Is it just me or does this series bear an uncanny resemblance to the star crossed trilogy by Rachel Higginson? Not to state the obvious, but they both have heroines who are called Eden, have long black hair and super sick powers? They also both start out in school, where they meet the main male protagonists who eventually betray them (and then how they both need to get over this betrayal playing a big part in the relationship dynamic). And yeah the characters seem to do way too much smirking. In both books. This book was fantastic! I absolutely tore through it and I'm so antsy to get into the next book that I didn't even want to stop to write this review.The plot is interesting. It mostly focuses on the struggle the heroine has between wanting to be good and the pressure from her family and her own nature as a "soul sucker". Added to that is a good dash of action as warring factions fight to get control or kill this girl who is torn between the two worlds. The book has a good balance between internal struggle, action, and romance, allowing each to have its moment, without taking over the entire story or allowing it to become monotonous or one-dimensional.The mythology of the world is intriguing and different. This ancient battle between soul suckers and those that protect humanity stem from Egyptian mythology. However, the only aspect of the book I didn't care for was that the back-story of these factions often felt like a massive info dump and I think could have been handled better.The characters are complex and diverse. Both the good guys and bad guys span the spectrum of being completely evil or good to being torn between the two. The heroine's struggles to fight her urges and find peace with her human side are compelling and well done. I was just on the edge of my seat each time she got close to the brink. The hero is torn between duty and his relationship with the heroine; while that is a bit of a cliché, I think it was done well and didn't feel clichéd. The supporting cast were fantastic, but didn't overshadow the main characters. Love them or hate them, I enjoyed all the characters and want to see more of them.I loved that the author isn't afraid to pull the punches. SPOILER!!! In a surprise turn of events, she manages to kill of quite a few of the characters that I expected to see more of in the series, but I thought it really worked for the story. It certainly enhanced the drama and felt like it was needed as part of the character development. Sometimes these kinds of deaths (especially of characters I really like) seem like they're tacked on only to up the ante, but these actually felt like they served a purpose.
