SoulShimmer

by Dawn Merchant

Five Spheres. Four dangerous Quests. Three childhood friends. Two powerful suitors. One missing soul.

Colette Darroway—Coco to the few who know her—is a Dim in a world where magic reigns supreme. Now called to compete in the high-stakes Sphere Quests, she must journey through Spheres, risking her life and soul for a chance at glory and immortality. But Coco isn’t just fighting for a spot among the Luxari; she’s driven by a secret quest of her own. Her brother’s soul is missing, and she will stop at nothing to uncover the truth behind his death and put his spirit to rest.

Across the Spheres, Coco faces murderous competitors, dangerous creatures, and mysterious truths. However, nothing scares her more than her attraction to two of the most powerful kings earthy, steadfast Oak and electric, unpredictable Kaz. As loyalty fractures and ancient powers stir beneath the surface, Coco must rely on the bonds of her past and the hope of her future to survive.

Some truths aren’t meant to be found, and some love stories aren’t meant to survive. But Coco's story was never meant to follow the rules.

456 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 17, 2026

Reviews

[Paige Woodrow]

If you enjoyed Lightlark I think you’ll love this!

I really enjoyed the premise! It’s a neat world with some cool magic concepts.

[ana maría · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a nice time reading this!!

I do feel like the themes are really similar to what you can find on romantasy books nowadays, with the powerless character competing on some trials and having two men pining after her. but girl, if it works it works, and I’ll eat it up every time (and I know you will too)

I liked the specific element of the souls but I wish we could’ve seen more of it, because I feel like it was too rushed (though I guess there’ll be more on that in the following books)

what i didn’t really understand was crispin’s character (when did he become relevant?), and I was momentarily confused by the ari report situation (why are you explaining to her what it is when she already told you a while back why she needed it?)

but, despite that, i feel like this is an exciting debut, with beautiful descriptions and a well-curated world building, and I’m really happy to have received this ARC! 🫶🏻

p.s.: what do you mean Kaz is blond and Oak has dark hair?? lauren roberts and holly black have forever influenced how i interpret those names

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great! It has a cool magic system where each different location one lives in (called Spheres) determines their abilities or lack thereof. There are trials in this book but they’re also treated a bit differently than usual trials which is a nice change. I really enjoyed this book!! More people need to read it!

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩.”

SoulShimmer by Dawn Merchant
3.5☆

This is a debut that’s the perfect introduction to fantasy. It’s familiar enough to orient new readers and easy to immerse into but fresh enough to keep veteran ones leaning forward for more—high stakes competitions, underdog energy, danger trials for the entertainment of the powerful…but the politics, the worlds, and the abilities make it feel newly hatched.

“𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡.”

The pacing danced around a bit, especially toward the end. Trials and tension were balanced with quieter beats giving dialogue a chance to breathe. I was REALLY hoping for more depth in the prose and relationships BUT you GET the yearning, the near touches. With emotionally charged air instead of spice, it works.

“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨.”

Coco is a foundation heroine in the best way. The story gives her space to become, to triumph, to grieve, to spiral, and then to rise.

“𝙈𝙮 𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙩. 𝙄𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙: 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙, 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡.”

What I really enjoyed was how easy it was to immerse into. Each Sphere has texture and mood, the side characters feel distinct, and the whole story hums with anticipation. You can sense bigger storms coming and the theories for book two are already forming.

This is a YA-leaning fantasy that remembers wonder and adventure, while giving way to something deeper and darker in the story to come.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 releases February 17th.

*Thank you to Dawn Merchant for this arc opportunity.

[Sarah Edmunds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! This book was so much better than I expected. The story pulled me in right away, and I didn’t want to stop reading. The characters felt real, and I actually cared about what happened to them. I especially liked how the main character grows and learns to believe in herself.
The message about finding your inner strength and embracing who you are really stood out to me. It wasn’t just a story — it felt inspiring and meaningful. There were emotional moments that made me feel connected to the characters, and the writing made everything easy to picture in my head.
Overall, SoulShimmer is a powerful and uplifting book that I would definitely recommend. It’s the kind of story that stays with you even after you finish it!

[Smut S Sisters]

Fans of Hunger Games and Powerless, this one’s for you. SoulShimmer has trials, elemental magic, and dabbles with a love triangle. Coco is a smart, strong, and likable FMC, full of empathy. With that cliffhanger, I’m excited to see where book two takes us.

Read this for:
-fantasy romance
-elemental magic
-deadly trials
-love triangle
-one horse

[Rose Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It pulled me in right away and it was an easy read, so I was able to finish it very quickly. The main character, Collette, or Coco, is a strong female character and it’s nice to read about her development and transformation through the story. Reminds me a bit of Powerless, so if you enjoyed that series, you’ll enjoy this one!

[Christy Bath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 because once I got about 20%ish in- I COULD NOT put it down! Detailed review to come soon! 🖤

[Aleks Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

rtc

[Nicole ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I finished it, therefore I’m upgrading my rating to 5 stars!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you so much to Dawn Merchant and Eburnean Books for the advanced reader copy — I very rarely accept ARCs (reading on a deadline stresses me out with my hectic job), so this was genuinely such a perfect reading experience time-wise

This already feels like it’s going to be a fresh new favorite for fantasy lovers. It’s different in the best way — new, exciting, and thoughtfully crafted without falling into the same tired tropes. I really hope so many people pick this one up, because it’s absolutely worth the time and attention, especially for readers looking to fall back in love with fantasy.

The pacing was chef’s kiss — the balance between challenges and quieter moments felt just right, and the romance was woven in beautifully. For a first book, I really appreciated the thoughtful extras like the map, pronunciation guide, Ember ability breakdown, and Sphere explanation. Those little details make such a difference when you’re stepping into a new world, and the world-building and magic system were easy to understand without feeling watered down

I don’t reach for fantasy as often anymore because so many blur together with the same life-or-death trials, but this felt like a breath of fresh air. Using book one to lay the foundation of Coco’s story was a smart choice, the romance sprinkles were perfectly placed, and the love triangle builds anticipation without unnecessary stress

…and now, I need book two immediately 😭📖✨


⊹₊⟡౨ৎ⟡₊⊹SPOILERS AHEAD: If you have not read SoulShimmer, please stop reading here.⊹₊⟡౨ৎ⟡₊⊹

𝜗𝜚 My overall theory: Coco will start her own Bleak Sphere Luxari Council to make life better for them

𝜗𝜚 I absolutely hate/loathe/wish death upon Amabel. Take her to the DoD volcano to be sacrificed 🤣 I’m very excited to see her fate later because I know we’re not done with her. And I’m also suspicious of Queen Catalina because she’s not as nice as she lets on, and I think she has something to do with the Ari Souls being taken for sacrifice

𝜗𝜚 I know don’t have the full story, but I love Oak and hope it’s him, I’m shipping them so hard. But ALSO about 75% of the way through I thought, is there a world where she chooses neither and ends up with someone I haven’t met yet?? When Oak was telling her about the SoulShimmer mark, I was gasping. I thought it might happen while she was at his cottage, but later on when he explained the favoritism I was like that makes sense. I’m scared bc Kaz is saying don’t trust Oak, but all I do is trust him bc he’s the mature, level-headed one 😩 I’m reaaaally anxious to see more about his powers bc it seems like he has way more than we realize

𝜗𝜚 I lost it when Cecille revealed what she is 💀💀💀 I can’t wait for more on her

𝜗𝜚 I screamed into my comforter when she got the SoulShimmer mark for Oak, and then freaked out when the other one popped up for Kaz

𝜗𝜚 My heart fell out of my body when we lost Will, I couldn’t stop crying and then my eyes watered every time someone brought him up

𝜗𝜚 I thought it was very smart to wrap up Milo’s soul arc this early in the trilogy. I thought that might be something that wouldn’t get resolved until later books, but it’s so refreshing to not drag out storylines uselessly

𝜗𝜚 In a lot of fantasy novels, the FMC spends half the book scared, timid, trying to figure out who she is, and that’s something I LOVED about Coco is she didn’t have to do that. She’s already been through a lot of loss and suffering, and because she doesn’t really care about being on a council, she didn’t have something to lose (except the Ari Report) and she was strong and ready to face challenges every time

𝜗𝜚 The Ember ability I loved most were the Daze abilities - anything to do with the mind has always been something I’ve loved. Mind control, telekinesis, those are so fascinating and I’m excited to see more of that

𝜗𝜚 I think the Hush Quest was my favorite because it involved water, and I love swimming so it spoke to me haha. But a close second was the Daze Quest because it involved using the mind so much with the riddles and how to stop the crows. My favorite Sphere and palace are Daze I believe, because it feels the most idyllic and fairytale-esque with being next to the sea, the gardens, the flowers, his cottage, I loved that

[Bonnie Egan · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review

SoulShimmer is an imaginative debut fantasy with rich world building and a premise that quickly pulls you in. From the opening chapters, the story establishes a vividly realized world in which citizens are “chosen” for a high-stakes competition that promises personal benefit while simultaneously serving as entertainment for the elite, with an underdog FMC. While this central concept feels comfortably familiar, Merchant introduces enough fresh elements—particularly within the magic system and governance structure of the world—to make the story feel engaging and new. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I became invested and found myself eager to keep turning pages.

The characters are well established, with both main and side characters receiving enough attention to feel distinct and memorable. One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its world building: each sphere is richly described and easy to visualize, creating a strong sense of place throughout the story. For a relatively short fantasy novel, the pacing is largely effective, giving the reader time to settle into the world and understand the stakes. At times, particularly during action sequences, events felt slightly rushed, with tension resolving more quickly than expected. There were a few moments where sudden jumps into higher-stakes scenes caused me brief confusion, and I found myself having to do a quick reread of prior paragraphs to ensure I hadn't missed something important. While I would have enjoyed more sustained action, the scenes themselves were exciting and engaging when they appeared.

The tone leans slightly YA, largely due to the fast pacing and the way romance is handled. Romantic elements focus more on tension and emotional buildup—think lingering touches and charged moments—rather than explicit content, which feels appropriate for the story being told. Ultimately, SoulShimmer shines most in its characters and its imaginative setting, both of which lay an excellent foundation for what’s to come.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed SoulShimmer and am genuinely impressed that this is a debut novel. The level of detail, creativity, and care put into the world and characters is evident, and the story is clearly setting the stage for an exciting continuation in book two, planned for early 2027. I would happily recommend this to readers who enjoy big fantasy adventures, vivid descriptive writing, engaging characters, and a quick-moving plot. If you enjoyed books like the Hunger Games and Dire Bound you will like this one! I’m very much looking forward to seeing where the rising conflict and developing romances lead next.

Thank you for the chance to advance read this wonderful debut!

[Mary Yeung · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars!
What a stunning start to a series!
I enjoyed the world build and the different alliances and the tension between Kaz, Oak and Coco!
The secondary characters had me rooting for them as well!
The ending broke my heart and I can't wait for book 2.