Review--Beckon Me by Cindy Thomas

Everything nineteen-year-old Karina Mitchell knows about death changes the instant that she and her best friend, Rainey, are shot. For one, souls don’t die. They cross over. Only, Rainey’s soul hasn’t, and her ghost is hell bent on haunting Karina.

When Karina begins her sophomore year of college and moves into the apartment that she was supposed to share with Rainey, she learns a few shocking truths from her mysterious and gorgeous blue-eyed neighbor, Eli.

One: Karina has been chosen to become a Beckoner—an immortal conduit of the dead who helps safely guide souls to the other side.

Two: She’s the reason that Rainey’s soul can’t cross over—Rainey followed her back from death and missed her window to be at peace.

Three: Eli is hot. As in swoon-worthy, to-die-for, will-make-you-forget-yourself hot. And it turns out, Eli is a Beckoner, too.

Despite her attraction to Eli, the decision to become a Beckoner isn’t an easy one—it would mean giving up her own mortality … her own soul. But if she doesn’t, her best friend will be left to suffer an eternity at the hands of the evil Ceptors, dark creatures that feed on the souls left behind. After all, it’s her fault Rainey is haunting her.

Time is running out, and Karina needs to decide: Are love and loyalty worth sacrificing her soul? 

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, I was in no way compensated by this review.


Cindy Thomas's Beckon Me is a marvelous addition to the world of Paranormal New Adult. Though it starts off with a somewhat slow pace, it really builds into the story. There's lots of story-building going on in this one. It's definitely going to lead to an epic conclusion in the next and final installment in this duology!

Karina has had it rough in recent days. She managed to survive a shooting incident that resulted in her best friend's death. How she survived is unclear really, as she was about to enter the light with Rainey at her side when she was suddenly pulled back to life. What's worse than having survivor's guilt, is that Karina now sees her dead best friend hanging around a lot. She's not sure why Rainey is back to haunt her, but it definitely makes life a lot harder.

As I said, the pacing is a bit slow, but we eventually start getting more puzzling questions. Such as the annoying and yet hot Eli who suddenly enters Karina's life. Not only is he a flirt who constantly pesters in her class, but he's also her duplex neighbor, so it's not like she can escape him for long. Eli is definitely a man of mystery because there are more moments than not, where he seems to know exactly what's going on with Karina, though she never tells him point blank.

I like how we're able to learn about everything with Karina. She's clueless to what's going on when Eli and her new best friend start telling her about her new options in life. She can either decide to become a Beckoner and help souls cross over to their eternal resting place, fighting evil spirits and such or she can choose to remain human, but continue to see ghosts, and never being able to help them. And since Rainey is the one ghost who is constantly haunting her, let alone her best friend, she is more determined than ever to learn the ins and outs of being a Beckoner and surviving the job. Having Eli as a teacher is just a bonus!

I really liked that Karina and Eli didn't have an insta-love situation, though there's always that knowledge a reader gets when you know these two will wind up together sooner than later. And I loved that That anticipation to see when they finally give in to their feelings. But in the meantime, I totally enjoyed their banter. Eli was a flirt, totally snarky and sometimes just downright annoying, but Karina never let it get her down. Sure, she'd blush at times, but she would give it her all with her own comebacks. Gotta love that in a heroine!

One thing that I didn't quite like in its execution was the getting to know Eli better. He's filled with so many secrets and mysteries that when someone from his past strolls into town, it makes him all the more mysterious. And yet, when it's time for the sharing moment, I felt almost let down. It was so quick, I felt like I was still missing something. Hopefully this will be something that gets better explained in the next book as to animosity between Eli and this person.

Other than that a few minor hangups, this was quite an enjoyable read! I am always eager for a Paranormal New Adult read because I feel like those are fewer and farther between with reads these days. Too many Contemporary New Adult books out there. I love Paranormal YA and of course, the adult Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, so I like mixing it up on occasion with a New Adult if I can! That's pretty much where my variety comes from these days! LOL!

If you're looking for a fresh new Paranormal New Adult read, then I highly recommend Beckon Me as it's definitely got a different sort of character lineup in the paranormal world! Eager to read the final installment too!


Overall Rating 4/5 stars