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A review by shilohskye
Two Souls of Fangcrest Manor by Domus Vocis
5.0
Two Souls of Fangcrest Manor is a short, sweet, and straightforward supernatural romance book that’s well worth a read. It’s a solid emotional experience with believable characters, historical themes, and beautiful art that all tie together into something special.
I came across Two Souls while scrolling through my Bluesky feed because I, as well as many others I’m sure, was drawn in by the cover art. The cover is so beautiful that I can’t imagine anyone scrolling past it without pausing for a look. I affectionately refer to this as “the pretty gay reincarnation book” for a reason. It’s an extremely eye-catching wraparound cover that does a great job of portraying the vibe of the story you’re about to get into. Not only did Fruitz do a fantastic job on this book cover, but on the interior illustrations as well, which again serve to accent the emotions of the story. I’d love to see it in hardcover with colored interior illustrations someday.
Within that cover, the story itself is relatively straightforward. It’s a grounded plot in comparison to a lot of supernatural romances, which keeps the book from jumping the shark or getting too indulgent. The historical background shares the spotlight with the supernatural background here, with neither dominating that story being told in the modern day. It was refreshing to see a book like this not get too caught up in its own gimmick.
I will say that this can also be a bit of a double-edged sword. If you’re going into this story expecting a very engaging plot with a lot of twists and turns, then you might be somewhat disappointed; however, it’s going to be great if you’re of an audience that has a hard time suspending disbelief for supernatural stories, or if you’re not really a fan of stories that send you on a rollercoaster ride.
One grounded aspect of the story that I really appreciated was how the modern day Nate and Daniel were distinct characters from their past selves. It’s something they even blatantly state, that though they’re reincarnations, they are individuals who don’t share all the same traits or personalities as their counterparts. They don’t define themselves by being reincarnations, nor do they just assume they should be together because of it. That makes them much more likable and believable characters. They almost approach the whole scenario as if looking up information about past ancestors rather than past selves. I’ve never seen collaborative genealogical investigation kindle a romance before. It was great.
On the topic of prose, the writing itself is easygoing, which is probably best for a short supernatural romance novel like this. Personally, I was a bit disappointed that the prose doesn’t quite share the same quality as Domus Vocis’s short story work, but I’m a self proclaimed “prose nerd”, so that’s not something most audiences are going to get caught up about. I will say that the style of the prose changed a bit between time periods, which I found pretty neat; I honestly wish that had been leaned into a lot more.
Altogether, a solid read from a fantastic writer in the furry fictions space. I’m glad I picked it up.
I came across Two Souls while scrolling through my Bluesky feed because I, as well as many others I’m sure, was drawn in by the cover art. The cover is so beautiful that I can’t imagine anyone scrolling past it without pausing for a look. I affectionately refer to this as “the pretty gay reincarnation book” for a reason. It’s an extremely eye-catching wraparound cover that does a great job of portraying the vibe of the story you’re about to get into. Not only did Fruitz do a fantastic job on this book cover, but on the interior illustrations as well, which again serve to accent the emotions of the story. I’d love to see it in hardcover with colored interior illustrations someday.
Within that cover, the story itself is relatively straightforward. It’s a grounded plot in comparison to a lot of supernatural romances, which keeps the book from jumping the shark or getting too indulgent. The historical background shares the spotlight with the supernatural background here, with neither dominating that story being told in the modern day. It was refreshing to see a book like this not get too caught up in its own gimmick.
I will say that this can also be a bit of a double-edged sword. If you’re going into this story expecting a very engaging plot with a lot of twists and turns, then you might be somewhat disappointed; however, it’s going to be great if you’re of an audience that has a hard time suspending disbelief for supernatural stories, or if you’re not really a fan of stories that send you on a rollercoaster ride.
One grounded aspect of the story that I really appreciated was how the modern day Nate and Daniel were distinct characters from their past selves. It’s something they even blatantly state, that though they’re reincarnations, they are individuals who don’t share all the same traits or personalities as their counterparts. They don’t define themselves by being reincarnations, nor do they just assume they should be together because of it. That makes them much more likable and believable characters. They almost approach the whole scenario as if looking up information about past ancestors rather than past selves. I’ve never seen collaborative genealogical investigation kindle a romance before. It was great.
On the topic of prose, the writing itself is easygoing, which is probably best for a short supernatural romance novel like this. Personally, I was a bit disappointed that the prose doesn’t quite share the same quality as Domus Vocis’s short story work, but I’m a self proclaimed “prose nerd”, so that’s not something most audiences are going to get caught up about. I will say that the style of the prose changed a bit between time periods, which I found pretty neat; I honestly wish that had been leaned into a lot more.
Altogether, a solid read from a fantastic writer in the furry fictions space. I’m glad I picked it up.