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booklouver's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Emotional abuse and Sexual violence
chrstn's review against another edition
DNF at page 509 (74%)
Hard to believe I went from loving this book to actively disliking it in so short a time.
First let me get the good things out of the way: the characters. The main character, Devin, is an empathetic character. A person can relate to him and his decisions. He visibly cares about the people and creatures around him. The adorable creatures (Puffy, the firekin and Tesmarie, the onyx faerie) are great. They don't do much, but that I can easily forgive.
The world building and religious organizations are very interesting. I would've liked to have seen more of the Soulkeepers, Mindkeepers, Ravencallers, and other groups that serve as healers, investigators, and priests in this world.
Now for the bad and/or uncomfortable. This is marketed as adult fantasy. As such, I went in expecting more "adult" content, and I got it in spades.
- way too many modern curse words
- sexual perversions/trauma described in detail without adequate resolution
- inappropriate jokes
- body horror to the extreme - in almost every chapter once we hit around 1/3 of the book - grisly acts of violence performed on humans leading to detailed descriptions of entrails, blood, and other body parts (It's taxing to read and I even tried skimming. There's really not even an adequate explanation for the actions taken on the part of the villain.)
Issues with the writing leading to logical missteps.
- modern writing, word choices, clothing, GUNS, etc. but a medieval (?) world
- The threat literally comes to the doors of the city, but no one leaves.
- People are being hunted/slaughtered in the streets yet it's business as usual. No mass exodus. Nothing.
- Religious persecution is mentioned as a possibility and characters are fearful of the populace's reactions to healing powers, but every person told believes them and/or thanks them.
- Did the author forget about the "starlight tear"? It's just forgotten.
Hard to believe I went from loving this book to actively disliking it in so short a time.
First let me get the good things out of the way: the characters. The main character, Devin, is an empathetic character. A person can relate to him and his decisions. He visibly cares about the people and creatures around him. The adorable creatures (Puffy, the firekin and Tesmarie, the onyx faerie) are great. They don't do much, but that I can easily forgive.
The world building and religious organizations are very interesting. I would've liked to have seen more of the Soulkeepers, Mindkeepers, Ravencallers, and other groups that serve as healers, investigators, and priests in this world.
Now for the bad and/or uncomfortable. This is marketed as adult fantasy. As such, I went in expecting more "adult" content, and I got it in spades.
- way too many modern curse words
- sexual perversions/trauma described in detail without adequate resolution
- inappropriate jokes
- body horror to the extreme - in almost every chapter once we hit around 1/3 of the book - grisly acts of violence performed on humans leading to detailed descriptions of entrails, blood, and other body parts (It's taxing to read and I even tried skimming. There's really not even an adequate explanation for the actions taken on the part of the villain.)
Issues with the writing leading to logical missteps.
- modern writing, word choices, clothing, GUNS, etc. but a medieval (?) world
- The threat literally comes to the doors of the city, but no one leaves.
- People are being hunted/slaughtered in the streets yet it's business as usual. No mass exodus. Nothing.
- Religious persecution is mentioned as a possibility and characters are fearful of the populace's reactions to healing powers, but every person told believes them and/or thanks them.
- Did the author forget about the "starlight tear"? It's just forgotten.
kaideus's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
b3rgy's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars. Book started off full of action and mystery then became slow in the middle. The ending did leave me wanting to read the next book so hopefully the next one has better pacing because I did really like the premise of this series.
scottneumann's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
two_rivers_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
samantha_winkel13's review against another edition
5.0
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!
cavalary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
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? No
3.0
The premise of a world where magic suddenly returns, along with creatures that were remembered only as myths and legends, going all the way to demigods, is interesting enough. Somewhat as a fable, the book also makes some good points about humanity’s place in the world, albeit mostly in passing, and it depicts villains with understandable motives, some of whom may even turn out to not be actual villains. And it also mostly avoids what I call human filth, those behaviors typically only being mentioned as reminders that they exist and need to be fought against, and the main characters do so, this probably also being the explanation for how easily the situation is accepted by Devin, as well as a few other notable characters in similar positions. In addition, there are thrilling fights and some moments that have an emotional impact, the graveyard scene that comes before what probably should have been the finale standing out, along with the next few chapters.
The last chapter and the epilogue are rather weak, however, and the rest of the book, before that part that stands out, seems to lack the depth and the impact such a story and such momentous events should have. The pace is too leisurely, too much is glossed over, too many ideas seem to have just been briefly entertained and then discarded, and the immaturity of some of the secondary characters seems to sometimes bleed into the writing, at least Tommy’s moments often leaving the impression of comic relief inappropriately forced into the story. Also, on top of a typical dose of hero’s luck, the main characters are literally spared from death several times over, those who could and should have killed them simply deciding not to even if it makes little sense. On the other hand, while it does help explain their motives, directly presenting the point of view of deities just seems wrong. And, while I guess it’s a minor problem otherwise, I can’t help but point out that there’s one corpse too many in the first fight.
The last chapter and the epilogue are rather weak, however, and the rest of the book, before that part that stands out, seems to lack the depth and the impact such a story and such momentous events should have. The pace is too leisurely, too much is glossed over, too many ideas seem to have just been briefly entertained and then discarded, and the immaturity of some of the secondary characters seems to sometimes bleed into the writing, at least Tommy’s moments often leaving the impression of comic relief inappropriately forced into the story. Also, on top of a typical dose of hero’s luck, the main characters are literally spared from death several times over, those who could and should have killed them simply deciding not to even if it makes little sense. On the other hand, while it does help explain their motives, directly presenting the point of view of deities just seems wrong. And, while I guess it’s a minor problem otherwise, I can’t help but point out that there’s one corpse too many in the first fight.