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Soul Saga #1

Soul Catcher

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A mysterious man, whose identity is a secret and his face unknown, is an outcast and exiled on The Continent, where he sticks to the shadows and appears to be dead in the eyes of the world. His devastating past has made him bitter and sarcastic, mean and insulting, and he chooses to live a criminal life rather than one of virtue. But when he is stabbed fatally in the chest, he is forced to seek help from a nature priest, but his aid comes at a price—to rescue a woman. Against his reservations and protests, he travels to a guarded city and rescues her from the Prisoner’s Circle, and as soon as she sees his frame, cloaked and covered in weapons, along with his hostile attitude and malicious words, she is wary of him. Soon, the man becomes fond of his annoying traveling companion until she betrays him in the biggest way—by looking into his Soul Catcher. She discovers his true identity—a man she has met before.

304 pages, Paperback

First published August 14, 2013

92 people are currently reading
656 people want to read

About the author

E.L. Todd

216 books2,731 followers
USA Today Bestselling Author, E. L. Todd is one of the most prolific authors of her genre, having published over a hundred novels. With over one million copies sold, she writes romance stories ranging from contemporary romance, new adult romance, and fantasy romance. She's best known for her Forever and Always Series as well as her Timeless Series.

She loves coffee, ice cream, and anything with sugar.


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5 stars
74 (34%)
4 stars
53 (24%)
3 stars
47 (21%)
2 stars
25 (11%)
1 star
15 (7%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for L.K. Evans.
Author 6 books56 followers
January 18, 2014
Hmmm...so I’m writing this review before I decide the number of stars to give it because, honestly, I just don’t know. Right off the bat, I’ll tell you that I’ll be buying the second book. I want to know what happens and I’m invested enough in the characters that I need to know what happens.

I guess I’ll start with what I didn’t like.

There were some unfortunate info dumps using confusing past and presence tenses that called attention to a few of them. They were short and contained information that I honestly forgot. I tend to glaze over paragraphs reciting world history when there’s no dialog or sensory additions that keep me focused. That being said, they were pretty brief.

A lot of information was redundant. A. Lot. I think what made this so blatant was the fact that the character POV shifted within a paragraph. It’s a head-hopper. As I’ve said before, I really, and I mean REALLY, enjoy multiple character POVs. What I don’t like is when it hops from sentence to sentence between characters, which happened in this book. It never grounds me to a scene, and this book was no exception. One minute we’re hearing the thoughts of a character which are generally reciprocated in the next sentence by another character. Then repeated a few paragraphs later.

There were some odd analogies. Like second hands on a clock, a pressured hose. It didn’t seem to fit with the time period and kinda threw me off a couple times.

Here’s something that doesn’t bother me, but thought I would share with people who are thinking of picking this book up: there is rape, there is sex.

Now, what I liked.

The characters themselves did not blow me away, but I really cared what happened to them. Aleco is a tormented man, which immediately draws me to him. I like characters with horrific pasts, and Aleco gives me that character. I wish the book would have had more slower scenes so we could get to know them better. Perhaps even more interaction with other characters, more dialog. Not to say I don’t know Aleco’s character well, but I wanted...something more in depth. Accacia was a character that sloshed from emotion to emotion. I didn’t have a problem with her until about half way through the book. I didn’t like her actions towards Aleco and it turned me off from her.

Some of the descriptions were a little flat, but other times they blew me away. There were times when Todd described physical sensations that were nothing shy of brilliant. I felt myself aching in sympathy. Love that!

The plot was nothing new or earth-shattering, but I found myself enjoying it. Besides one too many flashbacks, it moved along fine for my taste.

Now that I’ve written this, I’ve decided to go with 3 stars on Goodreads, 4 on Amazon because of their different meanings. I like this books. And, as I said, I will be buying the next one.
Profile Image for Elle.
79 reviews
September 23, 2013
This would the worst book I've read all year, but it's so (unintentionally) hilarious that Outlander retains that illustrious title. (No, I won't shut up about it. It was THAT bad, okay?)

The book reads like some kid's story about their totally badass Skyrim character after being run through a machine translator. The main character can't show his face to anyone, so he wears some balaclava +1 all the time, even while eating. That's totally mysterious and not lame at all. His sword has not one, not two, but THREE blades on it, and he only sleeps three hours a night. He's so ~scary~ that townspeople literally run inside and bolt their doors when they see him, yet somehow the guards have NO CLUE who could've possibly killed people just outside the gates.

This uber badass is sent to rescue a damsel in distress for ~reasons~ by the "Chief Nature Priest." When he finds her chained up in the Aleutian Keep (no relation to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska), she is dressed in precisely "two thin rags," because of course she is. They escape. Damsel lady reveals that she was raped repeatedly by the stupidly eeeeevil duke. But that's not enough--we're then treated to page after page after PAGE of tediously detailed flashbacks of her abuse and how the duke discovered he really LOVES her through rape.



Okay, book, you were funny-bad before, now you're bad-bad.

I'll admit, I only made it 30%. That's a lot coming from someone who finished all 800+ pages of horrible Scottish romance in under a week. Goofy malapropisms, awkward dialogue, unbelievable sequences of events, forced romance, telling instead of showing: this book is littered with things that an editor--hell, even just a re-read--should've caught. Self-publishing is great and all, but it isn't an excuse to charge people for your shit first draft. I might finish this this one day simply because I hate myself and find bad books funny.
Profile Image for Nancy Steinle gummel.
507 reviews98 followers
October 24, 2013
Soul Catcher by E.L. Todd is a fantastic read. The story grabbed you from the very beginning. Todd brought these characters to life with feeling. I empathathized with them. After a fatal wound Aleco, a bitter and tormented soul, goes to Fr. Giloth to be healed. For his treatment Aleco agrees to rescue a damsel in distress to be recognized by the matching necklace. He rescues Accacia from the prisoners circle in Morkaah. They flee the city and return to the woods preserve to Fr. Giloth. He asks Aleco to hide her for they will surely search him and the forrest and he can not lie. Finally Aleco get her to tell her tale. She was kidnapped and continuously raped by Drake the ruler of Morkaah. Drake is also Alecos twin brother. Aleco always wears a cloak hiding his id. The adventure continues as Aleco's heart thaws but then Accacia discovers who he resembles and her fears start all over. Will she ever learn to trust Aleco? Can she learn to realize he's not his brother? Will these 2 young lovers ever find happiness? This is a first read win. I have given my honest opinion and review.
Profile Image for Kris.
74 reviews30 followers
August 25, 2013
I'm so excited about this new author. E.L. has created a world that is exciting and engaging. I love Aleco and Accacia and am eager to see what happens in the next book. The romance was sweet and the adventure was intense. I believe there are a few more books coming so I will be eagerly awaiting them!
Profile Image for Alicia Huxtable.
1,910 reviews60 followers
February 3, 2021
Tear Catcher

After all the twists and turns and then to end a book like that.........this author must be collecting tears. I know there's a second book and I sincerely hope it's as good as this one
Profile Image for Art Carranza.
1 review
August 27, 2013
I usually read at night to help me go to sleep, so when I saw Soul Catcher offered for free through my Amazon prime account, I downloaded it to my Kindle. Before I knew it, I looked at the clock and it was 3:00 am! This book did the exact opposite that I wanted it to, keeping me up late into the night, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It is an amazing read and wonderful find. I just don't recommend reading it right before bed time!
Profile Image for Elena Carpenter.
Author 13 books36 followers
November 15, 2013
This book was amazing and the mature romance with Aleco and Accacia was touching. Only thing the cliff hanger of waiting to see what happens next has you greiving because you have to wait for book two.

Aleco is on a mission to save Accacia and evil lord Drake has had her held against her will. So many terrible things happen to her while held prisoner. Don't want to give too much away. I really enjoyed it!!!!

There are some romantic words and descriptions for adults only.
Profile Image for The Book Junkie Reads . . ..
5,017 reviews154 followers
January 19, 2015
It took me a little longer than expected to finish but, I am so ready for the next book.

A mysterious man, whose identity is a secret and his face unknown has captured my interest and has me wanting more. Fantasy has a tight hold onto the pages of this book. This ride keeps you on board from beginning all the way to the end.
2 reviews7 followers
June 28, 2019
Love this book. E.L. Todd is a great author. Wish she would write a third part of the gray series
Profile Image for Valkyrie.
6 reviews
November 13, 2013
In a nutshell (read after this paragraph if you like lengthy): I love the characters and I crave more from each of them. I would love some more hidden nuggets of mystery as to future events, and I would love more details on this world, it's laws and mysteries and also past influential characters. In this area in particular it was lacking a bit and instead just barely touched on it. All in all, an easy 4/5 stars. I will be buying the future 2 novels. Worth the time and a surprisingly fast paced and fast read.


************pardon my way of writing reviews, it follows my thoughts and not some 'form'*****************

I received a copy of this book to read and review from the author. After reading the book I looked up more information about it and the author to see if it echoed my own thoughts. Not so much. I don't think the blurbs do the story justice.


AFTER completing the book, I was impressed with the creation of this world, it's laws and rules, it's inhabitants, and its mysteries. I was however let down a little with the lack of details/back story/maps regarding these areas but then again I favor heavy hitting authors who often take this to the max like Jordan, Sanderson, Goodkind, and so many others (they are just more recent). I hope the other two books will provide more 'insight' to this world and not just the characters.

Favorite aspect: Creativeness. The world, magic, types of people and the rules/laws governing them were intriguing. I want more info!

Least favorite aspect: repetitiveness. I like to have to read the book again to get more clues and pick up more information. While there were some areas that were excellent, there were also many areas that I felt were wasted.

I found the love portion of this story enjoyable and well played out. The flashbacks were plentiful for the characters which was a nice change up from the usual 'back stories first'. However towards the end it felt rather repetitive when the pair and their shared scenes because their thoughts and feelings were relayed very often. I know this is true for reality, when people are in a loving relationship they often relish what they feel over and over, but in a novel I am often left feeling like the words eventually are wasted because there is plenty of other tidbits to squeeze into 300 or so pages.

Towards the end I wanted more going on in general.
***MINOR SPOILER BEGIN**** when they were sparring for example, I was waiting to hear more about her progress and mini adventures or memories in the making. Instead the last 30 pages or so seem rather internal and just thoughts/feelings from the two of them. While this was well done it overtook the ending.
****SPOILER END*******


I was glued to the story and found myself keeping track of how many pages were left so that I might guess how much further into the story it would make it. I recommend this book for some fast, good reading and especially to those who enjoy SOT, WOT, Mistborn and the like.
Profile Image for Krystal.
229 reviews1 follower
August 4, 2014

I actually cannot believe I finished this one. And part of me thinks that it might deserve a second star just because it did not make me give up on it before it was over. But on retrospect, i'm pretty sure I did a fair amount of skimming.

I found the plot to be fairly predictable. I mean, it was not awfully so- meaning that even though I knew the general direction of the plot, there were still some twists along the way. And to be honest, the fantasy world that this is set in was really interesting. I just wish that different characters and different struggles were set here.

I think the reason that I was so dissatisfied in these characters is that they had an inability to communicate- which might be my number one frustration with any romance novel. Just a simple conversation and some honesty could have saved SOO much struggle. I also disliked these characters because they changed for each other. And that really bothers me. It is one thing to go through difficulties together and come through on the other side different- and that metamorphosis bringing you together. But that is not what happened. And I just can't get behind things like that.

I also felt like this story was fairly disjointed, with the conflict doing a 180 three separate times in the novel, with the only common ground being their attraction. It felt like the author realized he had written a novella, and decided he needed to make it longer, so he added more plot. I realize that some of these critiques might be personal preference and so you may read the book and come to a completely different conclusion- and I hope so- but for me, this book was a disappointment.

Profile Image for Mariela Germann.
106 reviews20 followers
February 7, 2014
I would like to thank the group Making Connections and the author E. L. Todd for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.


I am so in love with this book; the story was TERRIFIC!!!!!, FANTASTIC, VERY, VERY, VERY WELL DONE!!!!!!. I loved how the author developed the story with each page, as I turned page to page, I just couldn't put it down, Aleco and Accacia's story was just incredible, wonderful, very original. What I loved the most about their story is that even thought Accacia was the damsel in distress and Aleco, the savior, at the beginning, as they spent time together, eventually they became friends and after that lovers. Their love was not at first sight, well I might have to say that Aleco by covering his face all the time that would have to make it harder and even impossible; anyways their past was dark but Aleco's was darker, Accacia's past was just sad, and the abused that she suffered with Drake, Father Giloth's kindness, the destruction of a civilation, the sadistic and greedy ways of Drake and everything else mixed up together; it made the story worth of telling.


Ms. Todd's fabulous narrative and descriptive writing style transported me to another surreal world with mercenaries, cruel characters, fantastic love story, powerful and magical stones and a little bit of mystery. Every single character was different from one another, and all the different P.O.V's and that cliffhanger made me wanting more. I cannot wait to read the next book!!!!!
Profile Image for Fatima Zavala.
1 review
September 26, 2013
SOUL CATCHER was a story that I couldn't stop reading. The beginning was a little slow and hard to get into, but when Aleco met Accacia, that's when I got hooked. Their bickering and arguments were enjoyable and I couldn't remember the number of times I wanted to slap both of them. I loved their relationship and seeing it grow.


When the story reached the halfway point, it was sometime late into the night, but I kept going. I hated the evil villains in this story, but I think that says more about the author. I wanted them to die and I wanted Aleco to kill them. I fell in love with the characters, as well as the villians.

The ending was absolutely tragic. There were tears in my eyes. Seriously. I never cry during novels. Well, when Dumbledore died I cried too, but this novel started the water works. Overall, this novel was great. I can't wait for the second one.
Profile Image for Jessie.
1,154 reviews9 followers
October 26, 2013
This is a ARC review. The author gave me this book in exchange for a honest review.

I gave this a 3·5

it took me a while to get into this book but it soon got interesting.. I loved the bickering and sarcastic remarks it really made me laugh :-)
I liked seeing them grow closer specially because he gave of the 'I don't care' attitude at the beginning but you could tell he did when he started asking questions ..
at the end I had tears in my eyes made me emotional.
E.L you did a great job these sort of books ain't my typical read but it was good.. I gave it 3·5 because It took me a while to get into it but I think that was just me as I'm not used to reading these genre of books

Your writing is really good :-)
Profile Image for R D.
1 review14 followers
September 9, 2013
In SOUL CATCHER, E. L. Todd tells a gripping tale in a fascinating world populated with interesting characters. But her greatest strength is that she’s a master of manipulating readers’ emotions. From the beginning, I couldn’t put the book down. Tension continued to build all the way to the end. At times I was frustrated, nearly apoplectic, near tears, yet enjoyed delightfully written love scenes. This is the first volume of a trilogy – I can hardly wait for volume two. Todd is young and this five-star effort is her first novel. As good as she is, she’s not as good as she’s going to be. Keep an eye on this rising young star!
4 reviews
September 12, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon this novel I purchased on Amazon. I was immediately interested after reading just the first few pages which rarely ever happens when I start a book. It usually takes me at least a few chapters to start forming an opinion on a novel.

The Author, E.L. Todd does a fantastic job of making you love (and hate) the characters in the book. I found my heart breaking for Accacia and the trials she had been through and frustrated for Aleco and the unfairness of his life experiences. I can not wait to see what is to come in the second book of the series!!! I hope E.L. Todd publishes it soon!
Profile Image for Jenna.
1,625 reviews14 followers
September 15, 2013
3.5 stars this is not the kind of book I normally read but it was for free on Amazon and I just can't resist a free book so I thought let's give it as try.
And you what? I liked it, I liked the characters this world they live in and their strength.

We have Aleco an outcast killer who's is dying after being stabbed with a special knife. To safe his life he travels to a natural priest. The price of saving his life rescue a woman from jail.
Accacia abused and living in hell as a sex slave to horrible man.

They both have their story's and scars on their soul, and they can't stand each other.

This was a good read and I will be buying the second book when it comes out.
Profile Image for Megpie.
453 reviews85 followers
January 3, 2014
Hmm, this one was okay. It didn't really do anything for me though. I found the characters, the world, and the overall story just mehhh. It wasn't bad, it was just.... boring, I guess. Nothing exciting or interesting really stood out to me, the romance was bland and boring what little there was. Though I can say the story was original.

However, I may read the second one just to see how that cliffy gets resolved and maybe the story gets better. Unfortunately I would not recommend this book, there is much much better more interesting books in the same genre out there.
Profile Image for Shari.
20 reviews1 follower
February 17, 2014
3.5 stars

I liked this book a lot. There was something in the writing style (especially at the beginning of the book) that didn't really appeal to me, but I'm not sure what it was. The author left the book in a spot that left more story to be told, but no real cliffhanger (I hate cliffhangers). I think the book got better as it progressed and I'd like to read the next books in the series.

Thank you to the Making Connections group and E.L. Todd for an eBook copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Adrian.
529 reviews18 followers
August 28, 2016
**warning!! this book contains rape scenes that may be a trigger for some**

I'm honestly surprised I finished this book. The writing style is not one that I prefer. It's very matter of fact- tell, not show. Which, for me, makes me feel a bit disconnected. I never connected to the characters. As a matter of fact, they aggravated me.

The rape scenes, I could have done without.

I just felt like there was a critical element that the story was missing. I liked the plot. I liked the general idea that the author had but the execution was lacking.
Profile Image for Annabel Schuler.
7 reviews1 follower
September 19, 2013

Ohhh, this was good. It got seriously good when the unknown hero met a woman. She looked into his soul and recognized him. It gave me shivers.

The Soul Catcher is a fast paced story with characters that stay in your mind. I devoured this book and then obsessed over it for a couple nights. I might still be obsessing over it next week.

E,L, Todd is one of those authors that make you wish you were born in another time with a better skill set and secret identity. This was great fantasy.
Profile Image for Cindy Williams.
28 reviews2 followers
September 20, 2013
This book was a little slow starting, but now can't put it down. E.L. Todd is brilliant. What an imagination. The detail are extraordinary. This is a must read book in my mind. Christine Feehan used to be my favorite author. E.L. Todd is right up there with her. Thank you Ms. Todd for this enjoyable book. I can't wait for her second book. I'm on edge.....
Profile Image for Jerome Brooke.
Author 195 books20 followers
September 5, 2013
Todd sings the history of a man of shadows. He seeks refuge in a remote grotto. Men do not venture into the den of the man, fearing ghosts of warriors of past ages. Todd writes smoothly, and creates a world of her own. The book stands out, and is well worth reading. Bravo !
Profile Image for Molly Small.
39 reviews
September 19, 2013
This is a great fantasy page turner! A brand new world with interesting characters and plenty of conflict. Can't wait for the next one!
Profile Image for Christine.
112 reviews
March 19, 2014
Loved it
Aleco was the perfect broody alpha .... Swoontastic
The ending broke my heart and I sobbed like a baby
Can't wait for book 2
Profile Image for Pat Schiffman deppe.
10 reviews
February 16, 2015
good book kept my interest long enough so that i continued to read past the fifth chapter. I will need to keep this author on the good list for more books to read.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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