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bookish_notes's review against another edition
5.0
THIS BOOK??? This was THE MOST action-packed of all the Soulbound books so far that had me guessing what could possibly happen next, and it had me sobbing by the end (but for good reasons). Rest assured this book does end with a HFN but it is a VERY hard fought road to get there and we still have one more book, one more epic showdown to go!!!
The rest of this review will be as spoiler-free as possible for this book, but will reference things that happened in previous books.
Trigger warnings include graphic violence, demonic possession with and without consent, torture, kidnapping, forced pregnancy (by a fertility god in a previous book), and dismemberment.
A lot happens in this book!! For anyone needing a refresher of what leads up to this book...there’s Estelle and Youssef (the other New York City god pack) making alliances no matter the cost in order to get Patrick and Jono out of the way, Ilya has control creating an army of the undead, Ethan and the Dominic Sect are still a threat because he wants to become a god, and Jono’s dire, Sage, and the seer billionaire Marek are engaged to be married. So, yeah. There’s a lot going on.
I loved seeing how all the pieces that have been laid out in the previous books are coming together, even if everything gives me anxiety. I just want everyone to be happy and for Patrick to finally get his vacation! Is that too much to ask? But until then, Patrick and Jono have a heck of a lot to do to clean up the gods messes. Patrick has been a pawn in their game for years and this book proves that all the gods have chosen their sides, and it’s getting really ugly.
This book is intense in all the right places, but still allows for some breathing room with some snark and levity at just the perfect moments. Wade is still a darling and I love him to pieces!!! Not that other characters don’t also need to be protected, but I would love it if Wade suffers no more trauma. He’s so young and he’s already been through so much! After this book too, I think Patrick might be right there with him. Patrick is put through the wringer even more than usual but I do love that the pack, this found family of his, can help him heal (along with his therapist).
The whole situation with Ethan and Patrick’s twin sister, Hannah, is just...a LOT. I think I’ll talk more about this when the series is done? I don’t want to spoiler too much right now but it’s something I definitely want to dive deeper into.
The next book (and last!) will certainly be interesting in not only how everything gets resolved but what life will look like for the pack and their alliances after. I’m kinda rooting for Wade to have his own book with his own HEA and even for Spencer to have a polyam book with Lucien and Carmen because I feel like I need it!! Everyone deserves happiness. Even beings who live to irritate Patrick but still begrudging help him.
If I had to give one critique, the one thing that confuses me the most in this series is Ginnungagap. Like, I get the definition of it in the context of this book but I don’t GET it? How does it work? It’s a place but not a place? What’s it even doing (or maybe not doing because it’s...controlled??) at the last fight in this book? I don’t understand it. It’s confusing no matter how much I try to understand.
There are new gods in this one! They don’t play a huge role like we’ve seen new gods do in previous books, but it was nice seeing some new myths and characters, no matter what side they’re on.
There are certainly characters I love who I worry about not surviving the next book just because they’re not the main characters and that means they’re fair game to be killed off. I desperately hope my faves will all survive, but I’ve never read how Hailey Turner finishes her long book series and I AM SCARED. I’ve been left disappointed too much these past few months with other book series and their endings. Maybe I should hurry up and read her Metahumans series to get a better idea? That series also sounds very good.
All in all, I loved this book!! Pro-tip, when you get to the last chapter and the song that’s listed as playing at that moment right there on the page? I suggest pulling it up and listening to it while you read those last few pages. It gives the story ambiance and definitely had me sobbing from all the feels. I adore Patrick and Jono and they’ve been through so, SO much in the year they’ve met each other! I can’t wait to read what else is in store for them after the events of this book and to see if they get their much needed vacation to Maui. I am definitely planning on re-reading all the books before the last book when it comes out!!!
*** Thanks to A Novel Take PR for providing me an ARC for review!***
The rest of this review will be as spoiler-free as possible for this book, but will reference things that happened in previous books.
Trigger warnings include graphic violence, demonic possession with and without consent, torture, kidnapping, forced pregnancy (by a fertility god in a previous book), and dismemberment.
A lot happens in this book!! For anyone needing a refresher of what leads up to this book...there’s Estelle and Youssef (the other New York City god pack) making alliances no matter the cost in order to get Patrick and Jono out of the way, Ilya has control creating an army of the undead, Ethan and the Dominic Sect are still a threat because he wants to become a god, and Jono’s dire, Sage, and the seer billionaire Marek are engaged to be married. So, yeah. There’s a lot going on.
I loved seeing how all the pieces that have been laid out in the previous books are coming together, even if everything gives me anxiety. I just want everyone to be happy and for Patrick to finally get his vacation! Is that too much to ask? But until then, Patrick and Jono have a heck of a lot to do to clean up the gods messes. Patrick has been a pawn in their game for years and this book proves that all the gods have chosen their sides, and it’s getting really ugly.
This book is intense in all the right places, but still allows for some breathing room with some snark and levity at just the perfect moments. Wade is still a darling and I love him to pieces!!! Not that other characters don’t also need to be protected, but I would love it if Wade suffers no more trauma. He’s so young and he’s already been through so much! After this book too, I think Patrick might be right there with him. Patrick is put through the wringer even more than usual but I do love that the pack, this found family of his, can help him heal (along with his therapist).
The whole situation with Ethan and Patrick’s twin sister, Hannah, is just...a LOT. I think I’ll talk more about this when the series is done? I don’t want to spoiler too much right now but it’s something I definitely want to dive deeper into.
The next book (and last!) will certainly be interesting in not only how everything gets resolved but what life will look like for the pack and their alliances after. I’m kinda rooting for Wade to have his own book with his own HEA and even for Spencer to have a polyam book with Lucien and Carmen because I feel like I need it!! Everyone deserves happiness. Even beings who live to irritate Patrick but still begrudging help him.
If I had to give one critique, the one thing that confuses me the most in this series is Ginnungagap. Like, I get the definition of it in the context of this book but I don’t GET it? How does it work? It’s a place but not a place? What’s it even doing (or maybe not doing because it’s...controlled??) at the last fight in this book? I don’t understand it. It’s confusing no matter how much I try to understand.
There are new gods in this one! They don’t play a huge role like we’ve seen new gods do in previous books, but it was nice seeing some new myths and characters, no matter what side they’re on.
There are certainly characters I love who I worry about not surviving the next book just because they’re not the main characters and that means they’re fair game to be killed off. I desperately hope my faves will all survive, but I’ve never read how Hailey Turner finishes her long book series and I AM SCARED. I’ve been left disappointed too much these past few months with other book series and their endings. Maybe I should hurry up and read her Metahumans series to get a better idea? That series also sounds very good.
All in all, I loved this book!! Pro-tip, when you get to the last chapter and the song that’s listed as playing at that moment right there on the page? I suggest pulling it up and listening to it while you read those last few pages. It gives the story ambiance and definitely had me sobbing from all the feels. I adore Patrick and Jono and they’ve been through so, SO much in the year they’ve met each other! I can’t wait to read what else is in store for them after the events of this book and to see if they get their much needed vacation to Maui. I am definitely planning on re-reading all the books before the last book when it comes out!!!
*** Thanks to A Novel Take PR for providing me an ARC for review!***
iam's review against another edition
5.0
Great setup for the series finale, bringing in new complications and hurts and finally closing up my favourite subplot!
Read the full review on the blog!
Content warnings include: violence, unnamed character death, demonic possession, court proceedings, protagonist is charged with murder, torture, graphic injury, abduction, sex on-page, alcohol and food consumption on-page.
As second to last for the series, An Echo in the Sorrow worked well. It wasn’t as big on the chapter long battles as previous books, but that was still far from mellow – tension was created by other means, mainly court room proceedings and very personal hits, mainly against Patrick.
As usual, the amazing cast of characters was expanded once more, both on the mortal and immortal scale.
I guess you could objectively say that this book acts solely as a filler, tying up some subplots before the big series finale and setting the groudwork for it. Fillers often get a bad reputation that way, but I genuinely enjoyed An Echo in the Sorrow. It didn’t feel uneccessary or squeezed in. Its plot was solid and introduced some new dynamics that I already know will be important in the future. I can’t wait to see how stuff pans out in the final book!!!
The series keeps being entertaining and a pleasure to read. The writing is superb, always holding my attention and making me want to keep reading. Despite the high tension throughout, there were lovely domestic moments, and I adore that the found family aspect isn’t second to the (equally lovely) romance between the protagonists.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly & voluntarily.
Read the full review on the blog!
Content warnings include: violence, unnamed character death, demonic possession, court proceedings, protagonist is charged with murder, torture, graphic injury, abduction, sex on-page, alcohol and food consumption on-page.
As second to last for the series, An Echo in the Sorrow worked well. It wasn’t as big on the chapter long battles as previous books, but that was still far from mellow – tension was created by other means, mainly court room proceedings and very personal hits, mainly against Patrick.
As usual, the amazing cast of characters was expanded once more, both on the mortal and immortal scale.
I guess you could objectively say that this book acts solely as a filler, tying up some subplots before the big series finale and setting the groudwork for it. Fillers often get a bad reputation that way, but I genuinely enjoyed An Echo in the Sorrow. It didn’t feel uneccessary or squeezed in. Its plot was solid and introduced some new dynamics that I already know will be important in the future. I can’t wait to see how stuff pans out in the final book!!!
The series keeps being entertaining and a pleasure to read. The writing is superb, always holding my attention and making me want to keep reading. Despite the high tension throughout, there were lovely domestic moments, and I adore that the found family aspect isn’t second to the (equally lovely) romance between the protagonists.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly & voluntarily.
jacqueleenthereadingqueen's review against another edition
5.0
Things sure are ramping up as we get closer and closer to the conclusion of the Soulbound series. I don't think Patrick and Jono had much more than a one chapter of breathing room before the next chapter brought them fighting something or hearing bad news from some god or another. There was never a dull moment and plenty of surprises and twists that kept me glued to my kindle.
Wade was present as always and he is still a much loved favorite eating everything in sight. I think Patrick and Jono would be smart getting stock in pop tarts for the future. One particular moment that had me laughing out loud while reading is while Wade was in a church and complaining that all they had for food in the back were dry crackers! Leave it to Wade to devour an entire bowl of blessed Christian bread and have no idea what it was.
This book was another winner for Hailey Turner, but based on the previous books in the series I didn't expect any less. Book six was very plot heavy as we are nearing the end with the conclusion of the series in book seven. Several loose ends are tied up so to speak, while many more remain untethered. I have no idea if we are in for a happy ending or not, but I sure hope so because after everything Patrick and Jono have survived no one deserves one more.
** An ARC of this book was provided by GRR in exchange for an honest and unbiased review **
Wade was present as always and he is still a much loved favorite eating everything in sight. I think Patrick and Jono would be smart getting stock in pop tarts for the future. One particular moment that had me laughing out loud while reading is while Wade was in a church and complaining that all they had for food in the back were dry crackers! Leave it to Wade to devour an entire bowl of blessed Christian bread and have no idea what it was.
This book was another winner for Hailey Turner, but based on the previous books in the series I didn't expect any less. Book six was very plot heavy as we are nearing the end with the conclusion of the series in book seven. Several loose ends are tied up so to speak, while many more remain untethered. I have no idea if we are in for a happy ending or not, but I sure hope so because after everything Patrick and Jono have survived no one deserves one more.
** An ARC of this book was provided by GRR in exchange for an honest and unbiased review **
write_of_passages's review against another edition
4.0
What a brilliant installment in this series! Things are really heating up with this one and my pulse was racing in a few areas! You really get the sense that sh*t is hitting the proverbial fan now, but everything has been set up pretty perfectly for what I hope is going to be an incredibly satisfying end to this series with the final book.
Would I go back in time and still read this book, knowing what I know now?
Absolutely.
See below for the four criteria I use to decide whether and when to read a book
CHARACTERS: I was really enjoying Wade in this series. I feel he grew quite a lot in this book without losing the very clear traits that make him Wade. So many pieces occurred in this one that really got under Patrick’s skin in such a delicious way (in terms of character growth). Even with Jono, I personally felt that in this book they were tested more than they have been in previous books, which is so incredibly vital to a fulfilling series.
PLOT: Still fast-paced, although one of the main conflicts in this book differed from previous books and dealt with the issue of powerlessness and loss of autonomy in more than one way. Definitely had my pulse racing in both instances. Everything is falling down around them but at the same time it feels so wonderfully relieving. You really get a sense of the stakes finally coming back into play. This book very much feels like ‘the beginning of the end’.
EMOTIONAL INTENSITY: There is no good/bad here. Sometimes I just want a low-investment entertainment read whereas other times a high-stakes 'I need a therapist to recover' is what I need.
3 out of 5. Medium. While I still didn’t feel that the characters weren’t going to succeed, the specific themes explored with the conflict in this book are a pressure point that had my pulse racing. To see these conflicts resolved was definitely an emotional relief.
CATHARTIC FULFILLMENT: Is the emotional journey worth it? Do I finish this book feeling that I've crested the wave of the climactic moment and everything has been settled, leaving me settled and fulfilled?
95%. I’ll give this one a fairly high score. The emotional intensity was higher, but the author resolved the conflicts in a way that balanced with the angst I was put through. The final 5% of course comes from skimming the aftermath, as per usual. However, the fact that there seem to be lasting effects to the characters as they grow is wonderfully fulfilling.
Would I go back in time and still read this book, knowing what I know now?
Absolutely.
See below for the four criteria I use to decide whether and when to read a book
CHARACTERS: I was really enjoying Wade in this series. I feel he grew quite a lot in this book without losing the very clear traits that make him Wade. So many pieces occurred in this one that really got under Patrick’s skin in such a delicious way (in terms of character growth). Even with Jono, I personally felt that in this book they were tested more than they have been in previous books, which is so incredibly vital to a fulfilling series.
PLOT: Still fast-paced, although one of the main conflicts in this book differed from previous books and dealt with the issue of powerlessness and loss of autonomy in more than one way. Definitely had my pulse racing in both instances. Everything is falling down around them but at the same time it feels so wonderfully relieving. You really get a sense of the stakes finally coming back into play. This book very much feels like ‘the beginning of the end’.
EMOTIONAL INTENSITY: There is no good/bad here. Sometimes I just want a low-investment entertainment read whereas other times a high-stakes 'I need a therapist to recover' is what I need.
3 out of 5. Medium. While I still didn’t feel that the characters weren’t going to succeed, the specific themes explored with the conflict in this book are a pressure point that had my pulse racing. To see these conflicts resolved was definitely an emotional relief.
CATHARTIC FULFILLMENT: Is the emotional journey worth it? Do I finish this book feeling that I've crested the wave of the climactic moment and everything has been settled, leaving me settled and fulfilled?
95%. I’ll give this one a fairly high score. The emotional intensity was higher, but the author resolved the conflicts in a way that balanced with the angst I was put through. The final 5% of course comes from skimming the aftermath, as per usual. However, the fact that there seem to be lasting effects to the characters as they grow is wonderfully fulfilling.
cassi_370's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
royda88's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bloodymoon13's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
buffyloverlori's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
toshi21's review against another edition
5.0
Poor Patrick and Jono.
The author really puts them through the wringer.
The book begins with action and it doesn’t stop. At all.
Everything is coming to a head now and everyone wants Patrick’s head.
I was kept to the page, turning it, my mouth agape as I tried to take in everything.
The one thing that kept this book sane was the amount of affection the Pack had for their leaders and each other. They stuck together like glue and it was glorious.
Hailey’s gift of intertwining pantheons, magic and paranormal is top notch.
I was enthralled with how everything is coming together, though at times, I cringed because I didn’t like where it was going.
But now we have to wait for October.
The author really puts them through the wringer.
The book begins with action and it doesn’t stop. At all.
Everything is coming to a head now and everyone wants Patrick’s head.
I was kept to the page, turning it, my mouth agape as I tried to take in everything.
The one thing that kept this book sane was the amount of affection the Pack had for their leaders and each other. They stuck together like glue and it was glorious.
Hailey’s gift of intertwining pantheons, magic and paranormal is top notch.
I was enthralled with how everything is coming together, though at times, I cringed because I didn’t like where it was going.
But now we have to wait for October.
eedr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0