Soul of Salvation

The Divide #2

by Ali Stuebbe

Must read book one, Blood of Desiderium first! This is the sequel and contains spoilers beyond this point.

In the aftermath of the battle at the Court of Ashes, Emma’s sacrifice for salvation thrusts her into a dark realm where the God of Darkness demands a grim price for her newfound power.

The fate of the world hangs in the balance,A God is harboring dark secrets,And a mate refuses to lose again.

The darkness’ hold on her makes her hunger for death, until a predestined bond beckons her and conflicts the monster she has become. Emma must follow through with a world-altering task, or decide if she wants to break free from the vice of her powers, for the sake of all she loves.

Then, a profound truth changes everything, testing her strength to bring light to a dark reality. Will Emma endure the burdens of her task or will she sacrifice her heart to protect those she holds dear?

Will she choose love over darkness?


Trigger Warnings:
-Violence/Gore/Death
-Grief
-Profanity
-Mention of suicidal intent
-Alcohol use for coping 
-Torture
-Overall dark themes

*This book is 18+ with explicit language and sexual scenes. SoS is the second book in the duology.*

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Fae, Dark Romance, Dark Fantasy, High Fantasy

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2024

About the author

Ali Stuebbe is a new author who currently lives in Oahu with her husband and two kids. She has a passion for writing, and only wishes to create a new world for readers to fall in love with.

Reviews

[Chris Stbbz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait for this to be released:)))

[Ali Stuebbe]

SoS is set to release March 1st, 2024 and is now available for PREORDER! :)

[Natalie ~ The Biblioholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

MILD SPOILER, but Blood of Desiderium ended with Emma making a sacrifice—to stop her father from killing everyone, she went with him. Draven watched the life be snuffed from her eyes and the darkness take a firm hold of the woman he loved. It was devastating and waiting for the conclusion to THAT... lawd, the wait was excruciating.

But here I am and it was well worth it.

In Soul of Salvation, Emma is in the dark world inhabited by her father, Whiro, the god of darkness. He keeps giving her tests, the worst of which is taking the lives of random fae males. While in the realm, Emma feels nothing. She does what she's supposed to do, waiting for her next task. When her father commands her to betray Draven and bring him as the next soul to be sacrificed, it's her first time going back to her world. Will she remain cold and unfeeling or will Draven be the key to giving her her heart back?

On the flip side, Draven's a wreck. He drowns himself in drink to soothe the pain of Emma's absence and their friends aren't able to reach him. They understand, but there's really nothing they can do to help. When word reaches them of Emma's arrival, Draven can't stay away. And then it's a fight to save his mate and his kingdom from the worst being they've ever seen.

I loved the build up to battle and how these characters were able to still find time to renew their bonds. Emma was done fighting Draven and it was so freaking sweet to see them so in tune with each other. Draven would do absolutely anything to save, protect and keep her and she would do the same.

This duology ended so perfectly and I'm excited to see what's next from this author.

[Deana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooof! What a wild ride this duology has been!
😢😭🫣😈😏🫠🥵🌶️🖤🥰🤩

If you haven’t read Blood of Desiderium, the first book in this duology, YOU BETTER!

Be sure to check the trigger warnings on this book before diving in!

- Found family
- Morally grey MCs
- Strong FMC
- Dark romance
- Fated mates
- Multi POV
- 4/5 🌶️

I had the greatest honor to be chosen as an ARC reader for this book! This was my first ARC and I’m thankful Ali took a chance on me because I absolutely loved this story!

Soul of Salvation begins shortly after the events of the first book and continues to follow Emma, Draven, Cora, Kye, and Fynn through their journey to save the people of Deyadrum.
Emma has lost herself to the darkness being commanded by the God of Darkness, or so it seems, and is devising a plan to get back to her loved ones… you’ll have to read the novel to find out if she’s successful! And revenge is a dish best served piping hot right out of the oven. 😈

Don’t sleep on this series! SoS is packed with character growth, drama, action, romance, heartache, longing, and so much more!

Emma is one of the strongest FMCs I have ever met, and like every living being, she has moments of weakness, but she learns to give herself grace, and perseveres through all the darkness life has thrown at her.

Draven. Ali, the swoon in this book is right up there with Xaden from The Empyrean Series! He is everything I could ever dream of in a MMC! He unwaveringly loyal, sweet, broody, protective, sexy, tatted, muscular, and just the right amount of possessive! He earned a one-way ticket to my favorite book boyfriends list with this read!

AND THE SHADOWS… WHAT THOSE SHADOWS DO THOUGH?! Iykyk. 🥵

I won’t spoil the ending!
Find out how this story ends on March 1!

[Sammie rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS. SERIES.
This series has had me in a chokehold. Book one was one of my favs l read last year!! I’ve been dying for book 2 and was super lucky to be an ARC reader ❤️

IT WAS SO GOOD!!!!

Definitely a little more heavy on the action and less on the “drama” I say that in quotes because there was still so much of it! It was the perfect ending to this series.

Draven was the most loyal mate ever- he never gave up on our Emma girl and thats just *chefs kiss* one of my fav things about the mates trope.

I loved that it’s a happy ending to an insane story compared to book one’s massive cliffhanger. Everyone had a happy ending and that was just so perfect.

Now I’m not a woman of words like Ali truly is so I’ll just leave it at….. READ IT.

[Nicola Kolbohm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first ever ARC read, so thank you, Ali, for the privilege 💜.

I absolutely loved Blood of Desiderium, it was one of my favourite reads of 2023 and I've waited not sooo patiently for Soul of Salvation to come out. But was it worth the wait!!! Abso-fucking-lutely!! 🤌🤌.

The Spice, the heartbreak, the story, the survival 🤌🌶💔😭😱. This book was an emotional roller coaster, and me being the fool that I am, raced to the front seat and dived straight in only to happily do it again!

Witnessing the trauma and pain both Emma and Draven had to go through to get to each other was heart-wrenching! Ali! You have a lot to answer for!! You had a death grip on my sanity from chaper 33 to 41!

This was the perfect book to wrap up this duology, I loved every minute of it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Ali Stuebbe for the ARC of Soul of Salvation.  After being left in utter despair in the first book I scoured a way to get answers and stumbled onto your Instagram post about the ARC. I was so excited to get chosen. First of all the spice 🌶🌶🌶🌶 5/5. The stress....also 5 out of 5.  Heartbreak...yes you guessed it 5 out 5. I got to chapter 31 and had to take a break for the night because my anxiety was starting to rise.  I cried...more than once. This book started out strong and remained strong throughout the whole book.  After finishing I have decided now is the best time for me to divorce my husband and find my dark prince who can fly me away on demand to a dark cave with a hot spring. This monotonous Ohio life is not for me. 

[Luca · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

To describe this book with just one word: mess. The whole book was a big, giant mess.

You know when you have to write an essay and you struggle with it. Always writing a bit to add to it and in the end you don't even read it just send it in in a rush, feeling the small parts separately were kind of good so the whole will be too. Yeah well, that's what came to my mind when I was reading.
Like the author just kept piling chapter after chapter on one another and wasn't checking where the story is going. What did she say already, what is even the plot line..how should I resolve questions and give some major character development? How can it be not boring?
I really struggled with this one, I had hopes after the first one that this story can still be good, but this book just wasn't that, tbh the first one was better. I could really go into details and highlight all the things why this book wasn't working for me but I don't even have an interest in that. That's how flat this story was.

[امال]

When does this get released?????

[Anaïs (a.court.of.a.dreamer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙙𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙨. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢, 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨.”

I’ve waited so long to jump back into this world, especially after the major cliffhanger from the first book. Let me tell you, it was worth the wait! Ali Stuebbe delivered an amazing sequel to Blood of Desiderium.

Soul of Salvation will have you hooked from page 1 and take you on a journey that you are not ready for but will be thankful at the end.

“𝙄 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙢𝙚, 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚.”

Emma has quickly become one of my favorite FMC. I loved seeing her character growth between book 1 and book 2. I loved how she finally embraced who she truly is and no longer took shit from anyone. I loved how she finally got her very well deserved revenge!

Draven is the perfect morally grey MMC and he deserves everything good in the world.

“𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣.”

Ali’s writing is insane. It is beautiful, it is captivating and she has become an auto buy author for me. She completely shattered my heart and put it all together in this book. Played with every single emotions that I can think of.

If you love a badass FMC and a morally grey MMC, shadows, enemies to lovers, found family, revenge, “who did this to you?” and my absolute favorite “touch her and you die” this book is for you!

Ali, this duet couldn’t have been more perfect! As sad as I am, leaving these characters and this world being, I am so honored to have had the chance to read about them! I am so honored to have receive an ARC of this amazing book! Thank you so much!

[FloofyMooseReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the The Divide duology, a dark new adult romantic fantasy duology. Tropes include shadow daddy, found family, who did this to you, shadow mommy, hurt/comfort, fated mates and dragons. This book does include adult spicy content and dark themes so please check content warnings.

The Lovely: Whereas I struggled to get into book one, I flew through book two in one day. Something was always happening and I needed to know what would happen next. I grew to love the FMC and MMC’s relationship even more, especially how he cared for her and wanted to protect her, but let her do what she needed to do, too. There was so much growth in both of them, it was fulfilling to see.

The Mundane: I still felt like some of the scenes felt drawn out, again due to inner monologues. They seemed to slow the pace of the book and held up the action from occurring (although a lot did happen in this book).

Rating: 4/5 Stars 3/5 Flames

Recommendation: The ending for this duology was perfect and exactly what I like to see (a HEA, a loot forward, etc.). As a whole, this duology hit all of my sweet spots - shadow daddy, angst, hurt/comfort, dark themes and a HEA. I would definitely read another series by this author, and would recommend this duology to others who like dark romantasy.

[Sarah Eldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh! This book took me for a ride! I deeply enjoyed the first book, but this one was superb. I adore all characters and the plot was fantastic!

While this was my first ever ARC read… I’m so thankful to have been chosen! The reading of the this book was enjoyable and quick.

Emma and Draven have been pulled into a venture centuries old. The battle to free Emma from the burdens of her parentage. Draven to fight the beast within. Lovable side characters flesh out the cast… while giving us impossibly frustrating villains.

The clever and unique situations created by the author are such a breath of fresh air. For once I am sad it’s only 2 books. I would read more!!!

If you are looking for a fun and fast romantasy read. These are the books for you!

[Ivana Pappalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soul of Salvation picks up a few months later from where Blood of Desiderium left us. Of course it left us on an epic cliffhanger so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book!!

Let me say that I loved every moment of reading SOS! The writing is dark and beautiful and fantastic. Ali creates such a vivid picture with her writing that I feel like I have fallen into the pages of her book.

Be prepared to be devastated. I shed so many tears while reading!! This book destroyed me and then slowly glued me back together🥹

SOS was the perfect ending for a perfect series. I strongly recommend reading this series♥️

[Livres & Chats ll Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il est tout aussi intriguant que le tome 1, avec beaucoup plus de noirceur au début et d’espoir pour tout contrebalancer.

C’est une dark romantasy qui m’a happée et tenue en haleine tout au long des rebondissements et retournements de situation.
La romance se développe de façon bien plus saine que dans le tome précédent.

Il y a 2 points de vue supplémentaires qui apportent un peu de légèreté dans ce monde corrompu.

C’est une belle conclusion à l’histoire. Il fallait 2 tomes pas plus et c’est idéal en l’état.

[Sarah🫧 · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’ai trouvé le livre cool dans l’ensemble, mais trop sombre pour moi. Je n’ai pas vraiment réussi à me connecter aux personnages, à part l’idée du lien d’âme sœur qui était intéressante. Je trouve qu’il n’y avait pas assez de dialogues et trop de romance un peu vide, sans vraie profondeur derrière. 👉🏻👈🏻

[Leah.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Wow. Wow.

- Shadow daddy
- Strong FMM
- Morally grey MMC
- (beautifully written) Romance
- Fantasy
- Spice

I was incredibly lucky to have been chosen to be an ARC reader for this book and what an HONOUR it was!

The story picks up right after the end of blood of desiderium and continues to follow our female main character Emma and everything she does through after the events of BoD. Will she find her way back to Draven? Or is love not enough to conquer all…?

I absolutely devoured blood of desiderium and that is one of my favourite reads of 2023 (alongside the big boys like ACOTAR and fourth wing!) soul of salvation was no exception.

SoS had me feeling like I was on a rollercoaster. I truly felt so many emotions and was so invested in the story. I really loved Emma’s heart wrenching backstory and following her journey through the two books. Her character development was inspiring.

The main characters story is intriguing and great to follow. The side characters are written well, so you’re interested in their story also rather than feeling like it’s diverting from the main characters. The villain is believable and inspires real hatred. The story progresses well and is easy to follow.

Ali’s writing is absolutely incredibly and I have no doubt there are great things to come for this author. Her style of writing really draws you in, hooks you and leaves you wanting more. I was almost sad when this book was over and wish there was more than the two books.

I usually have a few top quotes from the books I love, but I found myself highlighting so much of the book because Ali’s writing is just beautiful. I can’t select a few of my favourite without posting 3/4 of the book and I think it’s something that you have to experience for yourself. If you’re interested in any of the above tropes or want a well written, quick (duology) read that is: easy to follow, inspiring, beautiful, emotional, gripping and well written - then this book is for you!

I would recommend to all fantasy romance lovers.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5☆. spoilers ahead.

I'm not sure what happened with this installment, but it might have had something to do with the utter lack of focus on the plot for at least 75% of the book. For all intents and purposes, the process of defeating the antagonist whose name I can't spell and do not intend to look up wasn't that bad, even if the plot itself was generic. The problem, for me at least, was why I had to sit through an entire novel of Emma bouncing back and forth between hating Aiden and being with her friends. I didn't care at first because I thought it'd feel like my personal favorite section of A Court of Wings and Ruin, wherein the protagonist was acting as a spy in her old home, but then it led to a whole lot of nothing happening beyond everyone talking about how they were planning on taking out the antagonist and not doing much else. Well, I shouldn't say nothing--there were a few questionably written smut scenes thrown in there to fill the pages.

Then there were the random Fynn and Cora POVS, of which there were a maximum of three--combined, not each--throughout the book. I don't know why that was done if we weren't going to get a nicely fleshed out sub-romance plot between the two of them. Instead, one POV was used to essentially show that they decided to be together, and the other two were just responses to Emma and Kye's deaths. Or Kye's death, I guess. About 75% of the way in, as well, there was a fight with the antagonist that felt like it should've been the last fight with him because of how climactic it felt, but instead, Emma just ends up in a random coma for a very long time... and then there's another fight, and that's the end. It was all very weird.

I do still enjoy these characters--when Kye died I was genuinely sad, and the scraps of Fynn and Cora's relationship that were actually in this installment were super fun to read. I didn't understand why Aiden was turned into an entirely irredeemable character by the end of this when he could've been a much more nuanced villain, but the moments where he was more than an open-and-shut misogynist were nice. Emma's journey to valuing herself was, I think, still well done--or, at least, better than the rest of the plot--and Draven... I wish I had something significant to say about him, but really, he was on "you're mine/don't touch her" mode the entire time. Which is not very interesting.

If I'm being honest, Soul of Salvation took all the wind out of my sails when it came to this series--not necessarily surprising since so many lesser known fantasies have poor sequels--so I don't think I'll come back for a reread like I originally thought I would, but I still think this series is a better example of something in this genre that many smaller authors try and fail to pull off. As someone who has made myself sit through books like Fairydale, that means something.

[El_fantasea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing wrap up to The Divide duology. I feel like I’ve been waiting for this one for a long time but let me tell you, the wait was WORTH IT.

I loved everything about it- I swooned SO HARD, melted into a puddle, I hurt, I cried my little heart out, I felt hopeful, smiled and had a little giggle. It had me on edge- not expecting what was to come next, I was also not expecting the depth of emotions and my goodness ALL THE FEELS hit me HARD. And the spice 🥵 when it heated up it was so delicious!

We pick up right at the huge cliffy from Book 1 and dive straight into a world of emotional torment and pining. I really enjoyed seeing Emma’s dark side and experiencing her feminine rage. Her depth of trauma and her journey of self acceptance was written so well. I loved how her story unraveled and she ended up taking that sweet revenge we were waiting for.

“𝚂𝚘, 𝙸 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎, 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚎𝚊 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍.”

While Emma is on a path of destruction and salvation, Draven is there just being the book boyfriend of my dreams. The amount of lines I highlighted of his 🫣. My god, the male was SWOONY. His pining and emotional devastation was heart breaking to watch but I loved his unwavering devotion to Emma. He is there supporting her- but also letting her fight her own battles and silently cheering her on from the sidelines.

So when I said I bawled, it was no joke. I haven’t cried this much since Kingdom of Ash. Ali has your heart in good hands though and heals all those breaks seamlessly. We do have a HEA and it’s a great one- I really enjoyed the sense of hope and the way the ending seemed to come full circle. A perfect conclusion to the duology!

“𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎. 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜. 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗’𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞.”

5⭐️3🌶️3☠️

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 52%.

I loved the first book. It was well-written, intriguing, had a couple plot twists, fun side characters, great tropes.

This book had a different feel. There should have been way more life at court and all that entails- interactions with other leaders of the kingdoms, courtiers, village folks- in order to further expand the plot. Also, a huge downside is that so far, more than half of the book is through the MMC’s POV. And a lot of those are romance scenes. Ew and NO! You don’t write romance scenes from inside the guy’s head. Yuck!!

Unfortunate big differences from the first to second book. When I realized I kept speed-reading to pass through the chapters from Draven’s POV and I still had 48% of the book left, I decided to stop. Bummer.

[Sunshine_and_Fantasybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Soul of Salvation" by Ali Stuebbe is a mesmerizing continuation of the captivating saga introduced in "Blood of Desiderium." From the very first page, I found myself swept away into Emma's world—a place where danger lurks around every corner and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Stuebbe's masterful storytelling skillfully weaves together elements of fantasy, adventure, and romance, creating a narrative that is as thrilling as it is emotionally resonant.

What struck me most about this book is the depth of character development. Emma, our fierce and resilient protagonist, undergoes a profound journey of self-discovery and growth. As she grapples with the darkness within and the weight of her newfound powers, I couldn't help but be drawn into her struggles and triumphs. Stuebbe has crafted a protagonist who feels incredibly real and relatable, and I found myself rooting for her every step of the way.

Moreover, "Soul of Salvation" delves deeper into the richly imagined world introduced in the first book. From the Court of Ashes to the dark realm of the God of Darkness, each setting is vividly depicted, immersing the reader in a world brimming with magic and intrigue. The intricate world-building adds layers of complexity to the story, enriching the overall reading experience.

But perhaps what I loved most about this book is the exploration of themes such as love, sacrifice, and redemption. As Emma faces impossible choices and grapples with the darkness within her own soul, she must confront the true meaning of salvation and decide what she is willing to sacrifice for the greater good. It's a journey that is as heart-wrenching as it is exhilarating, and one that left me eagerly turning the pages until the very end.

In conclusion, "Soul of Salvation" is a stunning addition to Ali Stuebbe's series, delivering an epic tale of adventure, magic, and self-discovery. With its compelling characters, immersive world-building, and gripping storyline, this book is sure to captivate readers from beginning to end. I cannot recommend it highly enough, and it was a beautiful ending to this duology.

[Alexandria Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I told you that my review was simply going to be “I perished at Emma’s amazingness”

But I thought this would be so much better….

The truth of the matter is, that you have stolen a piece of me. A piece of my heart. A piece of my being that I happily gave up to you. A piece that I now know I will never get back. As this bittersweet feeling washes over me… I didn’t fully realize it would irrevocably destroy me. And although every single piece of the puzzle fits together beautifully and that there is peace to follow, I didn’t know that I would yearn for the turmoil. The adventures. The love. The family. The story. Yearn and mourn and cry out for them with each passing breath. As I stare into the abyss I know I can always come back to this world you created, but I can never experience it for the first time again. I am envious of the next generation of readers, and they are coming, but fvck if I’m not excited for them. I hope they know how lucky they are to experience your words for the first time. I hope they don’t squander their time in your beautifully crafted world. I hope that when they hold your book in their hands and turn each crisp or worn loved page, that they savor each and every moment. The good and the bad. Because in the end this isn’t a race to the finish line. It is an experience that demands to be felt in each and every way. This story is at an end. My feelings too complex to explain properly. But know I’m so excited for what is to come and just thank you. Truly!!!Thank you from the bottom of my heart for never giving up and giving this story a home within me and so many others.

Eternally Yours,
A goodbye, for now, love letter from this reader to the writer

Xxx

What To Expect:
•NA Dark Fantasy
•Shadow Mommy
•Shadow possessive Daddy
•Multiple POVs
•Book Two in The Divide Series
•Found Family
•Love and Loss
•Fated Mates
•Aiden you are the worst! Okkkkk byeeee!
•Trigger Warnings ⚠️ (May Contain Spoilers)
-Violence/Gore/Death
-Grief
-Profanity
-Mention of suicidal intent
-Alcohol use for coping
-Torture
-Overall dark themes
-Sexually Explicit Scenes
*Shadow Play
*A male who loves to eat 🥵🫠
•and so much more

[Megan O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy 5 stars to give for this absolutely beautiful and devastating book!!

Soul of Salvation picks up 3 months after the ending of Blood of Desiderium, where Emma's magic made a choice for her as she made a choice for the ones she loves. Separated by worlds, but not by hearts, Emma and Draven need to find their way back together to have a chance at a future as a pair and to help find a future for their world. With twists and turns, surprises good and bad, and lots of love, this is the perfect ending to The Divide duology.

Emma, rightfully a goddess, is full of strength of magic and strength of heart. With support from the people and creatures around her (I'm looking at you Masiren!!), she's able to come into her power as an individual and learn to lean on the strengths of people around her to help her achieve her goals. This was so nice to see in this book because a) we love a training montage and b) we love it when a FMC does not keep secrets from her people and lets them make the choice to help or not!! Emma is, of course, continued to be surrounded by her shadowy dragon prince, her magical healing best friend, her protector of a knight, and a sarcastic portal pal who all love and care for one another in a really positive show of relationships, where they know how to give each other what they need in the moment.

What I can't get over with this book, is how POETIC and BEAUTIFUL and GORGEOUS the writing is. Normally, my kindle highlights are full of me adding silly little comments but with this book it was all just highlights, letting the words speak for themselves. Ali is truly a mastermind of crafting the right things to say to just smack you right in the feels!!!

Thank you SO MUCH to Ali Stuebbe for the chance to be on ARC Team 1 for this book, after reading the first book I was blown away by her writing and couldn't wait for book 2 so this was a dream come true! Check out Soul of Salvation when it comes out on March 1!

[Briana Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

A devastatingly beautiful end to The Divide duology. This was an easy 5 stars for me, from the moment I started reading, the story drew me in and had me laughing, blushing, and sobbing. I’m so grateful to have received an ARC of Soul of Salvation.

The story picks up a few months after the end of Blood of Desiderium. Draven and Emma have been separated and fight through hell and back to be with one another again. The character growth of our FMC, Emma, will turn anyone into her cheerleader. As the reader I wanted so badly for her to get the revenge she was owed and the HEA that she deserves. Now, our MMC Draven, as broody and badass as this man is I just want to scoop him up and hug him. He and Emma both have been through so much in their lives and this story gave them both the justice we all wanted for them.

Let us not forget, of course, about our band of side characters that hardly feel like side characters because I love them just as much as each of our main characters. We do get to see some new POVs from our favorites which adds a new level of love and understanding for each of them. And that bonus epilogue…..

I’m terrible at describing authors writing styles but whatever it is that Ali does is just beautiful. There are so many words, lines, and paragraphs in this book that just sank into my soul and will live there forever. I think Ali will be an auto-read author for me always because whatever she puts in her books is something I am now proudly addicted to.

Top book of the year, hands down, and I highly suggest this (BoD first of course) to anyone who is a fan of dark fantasy with found family, some enemies to lovers, a badass FMC, and a possessive MMC.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot and the world was still good but I find in this second installment of the duology the author really kind of sacrificed character development and relationship development and instead focused on just the fact that Emma and Draven were mates and what that meant and just lots of sex so it kind of took away from a lot of the emotions and connections. The plot was still interesting but because of the lack of character and relationship development I didn't really feel invested in the outcome by the 80% Mark like it was interesting and it kept reading and I finished it and yeah I guess I was satisfied with how it ended but I wasn't truly invested in it. And I feel like there was also an odd mix of over descriptions of certain things but then under descriptions and underdevelopment other things like certain things she said just said happened like Finn was able to figure out how to connect between the two worlds because of course it made sense that they would just use Kai's power of strength but like why? How was that possible and why was it so obvious? Like certain things like that were just told to us as if it was obvious without any real explanation or pins or clues in the previous book of chapters. Since it was the first duology from this author I'll give her another chance if she writes something else but while I enjoyed the first one more overall the duology was three stars for me. Not bad but not that good either.

[coffeewithmykindle - Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

“She’s everything, made from wisps of beautiful chaos that holds a heart of all that is good.”

“I judged her by the cover of what I saw, before taking my time to read her.”

“I can be a selfish bastard when it comes to what I want.”

“The silence you chose held power. It was like a sharpened sword in the night, ready and waiting.”

“Our little angel”


This book… wow… Stuebbe had a way with her words this book made me feel so many feels, feels of love, anger (some characters really suck okay!), feels of betrayal, sadness and loss of words. But most of all made me feel pride of her beautiful words! Yes I got the luck of beta reading BOD (book 1) and wasn’t able to this time but getting the chance to read it early and see this amazing work of hers fills me with pride for sure!!! There are so many highlights in this book from how she wrote or described things not just because of their pieces that connects in the book…

This book ended beautifully to finish up this world!!! I’m so sad it’s over BUT THIS IS WORTH IT!!!

Do not wait to read these books if you have not yet. Things you will find in this book series:

🩶fated mates
🩵who the eff touched you?
🩶revenge
🩵shadows
🩶multiple POV
🩵morally grey characters
🩶wyvren shifter
🩵 slow burning spice


Please read the TW before picking these books up

[Hells_little_library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ali, you wonderful genius human being, what are you doing to me?

After beta reading this beauty last year, I was so excited to receive an arc as well and to see all the little changes Ali made. See how much better the book became (even tho it was already so near perfect).

Emma is one of the strongest FMC's I ever got to meet in a story, and Draven has my heart in a chokehold. (Well, and he can have me in a chokehold as well if he wants to)

After having my heart ripped out at the end of book one, book two is mending it all.
This book has everything I could wish for, even the revenge we have all been waiting for. 
(Aiden got exactly what he deserved, that little piece of...)
And the way Ali managed to give all these characters an ending worthy of them is insane. Ali managed to not only focus on Emma, but give every single character the attention they deserve.

Don't hate me for saying it, but I hope we get a novella regarding Emil. I want to hear his story as well!

This book is beautifully written, and I really enjoyed the detail in the world building and the thoughts put into the plot. It feels like every decision is logical, but you still can't predict the outcome.
While this book is fast-paced, there is still an incredible eye to detail and to the characters. The change in POV is used magnificently and helps project the emotions to the reader.

This book made me laugh and cry and at times my heart was breaking, but it also made me feel the love that exists between the characters.

If you love found family and strong FMC's and characters who might be more on the gray side of morality, you will enjoy this book.

[Katie Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! Perfect HEA!!

🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5

"My lips twitch with a haunting grin as I take pleasure in the terror others feel towards the dark and the shadows that cling to it. But I am the darkness, and these shadows are mine. If they are scared of the dark, then they will fear me."

I absolutely loved this book!!! It was the perfect ending to this duology. Watching Emma grow into her darkness and learn to embrace it was so powerful. I love the way Draven is with Emma.. 🫠🫠

“You could blindfold me, restrain me, or anchor me to the bottom of the fu¢king ocean. So long as you exist in this realm, you cannot hide from me. Your scent is etched into my being, and the melody of your soul calls to mine no matter what shade of darkness it dances in.”

And thank you for Fynn and Cora... 😘❤️ So many times I caught myself with giddy giggles just having a blast reading. But did you have to make me cry so hard? I love when a book is so well written that I can feel these characters pain and happiness.

🌖Fated mates
🌖Wyvern shifter
🌖Shadow play
🌖Morally gray FMC
🌖Multiple POVs
🌖Shadow mommy
🌖Shadow daddy
🌖Hand necklace
🌖Sit tf down on my 😀
🌖Cum play

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay... This is definitely going to be in my top reads, if not the top read, of 2024.

Ali Stuebbe is a Dark Fantasy writing Goddess. I can't believe this is her first series! This duology was soooo good!

Have you read Blood of Desiderium?
Do you love a good HEA?
What about enemies to lovers?
Found family?
Strong FMC?
A hot possessive MMC?
Seriously good spice?

If you answered yes to these then you HAVE to read Soul of Salvation!

After everything Emma fought against and tried to free herself from in Blood of Desiderium, she sacrificed herself and once again became a prisoner to not only a maleficent god but to her own power as well. Can Draven help free her? Will she want to be saved?

It's rare that I feel invested in side characters as well but I loved every character in this book.. okay, well, not every character, but that's with good reason.

This book gives us what we want and so much more with an epilogue and a BONUS epilogue, leaving no loose ends.

I can't express how much I've loved this duology.

[Ms_ Booktrovert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book two in the duet, and I flew through this book I read it in one day and I couldn’t go to bed without knowing how it ended. First of all Ali knows how to hook you in, I was shattered more than once in this book. First Draven OMG he is perfect! Honestly I can’t find a fault in this main character in this book, his devolution and love to Emma is EVERYTHING! Also the spice - also perfect!

I loved getting more POV in this book from Cora and Flynn and them two are so cute! I loved their development and growth in this book! Honestly character development and growth was really strong in this duet. Emma was again amazing I loved exploring her powers and her growth. I love how strong and powerful she became in herself I love the shadow mummy aspect of this book and how Emma got her revenge against all the wrongs done to her over her life.

Overall I am devastated that this was only a duet/ also completely happy so I got the ending needed but I loved this world!

I was luck and grateful to receive an ARC for this book from Ali, all thoughts are my honest thoughts :)

[Kelsey Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh! That ending was beautiful. I fell in love with these characters so much, and they all fought so hard to get their HEA. I love a story with multiple POV & found family. There are so many stories and so many characters to love through out this duo-logy.
I’m so glad we got the bonus epilogue of when Kye met his mate in the afterlife. It made me happy to know that he was okay & happy after everything. It’s like he was finally where he was always meant to be after saving Emma.

I would love to get more of Cora and Fynns story too. I feel like they could have their own book & I would love it just as much.

Don’t even get me started on Calloway & Aiden. Why was Aiden so quick to betray her at every turn? He grew up with her but was so willing to do anything to keep her. I’m so glad she was the one to finally end them. Poor Emma had terrible men in her life.

Draven is a true shadow daddy. I love him so much for Emma. He is so protective but also caring, exactly what she needs. I’m not ready to let this story go. Please read this book!!