Read November 2-3, 2025

Rating (4 stars)

Get it here https://a.co/d/cZ1QZUh

He may be soulless, but he has a lot of heart

I loved the premise of this story! Cress is a monster. In his world, creatures known as Soulless can consume the souls of humans. Doing so (temporarily) abates the gnawing hunger that drives them, but it also creates a new Soulless to prey on mankind. But something about Cress is different. He’s managed to avoid condemming others to his fate. But when he finds Syndel, unconscious, wounded, and alone in the wild forest his hunger kicks into overdrive. She has the purest, brightest soul he’s ever seen. He is driven to consume and possess and protect her in equal measures. Yet despite his eternal hunger he vows to protect her from other Soulless, and all the other dangers of their realm.

Syndel is special. Not only is her soul, her aura, a beacon of purity and light, but we slowly learn of the hardships and tragedy she has endured. I wanna avoid spoilers, but her past and family lineage is important, and her willingess to trust Cress despite his Soulless nature says a lot about her character.

The truth of how the Soulless came to be unravels slowly. The first two-thirds of the book are mostly just Cress and Syndel getting to know one another and then traveling north in an effort to evade men known as Noble-lords; men possessing magical powers and a dark history with Syndel. The story’s pacing staggered a little (only a little) with the true nature of their quest and final confrontation taking place in the book’s last third. For me, the prep for the epic battle, the outcome of which will determine the fate of mankind and Soulless alike, felt a tad rushed. But the message this book sets out to convey, that we all have the power to choose goodness and light, was delivered with aplomb.

While most books in the Romantasy genre are known for their spice, this one is proud to announce itself as “clean Romantasy,” free of crude language, unnecessary violence, and sex. It’s a true YA romantic fantasy story but with themes of fate and redemption that will appeal to readers of all ages.

I usually don’t comment on a book’s cover (and it held no bearing on my rating) but in this case I think it’s warranted. The vibe the current cover gave me was of a more contemporary read. I didn’t get the sense of magic, the quaint era of the tale, or of fantasy from the current cover. If the author were to consider a cover change, something more in line with the genre, it may draw in more readers.