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The Soul #1
The Soul
Evil has flourished since the beginning of time, but at long last it has come to pass—that the world should end at the hands of the divine. A Lesser Earth thrives in the ashes of the old world.
As does an unnamed lost boy, the abandoned effigy of evil, who wanders the globe without a clue and without a purpose.
The Last Angel Ero’s only task is to find this boy and raise him into the arms of Grace. He doesn’t expect to question that purpose—and he certainly doesn’t expect to find an affinity with the evil inside the boy he names Sol.
It’s only when Ero begins to explore new truths that he realizes just what having faith in Sol may cost him: his life, his love and his soul.
As does an unnamed lost boy, the abandoned effigy of evil, who wanders the globe without a clue and without a purpose.
The Last Angel Ero’s only task is to find this boy and raise him into the arms of Grace. He doesn’t expect to question that purpose—and he certainly doesn’t expect to find an affinity with the evil inside the boy he names Sol.
It’s only when Ero begins to explore new truths that he realizes just what having faith in Sol may cost him: his life, his love and his soul.
- GenresFantasy
124 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2014
6 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 10, 2014
DNF
I wish the story was as comprehensible as the blurb. The writing is...
This is no Jabberwocky. This is no Clockwork Orange. This is a flood of sensory observations that played thesaurus roulette, and in doing so lost any thread of cohesion. The unfortunate formatting does it no favors.
~~A copy was provided to me for a No Glitter Blown review~~
~~~Reviewed for Hearts On Fire Reviews~~~
I wish the story was as comprehensible as the blurb. The writing is...
part one
flight
disember
He was too short to be the airplane he’d seen on TV that morning.
Wind smoothed his hair back, whipped against his clothes and
tamed the grass. Tall green-brown fibers scratched at his shoul-
ders, distancing him from the city, hiding him from the roads and
highways. No one would notice him here behind the forest. When
he tilted upward onto his toes, the wind broke into his ears, eyes,
nostrils. New noise on intangible levels.
A sudden silence left him alone in the field again. He dropped
back to his heels—and stopped just before the ratty rubber soles
of neglected tennis shoes hit ground. Something arrested his at-
tention; a quiet, unobstructive tha-dump. Not to the wind or the
trees but a soft muted thump somewhere beside him. His throat
swelled in an uproar as the fatty flesh twitched with raw vigor.
The pain ripped a cry from his throat. His hands went around his
neck to catch the dirges as they passed.
This is no Jabberwocky. This is no Clockwork Orange. This is a flood of sensory observations that played thesaurus roulette, and in doing so lost any thread of cohesion. The unfortunate formatting does it no favors.
~~A copy was provided to me for a No Glitter Blown review~~
~~~Reviewed for Hearts On Fire Reviews~~~
September 18, 2014
Dark and descriptive, intricate and haunting. I don't say this lightly, but The Soul by S.R. Carrillo is unlike anything I've ever read before. From the very first chapter, this book had me thinking, "Oh, what I have I gotten myself into?" I knew I was in for a new, thrilling, and shocking experience, and The Soul did not disappoint.
This book is horrific and beautiful and mysterious and straightforward. S.R. Carrillo has created a world that I never could have imagined, and that's something that I liked most about it, that it was so different than what I normally read and write, courageously and unapologetically so.
In this new, Lesser Earth, an angel named Ero searches for a lost demon, a boy whom he names Sol. It is his one task, to help him and restore him. What unfolds, however, neither of them could have anticipated.
This book is horrific and beautiful and mysterious and straightforward. S.R. Carrillo has created a world that I never could have imagined, and that's something that I liked most about it, that it was so different than what I normally read and write, courageously and unapologetically so.
In this new, Lesser Earth, an angel named Ero searches for a lost demon, a boy whom he names Sol. It is his one task, to help him and restore him. What unfolds, however, neither of them could have anticipated.
August 27, 2025
S.R. Carillo has an intoxicating richness to her writing. She has the way of taking the characters and their surroundings and punching them with descriptions to fulfill any imagination.
A wonderful author with a brilliant future!
A wonderful author with a brilliant future!
December 31, 2014
Love it. Read it all the time. :]
July 17, 2014
I’d been tempted to buy this book after reading hints about it on S.R.Carrillo’s blog. The story sounded unique and something different to what I’ve read lately. It was also the first m/m book I’ve read.
So, what can I say about The Soul?
How about it was brilliant!
The writing in this book captured me from the first page, I was blown away by the descriptions which had me squeamish at some points they were written so well (blood doesn’t normally affect me in books)!
The entire book was written in such a vivid style and with incredible intensity that the words leapt from the page and gripped me, forcing me to keep reading because I needed to know what happened next.
The characters were all individual and I loved their names. As the story progressed, you got a real sense of who they were and I found myself connecting to them without realising, they sucked me into their world and I was excited to follow them through the story.
The writing was of high quality, the plot flowed in a way that kept me reading and there were no points where I felt it lagged as everything moved the story forwards.
I won’t give any spoilers, but I will say this book didn’t disappoint in being unique and a story I will remember.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an intense and exciting read. I am eagerly awaiting this author’s next book!
Also, not part of the review but something to note- The cover is absolutely stunning!
So, what can I say about The Soul?
How about it was brilliant!
The writing in this book captured me from the first page, I was blown away by the descriptions which had me squeamish at some points they were written so well (blood doesn’t normally affect me in books)!
The entire book was written in such a vivid style and with incredible intensity that the words leapt from the page and gripped me, forcing me to keep reading because I needed to know what happened next.
The characters were all individual and I loved their names. As the story progressed, you got a real sense of who they were and I found myself connecting to them without realising, they sucked me into their world and I was excited to follow them through the story.
The writing was of high quality, the plot flowed in a way that kept me reading and there were no points where I felt it lagged as everything moved the story forwards.
I won’t give any spoilers, but I will say this book didn’t disappoint in being unique and a story I will remember.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an intense and exciting read. I am eagerly awaiting this author’s next book!
Also, not part of the review but something to note- The cover is absolutely stunning!
October 8, 2014
S.R. Carrillo’s The Soul is a definite break from what I’m used to seeing in angel/demon fiction. The book’s blurb lays out in clear terms what the plot is, and the novel doesn’t disappoint with regard to how events unfold.
If you’re easily squicked, let me warn you now that it’s not an easy read. Carrillo holds nothing back in her descriptions of violence and gore, but at the same time, nothing’s done gratuitously. Since we’re looking at unfettered evil running amok, we have to see just what it is Ero’s up against as the angel struggles to help Sol learn control and mastery. Even the characters’ physical descriptions are given as much care and attention as the devastating effects of their behavior and powers. Or, at least, Sol gets to enjoy it more than Ero.
As with other literary titles dealing with the classic battle between good and evil, the dark side tends to dominate in terms of allure – physically, behaviorally, psychologically. See: Paradise Lost as the great-grandaddy of all things Awesome Evil (my term). From the first page onward, Carrillo clearly establishes Sol to be a force that’s going to be a horrible challenge for anyone fool enough to save him. And Ero does struggle mightily, enduring extreme peaks and valleys in his attempts at helping Sol, most of the time resorting to violence to keep Sol in line, while simultaneously finding himself growing more and more physically attracted to the demon.
Because the setting itself isn’t very clearly defined and, in fact, is painted with not just broad brushstrokes, but very, very pale hues that pretty much vanish in the background, the spiritual struggle going on between the two main characters appear to play out in very abstract terms. Metaphysical elements aside, the pervading feeling of detachment can easily turn the story into something allegorical. Half the time, in fact, I toyed with the idea of the plot being a spiritual struggle within one person – though, in the end, a more literal reading of the book’s a hell of a lot more interesting.
Overall, the book’s plot is a refreshingly different take on familiar paranormal fiction/romance conventions, and Carrillo deserves a lot of praise for thinking outside the box. What ultimately keeps me from giving the novel a higher rating, though, lies in the execution.
The book’s a challenging read also because of the language, the pace weighed down heavily by the author’s verbose style. Mind you, there are several passages that stand out for their lyricism and graceful beauty, but the rest of the book could certainly use a heavier hand at editing. I found myself stumbling through lengthy descriptions that bogged down the narrative with words or phrases that were either awkwardly used (i.e., “insouciant glower”, “inerudition”) or were showy (i.e., “incontrovertible embossment”, “coruscated” in place of “sparkled”). More often than not, several scenes dragged on because of long descriptions delving not only into the characters’ movements, but also their thoughts and feelings that, in the end, added very little substance to the story. The lengthy climactic fight scene, in particular, suffered a lot from this issue, and I ended up skimming past too many passages till I reached a point near the conclusion of the fight and then carried on from there. It’s not a good situation to find oneself in as a reader, but it’s also just as bad, dragging oneself through scenes that seem to melt into each other without a break in sight – and then finding out that the action hasn’t really advanced that much afterward.
In the end, despite my excitement at coming across a new, different treatment of a familiar story, my enjoyment was tempered quite a bit by the plodding forward movement of the plot. When a book’s language, for whatever reason, drags my attention away from its story, I’m afraid it’s faltered in its purpose despite its brilliant promise.
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If you’re easily squicked, let me warn you now that it’s not an easy read. Carrillo holds nothing back in her descriptions of violence and gore, but at the same time, nothing’s done gratuitously. Since we’re looking at unfettered evil running amok, we have to see just what it is Ero’s up against as the angel struggles to help Sol learn control and mastery. Even the characters’ physical descriptions are given as much care and attention as the devastating effects of their behavior and powers. Or, at least, Sol gets to enjoy it more than Ero.
As with other literary titles dealing with the classic battle between good and evil, the dark side tends to dominate in terms of allure – physically, behaviorally, psychologically. See: Paradise Lost as the great-grandaddy of all things Awesome Evil (my term). From the first page onward, Carrillo clearly establishes Sol to be a force that’s going to be a horrible challenge for anyone fool enough to save him. And Ero does struggle mightily, enduring extreme peaks and valleys in his attempts at helping Sol, most of the time resorting to violence to keep Sol in line, while simultaneously finding himself growing more and more physically attracted to the demon.
Because the setting itself isn’t very clearly defined and, in fact, is painted with not just broad brushstrokes, but very, very pale hues that pretty much vanish in the background, the spiritual struggle going on between the two main characters appear to play out in very abstract terms. Metaphysical elements aside, the pervading feeling of detachment can easily turn the story into something allegorical. Half the time, in fact, I toyed with the idea of the plot being a spiritual struggle within one person – though, in the end, a more literal reading of the book’s a hell of a lot more interesting.
Overall, the book’s plot is a refreshingly different take on familiar paranormal fiction/romance conventions, and Carrillo deserves a lot of praise for thinking outside the box. What ultimately keeps me from giving the novel a higher rating, though, lies in the execution.
The book’s a challenging read also because of the language, the pace weighed down heavily by the author’s verbose style. Mind you, there are several passages that stand out for their lyricism and graceful beauty, but the rest of the book could certainly use a heavier hand at editing. I found myself stumbling through lengthy descriptions that bogged down the narrative with words or phrases that were either awkwardly used (i.e., “insouciant glower”, “inerudition”) or were showy (i.e., “incontrovertible embossment”, “coruscated” in place of “sparkled”). More often than not, several scenes dragged on because of long descriptions delving not only into the characters’ movements, but also their thoughts and feelings that, in the end, added very little substance to the story. The lengthy climactic fight scene, in particular, suffered a lot from this issue, and I ended up skimming past too many passages till I reached a point near the conclusion of the fight and then carried on from there. It’s not a good situation to find oneself in as a reader, but it’s also just as bad, dragging oneself through scenes that seem to melt into each other without a break in sight – and then finding out that the action hasn’t really advanced that much afterward.
In the end, despite my excitement at coming across a new, different treatment of a familiar story, my enjoyment was tempered quite a bit by the plodding forward movement of the plot. When a book’s language, for whatever reason, drags my attention away from its story, I’m afraid it’s faltered in its purpose despite its brilliant promise.
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February 26, 2016
This novel is certainly the most unique I’ve read. Admittedly, it’s a genre I do not delve much into, but for all I’ve read or watched thus far I can safely say this is an absolutely original and creative work of fiction.
The writing is so well crafted, so exquisite, it’s almost poetical. There’s an aura of mystery, of ancient and at the same time futuristic knowledge here that is impressive. The world building is subtle and yet so effective—the reader’s intelligence is respected and for that only I’d praise this novel endlessly, but there’s so much more. This is an author to absolutely keep an eye on.
The way the entities are depicted, how they affect each other is mind blowing. I was not expecting that twist (and maybe I should, considering the author’s brilliant bio) and I could not have loved it more.
Soul is the first in a series, and I will certainly read the sequel. I really recommend this book and this author.
The writing is so well crafted, so exquisite, it’s almost poetical. There’s an aura of mystery, of ancient and at the same time futuristic knowledge here that is impressive. The world building is subtle and yet so effective—the reader’s intelligence is respected and for that only I’d praise this novel endlessly, but there’s so much more. This is an author to absolutely keep an eye on.
The way the entities are depicted, how they affect each other is mind blowing. I was not expecting that twist (and maybe I should, considering the author’s brilliant bio) and I could not have loved it more.
Soul is the first in a series, and I will certainly read the sequel. I really recommend this book and this author.
August 4, 2015
I just... no... dear goodness no... Review maybe to come if I really feel like writing one on how I feel. I just... this was not good.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews