The Lost Soul

666 Park Avenue #3

by Gabriella Pierce

For the original Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries fans who are now all grown up, comes the third installment in Gabriella Pierce's richly gothic contemporary series about the darkness lurking behind the gilded halls of New York high society, and the elite Upper East Side witches who rule Park Avenue…

Jane Boyle has long since known that her mother-in-law is a witch, but she'd never imagined Lynne Doran was actually the embodiment of a powerful, ancient, body-snatching evil! Now that Jane and her friends have uncovered Lynne and 666 Park Avenue's dark truth, they must race against the clock to find a way to destroy the ancient witch before she finds her next unwilling host. And as Jane attempts to tap into power stronger than her enemy's, her estranged husband Malcom arrives in time to join the fight. But can she grow to trust him before it's too late?

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Witches, Chick Lit, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 2013

About the author

Gabriella Pierce is an American living in Paris with her two dogs. 666 Park Avenue is her first novel.

Reviews

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

English Review

Jane helped Lynn Doran, her mother-in-law, found her missing daughter Annette. But if Lynn such wants an heiress, she has to be able to steal her body. Jane is going to need the help of her friends and her husband Malcolm to convince Annette that she is in danger and get rid of the evil that dwells Lynn Doran.

This is a very good ending for this series. I was very surprised by some events, that really not end as I would have thought. That is, it changes of too conventional ends.

Avis en français

Jane a aidé Lynn Doran, sa belle-mère, a retrouver sa fille disparue Annette. Mais si Lynn désire tellement une héritière, c’est pour pouvoir lui voler son corps. Jane va avoir besoin de l’aide de ses amis et de son mari Malcom pour convaincre Annette qu’elle est en danger et se débarrasser du mal qui habite Lynn Doran.

C’est une très bonne fin pour cette série. J’ai été très surprise par certains évènements, ça ne se finit vraiment pas comme je l’aurais pensé. C’est bien, cela change des fins trop conventionnelles.

[Mercedes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is the final installment of the 666 Park Avenue series for the moment I find myself hoping for more. More magic, more romance and terrific battles between good and evil. While the first two books tended to move somewhat slowly at times this one clipped along at a great pace. Of course for those wondering, good won over evil and the bad guys didn't prosper. But sadly there were losses on the good side as well, poor Jane lost her best friend and (at least for the moment) her husband. I won't spoil the end but it did leave the reader with some hopeful and happy news for the main character. I am hoping that possibly the author will grace us with just one more story but the way the book ended I don't guess that she will.

And for those hoping that this series is anything like the television program I will tell you it most certainly is NOT. In comparison the television program was nothing like the books.

[Bonna Hicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 but I rounded down.

God, Jane SUCKS.
I've said this over and over but she just makes every single things about her. Including other characters deaths!!
Finally when someone actually brings it up...they apologize later.

Also this "brilliant" idea/spell she thinks of...no other witch...I mean not a single one ever made this leap?! Like seriously?!
Jane wouldn't know to step out of the pouring rain on her own much less think of that...on her own!

God...this book just pissed out. I can't deal.
Also...the Author kept making you think she would get you more detail on things...nope...never did.
Just Jane bitching and name dropping every designer she could think of because she's an orphan with class.
🙄

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

GoodReads Synopsis: Jane Boyle has long since known that her mother-in-law is a witch, but she'd never imagined Lynne Doran was actually the embodiment of a powerful, ancient, body-snatching evil! Now that Jane and her friends have uncovered Lynne and 666 Park Avenue's dark truth, they must race against the clock to find a way to destroy the ancient witch before she finds her next unwilling host. And as Jane attempts to tap into power stronger than her enemy's, her estranged husband Malcolm arrives in time to join the fight.but can she grow to trust him before it's too late?

My Thoughts: Honestly, I really didn’t enjoy the second book in this series, “The Dark Glamour”, and didn’t intend to read anymore. But then I saw this book and it had the whole TV series tie-in and thought I would give it another try.

“The Lost Soul” brought a few characters back into the fold, that were missing from the second book. That made the story more intriguing…yes, I am specifically talking about estranged husband Malcolm. Add to that the fact that his long lost, and long thought dead, sister is back among the Dorans. The question became how to stop evil matriarch Lynne from her dastardly plan.

Lots of new characters were introduced and the planning involved made this installment much more intriguing. What really impressed the hell out of me was the fact that Pierce had quite a death toll by the time all was said and done. And who died was what surprised the hell out of me. Now I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens to Jane and where she goes from here. Lots and lots of possibilities!

Now, in regards to the tie-in with the TV Show…a few of the names are the same, but that is about it. I’ve watched a couple of episodes and there really is nothing else in common. 666 Park Ave, on TV, is an apartment building and the Doran’s are the head of the Co-op board. There is a Malcolm but he is not a Doran, and there is a Jane, but she is the building’s manager. That is it…these are two entirely different stories! So don’t be confused and don’t look for the books content on the TV show and vice versa.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part three in the series and I flew through the pages. I really did enjoy this last installment and am sad at how it ended. Bittersweet for me. I had hopes that Jane and Malcolm would end up as "Happily Ever After" but was left with a bittersweet taste in my mouth. Even though the book ended in a way I had hoped it wouldn't I do have to say it was a lot better than the second installment. There were only a few questions about what happened when I put the book down but mostly what next sort of questions. I really did love these characters and they meshed together so well that when one was lost it made me cry. I really enjoyed this book. 666 Park Avenue was a great beginning to the trilogy. The Dark Glamour was an ok middle ground connector book that kept the pace going. The Lost Soul turned out to be a very good but bittersweet ending to the series. I wish there were more to this series but don't know if a fourth installment would be an added bonus or just jumping the shark.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I watched this television series for a short period. In the beginning, I was intrigued but after a while, I grew bored and stopped watching. Which it seems I was not the only one as the show was canceled. The characters did not pop off the screen for me as in they were bland. However, I have to say that the show was better than this book. Maybe if I had read the first two prior novels, I might feel differently. Although, reading the prior novels is not really required. I had a good idea of what transpired in them from reading this book.

What I didn't like about this book is that I felt nothing for any of the characters. If anything they seemed more bitchy than evil. Jane was meek, even for having powers as well. When something happened in the book with a witch battle or such, it was like ok that was alright but I won't pay the price of admission to see it again. I finally had enough and skipped to the last three chapters of the book. The big show down was fine but not that exciting.

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the what did I just read??? This is the lamest ending to a series EVER IN THE HISTORY OF EVERS!!! I was just thinking that things would be ok after the 1st book was an homage to couture, then the 2nd starts to sound like a real book, then it all tanks in this drivel of an ending. The saddest thing of all is that the entire thing had so much promise! If Kim Harrison or J.R. Ward would've had their hands on this, I'm sure it would have been something to talk about. But, alas, no...I'm stuck with a whiney heroine, everybody dies and the ending sucks the big one. Waste of about 3 weeks of my life.

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been on a 666 Park Avenue binge. I listened to all three books in less than a week. The third, Lost soul, was by far my least favorite. Too many characters to keep track of and too much moralizing. Still lots of action but no romance this time.

[Aneta Taneva · Rating 4 out of 5]

That book was definitely a lot better than thr second one from this series. There were a lot of interesting and unexpected events. A lot of things I definitely did not see coming. I still can't believe that Dee died. The whole time, literally up until the last fight, I thought that it would't be true, that Hasina had just made it look that way. And then when Malcolm died too I was mindblown lol To be honest I was sad for them but I also kinda liked that it happened. I mean I liked the fact that the book didn't end with them all living "happily ever after". There was more drama which made it a lot different than like a chick lit for example (not just because of the magic haha). Anyways, overall I really did enjoy this book. The end kinda looked as if there will be another book in the series. I haven't looked that up but if there ever is I would read it.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this series. Here's the thing, this series has an awesome premise and plot line. Unfortunately, it's kind of a tedious read. There's too much long drawn out scenes that don't need to be, inner-monologues that are so obvious that even an inexperienced young reader doesn't need them. The end was a bit anticlimactic, you spend all this time over-detailing the story and then when it's to the good big daddy spell casting prep, we just skip that part. I liked the series, I read the first as a book, but I'm glad I did the second and this one on audio or I'd never have bothered to finish them. Again, great story arc, good characters, it just feels to drawn out when in half the scenes I'm like "get to it already".

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the original seven daughters of magic is still alive, stealing witch magic, and Jane needs her friends to take down the creature inhabiting Lynne's body. Harris is a jerk, Malcolm keeps popping in and out, Maeve is trying to work on her witchyness, and D gets what she doesn't deserve. Seriously, she's the most interesting character, why'd they do her like that??

It ended well--not as cheesy as I expected. Though for Jane supposedly being super powerful she never really does anything impressive aside from the monster battle.

[Ann Boytim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3rd installment of this series and good witches battling bad witches and lives lost - old vendettas come to surface but people still die. Malcom,s sister is found but her mind is taken over by the most evil of witches. Malcom is sacrificed but life goes on.

[Maxine · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, this trilogy was okay. I liked the magic and most of the characters but other than that it was pretty average. This was probably my favourite book in the series though.

[Kaitlin Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

The one where the daughter ends up actually being evil and she has to hide out and fight both.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I did enjoy the final book of this series ,I was completely disappointed by the quick and easy wrap up at the end.

[MarylineD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the tv show, enjoyed the books!

[Dawn Maley]

good follow on from the others

[Ashley Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series

[Jeremy Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was definitely an ending to this series! Didn’t go the direction I thought at all, and I enjoyed that!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in the 666 Park Avenue trilogy. Jane has learned that her nemesis is actually the embodiment of an ancient witch who takes over the body of her female descendants. Along with her friends, she works to find a way to stop the witch from her next victim and hopefully end her existence. They know that risks are high and that death is likely. Jane receives some much needed support from her estranged husband Malcolm, and while is help is critical, he is also no match for his mother and her supporters. Jane finds that the key to success may be through connections between witches and hopes to bring her ancestral powers to the forefront to fight the evil among them, resulting in a final battle between the forces of good and evil.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gabriella Pierce’s 666 Park Avenue series is a very interesting series. It’s sort of like Chick Lit but with witches, and I very much enjoyed the first novel in the series, the aptly titled 666 Park Avenue! I found the second novel, The Dark Glamour, to be a bit of a filler novel, which can happen with second novels in a trilogy. So I was a little bit wary about the third novel, The Lost Soul. I was always going to read it – I can’t read two books in a trilogy and not read the third and find out how it ends, that would be silly. But I was wary. I was worried 666 Park Avenue was a one-off and the sequels were necessary but not necessarily good. However, The Lost Soul was a decent ending to the series, it answered questions that needed answering, it was VERY dramatic, and it definitely went out with a bang.

I don’t want to give too much away about the plot for those who haven’t read the other books in the series, but suffice to say it answered all the questions that needed to be answered, and Lynne Doran got what was coming to her!!! How that happens, well, you’ll have to read the book. All I will say about the plot is that there are things that happen that are unexpected. Y’know in Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix when all was going really, really well, and Harry and co. were winning and the Sirius dies? Yeah, that. Pierce throws in some very surprising deaths, so you were warned. In a way, it’s expected – this is witch-y war and casualties are expected, but, on the other hand, not the people that died. I didn’t expect them to perish, and it was very, very sad. It was very much a novel filled with the war between the good guys and the bad guys, and you never actually know who will prevail, though one side does.

The 666 Park Avenue series as a whole has been a good ride. Not perfect. The back story of the witches was, at times, confusing and could have done with being dumbed-down a bit more just to make it simpler to follow (or, for their to be a family-tree map in each book); The Dark Glamour could have been a bit more than a mere filler, but mostly, I enjoyed the series. I think this is the end of the series, although to be fair, the series could continue in a way, perhaps not in a magical-war kind of way, but perhaps as a normal Chick Lit novel? I found the end satisfying, though, so there’s no real need for any more 666 Park Avenue novels. I’d like to see Pierce write more books, though, as she’s a really good writer. If you’re a fan of supernatural goings-on, then this is the series for you and it’s a series well worth reading. The Lost Soul was a very satisfying ending to the series, and I will admit, after three novels and so much drama, I am sort of sad to bid farewell to Jane and co., they were really great characters to follow, but it’s nice to finish the series, nice to see Jane’s war with the Doran’s come to an end.

[Vannessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third instalment of the 666 Park Avenue series was the best of the three. There were lots of unexpected twists and turns for me in this one.

It carries on from the previous book after Jane had found and helped to reunite Lynne Doran, her evil mother in law with her long lost daughter, only it turns out to be one of Jane's worst decisions. She finds out that Lynne is really harbouring the spirit of a very nasty witch and she has some very nasty plans in store for Annette, her daughter and for Jane. Cue big witchy fights.

Jane calls her husband, Malcolm, back to help and the spark is still there between them. Her other witch friends also help with a few sacrifices along the way.

This book was much more exciting than the last one and the ending was not as predictable as you would think. I don't think there should be another book in this series, but at the same time I would like to see what happens next for Jane and the "gift" Penelope gives her at the end.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabriella's books in her Lost series (this is the third) continue to improve and the story has become rich like a good chocolate. Her characters have had time to be fully realized and I like what they have become.

No spoilers but I was kinda shocked at the events toward the end of this book, then surprised in a good way at the little "twist" built in. Thank you, Gabriella! I like it when a book can give a happy ending while yet making the end a cliffhanger!

I will be looking forward to the next installment (I do hope there is one) more than ever before since the characters in place are now so layered and full.

An easy to read author that doesn't insult your intelligence but keeps her style free flowing.

If you like witches with an old school flair, this one's for you.

(Took me a little longer than normal to read this one - actually would have finished in about two days but was distracted by other things. It's a thin, fast read).

[Jonathan Currinn (Good Star Vibes) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an ending to this amazing series, this is one author I will be looking out for.

I don't quite understand why the TV series didn't keep the series the same, they purely used the main character's name and the building, but that is all. This book series would've worked perfectly as a TV series.

It all seems to be going wrong for Jane, yet she still has a way out, she can run away and live a sort-of happy life away from all this, on the run. However, Jane stays and fights as we all know she will.

This story brought back what I loved about the first novel in the series, it's exciting and full of magic, we are learning as Jane learns and it's very exciting.

One false move and it'll all go wrong, we know it's going to be a battle to the death, and with so much loss already which way will it go?

Loved this as a whole, and I hope Gabriella Pierce releases more books in the future, and I'll definitely be reading them.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skip the first two; the plot of the first two novels is reiterated ad nauseam don't worry about those, but this one is worth reading if you like witchy, telenovela type storylines more Passions than DooL or GH. Idk how you would even hear of this one without suffering through the other two but, yeah, gl.

Considering this is the conclusion to a pointless trilogy I actually enjoyed and appreciated the fast paced, life threatening, super espionage plot... until the last few chapters where it felt like there was a cobbled together magical bandage over a severed limb type of end. Ahem. Flesh and bones, indeed.

Finally realizing that she's a witch Jane continues to oscillate in regards to her love life, dubious allies, and powers. There's actual magic. There's a coven. There's a plot that doesn't make sense, but we've come this far I just want to know how bad it can be at this point: still very.

[Pat Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read the first two books of this series, so I wasn't expecting anything like the TV series 666 Park Place in this third novel of what may be a trilogy.

But I was pleased to see the tale take up where The Dark Glamour left off, with Jane and her friends having helped Lynne Doran, Jane's sinister mother-in-law, locate her long-lost and presumed dead daughter, Annette.

The problem is, they haven't helped the daughter reconnect with a loving family at all - they've only served up the next victim in Lynne Doran's plot, the replacement for Jane herself. And now, being a "good witch", Jane will move heaven and earth to rescue her.

That's if she can convince Annette she needs rescuing.

This is a rousing climax to the trilogy, and ends with sufficient hooks for Pierce to take up the tale again later. Very satisfying as a single novel and as a series!

[Kerrikoala · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's been a little over a year since I read the second book in this series, and I struggled to remember where that one left off. Enough came back, I guess, and I was able to follow Jane on her journey. When I found time to read, I moved through this pretty quickly, but the story was just okay. Other reviewers say this is the last book, but it seemed like the author left it open for another one. (I found the ending a little strange.) And now, in my tired state, I can't help likening the end of the battle scene to that in Karate Kid, Part 2...
Daniel:Live or die , man?
Other Guy: Die!
Daniel: Wrong. (Squeezes Other Guy's nose.) Honk!

Oh, but if things had happened like that in this book, I might have given it another star. Oh well.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't going to read the third book, but hey, never say never. Good thing I did, I suppose, because this one was actually pretty good. I wasn't nearly as distracted by trite "romance" or random brand-dropping, although the author was still sure to keep us aware that she knew hip designer names and exactly what stylish rich people bought. The verbal product placement continued, likewise, to be annoying, but I enjoyed the witch family that we spent most of our reading time with.

The group made it all a lot more like a caper story, which is what I prefer to soul-searching and angst-ridden romances. The end was left wide, wide open, so perhaps there will be more, but I really do think that this time I won't be there.

This book is lightweight, and so is this review.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

If The Lost Soul was my boyfriend, I'd break up with him and told him "it's not you, it's me".
This book was perfect, probably even a little better than book two and yet I didn't enjoy it and it took me forever to finish it. I just wasn't in the mood (yes, I went there).

I like the way it ends, though, on a semi-open ending but without a too obvious sequel in the making.
And I liked the way, this time, Jane worked with new people, pretty much a coven even if it wasn't called this way. And I liked her relationship with Malcom, far less cliché than in most paranormal books. And I loved the character of Penelope.

So, yeah, really, I should have enjoyed this book more (that's why I'm rating it 3 stars, while I'm really thinking 2), it just wasn't the right time to read it.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really more of a 3.5 - this is the best of the series thus far, with a lot of the early-novel kinks worked out and the characters all well-enough established that they can take a running start at all of the adventure ahead of them. I appreciated the backstory reminders and the further exploration of the witchy history of this particular literary universe - and I liked the subtle shifting of expectations by putting what you think will be the big fight about 100 pages in. But it still falls into that so-so guilty pleasure column for me.

More (including an open letter to publishers to get rid of these horrible TV tie-in covers!) at RB: http://wp.me/pGVzJ-Ff