous habit. "I can push back my next sitting." I force a smile, hating myself for worrying her. "No, no. I'll be okay." This is it, then. I lift my duffel from the bed, taking one last look around before my gaze settles on the walls. Not a bad soul. Not a bad soul. Mom embraces me, squeezing harder than she has in years. "I love you, Sivon. No matter what." I close my eyes and shudder. Maybe not a good soul either. Excerpted from Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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