Scan barcode
A review by wizardesquelesbian
A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
we need to have a serious talk about the antagonists and their motivations (major spoilers below the cut)
sooooo WHAT was up with our antagonists depiction??? specifically the queen (can't remember her name so I'll just refer to her as that)
the issue of consent and the way the queen's lived experiences are dismissed and downplayed by our FL is genuinely very icky to me!! it's a complicated situation, because orpheus didn't seem to understand that his first GF was under durress when he was with her, HOWEVER implied or coerced consent is NOT consent, full stop. the queen thought her life was in genuine danger and was doing what she thought she had to in order to survive, and even if our FL has an alternative perspective of orpheus, it is an understanding that the queen absolutely did not have. orpheus seemingly didn't fully understand the power he had over her, BUT that does NOT excuse his behavior or actions. reia's victim-blamey relief when she realizes that the queen 'made her own hell' (to paraphrase) was so fucking gross to me and genuinely put me off of a book that I otherwise fucking adored.
I cannot stress enough how terrifying all of that would have to have been for the queen. her perspective is realistic and heart wrenching and for her POV to be so summarily dismissed put me off big time. the inherent power imbalance between orpheus and his companions is one that is not given the gravity that it would realistically have, and while I could have let that slide under normal circumstances, the author themself drags it into the story kicking and screaming. I was prepared to suspend my disbelief, but the author made it my problem so here we are.
If it weren't for this, the book would have been a 5 star read for me!! I loved the relationship between our two mains and even if reia got on my nerves occasionally, I thought the two had a cute dynamic and I appreciated how visceral the story made itself at times, with a good combo of eroticism and horror-esque elements. I liked that orpheus was a big ol scary monster! I loved that reia didn't need to try and change him! I like that, by the end of the book, the two are on equal footing! there is a lot to love here! but the way the antagonist's motivation was handled put the whole book in a tailspin retrospectively and even now, as I write about the good elements of reia and orpheus' relationship, I can't help but compare it to how the queen must have felt in her own time with orpheus. it just puts such a gross taste in my mouth and I feel like it was so very poorly handled - personally I think it was an unnecessary inclusion, but if the author was dead-set on including it I wish it had been handled much better.
I don't want to dislike this book, and I don't think I really 100% could, but I advise any future readers to proceed with caution, especially if having victims of what could (generously) be called "dubious" consent shit on in-narrative is a potential trigger.
Believe survivors, understand consent, and take care of yourselves!
the issue of consent and the way the queen's lived experiences are dismissed and downplayed by our FL is genuinely very icky to me!! it's a complicated situation, because orpheus didn't seem to understand that his first GF was under durress when he was with her, HOWEVER implied or coerced consent is NOT consent, full stop. the queen thought her life was in genuine danger and was doing what she thought she had to in order to survive, and even if our FL has an alternative perspective of orpheus, it is an understanding that the queen absolutely did not have. orpheus seemingly didn't fully understand the power he had over her, BUT that does NOT excuse his behavior or actions. reia's victim-blamey relief when she realizes that the queen 'made her own hell' (to paraphrase) was so fucking gross to me and genuinely put me off of a book that I otherwise fucking adored.
I cannot stress enough how terrifying all of that would have to have been for the queen. her perspective is realistic and heart wrenching and for her POV to be so summarily dismissed put me off big time. the inherent power imbalance between orpheus and his companions is one that is not given the gravity that it would realistically have, and while I could have let that slide under normal circumstances, the author themself drags it into the story kicking and screaming. I was prepared to suspend my disbelief, but the author made it my problem so here we are.
If it weren't for this, the book would have been a 5 star read for me!! I loved the relationship between our two mains and even if reia got on my nerves occasionally, I thought the two had a cute dynamic and I appreciated how visceral the story made itself at times, with a good combo of eroticism and horror-esque elements. I liked that orpheus was a big ol scary monster! I loved that reia didn't need to try and change him! I like that, by the end of the book, the two are on equal footing! there is a lot to love here! but the way the antagonist's motivation was handled put the whole book in a tailspin retrospectively and even now, as I write about the good elements of reia and orpheus' relationship, I can't help but compare it to how the queen must have felt in her own time with orpheus. it just puts such a gross taste in my mouth and I feel like it was so very poorly handled - personally I think it was an unnecessary inclusion, but if the author was dead-set on including it I wish it had been handled much better.
I don't want to dislike this book, and I don't think I really 100% could, but I advise any future readers to proceed with caution, especially if having victims of what could (generously) be called "dubious" consent shit on in-narrative is a potential trigger.
Believe survivors, understand consent, and take care of yourselves!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cannibalism, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Physical abuse, and Gaslighting