Review by mxex - A Soul to Keep

mxex 's review for:

A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne

1.0

adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

While there were some elements I thought were enjoyable, I can't ignore the many issues present throughout this book. Some are minor, like anachronisms and claiming hymens are signs of virginity. Others are real problems, such as the "magical Negro" trope and victim blaming for unwanted sex.

Like, I get the non-human creature wouldn't understand non-verbal consent (or lack thereof) but portraying the issues as "well, she just should have said no" is not a okay way to go about breaking down the nuance of a creature not being aware of the fact he's having sex with someone who's only "agreeing" due to fear of death. Also, the victim in question is a shallow, gold digging bitch who is only using the MC for bait and doesn't really care about "saving" her from the creature she perceives to be her rapist.

I am going to continue with the series just to see if these issues are improved on, as I do think the world building is interesting and the author did do a good job of developing the relationship. She just lost me in the last 25%

Content Warnings