Soul-Bound

by Hannah Yeaman

Avem, a continent inhabited by bird-like humans called Avians, consists of seven territories, each of which contains a crystal root: a treelike sanctuary preserving magic. Avians cannot wield the land’s magic themselves.

Except, Mika, the princess of Passíer. However, her father forbids her to use it out of concern for her safety.

Due to the expanding corruption from Cantio; a corrupted territory under Passíer’s jurisdiction because of its damaged root, Zayn, the militant king of Nyx, suggests Scorching Cantio. To avoid such a catastrophic outcome, Mika flees from home, determined to heal Cantio’s root herself.

In Cantio, she meets Roshan, a vagabond playing double agent to protect what’s left of his uncorrupted homelands. Upon noticing her pink feathers, unique for her specific species, he cautions her to leave before she’s captured and used as coin. She snubs his warning and is nearly taken captive.

During his efforts to help her, Roshan is wounded. Mika heals him with her magic, unintentionally and unknowingly bonding them together.

When the quest costs Mika’s wing and grounds her, she accepts Roshan’s offer to escort her across Avem to heal the damaged roots before corruption destroys their world.

Soul-Bound is a standalone adventure fantasy featuring the royal and rogue dynamic from Tangled and Anastasia with atmospheric prose like Margaret Rogerson and Naomi Novik. Perfect for fans of the traveling romance like Dance of Thieves, The Bird & the Blade, The Girl at Midnight, Cities of Smoke and Starlight, and Dark Water Daughter.

Genres: Fantasy, Fantasy Romance

396 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2024

Reviews

[Sara Jesus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very delight read that have an worldbuling inspired in birds and two strong characters that accidentally are soul bound but in their journey learn to trust and develop real feelings for each other. Absolutaly adore her connection. Blue is so cute always want to protect Mika and respect her space. Mika can be a little grumpy sometimes but wants the best for the people she love. Also the book addresses very well the trauma and the abuse that Mika and Blue dealt without being trigging.

[Kirsten Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book!! this is what I mean when I say I want annoyed to lovers. THE BANTER. she's a princess and he's a vagabond, she's grumpy and he's sunshine. they save each other multiple times and yet "they don't care about each other". UGH so good. plus they're bird people! they have pretty wings and they fly! and the world building is so vibrant and magical. if you're looking for a new romantasy read this is the one 🩵

[Yomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soul-Bound follows Mika, the only Avian with magic, and her partner, Roshan, as they attempt to heal Avem of corruption.

First off, what this book excels at is scenery, world building, and general descriptions. A lot of trendy fantasy books completely skip out on world building or it's lackluster at best. For Soul-Bound, I genuinely understood the world and could picture it in my head.

I appreciated all the bird knowledge. I didn't know much about birds, so learning the names of vast bird species and their characteristics was delightful. This book also has a great range of vocabulary, which isn't repetitive. I actually came out of this book more knowledgeable, even though it was just little things.

The characters felt so real in this book. They weren't just bland tropes, they grew and fit together so perfectly. A common issue with bond/mate books is just relying on the fact that they're bonded, while never developing any chemistry. Mika and Roshan authentically grew to appreciate each other and their chemistry was very charming. I could read them flirt and bicker all day.

My one issue with this book is the book is the ending. It felt very abrupt. When I noticed I had one chapter left I thought it couldn't be right. Hopefully there will be a sequel, as I enjoy these characters and would love to see more of their world and adventures.

You should definitely read this if you like fantasy or romance because this book is excellent for both!

I received a free copy of this book from Hidden Gems Books and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Elsa Munoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I want to pass along that the author has graciously included trigger warnings are the very beginning of the book. I just finished this book, so I have conflicted feelings right now lol. I loved the male lead Roshan (affectionately called Blue), his wittiness, charisma, and caring personality reminded me so much of Flynn from Tangled. And if you love the grumpy x sunshine trope, this book has it but inverted! The male lead is the sunshine character and the grumpy one is actually the female lead, Mika. Mika is definitely a sheltered princess, through no fault of her own. Her father keeps her hidden away because of her "unusual magic" as well as her markings. And I can understand that being sheltered obviously alters the way you see the outside world and how it is but..... sometimes Mika's stubbornness and brashness made me......not like her as much as the male lead. So the world they live in is just BRIMMING with magic. But that's just the land. No other being in this world is/should be able to wield said magic. But Mika can. She knows she can heal the corruption that is destroying the lands as well as plaguing the tentative peace between the different clans/territories. She off she goes, escaping her guard, in search of the corrupted roots. (The magic from what I understood comes from the roots of a tree in each territory and each of those are connected to a main tree/magic root from what I understood). Anyway, running away is how she comes across Roshan. Roshan was almost immediately captivated by this moody newcomer. And so their journey begins. Don't wanna give away too much but there is a graphic description of torture that lasts a couple of pages. Mika loses something very important to her in this scene and it leads to her harboring resentment toward Roshan afterwards. Add to that an accidental bonding and you have a whole mess of emotions. I felt like we got a lot of the emotional conflict of having a bond that wasn't wanted from Roshan's POV. (Sorry forgot to mention this is a 2 POV book). Anyway, he feels an attraction for Mika but at the same time he's battling with whether or not it's from him or from the bond trying to get them together. We see his inner turmoil but I feel like we get that sparingly from Mika. Feelings are eventually confessed toward the end.....which brings me to this other point that this is definitely a slow burn/will- they- won't- they/pining/ angst infused romance 😄 this book also leans heavily into description. The imagery of the land/food/colors of characters wings/clothing is all intricately described. So beware if that's not your thing. The conflict read like it was going to be a series but we had all the stings tied up by the end. Which threw me off guard when Mika mentioned in the last couple of chapters that she and Roshan had only known each other for 2 weeks 😭 I get time is of the essence but I guess I didn't quite capture just how fast paced their journey really was. Like I said, the healing of the root (which was the main conflict) was resolved by the end of the story but the epilogue kinda leaves me thinking that the author hasn't shut the door in this world just yet. So who knows, we might get more from Roshan and Mika yet.

[Kaitlyn Raasveld · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very unique book. Mika is a Princess and defo my favorite part of the book. She meets Roshan, and they become bonded. This was such a unique story, and i was so happy to read a new kind of book. The world is wonderful and full of new mysteries and new species that i want to learn so much more about. I want Avem to be healed and more people to come forth with abilities and just explore more of this exciting and new place.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really well done novel, it had the fantasy elements that I was looking for and enjoyed about the genre. The characters were strongly written and I enjoyed getting to know them. Hannah Yeaman wrote this in a way that I was hooked on and glad it was so well written.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is the princess of the land and she is the only one who can weld the magic of the land. Her father forbids her from using it to help others. The journey will not be easy when one territory root is damaged and they need help. What is going to happen next? Will she take the risk? How will it will all go? See what will happen next
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I want to review