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The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. These are the sons of Zelpha, which Laban gave to his daughter Lea, who bore these to Jacob, sixteen souls. It's fast paced and exciting, with the danger level increasingly significantly as the story progresses, and characters I'd grown to really care for feeling very at risk.
Somehow, Talbot managed to make it crystal clear, right from the start, that this is a world we're familiar with, just with some different rules. The Seer aspect, the touch/can't touch, and the friendly/angry dynamics of the ghosts and Charlie's life amongst them, never felt overwhelming. It wove so well together that I consistently felt grounded in the story, and in Charlie's life. It was fundamental to the novel’s conception. The world is a diverse place and I’ve always wanted my storytelling to reflect that, but it was very important for me to include representation in a way that doesn’t take up space that isn’t mine to occupy. As well as being gay, my protagonist Charlie is an amputee. Disabled rep is something I would love to see more of in fiction, so it just seemed natural to include it in mine. But Sixteen Souls isn’t a story about being an amputee, in the same way it’s not a book about what it’s like to be a gay teenager. Those are just aspects of Charlie’s bodymind and personal circumstances that affect his day to day life.There was so much about the book that was really close to my heart - the gorgeous queerness and fantastic disability representation at the top of the list - and something else I was particularly happy to see was the sheer Britishness - and specifically northernness. It feels like a real triumph for UKYA to read all those Yorkshire colloquialisms and descriptions of narrow ginnels and trip-hazardous cobblestones in a book that feels so accessible and well-placed within the mainstream. Learning so much about York and all the rich history that goes along with it will be fascinating for the uninitiated, and give northern readers a rare chance to see something approaching their lives spotlighted.
Rosie Talbot, known on BookTok as @merrowchild , has finally released her debut YA novel, Sixteen Souls with Scholastic after an unusual publishing journey. These [are] sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah, and she bears these to Jacob—sixteen persons.You studied on our six-month Writing Your Novel course in 2019. How did your time studying with us impact your approach to writing? The book title's marketing appendix is “TikTok made me buy it” and this is a good indication of who the target audience is. The plot is very fast and very dense. There's always something happening and barely a time to rest. Maybe I'm already to old but I was longing for some kind of breather chapter every now and then. Reading this book is like riding a rollercoaster twenty times in a row nonstop. It's a little bit exhausting. At least for me. I know of people who would scream for a twenty-first ride. Sixteen Souls is filled with character, whimsy, high stakes, and a spooky vibe all throughout. Not going to lie, my heart almost leapt out of my throat a few times because it’s impossible to not immerse yourself in the story so completely that it feels like you’re there with the characters. Imagine a story that has all the character of York, then fill it with all the ghosts from there too...and whilst you're at it make it QUEER. Perfect if you like books like Cemetery Boys, Ninth House, The Fell of Dark and The Taking of Jake Livingstone.’
A lover of the strange, the magical, and the downright spooky, Rosie (she/her) writes contemporary fantasy and horror books for Young Adults and Adult readers. Like her, all of her stories are very queer. Your debut novel Sixteen Souls was spotted by publisher Yasmin Morrissey at Scholastic after generating more than 250,000 TikTok views. Do you have any tips for writers who want to delve into the world of Bookstagram and BookTok but don’t know where to start? The reason why I am telling you all of this is to illustrate that I, as a mood reader, was basically set up to resent/dislike this book because I was being 'forced' to read it at a time where I could barely read anything at all, and then stressing about having to interview the author of a book I might not like and/or hadn't finished reading... a really sweet story that reminded me of Cemetery Boys with a British twist, featuring a charmingly diverse cast and lots of ghosts It has some really interesting concepts. I really liked the blending of ghosts and magic with something more mechanical, industrial even. And mathemagics is just a really cool term summing a lot of that up. The core idea of seers who can interact with the dead works really well, and I loved the conflicts there, with Charlie seeing some of the ghosts around him as his closest (maybe only?) friends, others as nuisances best avoided and some as very genuine threats. His uneasiness with his abilities comes across really strongly and adds a really interesting tone to his actions.
These are the sons of Zilpah, which Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. Rosie Talbot was a student on our six-month Writing Your Novel course in 2019. Her debut YA novel Sixteen Souls became popular on TikTok (generating more than 250,000 views) and garnered the attention of publisher Yasmin Morrissey at Scholastic. Rosie now has a two-book deal with Scholastic, and Sixteen Souls was published 13 Oct 2022 . Rosie Talbot was a student on our six-month Writing Your Novel course in 2019. Her debut YA novel Sixteen Souls became popular on TikTok ... Sixteen Souls: Book 2: Twelve Bones by Rosie Talbot published by Scholastic @ ForbiddenPlanet.com - UK and Worldwide Cult Entertainment Megastore Talbot took one of the oldest book tropes of all time – haunting by ghosts – and gave it a unique, modern twist that was both fun and relatable. With a main character who is young enough to make mistakes and learn from it, and who doesn't have all the answers, they wove a tale that was near perfection.
I loved how EVERY character had a purpose. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses, their own parts to play in the plot, and their own experiences with the Seer gift. Every minor character is a part of Charlie's history, and they all help in some way, with their own limits and different experiences to add to his. No one is a perfect know-it-all, who just happens to be in the right place at the right time, or who just happens to know things they shouldn't. Together, they made a team, and supported each other through every struggle and ordeal. What advice do you have for writers looking to incorporate supernatural and fantasy elements in their work? These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter: and these she bore to Jacob, even sixteen souls. Sixteen Souls is the perfect mix of eerie and heartwarming. With vivid characters, fierce friendships and flawless twists, this book immediately pulled me in – I laughed, teared up and could not put it down. YA fantasy readers and ghost-story lovers, this is for you.” These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.
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