Existence - Review

Existence (Existence Trilogy #1)

By: Abbi Glines

Published: December 13, 2011 by Wild Child Publishing

194 pages

Source: Personal Kindle Library

(Goodreads / Amazon)

Summary:
What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.

Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.

Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.

Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.

He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.

After reading Abbi Glines' Fallen Too Far book, I knew I would love anything she wrote.  So as I was looking up other books she wrote I discovered I already had the first book in her Existence Trilogy.  Score!

This was a delightful return to the paranormal genre after I have spent the majority of January reading YA and NA contemporary books.  In the first installment to the Existence Trilogy we are introduced to our main character, Pagan, who can see ghosts.  The ghosts don't talk to her and certainly don't touch her, so she's learned to ignore them so the rest of the world doesn't think she's a lunatic.  But then there's one, a gorgeous guy with bright blue eyes that she sees and discovers he can talk to her.  A connection is formed between them and then her world is thrown through a loop when her "soul" as she calls him shows up as a student at her school, and not just any student, but he's Dank Walker, the lead singer to a band called Cold Souls.  As their attraction grows and she sees him every night, falling asleep to his soothing music and voice, the confusion also grows because he is vague about who he is, not to mention he is all over another girl at school.  Pagan tries to maintain a "normal" life by forming a relationship with the star quarterback, Leif, and isn't he just the sweetest, most thoughtful good guy ever!  The existence of all may not be exactly as it seems.

Favorite (spoiler free) Quotes:

"Seeing dead people wasn't a new thing for me but having them talk to me was definitely a new twist."

"...sexy-dead-stalker-dude was causing me to lose sleep and I was exhausted."

"Guys were annoying, alive or dead, it didn't seem to matter."

"I want you to be the girl I look for in the halls every morning and save a seat for in the cafeteria.  I want you to be the one waiting for me when I walk off the field at my games.  I want you to be the one I pick up the phone to call just to make me smile."

"We can moon and swoon over Mr. Walker during our lunchtime."

"Leif was real and represented all things secure."

"He was a jack of all trades: High school heart throb, singer in a band, the ability to become like a ghost and my bodyguard."

"Leif was my safe haven." "Dank...consumed me."

"Dank Walker had damaged my heart and claimed it in the process."

"...you are my existence. I am yours."

"This existence you have given me is worth nothing with you gone."

And the ending...I didn't see that coming (and there may have been a tiny gasp when I read it).  Bravo for the unexpected ending!

I am highly curious who Cold Souls sound like to each reader and to the author.  What band did you picture while reading their lyrics?

Final rating 4.5 stars!