A Ballad of Severed Souls

by Jodie Angell

Adelina Orlova is the long-lost wielder of astral magic. Filip Tarasov is an influential sorcerer of nether, and after a decade of searching, he’s finally found her. Each wields a half of soul magic and neither can be at their strongest without the other. When Adelina’s dormant powers are forced to the surface, she helps Filip with his plans to reunite the divided countries. But in doing so, she must leave behind Damir, the man she’s falling for.
When Adelina discovers Filip wants to force her into marriage to secure a powerful bloodline, she hastily marries Damir instead. Adelina must walk a blade’s edge between bending to Filip’s will and conspiring to overthrow him. Everything she holds dear is at stake, including the man she loves.

A Ballad of Severed Souls is the first book in Soul Bound, a sweeping romantic fantasy filled with gods as dragons, political intrigue, marriage of convenience, and epic magic. This romantasy is perfect for fans of The Shadow Between Us, From Blood and Ash, The Bridge Kingdom, and These Twisted Bonds.

Genres: Fantasy

510 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 24, 2025

About the author

Author Jodie Angell learned to write stories in her early school years, which quickly blossomed into an all-consuming hobby and need to bring fantasy and dark fiction into the world.
When not writing, she is either crocheting endless projects, obsessing over her gardening--it's harder than you think--or thinking up crazy new ideas to bring to her readers.
She loves to hear from her readers, so don't be shy--reach out to her on Goodreads or via her active Instagram account: @jodieangell_author.

Reviews

[Nicola Hanks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel so mean putting 2 stars but honestly I struggled to get through this. I personally didn't feel a connection to any of the characters & it felt like sooooo much happened really quickly with not much story building.

The climax of the fight with Filip was underwhelming & the last few chapters about the Earthquake seemed unnecessary.

Just my personal preference and nothing whatsoever against the author as there is a lot to the story but for me there was too much story & not enough building if that makes sense. everything just seemed to flit from scene to scene.

[Leanna Streeter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ballad of Severed Souls was an engaging fantasy read that drew me in from the start. I especially loved the FMC’s journey—from a naive village girl to a powerful magic-wielding heroine. Her growth was one of the highlights of the book, and I found her incredibly likable. Her love interest was the definition of a golden retriever—loyal, sweet, and supportive from the beginning.

While the romance was gentle and enduring, it wasn’t the central focus of the story. There was no real tension or slow-burn element to it, so if you’re looking for an epic, swoon-worthy romance, this might not hit the mark. Personally, I found the lack of yearning made the relationship feel a bit flat, though it was still endearing.

What truly stood out was the unique magic system and the world rooted in Slavic mythology. The concept of gods as dragons was a fascinating twist, and the worldbuilding was both rich and refreshing. I do wish there had been more focus on the FMC’s magic training, as those scenes were compelling and added depth to her transformation. The quest element—especially the search for a magical sword—was classic fantasy done well. The villain was also well-developed, with motivations and depth that made him a strong part of the narrative.

Overall, this was a great fantasy debut with themes of self-discovery, power, and myth. A big thank you to author Jodie Angell for the ARC. Ballad of Severed Souls releases on June 24.

[Bookuccino · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I would like to thank Jodie for the ARC of this book ♡

A Ballad of Severed Souls by Jodie Angell is a soft, tender fantasy about love, loyalty and courage.

It took me a little while to get into the world building. It’s also written in a third person perspective which made me slightly disconnected from all the characters, and certain moments didn’t hit as deeply and they could have. That said, I really enjoyed the overall story.

The magic system was intriguing, astral and nether magic balancing each other like yin and yang; one soul split in half. One can’t exist without the other to keep the balance, but what if one of them takes it too far and the balance is disrupted? 👀

Damir and Adelina are childhood friends to lovers, their relationship genuinely so sweet and precious. Damir is perfect example of a golden retriever boyfriend! And Adelina’s bond with her family feels so special.

I’m exited to see what adventures Adelina takes us in book two!

[Nadja]

DNF

I’m not clicking with the writing style at all, and Adelina just didn’t work for me as a protagonist—she came off as a bit too passive and, frankly, a little pathetic. The book opens with her wishing for the exact magic that’s clearly going to be central to the plot, and I already knew where that was going. It felt predictable, and I could tell this wasn’t going to be a good fit. DNFing while I’m ahead.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this as an ARC, and I'm so disappointed. I was so excited for a badass FMC who was violently protective of her husband and instead I got an FMC who had a lot of power and balked in the face of using it on Filip. At one point she simply cries while asking him to free her, I never got the "touch him and die" vibes.
The plot was good but the pacing was completely off - the first part of the book went incredibly quick, until she married Damir, and then they went on the run for what felt like seven hundred pages - and it jumped forward in time every couple of paragraphs, rather than linking everything together cohesively. I would have liked for the battles later to be more fleshed out but they conquered both cities in basically two chapters.
The most disappointing thing about this book was that it was all description of events (way too much at times - this book could have been 300 pages easily), and it felt so emotionless. At no point did I feel connected to Damir because he was just her friend she "liked a bit more than a friend" and then they were in love...
Even watching her baby sister get murdered was emotionless! Though she did choose to save her grown ass husband over protecting a literal child, so not surprising, but the emotions she should have felt were never put to paper. She briefly says she's grieving later but it's barely touched upon.
Meanwhile we got an exhaustive description of some bread and cheese.
I LOVED Ironpine, but he highlighted another issue: some things just didn't make sense. In one breath he tells her the trees don't have names and then immediately tells her his name and says it's a clan name. So... you do have names ??
The ending was really bizarre - I expected it to end with them looking out at the destroyed village and there to be an obvious lead into book two, but then it continued and wrapped up nicely.
Really sad about this one because I was desperate to love it, but it just was not for me.

[Robyn Sinker · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I'd like to thank Jodie for the ARC of this book! I really enjoyed reading this story.

Also no spoilers, but just little hints.

Tropes List:
- Touch my husband and d!e
- Best friends to newlyweds
- Marriage of convenience
- Slavic gods reimagined as dragons
- Political intrigue
- A touch of spiciness!

Okay so I'm just going to get the parts that I personally didn't click with out of the way so we can get to the (many!) good bits! I think, like others have mentioned, it took me a minute to be fully absorbed in this book - I personally needed a little more world building at the start, but you get that as you move through the story so you don't miss out, I just felt a little lost to begin with! I also struggle with reading books in third person - this is definitely a personal choice here as I know some people prefer the opposite - I enjoy having the commentary of what is running through someone's mind, and I find it easier to connect with the MCs this way.

SO, to the good bits! I really enjoyed this story. I am an absolute sucker for any magic system or culture that has been reinterpreted from myths and I loved the Slavic influence woven through this story, as well as being a basis for the magic system, it added really nice touches to the world building to make it feel unique.

The magic system itself was really interesting - the nether and astral magic balancing each other and being two parts of the same whole. I wished we got to explore how the nether and astral magic influence each other a bit more as it felt like Filip/nether magic was always more powerful or had the upper hand. I hope in the next one we get so see more of Adelina using the astral magic (and the sword!!!) to its full effect!

Onto the characters themselves - this is difficult without spoilers! Damir is such a sweetheart, full golden energy, loyal and supportive and a total rock for Adelina whilst she going through it. Adelina herself is interesting as by the end of the book we see how much she has grown and has taken on, but she has gone through some really traumatic events and I am looking forward to seeing how she copes with all that in the next book! I loved the use of Yelena's character as Adelina's teacher - I want a book about her story!!! And oh my gosh I love Ironpine - I don't want to spoil anything but I love the inclusion of this character and just how he helped Adelina broke my heart a little!!

I hate that I have to write about Filip, purely because he is such a good villain and you truly hate him for it - we slowly uncover the depths of his plotting and the reasons behind it, and the climax to this book left me with a lot of questions about Filip in Book 2.

I think that overall this is a really good start to this series. The end of the book leaves you with a lot of questions - in other reviews this was listed as a negative, but I totally disagree - I think it sets us up really well for Book 2 as I am dying to find out what happens and what some unexplained events mean!!!

[⊹‧₊˚౨ৎ abbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

i got this book as an ARC and i was super excited!!! the plot sounded so good and the cover was so pretty!! but i didn’t love as much as i hoped unfortunately:(

the whole plot line and idea of the book was really fun, i wish it focused more on her actual training and magic because the whole astral magic was really intriguing and different as well. the dragon and her gave me merlin vibes if anyone ever watched the bbc show years back. filip was a good villian as well, he was ruthless and did what he wanted unapologetically as well which i enjoyed.

but i felt like the first 150ish pages were really rushed?? every chapter and paragraph felt unfinished, and then her and damir went on the run and i felt that really dragged compared to her two months of training. the romance fell a little flat, they were friends then suddenly liked each other and were in love? i wanted more build up and tension between them, especially since she was away and with another man, i wanted him to be pathetically depressed when she left. they had so much potential as lovers!!!!!

[Marie Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like it should have ended a couple chapters before it did. There’s no real hook into book 2, and it felt like the FMC let the villain walk all over her instead of really trying to fight against him. It's hard to really enjoy a book when you don't like the main character.

[Courteney · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨ Thank you so much to Jodie Angell for an arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review✨

A soft fantasy about love loyalty and bravery. 3.75 ⭐️

I enjoyed the overall story, there was so much potential within the premise of this book.

I lacked connection with the characters, I think this was due to the third person narrative which, for me, lacks the depth to really fall in love with characters. However, the strong sense of family was highlighted well throughout this book.

I found it to have an intriguing magic system, with a yin yang element which was interesting. I loved the Slavic influence woven throughout and thought this made it feel very unique.

The end of the book leaves you with lots of unanswered questions, and I really want to see more world building as I have so many questions! Hopefully we find out the answers to these in the next books within this series soon!

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐

The premise of this book had the potential to be amazing and I personally feel that it fell flat.. I found that most times problems would arise and within a few sentences a resolution was found. There was no grafting for the fmc which in turn meant there was no real attention grab for the reader. It was very plan sailing and as a fantasy reader I love action and intricately woven stories and for me that is not what I read.

The only other thing I would say is that in the middle of chapters the switching from one pov to another's and then switching back was very confusing at times and hard to follow.

I did enjoy the read I just wouldn't go out of my way to ever re-read it. I do look forward to seeing what else this author write though!

I got given this as an ARC and it's one of the first I've ever received and I am eternally grateful for that.

[Bethany Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating : 3.5-4⭐️

Thank you Jodie Angell for the ARC of this book. I really enjoyed the FMCs journey through this book and how she grew into her power. The magic system is unique and intriguing and I look forward to seeing more of what Astral and Nether magic can do in the rest of the series. The family relationships were heartwarming and I loved to see the traditions from her village throughout the book. Adelina’s love story was sweet and she was fierce and protective over her husband.

I struggled a little bit to connect with the characters initially because this book is written in third person and I typically find it easier to read first person books. I also found the pacing to be a bit up and down with some parts of the book feeling rushed and others feeling too drawn out.

All in all, I enjoyed the first book in the Soul Bound series and look forward to seeing what happens next.✨

[Geri • GardensandGrimoires · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this book wanting to love it, but unfortunately, it just didn’t land for me. While it had the bones of an epic fantasy - an expansive quest and a high-stakes journey - the execution fell flat in a few key areas.

The romance, for one, felt forced and underdeveloped. There was little chemistry between Adelina and Damir, and their dynamic often reminded me of Alina and Mal from Six of Crows—but without the emotional depth or yearning. The fantasy world itself also lacked the richness and complexity I was hoping for. It felt more like a backdrop than a fully realised setting, which made it hard to stay immersed.

Surprisingly, I found myself more invested in Filip’s arc at times - his unpredictability at least added some tension and intrigue. With minimal romance and a quest that dragged in places, I struggled to stay engaged.

Thank you to the author for the ARC.

[Jodie Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐️⭐️.5

I’m so grateful I got the chance to read this book before the official release, I actually really enjoyed it despite my initial opinion being a little 50/50. This book is your usual ‘poor village girl becomes strong, feisty heroine’ with a bit of Slavic origin and mythology thrown in there, so if that’s your type of vibe, definitely give this book a go! ✨

At the start I found it a little too obvious and felt as though I could predict events in the book too easily, but that’s not always a bad thing; the author describes Filip to be a man of power looking to find his equal, the wielder of the other half of his nether magic. As expected, Adelina our FMC is the wielder of astral magic and the story follows her on her journey of discovering her power and learning to wield it, initially to work with Filip and protect the three countries, but that ends up not being entirely true. Filip turns out to be the bad guy who actually wants to destroy everything and take it for himself. As I said, pretty predictable, right?
Another thing that bothered me (I promise the review gets less negative) about this story was that there was no real description of the characters appearances other than Adelina having long curly hair, and as someone who likes to build up an image of the character in my head to build a better understanding of them this was a little disappointing, but for others i imagine it gives more room for imagination and interpretation, so again not a bad thing, but overall i felt that description wise this book started out with a little to be desired.

Going back to Filip a little here, the author did a VERY good job of making me love him at first! He was charismatic and charming, everything that a strong leader should be and I found that to draw me in a lot more than expected. I loveeee a story where the author can manage to turn the reader completely against a character they previously loved, because to me that shows a good understanding of the readers wants and interpretations and definitely gets me more invested! The switch from apparent hero to villain was done very well 👏🏻👏🏻

As I got further into the book I found myself becoming more and more connected to the characters which as I said at the start, I found it hard to do. I slowly started building a picture of them in my head and felt as though I was getting to know them a little better as it went on (as I should). The relationship between Adelina and Tihana was so precious!🥹 I loved the way their relationship was written and found it to be well thought out, and the protectiveness and love that Adelina felt her little sister really shone through and was great to see. Adelina’s relationship to her family was also very clear throughout the book and was very sweet to read about how close they all are.
Damir, on the other hand, I struggled to care much about. I felt like there wasn’t much relationship building here and in the scenes they were together and talking I personally didn’t feel like there was a lot of connection going on, but I do love how it’s not the main focus which, unlike a lot of other fantasy books, tends to steer the direction of the whole book towards a characters romantic interests.

Overall the inclusion of gods and dragons into this story I found to be very interesting and engaging, as well as the more complex magic system which I sometimes struggle to understand in other books, but I found this to be very easy to follow along with! The world and story building was done very well and felt like a classic fantasy novel and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Some parts did fall flat for me personally and felt like they were dragging out at times, but then when we hit those key points they felt like they were over with in a second, like the quest for the Sword of Light. The journey portion of getting to the locations to collect things she needed felt quite slow and boring, but then when Adelina reached each location to get the items it felt too rushed and easy for her, and I’d have liked a little more detail. HOWEVER for the most part this book was thrilling and engaging and definitely kept me on my toes, and I am excited to see what more may come in the future!

I truly can’t wait for the official release and a very well done and a huge thank you to Jodie Angell for creating such and intriguing story, and for allowing me to be part of the ARC team 🥰

[Bevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

{2.5/5}

CW: violence, death, some spice

Thank you to the author and MTMC for the ARC! “A Ballad of Severed Souls” is available now.

I’ve never experienced such a slow and steady descent into hating an MC before now, but here we are.

Nether and astral are two halves of the same magic, and nether-wielder Filip has been searching for his magical counterpart for years. Adelina Orlova is no one special, at least until she’s granted the power of astral. Taken to the palace for training, Adelina hopes to use her new magic for the good of the people. Dark forces are at play, though, and Adelina’s hopes are soon destroyed.

At the beginning of this book, I had at least a little hope that it would be an okay read. The premise sounded great, but I realized pretty quickly after starting that the structure was going to be a little lackluster for me. What I didn’t see coming was how much I would end up despising our FMC.

The overall structure is tolerable (mostly), but it’s got some issues. The main issue really came down to tone and depth; this book reads like it was written for a middle grade or YA audience, but it’s got some decidedly adult content (including more than one spicy scene). When I say the tone fits a younger audience, I feel like it’s pretty self explanatory. The dialogue, the interactions, all of that sort of thing seem like they would fit better in YA or middle grades. We won’t even discuss the continuity errors (of which there were many).

The depth is where this really stands out, though, because there’s no depth to be found. Not in the characters, not in the history, not in the world building. I’ve seen deeper puddles after a rainstorm. The big reveal felt contrived and lackluster. The characters felt incredibly flimsy, especially our FMC. There was just nothing to make them jump off the page. The world building simply didn’t exist; I read the entire book, and I still don’t know how half of the things and people got to where they are. I’m not saying all books have to have a thousand pages of descriptors, but literally anything to explain some of the history here would have helped (especially in an adult fantasy novel that’s over 500 pages long). There’s no picture being formed of these lands or the people; we’ve just been told ‘this is it’ with nothing to back it up.

This brings me to our FMC, Adelina. When the book started, I had 0 opinions about her. She didn’t stand out, but she wasn’t unbearable. By the end of the book, I was convinced literally anyone else in the story would have been a better option. The woman is a lesson in contradictions, and not in a mysterious, appealing way. She refuses to kill the big bad (multiple times) because she’s not a cold blooded murderer and because innocent people could get hurt, then watches as big bad literally kills lots more innocent people, then turns around and *is* willing to defend herself against attackers, but still won’t defend literally anyone else. At best, she’s wishy washy. At worst, she’s a selfish coward who absolutely does not, to me, meet the ‘pure of heart’ standards that the magical deities were yelling about. She runs into her plans with no prep, no real ideas, and just wings it (badly), followed up with shock and horror because things went exactly as wrong as she thought they would. Every set up to any plan she executes feels immature, and it feels so in a way that’s contrary to how the rest of the character appears to be written.

The only reason this book didn’t get a lower rating from me is because it’s written mostly coherently. The magic is described in a lovely fashion, and there were several occasions where a specific scene had some interesting meat to it. The entire book is solidly full of potential, at least where the ‘real-time’ scene setting is concerned. I can’t speak to the potential of rest of the worldbuilding, or the characters, or even the plot because, as previously mentioned, they didn’t land for me. They didn’t even crash, they just never showed up.

[Stacee Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, I want to say a massive thank you to Jodie Angell for granting me this opportunity to review A Ballad of Severed Souls which is expected to be released on June 24th 2025. So, let’s go ahead and jump right into it.

Initially it took me a minute to really get into it, not because of the story line but personally for me I found it rather confusing reading in third person rather than first person. I mean the further I got into it, the easier it got because it was easier to decipher. Personally, Id rather first person however it was a nice mix up and allowed the imagination to run even more wild. The story is a Romantacy with minimal spice (compared to what I’m used to) but it was nice to relive the pure Romantacy once again.

For me the story is fast paced, which isn’t necessarily bad because I can be impatient when it comes to breaking down a story. Even though (for me anyway), I had a feeling on where the story line and the twists were coming but not fully anticipating on what was actually going to happen or who it was going to happen to, it was still suspenseful regardless and I found the further I drove into it, the more my feelings for characters would change and twist.

Now I don’t want to give nothing away and ruin this experience for you so ill avoid explaining the characters and the storyline. But it does consist of your usual good guys and bad guys and a mixture of feelings towards one another and for me as the reader who loves an enemy to lovers in some ways, I’d like to see how the relationship (if it will) develop. The main thing I was worried about was a cliff-hanger ending and thankfully there wasn’t! It left it on a homely feeling, but you know there is more to come with the events that happened towards the end. Remember this is book 1 so I’m intrigued where it’s going to go now.

Prewarning, towards the end, make sure you have some tissues because I swear to God, I cried more than I did throughout the whole entire book. Jodie definitely wanted to pull on my heart strings and my god she accomplished it.

[Hallowyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋆｡°✩ ᴀʀᴄ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ✩°｡⋆

ᴛɪᴛʟᴇ : A Ballard of Severed Souls
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ : Jodie Angell
ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ : Book 1 of the Soul Bound Series

Tropes Include:

⚬ Touch my husband and d!e
⚬ Best friends to newlyweds
⚬ Marriage of convenience but really, it’s love
⚬ Slavic gods reimagined as dragons
⚬ Political intrigue
⚬ Sprinkle of Spice

Adelina is a young women who turns out to be the long-lost wielder of astral magic. The other half to her magic is Filip and his magic is nether. After 10 years of searching, he’s finally found her. When Adelina’s powers are brought to light she must leave her small village, move out of the family home and leave behind Damir, her best friend, and maybe more? When Adelina discovers Filip wants to force her into marriage to secure a powerful bloodline, she hastily marries Damir instead. On the run the two need to escape Filip and walk the fine line of bending to Filip’s will and conspiring to overthrow him.

This book is set in third person, which i found really difficult at first. I always struggle with third person books as first person is just more comfortable for me with my dyslexia. The story was fast paced, it does slow down a little towards the middle but then picks straight back up

I really loved the relationship between Adelina and Damir, it was so cute and sweet! Plus her love and connection to her family was lovely to see! In a lot of books the main characters always have bad parental connections, so this was a nice change. I think Filip was a good villain, he seemed ok at first but i did have a bad feeling about him straight away. I liked how the author slowly showed you his bad side. Jodie Angell really made me cry in this book, when Adelina left her parents both times i was sobbing my eyes out! It really hit the feels! The ending battle i feel was good, i wont go into detail as do not want to spoil but the ending was a nice ending, not a tragic cliff-hanger which again was really nice.

Thank you for the book Jodie Angell!! Lovely Read!

𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankyou Jodie for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of your beautiful book.

'Adelina wields one half of the soul magic tethering her to a man hellbent on overthrowing the kingdom. She must walk a blades edge between bending to his will and conspiring to overthrow him. Everything she holds dear is at stake, including her husband.'

It took me a little bit to get into the groove of the book, third person writing always makes it a little harder for me to relate to the main character. But once the plot started picking up, it took me on a journey with Adelina as she races to escape her fate, and does everything in her power to save her husband and sister's life.

I enjoyed the normality of Adelina's family life, it was close knit and loving, and very traditional.
There is a sweet innocence to her relationship with Damir. They may have married for convenience, but their feelings for each other are undeniable. I loved the traditions of their wedding, and their wedding night was written beautifully, with the gentle awkwardness and tender attentiveness of two inexperienced people still getting to know each other.

Filip is the perfect villain, smooth and charming with underlying menace that soon morphs into something truly sinister. What starts as an innocent story between a boy and a girl who is just discovering her magic, slowly develops into something darker with sacrifice and torture, tested loyalties, and heartbreaking choices.

The world building is descriptive, and the magic system is intriguing, with astral and nether magic, portals, prism worlds, demons and Treefolk. As Adelina practices and strengthens her magic, she herself evolves from a shy, naive village girl to a powerful sorceress and wielder.

This is a story about courage, loyalty and above all, love, sprinkled with the following tropes:
Mythology influence
Slavic gods reimagined as dragons
Strong family dynamic
Political intrigue
Best friend to husband
Marriage of convenience
Touch my husband and die
🖤

[Rebbecca Pask · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

A dark, magical tale with incredible lore and dragons.


This book was a fascinating blend of dark fairytale vibes, magical inheritance, and dragon mythology. Jodie Angell has built a world filled with potential, and her take on magic particularly ethea and the idea of it being stored, passed down,  was one of my favorite parts of the story. There's a clear cost to every choice, and I always love a magic system that holds its characters accountable.

The dragons and deeper mythological elements were a real standout. I was fully invested in the villain, who was layered, menacing, and arguably more developed than the protagonist. His motivations were compelling, and I genuinely enjoyed every scene he was in. 

That said, a few plot points left me with questions. For example:


The sister’s role and death didn’t hit as hard as I expected. She was training quite a bit in this, and although I loved that she didn't magically master her abilities over night, I did expect her to be able to to do more. The death of ther sister I expected it to have more of an effect on her development and ability it had some emotional depth, but then seemed sidelined in the end. Her replacement by another character happened so fast, it didn’t quite land emotionally.


The ending also left me uncertain. It wasn’t clear if the main threat was truly gone or simply momentarily dealt with, which made the final chapter feel a bit unfinished.

Still, this book had a lot going for it especially the magic, worldbuilding, and darker tone. If you enjoy morally complex villains, mythic dragons, and a touch of gothic fantasy, this is worth checking out.


Not without flaws, but still an intriguing debut with standout magical elements and one of the more memorable villains I’ve read lately. Would love to see what Jodie Angell does in a second book.

[Claire Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — A soul-deep, starborn triumph

A Ballad of Severed Souls wrecked me—in the best possible way. Jodie Angell has crafted a haunting, lyrical fantasy full of betrayal, cosmic power, and a love story so devastatingly beautiful it left me aching.

Adelina Orlova might just be one of my favourite heroines of the year. She’s all heart and fire, not just in discovering the power within her, but her agency in a world that’s long tried to manipulate her. I felt her conflict in my bones: the pull of duty, the burn of love, the impossible weight of power split down the middle. Her connection with Filip is chilling—two pieces of the same dark puzzle—but it was her bond with Damir that completely undid me.

The way Damir loved her without caging her, the way he stood by her even as the world sharpened its knives… I breathed for their moments together. Even in the briefest of scenes where they share a look across a battlefield of political games, Jodie Angell’s prose is searing,
and my heart cracked open.

Sharp where it needs to be, soft in all the right places, Angell’s worldbuilding is ambitious but never bloated, and the pacing is immaculate. Every chapter ratchets the tension higher, and the stakes feel both epic and deeply intimate. I was just as invested in Adelina’s internal battle as I was in the fate of the continent.

This is a book about choice. About love as resistance, power as burden, and the kind of courage it takes to stand alone—then choose not to. It sings with heartache and hope, and I finished it feeling both completely hollowed out and wildly inspired.

I’ll be thinking about that final page for a long time. And rereading. Definitely rereading.

[Your_bookish_fantasy Kerri-louise Whitham · Rating 1 out of 5]

DETAILED REVIEW OF- A Ballad of Severed Souls (dnf at 35%)
ARC REVIEW
⭐️ DNF
🌶 LOW
●📖# 510 Pages
●Release date- 24 June 2025
● Pace- SLOOOOOWWWW VERY VERY SLOW!
●Plot or Character driven? CHARACTER
●Avaiable OK KU? UNRELEASED
●Any representation? (Disability, plus size ladies, mental health etc) NO.


●TROPES
🔥Low spice
💀 friends to lovers
🗡political intrigue
🔮Chosen one
🪧 Magic training

First of all omg that cover is gorgeous and exactly what called me to this book!

This was the slowest book ive ever read. However, it's a real shame because the author writes beautifully. Nothing really happens though for the first 25% of the book. It's just regular daily living, no drama, no big worries, no excitement... just a cutesy type of boy girl storyline.

I love a good high fantasy, I'm used to the slow set up and the epic world building so it's not that this book had those problems, the story was written it just didn't move you along...

I like the idea behind the plot, the storyline was interesting but I was trying to 'get through' the first bit to get to the action when I remembered reading should be enjoyable so why am I 'getting through'a book?!

This authors writing style is easy to read, and the world building is good too, if you enjoy a simple, cozy, fantasy to take your time with and savour, then this is for you! Otherwise, you may want to give this a miss.


***********************
My Rating Systems:

⭐️ DNF

⭐️⭐️
I managed to finish it but it was rubbish. I won't keep a physical copy and won't recommend it, but it's a shame as the plot could have made a good book in another authors hands

******

🌶️– segsual language and a little on-page action

🌶️🌶️– a lot of segsual language and some on-page open door action, may be occurring a couple of times

[Lorna Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating
⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Favourite Quotes:
‘𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆, 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒖𝒏 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝑭𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒑— 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒆— 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖.’

Firstly I would like to thank Jodie for giving me the opportunity to read her ARC. The overall concept of the book hooked me in like a sucker.

I enjoyed the story idea, however there are aspects that fell a little short for me. The story is told in third person & is a slow starter. It does pick up traction but it felt there was so much story to be told in parts feeling rushed. This is the first book in a series, so with unexplained events it leaves the story open for the next book.

I found the concept of the magic in this book intriguing and I really enjoyed it. Myths and God's woven into the story really set the scene and the balance needed with Astral & Nether magic. I would of liked abit more exploration into the magic though & more around the souls too.

Throughout the book family love is a strong element, which helped develop an emotional attachment to the characters. The villain in this story is very well-written, they had bad guy vibes from the beginning and the author unraveled their true intentions at a great speed. The friends to lovers fell a little short for me, it felt too quick and lacked tension & desperation to be with each other. Their romance is a sprinkle of spice, which works with the story but I felt there was more development needed with their love story.

Overall, I did enjoy the story being told and will be picking up the next in the series with the cliffhanger dropped in the final. Chapters 👀

[The.Picky.Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to MTMC Tours and the author for the gifted arc.

Overall I enjoyed the concept of the story. Adelina is brave and sticks to her morals. There are some appearances by the dragons, though they played a smaller role than I expected. The magic system was unique and well built.

However, Ballad felt more like two books crammed together. The pacing was inconsistent and ended up feeling choppy and jarring. At one point in the story, she's traveling to an island only to get right back on another ship to return to the mainland. I'm not quite sure what the purpose of that trip was that couldn't have been accomplished without the sea travel.

I felt no attachment to any of the relationships. When a main death happens I didn't really feel like I should care too much about it and it didn't really feel like Adelina did either. Damir is her childhood friend turned lover, but there wasn't much chemistry, so they kinda just felt like friends the whole time.

There were a lot of contradictions that could've benefitted from an editing pass. The most glaring one being the repeated notion that Adelina's magic is unstable and difficult to control; but she uses it just fine 80% of the time. She makes a sort of bomb which is originally triggered by force, then fingerprint recognition, then timed release. Adelina also flip flops on refusing the villain's orders and following them because her family is threatened. That happens quite a lot.

I can tell where the author wanted to go with this. It felt more epic fantasy than today's romantasy, but ultimately fell short due to pacing and editing issues.

[Kinsey B · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, thank you Jodie Angell for the ARC copy of this book. These are my honest opinions.

This book has friends-to-lovers, battle of good vs. evil, dragons as gods, and uses some Slavic terminology. It is a slow starter, but does gain traction and interest as you read. There were a few times where my notes were just mind-blown emojis. Despite being a bit slow for me, there was enough interest in where the story was going to continue.

Filip was a very well-written bad guy. He seemed sketchy from the beginning and my intuition was right! I absolutely adored Aldercrown, this section had me reminiscing on the Ents in LOTR, but in a fun new way. I also appreciated the love the FMC had for her family, rather than a found family. This was a nice change of pace from the majority of fantasy books I read.

Unfortunately, the friends-to-lovers felt a bit off for me and I couldn't buy into the romance. There were also a few scenes which strongly made me think of other book series and it threw me out of this world and into other stories. The writing was well-done, but there was too much preparation for fighting and background knowledge dropped in this book and not enough action until the ending.

Tropes:
Friends-to-lovers
He Saves Her/She Saves Him
Magical object quest
Sprinkle of Spice

Quote I enjoyed:
"For every light, there issss darknessss, and Filip is your darkness. You musssst overcome him."

[Samantha Hardesty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel so mean for putting this but it’s a 2.5 from me🌟

I genuinely feel like this book would have hit so much better if the pacing was slower. Everything was so fast-paced that there wasn’t really any time to digest anything. Each chapter something happened and resolved and the fast-paced nature made it really hard to care about any of the characters or what was really happening.

I found Adelina a bit pathetic imo (which to be honest, is actually more believable than some FMCs who become warriors in a week) but she just felt flat. I also didn’t buy into her and Damir’s romance - there were definitely sweet moments and I thought the wedding night scene was really well written, but they just didn’t have that tension and yearning that I look for in a romantasy couple. I actually rooted for Filip for the whole of this because I obviously have something wrong with me and needed an enemies to lovers trope.

There are elements of this book that could have been so great. The magic system is unique and I feel the world building and politics could have been so intriguing if it was just slowed down. Also there’s a significant murder that evoked zero emotion and was actually the point in the book where I was like … ugh, I’m kind of over this now.

This is the first ARC I’ve ever been given and I’m extremely grateful to Jodie for this! I wish I could have given a higher rating, maybe I’m just destined to be an enemies to lovers fan forever.

[Miss Jordie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .75


Tropes:
• 3rd person PoV
• romantasy 🩷
• marriage of convenience 💍
• best friends to lovers 💕
• Slavic gods reimagined as dragons 🐉
• political intrigue 🤔

Triggers:
• violence 👊🏼
• death ☠️
• minimal spice 🔥

In a world where astral and nether magics coexist in an eternal struggle, the story revolves around Adelina Orlova and Filip Tarasov, two individuals bound by an ancient magic that links their souls and powers. Adelina, a wielder of astral magic, and Filip, a nether sorcerer, are entangled in a complex web of politics, prophecy, and fate.

The book's magic system is engaging, with the soul-binding concept being a standout feature. It feels both personal and high-stakes, but I wished for more detail and exploration. There were moments where the pacing slowed down more than I liked, and I did wish some of the side characters were more fleshed out.

With soul-bound magic, layered political intrigue, and a slow-burn connection, the story offers a compelling mix of romance and dark fantasy. While the pacing dragged at times and a few threads felt underdeveloped, the worldbuilding and character dynamics kept me turning pages. If you’re in the mood for some fantasy, emotional stakes and an intriguing magic system, it’s worth picking up.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jodie's lyrical way of story telling, and this first book in the Soul Bound series is no exception.

Adelina and Damir have grown up together, side by side, in their village, each harbouring feelings for the other they've never spoken of. At 20, they must complete a 'test' to determine if they have the long lost astral magic, a companion to the nether magic held by Filip, who has been searching for over a decade to find who holds the missing magic. Adalina is the lucky (unlucky?) person, and resigns herself to leaving her village and using their combined magic to help Filip reunite the three countries in their territory, who have been split by strife for many years.

After learning of Filip's true intentions, including his plan to marry her to produce an heir, she finds a way to sneak back to her village and marry Damir.

And here is where the fun begins. Fun? Okay, maybe not fun, but once Adelina and Damir go on the run, everything falls apart. And rather majestically, I might add.

I loved the scenes between Damir and Adelina, especially when it involved their romance itself. Slow and gentle, it was a perfect 'friends to lovers' situation. While I want more of their relationship, I expect to see that in book 2 and am happily (though impatiently) waiting for that!

Filip is the kind of villain that you immediately want to throttle. No redemption, no secret pining by the reader... just pure, unadulterated GRRRRR every time he showed up.

The Slavic elements to this fantasy romance were an interesting take I wasn't expecting. Jodie did a great job in building around this concept and keeping it consistent throughout the story. I really enjoyed the magical system, and the use of the prism world so Adelina could practice without harming the real world.

All that together, and I'm desperate for answer that I hope will come in the next book. I can't wait!

Thank you so much to Jodie for the eARC. My opinions are my own.

[Abbiebryony · Rating 1 out of 5]

Firstly I want to say thank you so much to the author for sending me an arc of this book!

I feel so incredibly bad about this rating and always hate leaving a low review but I just did not get on with this book🫣 On fave value the synopsis sounds incredible and I was so excited to read it!

The premises has the ability to be an amazing story so kudos to Jodie for thinking of this plot! But it just didn’t translate on paper. For me I struggled so much with the way it was written, it was flipping from one thought to the next and it felt really bitty. From the start I really had to lock in and concentrate because of how much it flip flopped around. The start was also extremely slow, now don’t get me wrong I love a slow burn in a high fantasy but this was just so uninteresting. Like you had beef stew for dinner? Great ok let’s move on.

The POV changes constantly in the middle of chapters which was quite confusing. I found myself having to reread lines constantly.

I’m sorry I really wanted to like this book and was so sad that I didn’t. I just didn’t feel connected to any of the characters😢 This had the premise of being a really great book and maybe some people will like it and the style of it but I just didn’t mesh with it😖

[Spicy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending me this eARC. I have left a review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

Adelina always believed she was just an ordinary girl—until the day her long-dormant astral magic awakens. Across the realm, Filip, the elusive wielder of nether magic, feels the spark he's spent a decade searching for: the other half of his power. Her.

But the reunion is far from a fairytale. Filip doesn’t want a partner—he wants control. A forced marriage. A bound bloodline. A legacy forged in chains.

Adelina flees her quiet village, leaving behind the only life she's ever known—and Damir, her loyal best friend… and perhaps something more. In a desperate bid to protect herself and her magic, she marries Damir, igniting a rebellion that will put them both on the run.

Now, hunted by the man who would claim her, Adelina must navigate a dangerous game of deception, survival, and power—balancing the pull of destiny with the fire of freedom.

I really loved this book - it was fast paced and had a really cool magic system. I loved all of the family interactions and connections - it was refreshing to have good supportive parents in this book! I laughed, I cried, I yelled. It was a great read! And no cliffhanger was a bonus!

Wonderful read!

[Tammy-Rose Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Ballad of Severed Souls by @jodieangell_author

Honestly, I'm still feeling really heart broken over here, thanks you for that Jodie.

This for me was a fast paced never knowing what you would encounter and full stop heart crashing moments, journey with Adelina. Loving her family with all her heart and her best friend Damir aswell. Looming over her the Test day, which she knows is going to change her life forever as Filip has been searching decade for the person with astral magic. She knows with her heart that she's the one who's his been searching for...

She'll be challenged, she'll be manipulated and go through unmistakable adventures that will test her to her fullest can she overcome it all and embrace the light of the gift that has been given to her or well she fall to the lure of dark magic and Filip.

Her tether for her love for her family and Damir will they survive the upcoming uphill dark times coming ahead. Meeting new people, forming relations, only to loose people but trying to help and protect. Will it change Adelina forever. Who knows...

Preorder now and it will be released on 24th June 2025

[Claire Carruthers · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable journey through the troubles and growth of Adelina the fmc and the immergence of her magic.
Adelina has been found by the power hungry Filip and is being used for her powers but once Adelina finds out he has a separate agenda to what was original said - she sets off to stop him, accompanied by her golden retriever best friend.
The world building in this novel is good but I wonder if a little more could have been done to pull you in further- travelling between the regions takes a couple of weeks so the author time travels us, so as to save on the storyline. I really liked that the fmc grows in confidence as the book progresses and her love interest stands by her throughout and in fact she has to rescue him. A lovely twist on the damsel in distress trope.
I wasn't quite sure if this is a stand alone in the series as "book one" or whether it will continue on into book two as there was nothing in the end chapter to give any clues.

I have rated this novel as 3.5 stars- rounded up to 4.
Thank you to Jodie Angell for allowing me to arc read Ballad of Severed souls, all comments are my own.