Review: Soulprint

Soulprint
Author: Megan Miranda
Publication Date: February 12th 2015                    
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens 
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~ 

A new literary, sci-fi thriller from acclaimed author Megan Miranda.

With the science of soul-fingerprinting a reality, Alina Chase has spent her entire life imprisoned for the crimes her past-self committed. In an attempt to clear her name, Alina unintentionally trades one prison for another when she escapes, aided by a group of teens whose intentions and motivations are a mystery to her. As she gets to know one of the boys, sparks fly, and Alina believes she may finally be able to trust someone. But when she uncovers clues left behind from her past life that only she can decipher, secrets begin to unravel. Alina must figure out whether she’s more than the soul she inherited, or if she’s fated to repeat the past.

This compelling story will leave readers wondering if this fictional world could become a reality

Oh Soulprint, you are my kind of weird.  It delves into one of my favourite debates. No, not reincarnation, or a type of reincarnation, even though that is a similar factor in Soulprint, but the subject of criminal DNA and the whole are criminal's born vs are criminals made? I could read so many of them and not get bored, it's what I loved abut Uninvited and it's what I loved about Soulprint., and as with both, they go to the extreme. They're quite similar in a way, in the way of the reaction and effects it has on the way people perceive it. But, they are different, considering Uninvited is to do with a Criminal Gene, and Soul Print is to do with past criminals souls being reborn. There's a database proves the distinction between past life crimes linking to a present life crimes, a likely hood that that soul will possibly do that crime again as someone else. So does that automatically make that person a criminal, though they haven't done anything yet? Or does the fact they know they have a soul of a past criminal that makes them think, well, might as well. There's a test, tapping into your spinal fluid that can prove who's soul is in you., and you're judged before you even do anything, it's like a ticking time bomb. Alina has the soul of one half of the notorious criminal duo of June Calahan and Liam White.

This is where a Bonnie and Clyde feel comes into it, although June and Liam never done anything half as bad as Bonnie and Clyde, but it set a long line of domino's off, and one by one, they fall. Even in this life, Alina is paying for June's mistakes, and she goes out of her way to prove and try to not be June, though she can feel her, and that gets stronger and stronger with clues left behind by June, ready for her to find. The truth of June Calahan.

Alina's a strong character, not strong in the way you would think, but being "not officially" incarcerated with people around her that care for her, and wait on her, that don't talk or touch or even acknowledge her on an island and the fact that she hasn't gone completely insane proves she's a mentally strong character. Maybe just a hint of unstable. She has hope, and bad flight or fight instincts and is determined for freedom, which is her weakness because it makes her desperate. And desperation leads to ill judgement. Point and case: the firsts half of this story. It does lead to some intense scenes though, and that is good. Alina, like June, is calculated, she can see things that aren't there.

Soulprint is one of those books that takes an idea that's already been done and makes it completely unique, with likable characters, intense scenes, gave me a few twists I didn't see coming (and come on, I usually see them) but any that can surprise me. The only thing I would've liked more was a more information behind the database, would've made it perfect.

Rating: 4.5/5