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undertheteacup's review against another edition
4.0
*sigh* *heart-eyes* This is probably my favorite of the series in terms of pacing and tone.
Weatherspoon doesn't shy away from depicting the interpersonal problems of living in a sorority house and serving a bunch of vampires, and that drama never feels petty. Rather, the way she handles her characters' emotional lives feels profound and truthful - people can get hurt even if you didn't mean to hurt them, having authority doesn't mean you are mature, and as Jill points out in the book itself, being right doesn't mean you are being kind or good. One of my favorite things about this series is the fact that the 'villains' of the previous book are usually the main characters of the next, truly highlighting the fact that sometimes people don't agree and both of them can be right (at the same time, both of them can be wrong). And sometimes people just don't like each other, and that doesn't mean that one of them has the moral high ground. I almost wish these books were appropriate for high schoolers, because they have such amazing content regarding taking care of yourself, emotions, and dealing with others.
The love story is incredible and sweet and so very satisfying, particularly because Jill learns to honor her own desire for love and companionship, and also develops some really healthy wonderful boundaries. Some parts were wildly unrealistic and I had to remind myself that this is romance and that the HEA (or HFN) comes first, regardless of how many 'rules' of believability are being bent in the process :)
Weatherspoon doesn't shy away from depicting the interpersonal problems of living in a sorority house and serving a bunch of vampires, and that drama never feels petty. Rather, the way she handles her characters' emotional lives feels profound and truthful - people can get hurt even if you didn't mean to hurt them, having authority doesn't mean you are mature, and as Jill points out in the book itself, being right doesn't mean you are being kind or good. One of my favorite things about this series is the fact that the 'villains' of the previous book are usually the main characters of the next, truly highlighting the fact that sometimes people don't agree and both of them can be right (at the same time, both of them can be wrong). And sometimes people just don't like each other, and that doesn't mean that one of them has the moral high ground. I almost wish these books were appropriate for high schoolers, because they have such amazing content regarding taking care of yourself, emotions, and dealing with others.
The love story is incredible and sweet and so very satisfying, particularly because Jill learns to honor her own desire for love and companionship, and also develops some really healthy wonderful boundaries. Some parts were wildly unrealistic and I had to remind myself that this is romance and that the HEA (or HFN) comes first, regardless of how many 'rules' of believability are being bent in the process :)
talypollywaly's review
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
beautifullybookishbethany's review against another edition
3.0
This was...a ride! I'm not entirely sure how to rate and review this one, but here goes.
Soul to Keep is an erotic romance involving a sorority of lesbian & bisexual vampires and their bloodbound feeders. In some ways it is over the top with the tropes and overt sexuality. It also has some scenes of the MC being introduced to BDSM and kinky sex that are pretty out there, at least for me, and a kind of weird scene involving the vampire love interest being able to shape shift body parts. So for those who follow me, definitely not my usual cup of tea in the genre, but useful as part of a reading project I'm working on. I will say, the tone of this is light and silly with a heavy emphasis on the importance of consent, so even the more out there sexual things didn't feel gross or traumatic and rather offer a sex positive view of things some people might be into. And buried in there, is a surprisingly sweet love story about two outsiders finding each other that includes a fake dating trope.
Soul to Keep is an erotic romance involving a sorority of lesbian & bisexual vampires and their bloodbound feeders. In some ways it is over the top with the tropes and overt sexuality. It also has some scenes of the MC being introduced to BDSM and kinky sex that are pretty out there, at least for me, and a kind of weird scene involving the vampire love interest being able to shape shift body parts. So for those who follow me, definitely not my usual cup of tea in the genre, but useful as part of a reading project I'm working on. I will say, the tone of this is light and silly with a heavy emphasis on the importance of consent, so even the more out there sexual things didn't feel gross or traumatic and rather offer a sex positive view of things some people might be into. And buried in there, is a surprisingly sweet love story about two outsiders finding each other that includes a fake dating trope.
apostrophen's review
5.0
I read this one while I was on my flight down to the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival, and it made the time fly by.
First off, if you haven't read the whole Vampire Sorority Sisters series before, allow me to suggest you grab 'em all. While the books definitely stand alone with their own internal narratives, there's a larger story at play that also moves along, and it's always best to start at the beginning to get the world-building down pat.
And the world is freaking built. Seriously. Rebekah Weatherspoon ties [a:Christian Baines|7024194|Christian Baines|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1438846204p2/7024194.jpg] with my favourite re-imagining of vampires, and the whole culture, network, and world Weatherspoon brings to life—uh, undeath—in her stories is flipping brilliant.
Add to that the super-hot smexy bits and you're in for a great ride.
In this particular volume, we get to visit Jill (previously seen as not much more than a brat and a snob and driven by order and a high need to accomplish all the things) and Tokyo (a vampire with a penchant for recklessness), and spins one of the best relationship-start seeds I've read.
Jill, in a med program, wants to put together a sexual health curriculum offering that will truly change (and be truly representative of) the campus. When a comment from Tokyo makes Jill realize she's missing some practical notions of what relationships are all about, the two embark on a secret (and shapeshifted) relationship, so Jill can fill in some gaps.
Their evolving relationship is so freaking cute, and with that edge of both realizing it's moving from "just as an experiment" to something neither of them expected (and didn't really want). There's also a thread explored in the relationship between vampires and their feeders that I really found fascinating—whether Weatherspoon intended something that could so easily be a parallel or metaphor for an abusive relationship or not, I don't know, but there were scenes so sharp they might as well have been vampire fangs—which I feel I should point out is not Jill and Tokyo, who are a brilliant model for a couple entering a new relationship where one of the pair has much more experience, and consent is queen.
In parallel to this relationship story, the "big bad" continues to evolve in the story running through the background of the series, and this those big bad things do more than bump in the night. I can't wait to see where the sisters go next.
Also, massive praise for the level of diversity in so many ways: racial, sexual, cultural... I always love Weatherspoon's characters.
First off, if you haven't read the whole Vampire Sorority Sisters series before, allow me to suggest you grab 'em all. While the books definitely stand alone with their own internal narratives, there's a larger story at play that also moves along, and it's always best to start at the beginning to get the world-building down pat.
And the world is freaking built. Seriously. Rebekah Weatherspoon ties [a:Christian Baines|7024194|Christian Baines|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1438846204p2/7024194.jpg] with my favourite re-imagining of vampires, and the whole culture, network, and world Weatherspoon brings to life—uh, undeath—in her stories is flipping brilliant.
Add to that the super-hot smexy bits and you're in for a great ride.
In this particular volume, we get to visit Jill (previously seen as not much more than a brat and a snob and driven by order and a high need to accomplish all the things) and Tokyo (a vampire with a penchant for recklessness), and spins one of the best relationship-start seeds I've read.
Jill, in a med program, wants to put together a sexual health curriculum offering that will truly change (and be truly representative of) the campus. When a comment from Tokyo makes Jill realize she's missing some practical notions of what relationships are all about, the two embark on a secret (and shapeshifted) relationship, so Jill can fill in some gaps.
Their evolving relationship is so freaking cute, and with that edge of both realizing it's moving from "just as an experiment" to something neither of them expected (and didn't really want). There's also a thread explored in the relationship between vampires and their feeders that I really found fascinating—whether Weatherspoon intended something that could so easily be a parallel or metaphor for an abusive relationship or not, I don't know, but there were scenes so sharp they might as well have been vampire fangs—which I feel I should point out is not Jill and Tokyo, who are a brilliant model for a couple entering a new relationship where one of the pair has much more experience, and consent is queen.
In parallel to this relationship story, the "big bad" continues to evolve in the story running through the background of the series, and this those big bad things do more than bump in the night. I can't wait to see where the sisters go next.
Also, massive praise for the level of diversity in so many ways: racial, sexual, cultural... I always love Weatherspoon's characters.
katt's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This might be my favorite in the series, great world building and good characters.
sakura's review
4.0
3.75 stars
This book was a pleasant surprise because I wasn't expecting it to be so fluffy in a lot of scenes since the premise is very angst-inducing.
Going into this book without having read the other two books, I can't say how Jill and Tokyo were in the other books, but I really enjoyed both of their characters. They're more of the unlikable type upon first meeting, but I loved how Weatherspoon fleshed out the characters, especially Jill, whose honesty was blunt and refreshing.
Despite the fact that Jill is seen as the chatty annoying girl, I clicked with her pretty early, from seeing her struggles between the blood bond obligations and her discordance with a lot of the other girls because of her personality. Tokyo was a tougher shell because of her party girl shallow shell she inhibits, but once she dropped that front around Jill, I was sold. They really are so cute together and I loved how you get little hints and scenes where they're being supportive and loyal.
The sub-plot besides the romance was really interesting too, even if it wasn't delved super in depth, and I really think the vampire sorority setup works really nicely.
There was one wild scene the magical clit was pretty unexpected lol and the ending might seem a little tidy, but honestly I adored the dynamic overall between Jill and Tokyo (they're so soft and sweet together) that it didn't really bother me that much.
Side note: I'm a little sad I read this one first because I don't think I can go back and read Ginger's book at all now because of the bias I have since I love Tokyo and Jill so much haha.
This book was a pleasant surprise because I wasn't expecting it to be so fluffy in a lot of scenes since the premise is very angst-inducing.
Going into this book without having read the other two books, I can't say how Jill and Tokyo were in the other books, but I really enjoyed both of their characters. They're more of the unlikable type upon first meeting, but I loved how Weatherspoon fleshed out the characters, especially Jill, whose honesty was blunt and refreshing.
Despite the fact that Jill is seen as the chatty annoying girl, I clicked with her pretty early, from seeing her struggles between the blood bond obligations and her discordance with a lot of the other girls because of her personality. Tokyo was a tougher shell because of her party girl shallow shell she inhibits, but once she dropped that front around Jill, I was sold. They really are so cute together and I loved how you get little hints and scenes where they're being supportive and loyal.
The sub-plot besides the romance was really interesting too, even if it wasn't delved super in depth, and I really think the vampire sorority setup works really nicely.
There was one wild scene
Side note: I'm a little sad I read this one first because I don't think I can go back and read Ginger's book at all now because of the bias I have since I love Tokyo and Jill so much haha.
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