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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
I did not read the reviews so didn't have any expectations or ideas about the book really. It seems its another man against magic creature book. Humans and others don't understand each other and humans are arrogant and hateful of what they don't understand. I thought Devin would be an ass but quickly showed he was different from what I thought from reading first chapter. He proved very adaptable to most everything really which I found sort of annoying for some reason. The other characters were the same but they were likable for the most part. I thought Devin would develop some type of power from the goddesses he prays to or something but that didn't happen. There seems to be a deal of fear about what their church will do and they do have a record of repressing ideas that they don't like. So wonder if there will be some conflict with them at some point. A lot of powers and creatures are still out there to create I think and want to see that as the story continues. I will be wanting to read the next book Ravencaller.
Devin Eveson is a Soulkeeper, a traveling warrior-priest tasked with helping villages with everything from bandits to plagues to making sure that souls move on properly to the afterlife. But when a dark water floods the land, Devin finds the world has changed much more than anyone realized. Creatures once thought to be myth roam the woods, and prayers once thought to bring only solace now have actual power to affect the world. Worst of all, a terrible being has begun prowling the city of Londheim, intent on brutally murdering the priests of the Three Sisters. Devin will have to work with human and fae alike if the city is going to stand any chance of surviving the new world order.
SOULKEEPER starts from a beautifully atmospheric place, as Devin Eveson works in tiny town in the middle of a snowy nowhere, overseeing the rituals that send souls to the afterlife. The sequences as Devin tries to survive on his own after devastating events, encountering creatures both friendly and..not so friendly, are some of the best parts of the book. Devin and his brother-in-law Tommy both have an appropriate sense of wonder as they realize fairy tales have been hiding a sense of truth.
Eventually, though, Devin returns to the central city of Londheim, and from there I felt like the book was content to travel along at a steady pace without ever feeling like it was ramping up to a final climactic moment. Your enjoyment of SOULKEEPER is going to depend on how much you're invested in the central premise from this point forward: an entire city of people dealing with the world being turned on its head, with creatures killing people in the street, a mountain materializing outside of the city, and magic spells working where before they were the stuff of nonsense. It was almost a slice-of-life kind of feeling, as Devin, Tommy, and Devin's sister Adria try to cope with new circumstances and encounter one strange event after another in a very episodic feel. There's definitely a big moment that concludes the book, but it didn't feel like the book was driving towards that point, just that it happened. At this point, much of the why and the how of magic coming back into the world remain a mystery; the focus is on reacting to the situation, not in actively fixing it.
Even with the book itself feeling slow, there was still moments I loved. Adria is a great character, a Mindkeeper (a more scholarly priest) who has to deal with the fact that the various prayers she's memorized and recited while ministering to the sick suddenly have very real power. She's the kind of character who realizes she has enormous power to do good, but doesn't necessarily want the responsibility to come with it. There are plenty of great monster battles and a memorable duel across rooftops. And over the course of the book, Devin amasses a found family of human and otherworldly creatures that work together to deal with the darker elements that are on the rise.
(On that note, I want to flag this IS a book that deals with some pretty gruesome things, including descriptions of past sexual assault and graphic descriptions of violent deaths at the hands of a sociopathic being. Proceed at your own discretion.)
All in all, SOULKEEPER was a pleasant read for me, but not something that overly blew me away. This may be one of those "It's not you its me" situations, as there were certainly a lot of elements in this book I liked, but it just didn't come together in a way that had me racing out to buy the next book. If the above scenario sounds intriguing to you, and you're ready to settle in for a slower-paced adventure, this might be the one for you!
SOULKEEPER starts from a beautifully atmospheric place, as Devin Eveson works in tiny town in the middle of a snowy nowhere, overseeing the rituals that send souls to the afterlife. The sequences as Devin tries to survive on his own after devastating events, encountering creatures both friendly and..not so friendly, are some of the best parts of the book. Devin and his brother-in-law Tommy both have an appropriate sense of wonder as they realize fairy tales have been hiding a sense of truth.
Eventually, though, Devin returns to the central city of Londheim, and from there I felt like the book was content to travel along at a steady pace without ever feeling like it was ramping up to a final climactic moment. Your enjoyment of SOULKEEPER is going to depend on how much you're invested in the central premise from this point forward: an entire city of people dealing with the world being turned on its head, with creatures killing people in the street, a mountain materializing outside of the city, and magic spells working where before they were the stuff of nonsense. It was almost a slice-of-life kind of feeling, as Devin, Tommy, and Devin's sister Adria try to cope with new circumstances and encounter one strange event after another in a very episodic feel. There's definitely a big moment that concludes the book, but it didn't feel like the book was driving towards that point, just that it happened. At this point, much of the why and the how of magic coming back into the world remain a mystery; the focus is on reacting to the situation, not in actively fixing it.
Even with the book itself feeling slow, there was still moments I loved. Adria is a great character, a Mindkeeper (a more scholarly priest) who has to deal with the fact that the various prayers she's memorized and recited while ministering to the sick suddenly have very real power. She's the kind of character who realizes she has enormous power to do good, but doesn't necessarily want the responsibility to come with it. There are plenty of great monster battles and a memorable duel across rooftops. And over the course of the book, Devin amasses a found family of human and otherworldly creatures that work together to deal with the darker elements that are on the rise.
(On that note, I want to flag this IS a book that deals with some pretty gruesome things, including descriptions of past sexual assault and graphic descriptions of violent deaths at the hands of a sociopathic being. Proceed at your own discretion.)
All in all, SOULKEEPER was a pleasant read for me, but not something that overly blew me away. This may be one of those "It's not you its me" situations, as there were certainly a lot of elements in this book I liked, but it just didn't come together in a way that had me racing out to buy the next book. If the above scenario sounds intriguing to you, and you're ready to settle in for a slower-paced adventure, this might be the one for you!
A massive thanks to @bookish_mai for highlighting this series to me. I had such a good time with this first book! The world building, characters and plot all came together to form a hugely entertaining and fast-paced adventure.
The book opens with Devin, a Soulkeeper, performing his duties in a remote village. Only things are not as they seem, and the world is changed forever. A black river appears, destroying all in its wake. I've never read anything quite like these scenes, and Devin's fear and hopelessness really bleed through the pages.
Daglish writes his characters so well. They are vulnerable and flawed and you can feel how much they struggle in this new world. Even the villain, who does horrible things, has good reason to feel as he does, and I could sympathise with some of his reasons. I love when an author creates such three dimensional characters.
As for the world building, this story starts with everything changing drastically for everyone, and I like how we are learning about this new world along with the characters. Devin's soul magic intrigued me from the beginning, and as the world expands, so do the new magics. Then beings of myth begin to appear, from the whimsical and wonderful, to the monstrous and deadly.
I won't go into any more detail, just to say that this was a fantastic read. It was a great blend of fantasy and adventure, darkness and light, and of humour and despair. I will definitely be joining Devin and his friends again for some more adventure soon.
The book opens with Devin, a Soulkeeper, performing his duties in a remote village. Only things are not as they seem, and the world is changed forever. A black river appears, destroying all in its wake. I've never read anything quite like these scenes, and Devin's fear and hopelessness really bleed through the pages.
Daglish writes his characters so well. They are vulnerable and flawed and you can feel how much they struggle in this new world. Even the villain, who does horrible things, has good reason to feel as he does, and I could sympathise with some of his reasons. I love when an author creates such three dimensional characters.
As for the world building, this story starts with everything changing drastically for everyone, and I like how we are learning about this new world along with the characters. Devin's soul magic intrigued me from the beginning, and as the world expands, so do the new magics. Then beings of myth begin to appear, from the whimsical and wonderful, to the monstrous and deadly.
I won't go into any more detail, just to say that this was a fantastic read. It was a great blend of fantasy and adventure, darkness and light, and of humour and despair. I will definitely be joining Devin and his friends again for some more adventure soon.
This is indeed a fast paced dive into the beautiful crafted world of the soul keeper, while there were some part of story that was slow, the short Chapters help move the story the long to keep you interested. Only wish there was more chapters on the main character but understand that need background storytelling and storyline for the other characters as well. Overall a very good start to an interesting story, looking forward to reading book 2. Janus is truly an master of his craft.
Soulkeeper is a book which exceeded my expectations. I expected a light fun read with a guy hunting monsters and boy was i wrong and I was happy to be.
Soulkeeper is a story about a world where magic has returned to the world but all the monsters have also returned. Its the perfect description for the book. We follow our main character Devin Eveson who is a Soulkeeper, travelling through remote villages as a preacher and healer and what happens when a dragon awakens - the size of a mountain and leaving great chasms in its wake - the veil is torn, flooding the land with ancient magic and forgotten races.
“This world is much too hard and cruel to endure alone. From the first day the Sisters gave us life, we were meant to love and support one another. Sadly that basic tenet of our existence is also the hardest to keep.”
It started slow but gradually I was interested in the world a lot the history how magic is affecting them. We also have different factions like Mindkeeper and Faithkeeper. We also get to see a talking faerie and firekin which I need more of in the sequels. The other characters Tommy (a gay wizard), Jacaranda(a soulless who got her soul back) who is my fav so far and Adria (a Mindkeeper and Devin sister)were all compelling and interesting. the whole history and the past of the dragons was so interesting.
“I have studied history extensively, Tommy. Any force for good, if capable of evil, will inevitably be used for evil. It’s just the nature of humanity.”
Also this book is dark we do follow a murderer. Its not too descriptive but there is body gore and blood. The action scenes were good too I love how different weapons are in this era.
My only small gripe is i wish it was more morally grey like some kind of inner conflict where characters dont want to save the world bcoz of how shitty humanity is. I have heard I will get this in the second and Im excited for it.
“What we do, from the smallest of daily actions to the once-in-a-lifetime decisions, it shapes us, defines us. We choose who we are, and who we want to be. The Sisters granted us a soul to forever remember those choices, and to fill those eternal memories with compassion, love, and joy. We are light from the stars brought to earth, and so I do my best to shine in the time I am given.”
Overall its a great read I recommend it to everyone who is tired of same old fantasy and want more creatures in his book.
Soulkeeper is a story about a world where magic has returned to the world but all the monsters have also returned. Its the perfect description for the book. We follow our main character Devin Eveson who is a Soulkeeper, travelling through remote villages as a preacher and healer and what happens when a dragon awakens - the size of a mountain and leaving great chasms in its wake - the veil is torn, flooding the land with ancient magic and forgotten races.
“This world is much too hard and cruel to endure alone. From the first day the Sisters gave us life, we were meant to love and support one another. Sadly that basic tenet of our existence is also the hardest to keep.”
It started slow but gradually I was interested in the world a lot the history how magic is affecting them. We also have different factions like Mindkeeper and Faithkeeper. We also get to see a talking faerie and firekin which I need more of in the sequels. The other characters Tommy (a gay wizard), Jacaranda(a soulless who got her soul back) who is my fav so far and Adria (a Mindkeeper and Devin sister)were all compelling and interesting. the whole history and the past of the dragons was so interesting.
“I have studied history extensively, Tommy. Any force for good, if capable of evil, will inevitably be used for evil. It’s just the nature of humanity.”
Also this book is dark we do follow a murderer. Its not too descriptive but there is body gore and blood. The action scenes were good too I love how different weapons are in this era.
My only small gripe is i wish it was more morally grey like some kind of inner conflict where characters dont want to save the world bcoz of how shitty humanity is. I have heard I will get this in the second and Im excited for it.
“What we do, from the smallest of daily actions to the once-in-a-lifetime decisions, it shapes us, defines us. We choose who we are, and who we want to be. The Sisters granted us a soul to forever remember those choices, and to fill those eternal memories with compassion, love, and joy. We are light from the stars brought to earth, and so I do my best to shine in the time I am given.”
Overall its a great read I recommend it to everyone who is tired of same old fantasy and want more creatures in his book.
I thought I wasn’t going to move this book as much as I did because when I first started, I wasn’t trying into it until I actually restarted it and then I just LOVED it.
The back said “for fans of Michael Sullivan and Brent Weeks.” Well, I’m a HUGE FREAKING FAN of Mr. Sullivan, so it was quiet obvious to me halfway through this book that I would like it.
The quick wit and humor made me laugh and the chemistry between Devin and Jac made me left wanting more.
I can’t wait to read the second book and more about Adria! Then I’ll be sad because then I’ll have to wait for the 3rd book to come out in 2021.
If you’re looking for a “new” fantasy book to read, Soul Keeper is your book!
Did i mention that I read this chunker of a book in ONE sitting? Yeah. Yeah, I did!
The back said “for fans of Michael Sullivan and Brent Weeks.” Well, I’m a HUGE FREAKING FAN of Mr. Sullivan, so it was quiet obvious to me halfway through this book that I would like it.
The quick wit and humor made me laugh and the chemistry between Devin and Jac made me left wanting more.
I can’t wait to read the second book and more about Adria! Then I’ll be sad because then I’ll have to wait for the 3rd book to come out in 2021.
If you’re looking for a “new” fantasy book to read, Soul Keeper is your book!
Did i mention that I read this chunker of a book in ONE sitting? Yeah. Yeah, I did!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes