This was a book that I Really enjoyed this read and I would recommend to others easily, I will be looking out for other titles by this author.

I liked this book, but didn't love it. I think I just wanted more out of all of the characters, and unfortunately I didn't get it. Maybe others would enjoy it more than I did.

I really enjoyed Prelude for Lost Souls. It has an intriguing plot that unfolds quietly and steadily. It is moody and atmospheric, and, at times, tense and emotional, While there are no massive twists or shocking reveals, there are a few curious coincidences that tie together two of the storylines (and I am still left with a question or two there.) This is a story about friendships, grief, and expectations.

There are multiple storylines going on here, and while Dec's and Annie's intersected more neatly, Russ's ran mostly separate. While one storyline is tied up and another has OH SO MANY questions! That's fine though, because I'm HERE for Russ's story. There's also great LGBTQ+ representation.

The worldbuilding feels a little incomplete for a paranormal novel set in a town whose entire industry revolves around mediums and talking to the dead, but honestly, I feel like the book reads more like a contemporary novel with a spooky paranormal setting. Since this is the first in a series, I'm hoping we learn a lot more about The Guild and the town of St. Hilaire in the next book.

I really enjoyed Prelude for Lost Souls. It has an intriguing plot that unfolds quietly and steadily. It is, at times, tense and emotional, and while there are no massive twists or shocking reveals, there are a few curious coincidences that tie together two of the storylines (and I am still left with a question or two there.) This is a story about friendships, grief, and expectations.

There are multiple storylines going on here, and while Dec's and Annie's intersected more neatly, Russ's ran mostly separate. While one storyline is tied up and another has OH SO MANY questions! That's fine though, because I'm HERE for Russ's story. There's also great LGBTQ+ representation.

The worldbuilding feels a little incomplete for a paranormal novel set in a town whose entire industry revolves around mediums and talking to the dead, but honestly, I feel like the book reads more like a contemporary novel with a spooky paranormal setting. Since this is the first in a series, I'm hoping we learn a lot more about The Guild and the town of St. Hilaire in the next book.

Prelude for Lost Souls quietly captivated me, and I look forward to the next installment in the series.

This was a pretty cool book! Definitely some interesting elements overall, though maybe not the strongest writing.

I really found the concept for Prelude for Lost Souls pretty refreshing and interesting... I mean a town full of nothing but psychics and mediums? What could possible be wierd about that. I really did enjoy the story, especially the characters- they all seemed very real in their own aloof sorts of way. I would be very curious to see how this story plays out.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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3*
Pros: Refreshing and original premise. Mystical and captivating world-building. LGBT+ representation. Focuses in communicating with the dead and in the afterlife. Eerie and full of mystery. Deals with grief, honouring your loved ones and moving on. Showcases classical music and living as an acclaimed musician.
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Cons: Insubstantial romance. Incredibly slow pace. Underdeveloped secondary characters.

Maybe this is on me for not realizing sooner, but I'm finding the books with music as a central focus to them just aren't my cup of tea. I wanted to love this so badly. Great LGBTQ+ representation, fascinating spiritual characters and concepts, but the plot just didn't do it for me.
17 year old Dec moves in with his sisters in St Hilarie after his parents die, but he refuses his spiritual talents and trying to find a way out of this cult-esque "Guild" that seems to control the town and those in it. Annie is a piano prodigy whose train breaks down while she is just outside of St Hilarie, and they are forced together to find a long lost prelude.
The found family trope is a wonderful additive, but things like the haunted piano were just a little odd for me, I felt they pulled me out of the story instead of pulling me into them. Overall I think I just need to stop trying to read books involving music, so that's more on me than the story. My enjoyment was a 3/5, but I know for others who like this type of book it could be great so I'm giving it a 4/5

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available for purchase now.

I am not entirely sure why, but this book just wasn’t my bag. I just couldn’t get into it at all. It could be the way it’s told. It switches back and forth between multiple narrators, which normally doesn’t bother me all that much. In this case, though, I really didn’t care at all about two of the characters, so their chapters didn’t keep me engaged.

The idea of a town with sort of a cult feel to it has loads of potential. You could take it in a dark direction, or just keep it fun. However, despite being mentioned very early on, The Guild (which basically runs the town) didn’t really make its presence known in a way that lived up to the reputation the author had created for it. I was just expecting more.

I thought Russ was a fascinating character. The lengths he was willing to go to in order to be the best…zoinks, yo! I didn’t really understand his friendship with Dec, possibly because it was already falling apart when the book started. He and Dec wanted fundamentally different things, and they struggled to accept that. It was kind of a bummer, but it definitely added to the story.

Dec and Annie just weren’t all that interesting. Annie, unfortunately, didn’t seem to add all that much to the narrative. I really can’t put my finger on why I wasn’t a big fan of Dec. I should have liked him and I have no idea why I was less than thrilled by the chapters he narrated. That just happens sometimes.

As I write this, I realize this is a pretty negative review, so let me hasten to add: I didn’t hate the book. The plot is unique, there is a ton of potential for the continuing story, and Russ was a complicated character (I love complicated characters!). When it comes right down to it, this wasn’t the right book for me. Everything that felt a little off to me might be exactly what would make someone else absolutely love this book.

I will start by saying it kind of reminded me of The Raven Boys, which I love.
I was really excited for Perlude for Lost Souls, the synopsis was intriguing, I mean we’re dealing with mediums and magic! However, I didn’t feel super invested in the characters or the plot happening. That being said, i did think the story was overall well written and had a great atmosphere going on.
I liked this enough that I will be continuing on with the next book.

I'm okay with the base concept here. Closed societies are inherently fascinating. We start out with a vague air of menace and oppression. The pattern is a familiar one to anyone familiar with cult or dystopia stories: an uneasy stasis thrown into chaos by the arrival of an outsider. Even so, the details of the plot are unique enough to keep the reader engaged. Some of the structures are frustrating. Dunbar has a tendency to have characters discover a piece of information that isn't revealed to the reader for several more chapters.It's trying for mysterious but tends to come off as annoying.

PRELUDE FOR LOST SOULS by Helene Dunbar | Grade: B | No spoilers ahead.
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After finishing Helene Dunbar’s highly-acclaimed novel, WE ARE LOST AND FOUND, I knew that I needed to get ahold of whatever Dunbar was going to come out with next. So, I raced over to Netgalley and found out that she had a new (although very different from WALAF) novel coming out later this year. I sent in my request and was thankfully approved for a galley. Now I will preface this by saying that I don’t really normally read paranormal-themed books. Which I think was a both a good and bad thing for my enjoyment of the novel. On the one hand, this being so different from what I normally read gave it a very fresh and original feeling. I really liked the setting of St. Hilaire and I thought that this community was very well-developed. On the other hand, it was a reminder as to why I usually read YA contemporary books. My biggest critique for the novel was that it never really took off. In my opinion, it started off really strong, but then ran out of gas like half way through it. The greatest tragedy I think was that the most promising plot line (at least to me) was killed off a little too fast. I think readers who are more typically into paranormal-themed YA novels will find lots to love here, but wouldn’t be very quick to recommend this particular book to those that don’t share this sub genre preference. A very special thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for an advanced copy of the novel. While I of course appreciated this opportunity, my review is presented without bias.

This was a super spooky read one which I quite enjoyed reading. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this book when I started reading it as it didn’t seem that it was for me. However, I am so glad I carried on and persisted. As it turned out to be a good read.

As I continued reading this book I became engrossed in it, I could not put it down. However, what I will say is I found the final part of this book very repetitive. I ended up skim reading the end to see if it stopped. Unfortunately it did not.

I would try another book from this author but this one unfortunately fell a little bit short for me.

Found family, queer content, and mediums?? AMAZING! Plus it has nice worldbuilding and eloquent writing so what's not to love??

3/5 stars

I'm going to start off by saying this book fell a little flat for me, however, that is on me. I couldn't completely connect with the characters and the story. I enjoyed the idea and really liked the musical aspect of this book. I honestly thought this was going to go darker than it actually did. I would recommend giving this a try, I can see someone really loving this book.

I liked it. I really liked and I wasn't sure if I would. It's tense and it's emotional but what really took me by surprise was how deep it turned out to be. Solid writing and engaging characters will have you happily turning the pages until the end. Happy reading!

Prelude for Lost Souls was such an intriguing story and I don't think I had ever read anything like it before! I loved the plot, mystery and the characters! I loved the representation and the setting. It was a perfect start to a new series, and I can't wait for the next one!

Oh man, my heart!

Every year I seem to find one book that takes me by surprise with how deeply it worms its way into my heart. It's usually a book that, while I knew, (or at least hoped!), I'd enjoy, by the end I realize I never saw it coming. Hello 2020, meet Prelude for Lost Souls.

There's magic and mystery, angst and heartache, found family and unbreakable friendships. And there were tears that I was absolutely not prepared for.
While things were a little slow to start, I soon found myself captivated by the world Ms. Dunbar created in St. Hilaire, and I am in desperate need of book 2. Though Prelude for Lost Souls wrapped up parts of the story, I feel like there is so much more to come and I can't wait to see where Ms. Dunbar takes us.

Prelude for Lost Souls is an intriguing read, and the cover does not do it justice. The characters are engaging and carry a hint of mystery. Once I started reading, I did not want to put this one done. Overall, a well-written story that develops at a smooth, steady pace making it easy to get lost in.

Yes, I wanted to read this book because I loved the cover. No, it didn't disappoint. The first thing that made me love the story was the author's writing style itself. It's easy to read, but it also grabs you from the starts. I loved the paranormal atmosphere and how well-balanced it was with the other aspects of the story, such as all the relationships.

I could not get hooked in this book, so I did not finish reading it. Because of that, I will not be reviewing this book on my blog or social media.