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A review by bookish_notes
An Echo in the Sorrow by Hailey Turner
5.0
THIS BOOK??? This was THE MOST action-packed of all the Soulbound books so far that had me guessing what could possibly happen next, and it had me sobbing by the end (but for good reasons). Rest assured this book does end with a HFN but it is a VERY hard fought road to get there and we still have one more book, one more epic showdown to go!!!
The rest of this review will be as spoiler-free as possible for this book, but will reference things that happened in previous books.
Trigger warnings include graphic violence, demonic possession with and without consent, torture, kidnapping, forced pregnancy (by a fertility god in a previous book), and dismemberment.
A lot happens in this book!! For anyone needing a refresher of what leads up to this book...there’s Estelle and Youssef (the other New York City god pack) making alliances no matter the cost in order to get Patrick and Jono out of the way, Ilya has control creating an army of the undead, Ethan and the Dominic Sect are still a threat because he wants to become a god, and Jono’s dire, Sage, and the seer billionaire Marek are engaged to be married. So, yeah. There’s a lot going on.
I loved seeing how all the pieces that have been laid out in the previous books are coming together, even if everything gives me anxiety. I just want everyone to be happy and for Patrick to finally get his vacation! Is that too much to ask? But until then, Patrick and Jono have a heck of a lot to do to clean up the gods messes. Patrick has been a pawn in their game for years and this book proves that all the gods have chosen their sides, and it’s getting really ugly.
This book is intense in all the right places, but still allows for some breathing room with some snark and levity at just the perfect moments. Wade is still a darling and I love him to pieces!!! Not that other characters don’t also need to be protected, but I would love it if Wade suffers no more trauma. He’s so young and he’s already been through so much! After this book too, I think Patrick might be right there with him. Patrick is put through the wringer even more than usual but I do love that the pack, this found family of his, can help him heal (along with his therapist).
The whole situation with Ethan and Patrick’s twin sister, Hannah, is just...a LOT. I think I’ll talk more about this when the series is done? I don’t want to spoiler too much right now but it’s something I definitely want to dive deeper into.
The next book (and last!) will certainly be interesting in not only how everything gets resolved but what life will look like for the pack and their alliances after. I’m kinda rooting for Wade to have his own book with his own HEA and even for Spencer to have a polyam book with Lucien and Carmen because I feel like I need it!! Everyone deserves happiness. Even beings who live to irritate Patrick but still begrudging help him.
If I had to give one critique, the one thing that confuses me the most in this series is Ginnungagap. Like, I get the definition of it in the context of this book but I don’t GET it? How does it work? It’s a place but not a place? What’s it even doing (or maybe not doing because it’s...controlled??) at the last fight in this book? I don’t understand it. It’s confusing no matter how much I try to understand.
There are new gods in this one! They don’t play a huge role like we’ve seen new gods do in previous books, but it was nice seeing some new myths and characters, no matter what side they’re on.
There are certainly characters I love who I worry about not surviving the next book just because they’re not the main characters and that means they’re fair game to be killed off. I desperately hope my faves will all survive, but I’ve never read how Hailey Turner finishes her long book series and I AM SCARED. I’ve been left disappointed too much these past few months with other book series and their endings. Maybe I should hurry up and read her Metahumans series to get a better idea? That series also sounds very good.
All in all, I loved this book!! Pro-tip, when you get to the last chapter and the song that’s listed as playing at that moment right there on the page? I suggest pulling it up and listening to it while you read those last few pages. It gives the story ambiance and definitely had me sobbing from all the feels. I adore Patrick and Jono and they’ve been through so, SO much in the year they’ve met each other! I can’t wait to read what else is in store for them after the events of this book and to see if they get their much needed vacation to Maui. I am definitely planning on re-reading all the books before the last book when it comes out!!!
*** Thanks to A Novel Take PR for providing me an ARC for review!***
The rest of this review will be as spoiler-free as possible for this book, but will reference things that happened in previous books.
Trigger warnings include graphic violence, demonic possession with and without consent, torture, kidnapping, forced pregnancy (by a fertility god in a previous book), and dismemberment.
A lot happens in this book!! For anyone needing a refresher of what leads up to this book...there’s Estelle and Youssef (the other New York City god pack) making alliances no matter the cost in order to get Patrick and Jono out of the way, Ilya has control creating an army of the undead, Ethan and the Dominic Sect are still a threat because he wants to become a god, and Jono’s dire, Sage, and the seer billionaire Marek are engaged to be married. So, yeah. There’s a lot going on.
I loved seeing how all the pieces that have been laid out in the previous books are coming together, even if everything gives me anxiety. I just want everyone to be happy and for Patrick to finally get his vacation! Is that too much to ask? But until then, Patrick and Jono have a heck of a lot to do to clean up the gods messes. Patrick has been a pawn in their game for years and this book proves that all the gods have chosen their sides, and it’s getting really ugly.
This book is intense in all the right places, but still allows for some breathing room with some snark and levity at just the perfect moments. Wade is still a darling and I love him to pieces!!! Not that other characters don’t also need to be protected, but I would love it if Wade suffers no more trauma. He’s so young and he’s already been through so much! After this book too, I think Patrick might be right there with him. Patrick is put through the wringer even more than usual but I do love that the pack, this found family of his, can help him heal (along with his therapist).
The whole situation with Ethan and Patrick’s twin sister, Hannah, is just...a LOT. I think I’ll talk more about this when the series is done? I don’t want to spoiler too much right now but it’s something I definitely want to dive deeper into.
The next book (and last!) will certainly be interesting in not only how everything gets resolved but what life will look like for the pack and their alliances after. I’m kinda rooting for Wade to have his own book with his own HEA and even for Spencer to have a polyam book with Lucien and Carmen because I feel like I need it!! Everyone deserves happiness. Even beings who live to irritate Patrick but still begrudging help him.
If I had to give one critique, the one thing that confuses me the most in this series is Ginnungagap. Like, I get the definition of it in the context of this book but I don’t GET it? How does it work? It’s a place but not a place? What’s it even doing (or maybe not doing because it’s...controlled??) at the last fight in this book? I don’t understand it. It’s confusing no matter how much I try to understand.
There are new gods in this one! They don’t play a huge role like we’ve seen new gods do in previous books, but it was nice seeing some new myths and characters, no matter what side they’re on.
There are certainly characters I love who I worry about not surviving the next book just because they’re not the main characters and that means they’re fair game to be killed off. I desperately hope my faves will all survive, but I’ve never read how Hailey Turner finishes her long book series and I AM SCARED. I’ve been left disappointed too much these past few months with other book series and their endings. Maybe I should hurry up and read her Metahumans series to get a better idea? That series also sounds very good.
All in all, I loved this book!! Pro-tip, when you get to the last chapter and the song that’s listed as playing at that moment right there on the page? I suggest pulling it up and listening to it while you read those last few pages. It gives the story ambiance and definitely had me sobbing from all the feels. I adore Patrick and Jono and they’ve been through so, SO much in the year they’ve met each other! I can’t wait to read what else is in store for them after the events of this book and to see if they get their much needed vacation to Maui. I am definitely planning on re-reading all the books before the last book when it comes out!!!
*** Thanks to A Novel Take PR for providing me an ARC for review!***