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A review by bookwormpersephone
A Soul to Heal by Opal Reyne
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sgoreog 5 ⭐
“Welcome to the horny Duskwalker club.”
This was a hard but satisfying read for me compared to A Soul to Keep. Delora is our FMC. She's a plus-size woman who suffers from anxiety and depression because of everything going on with her life. Unlike the first book, Delora gave her soul to the Duskwalker about 10% into the book, but it doesn't mean the couple hadn't faced any difficulties. I'd say more than Reia and Orpheus, Delora and Nameless had deeper and riskier conflicts.
Nameless (he'll have a different name later on) is a Duskwalker who is both naive and feral due to his lack of humanity. His Mavka brother Orpheus is intelligent and can understand humans better, which is more often than not a source of Nameless' envy towards him. Because of these traits and Delora's deepening depression, they face many rocky hurdles in their relationship, and one of them is handling a Mavka pregnancy and raising it (yes, this has a pregnancy trope).
While I saw many people hating on Delora, especially in the first half of the book, I cannot say I agree. In fact, I have never read a character I've related to so much than Delora. I might not have murdered my (hypothetical) husband and his mistress, but I have struggled so much with my mental health and weight that showing it on paper was both hard and liberating to read. I had to put down my Kindle many times in order not to cry outright (I still did). The way she climbed out of her depression and eventually let go of her guilt and pains made me feel less alone in my struggles.
Hence, it took me almost a month to finish this book. But it was incredibly worth it.
Overall though, I love this book. I have never felt more seen and heard in my whole life reading a book before. There are very few (good) inclusive books published today, and I just read one of them. To my plus-size girlies struggling with their weight, mental health, and self-worth, Nameless and I hope that you feel as warm and accepted in this book as I have if you decide to read it.
“Welcome to the horny Duskwalker club.”
This was a hard but satisfying read for me compared to A Soul to Keep. Delora is our FMC. She's a plus-size woman who suffers from anxiety and depression because of everything going on with her life. Unlike the first book, Delora gave her soul to the Duskwalker about 10% into the book, but it doesn't mean the couple hadn't faced any difficulties. I'd say more than Reia and Orpheus, Delora and Nameless had deeper and riskier conflicts.
Nameless (he'll have a different name later on) is a Duskwalker who is both naive and feral due to his lack of humanity. His Mavka brother Orpheus is intelligent and can understand humans better, which is more often than not a source of Nameless' envy towards him. Because of these traits and Delora's deepening depression, they face many rocky hurdles in their relationship, and one of them is handling a Mavka pregnancy and raising it (yes, this has a pregnancy trope).
While I saw many people hating on Delora, especially in the first half of the book, I cannot say I agree. In fact, I have never read a character I've related to so much than Delora. I might not have murdered my (hypothetical) husband and his mistress, but I have struggled so much with my mental health and weight that showing it on paper was both hard and liberating to read. I had to put down my Kindle many times in order not to cry outright (I still did). The way she climbed out of her depression and eventually let go of her guilt and pains made me feel less alone in my struggles.
Hence, it took me almost a month to finish this book. But it was incredibly worth it.
Overall though, I love this book. I have never felt more seen and heard in my whole life reading a book before. There are very few (good) inclusive books published today, and I just read one of them. To my plus-size girlies struggling with their weight, mental health, and self-worth, Nameless and I hope that you feel as warm and accepted in this book as I have if you decide to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Gore, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Bullying and Body shaming
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Grief