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Soul Sworn Saga #1
Soul Sworn
Not yet published
Expected 17 Nov 26Win a free print copy of this book!
17 days and 08:33:12
15 copies available
U.S. only
The thrilling first book of a steamy duology from Sunday Times bestselling author, Kate Dylan.
Two ruthless assassins.
One deadly romance.
Talia Atwater is a reaper, an elite assassin who uses her looks, her charms, and her rare ability to sense lies to rid clients of their sworn enemy: the person destined to kill their soulmate. For Talia, love is just another way to die.
Cain Hawthorne was raised to be a weapon. Bound to a powerful religious order, he hunts rogue reapers in the name of the Gods. Duty is everything. Love is forbidden. All that matters is protecting their fated ties.
So when Talia takes a job that threatens fate, Cain is sent to stop her.
But in a world where every soul is marked—for love and death—the line between mission and desire begins to blur.
As secrets unravel and attraction ignites, Talia and Cain are pulled into a dangerous game of seduction, secrets, and lies. And the closer they get to the truth, the clearer it becomes:
They were never meant to fall in love.
They were meant to destroy each other.
SOUL SWORN is a dark, addictive romantasy filled with assassins, blood magic, and a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance that will leave readers breathless.
Two ruthless assassins.
One deadly romance.
Talia Atwater is a reaper, an elite assassin who uses her looks, her charms, and her rare ability to sense lies to rid clients of their sworn enemy: the person destined to kill their soulmate. For Talia, love is just another way to die.
Cain Hawthorne was raised to be a weapon. Bound to a powerful religious order, he hunts rogue reapers in the name of the Gods. Duty is everything. Love is forbidden. All that matters is protecting their fated ties.
So when Talia takes a job that threatens fate, Cain is sent to stop her.
But in a world where every soul is marked—for love and death—the line between mission and desire begins to blur.
As secrets unravel and attraction ignites, Talia and Cain are pulled into a dangerous game of seduction, secrets, and lies. And the closer they get to the truth, the clearer it becomes:
They were never meant to fall in love.
They were meant to destroy each other.
SOUL SWORN is a dark, addictive romantasy filled with assassins, blood magic, and a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance that will leave readers breathless.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication November 17, 2026
About the author
Kate Dylan
7 books280 followersKate is a Sunday Times Bestselling author of fantasy and dystopian sci-fi novels. Her love for creating new worlds is fuelled by a steady diet of coffee, books, and Marvel movies, and when she's not telling stories, you can find her haunting London cafes like an over-caffeinated ghost.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5⭐️ (rounded up!)
They were never meant to fall in love.
They were meant to destroy each other.
In Sworn Soul, each person has two destined entanglements: one sworn enemy and one soulmate. On the same finger there's a gold band (soulmate) and a red band (sworn enemy). Both bands appear once your soul mate and sworn enemy are born. The soulmate gold ringlet is permanent regardless of life or death, but the sworn enemy band CAN disappear should your sworn enemy die… Which is where people like the FMC, Talia, become important to the story. They're Reapers, assassins for hire that will kill on your behalf—for the right price, of course.
Orphaned and selling her body,Talia, turns to killing as a different way to make money. As a Reaper, Talia follows a strict moral code: No kids, no soulmates, no meaningless killing. She only accepts sworn enemy kills. (Sworn enemy being someone destined to kill your soulmate.) Her rules backfire when she's blackmailed and forced into an uncomfortable mission. This mission has her trekking cross-country to kill an infant. Little does Talia know that while she's on the hunt…there's also someone hunting her.
Cain was raised at a temple under torturous brainwashing. Cain eats, sleeps, and breathes his religion and is a devout believer in the importance of entanglements. Now, he's become a Reaper that kills other Reapers. Eliminating those that his temple deems to pose a serious threat to destinies. Talia is his most recent Reaper target, but when he interjects himself into her mission (while trying to complete his own by killing her!), Cain finds himself blown away and tempted by the jawdropping assassin. This temptation is particularly jarring, as even though he's been "forced to pick up a blade and relinquish his robes," he still follows his teachings--including a vow of chastity. A vow that being around the sex-positive and beautiful Talia proves VERY, VERY, VERY difficult in upholding.
Cain's like a blank sheet of paper, which makes sense considering his upbringing. But still, as a main character, he was sorely lacking in personality. Even at 24, he hardly ever made decisions on his own, 95% of the time resorting to following all that he's been taught to believe. I hope in book two we see more independent thinking from him because even the spicy scenes were about Talia leading and him being an obedient follower.
On the subject of intimacy. Yes, there was some smut. No, there was absolutely no love (or even any romance) between these two. It's entirely lust based. Just two young and hot people alone together and acting on their attraction. Though, I was just as excited as Talia at the prospect of Cain breaking his vow of chastity! Talia thought,"by the Gods would she love to watch that uptight, pious contradiction fall apart." And. fall. it. did. Hehehe.
"How could anyone this smart be blind to the hypocrisy of religion?" There's a heavy divide surrounding the entanglements/Four Gods between both leads. Cain's in favor of the entanglements and one's destiny, whereas Talia thinks they're garbage, "because how can you fall in love outside of your bond, or why do bonded pairs cheat if they're destined?" Both are good points, but the incessant bickering back and forth in absolutes got exhausting and read as TOO DANG PREACHY. Can't both opinions be true? Why does one side need to be COMPLETELY right and the other side COMPLETELY wrong?
Overall: Solid first book in the duology. The entanglements made for a very cool premise! The pacing had the plot moving forward in a steady tempo that didn't get boring, with plenty of new settings and interesting plot points. The male lead was the weakest link in the entire story. With no personality and barely any decision-making on his own, Cain would need a grand upheaval to be worthy of the sex goddess badass killer that was Talia!
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own. And shoutout to Bookishness for the buddy read and putting me onto this book! 🩵
They were never meant to fall in love.
They were meant to destroy each other.
In Sworn Soul, each person has two destined entanglements: one sworn enemy and one soulmate. On the same finger there's a gold band (soulmate) and a red band (sworn enemy). Both bands appear once your soul mate and sworn enemy are born. The soulmate gold ringlet is permanent regardless of life or death, but the sworn enemy band CAN disappear should your sworn enemy die… Which is where people like the FMC, Talia, become important to the story. They're Reapers, assassins for hire that will kill on your behalf—for the right price, of course.
Orphaned and selling her body,Talia, turns to killing as a different way to make money. As a Reaper, Talia follows a strict moral code: No kids, no soulmates, no meaningless killing. She only accepts sworn enemy kills. (Sworn enemy being someone destined to kill your soulmate.) Her rules backfire when she's blackmailed and forced into an uncomfortable mission. This mission has her trekking cross-country to kill an infant. Little does Talia know that while she's on the hunt…there's also someone hunting her.
Cain was raised at a temple under torturous brainwashing. Cain eats, sleeps, and breathes his religion and is a devout believer in the importance of entanglements. Now, he's become a Reaper that kills other Reapers. Eliminating those that his temple deems to pose a serious threat to destinies. Talia is his most recent Reaper target, but when he interjects himself into her mission (while trying to complete his own by killing her!), Cain finds himself blown away and tempted by the jawdropping assassin. This temptation is particularly jarring, as even though he's been "forced to pick up a blade and relinquish his robes," he still follows his teachings--including a vow of chastity. A vow that being around the sex-positive and beautiful Talia proves VERY, VERY, VERY difficult in upholding.
Cain's like a blank sheet of paper, which makes sense considering his upbringing. But still, as a main character, he was sorely lacking in personality. Even at 24, he hardly ever made decisions on his own, 95% of the time resorting to following all that he's been taught to believe. I hope in book two we see more independent thinking from him because even the spicy scenes were about Talia leading and him being an obedient follower.
On the subject of intimacy. Yes, there was some smut. No, there was absolutely no love (or even any romance) between these two. It's entirely lust based. Just two young and hot people alone together and acting on their attraction. Though, I was just as excited as Talia at the prospect of Cain breaking his vow of chastity! Talia thought,"by the Gods would she love to watch that uptight, pious contradiction fall apart." And. fall. it. did. Hehehe.
"How could anyone this smart be blind to the hypocrisy of religion?" There's a heavy divide surrounding the entanglements/Four Gods between both leads. Cain's in favor of the entanglements and one's destiny, whereas Talia thinks they're garbage, "because how can you fall in love outside of your bond, or why do bonded pairs cheat if they're destined?" Both are good points, but the incessant bickering back and forth in absolutes got exhausting and read as TOO DANG PREACHY. Can't both opinions be true? Why does one side need to be COMPLETELY right and the other side COMPLETELY wrong?
Overall: Solid first book in the duology. The entanglements made for a very cool premise! The pacing had the plot moving forward in a steady tempo that didn't get boring, with plenty of new settings and interesting plot points. The male lead was the weakest link in the entire story. With no personality and barely any decision-making on his own, Cain would need a grand upheaval to be worthy of the sex goddess badass killer that was Talia!
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own. And shoutout to Bookishness for the buddy read and putting me onto this book! 🩵
May 29, 2026
The blurb for this book had me hooked, and I was so excited to receive an ARC copy. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the execution. Thanks Seri for buddy reading with me!
The premise was incredibly interesting: two assassins a Reaper and a Hunter are destined to kill each other. But what happens when they start to fall in love? Sounds amazing, right? Sadly, the story never delivered on that promise.
Cain, a Reaper who kills other Reapers, had so much potential. Instead of being dark, complex, or morally gray, he felt flat and underdeveloped. We learn very little about his background, motivations, or what truly drives him.
Talia, whose parents died when she was young, was the stronger of the two characters. Her desire to protect her sister and the difficult choices she’s forced to make gave her some depth, but even her character wasn’t explored as fully as I had hoped.
Now for the romance or rather, the lack of it. There was no slow burn, no tension, no yearning, and no emotional connection. What we got was mostly lust masquerading as romance. I felt absolutely nothing between these two characters, which made it impossible to root for them as a couple.
Overall, the concept was far more compelling than the execution. Despite the promising premise, the characters lacked depth, the romance fell completely flat, and I was left feeling bored rather than invested.
I will not be continuing with Book 2. Yawn.
~Pre-read~ Received this ARC copy! Im dying, this cover is stunning!!!
DARK romanticy, Assassins- enemies to lovers, blood magic! say no more~ RTC
The premise was incredibly interesting: two assassins a Reaper and a Hunter are destined to kill each other. But what happens when they start to fall in love? Sounds amazing, right? Sadly, the story never delivered on that promise.
Cain, a Reaper who kills other Reapers, had so much potential. Instead of being dark, complex, or morally gray, he felt flat and underdeveloped. We learn very little about his background, motivations, or what truly drives him.
Talia, whose parents died when she was young, was the stronger of the two characters. Her desire to protect her sister and the difficult choices she’s forced to make gave her some depth, but even her character wasn’t explored as fully as I had hoped.
Now for the romance or rather, the lack of it. There was no slow burn, no tension, no yearning, and no emotional connection. What we got was mostly lust masquerading as romance. I felt absolutely nothing between these two characters, which made it impossible to root for them as a couple.
Overall, the concept was far more compelling than the execution. Despite the promising premise, the characters lacked depth, the romance fell completely flat, and I was left feeling bored rather than invested.
I will not be continuing with Book 2. Yawn.
~Pre-read~ Received this ARC copy! Im dying, this cover is stunning!!!
DARK romanticy, Assassins- enemies to lovers, blood magic! say no more~ RTC
Want to Read
May 16, 2026Two assassins, a reaper and a hunter, bound to kill each other but the line between mission and desire blurs. Where they were meant to destroy each other, a deadly romance begins.
This cover! So many thoughts!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballentine/Delacorte Press and the author, Kate Dylan for an early copy.
Publication date: November 17, 2026
This cover! So many thoughts!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballentine/Delacorte Press and the author, Kate Dylan for an early copy.
Publication date: November 17, 2026
remind-me-once-out
April 8, 2026I'm a simple girl, I see this cover - I want
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
June 20, 2026I decided to dnf this title after 56% (20 chapter) after we got a scene of
Perhaps if not for this scene, I would have tried to read further, but even after reaching the halfway mark, I still knew very little about the world. The characters often made questionable decisions that didn't always feel true to who they were, and the writing relied heavily on telling rather than showing.
I'm especially disappointed because the blurb and the initial premise genuinely intrigued me. The idea of soulmates and soul enemies existing simultaneously felt fresh and original, but the concept was never explored to its full potential. The introduction and the rules of the world felt messy and underdeveloped, leaving me constantly wondering: How does this work? Why does it work?
And the characters... sigh. How is it possible to give the FMC such distinct personality traits while stripping the MMC of his? While Talia wasn't entirely likable, her priorities were clear, and I could understand the reasoning behind her decisions. Cain, on the other hand, lacked that same depth and consistency. As a result, I found his POV much less engaging and struggled to enjoy the parts of the story told from his perspective.
Thank you Delacorte Press and Netgalley for opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for honest review.
Perhaps if not for this scene, I would have tried to read further, but even after reaching the halfway mark, I still knew very little about the world. The characters often made questionable decisions that didn't always feel true to who they were, and the writing relied heavily on telling rather than showing.
I'm especially disappointed because the blurb and the initial premise genuinely intrigued me. The idea of soulmates and soul enemies existing simultaneously felt fresh and original, but the concept was never explored to its full potential. The introduction and the rules of the world felt messy and underdeveloped, leaving me constantly wondering: How does this work? Why does it work?
And the characters... sigh. How is it possible to give the FMC such distinct personality traits while stripping the MMC of his? While Talia wasn't entirely likable, her priorities were clear, and I could understand the reasoning behind her decisions. Cain, on the other hand, lacked that same depth and consistency. As a result, I found his POV much less engaging and struggled to enjoy the parts of the story told from his perspective.
Thank you Delacorte Press and Netgalley for opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for honest review.
May 22, 2026
The magic system was very unique and interesting. But, not explained and flesh out very well. The soul mate concept was rather confusing and doesn’t make much sense. A red line on the finger tells you that you have a soul mate and that someone will kill them but that’s about it…no how’s and why’s.
The FMC isn’t very likeable and the MMC is rather soft and dumb to be honest. They are assassins, but have absolutely no skill.
He’s sent to kill her. She has no idea, but is sus of him the whole time and knows he’s lying. Yet, she just shrugs it all off.
A pet peeve of mine is modern/real world vernacular being is used in a made up fantasy world. Risqué is a French word. There is no France here. This is just one example.
I get spicy, but this was just horny. The very first scene of spice the MMC is being a creep and watching the FMC through a keyhole getting dildo’d (is this a word??). It’s also right after the FMC and MMC met for the first time. It was just weird and ruined the vibe for me. He’s also a virgin but all he can think about is sex.
This missed the mark for me. On paper this sounds great! But, the execution was done poorly.
Thank you delacorte and netgalley for an early copy.
The FMC isn’t very likeable and the MMC is rather soft and dumb to be honest. They are assassins, but have absolutely no skill.
He’s sent to kill her. She has no idea, but is sus of him the whole time and knows he’s lying. Yet, she just shrugs it all off.
A pet peeve of mine is modern/real world vernacular being is used in a made up fantasy world. Risqué is a French word. There is no France here. This is just one example.
I get spicy, but this was just horny. The very first scene of spice the MMC is being a creep and watching the FMC through a keyhole getting dildo’d (is this a word??). It’s also right after the FMC and MMC met for the first time. It was just weird and ruined the vibe for me. He’s also a virgin but all he can think about is sex.
This missed the mark for me. On paper this sounds great! But, the execution was done poorly.
Thank you delacorte and netgalley for an early copy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2026
5⭐️ Loved it! A must own book.
Read this if you like complex bonds of fate with a badass FMC who eats lies and makes her living by destroying those magical bonds of destiny.
📖What’s inside:
Assassins 🗡️
Dual POV
💞 Mate bonds
On-page intimacy 🟡
Witches
🌈 Inclusive
Explicit language
FF scenes 👀
Only one bed
✨Vibes: Heartless Hunter meets Nocticadia’s eerie mystery + Mr. & Mrs. Smith but make it magic and mayhem
Book boyfriend meter: 🧡
Would consider. Would absolutely regret something.
💭Thoughts: Came for the cover, stayed for the insane soulmate-but-enemies premise. The dual POV tension was everything—and when they finally meet?? It’s… hot. 👀 True slow burn, but the angst, morally grey chaos, and twisty plot made it impossible to put down. Also—top tier representation and a story that feels genuinely fresh despite the tropes. And that ending??This one’s going to blow up the dark fantasy romance space—I can feel it.
➕Should you add this to your TBR? Omg YES. Actually—go ahead and pre-order it. Digital and physical. Start it immediately on release day, then display that gorgeous copy on your shelf like the trophy it is.
This one is worth it, babes. All the stars!!!!
Thank you to Ballantine books and Netgalley for an eARC copy of this book. Keeping it real with my honest thoughts as always. 🖤
For my full review + more fantasy book recs, check out my blog here → https://www.abookfortheendoftheworld.com
Read this if you like complex bonds of fate with a badass FMC who eats lies and makes her living by destroying those magical bonds of destiny.
📖What’s inside:
Assassins 🗡️
Dual POV
💞 Mate bonds
On-page intimacy 🟡
Witches
🌈 Inclusive
Explicit language
FF scenes 👀
Only one bed
✨Vibes: Heartless Hunter meets Nocticadia’s eerie mystery + Mr. & Mrs. Smith but make it magic and mayhem
Book boyfriend meter: 🧡
Would consider. Would absolutely regret something.
💭Thoughts: Came for the cover, stayed for the insane soulmate-but-enemies premise. The dual POV tension was everything—and when they finally meet?? It’s… hot. 👀 True slow burn, but the angst, morally grey chaos, and twisty plot made it impossible to put down. Also—top tier representation and a story that feels genuinely fresh despite the tropes. And that ending??This one’s going to blow up the dark fantasy romance space—I can feel it.
➕Should you add this to your TBR? Omg YES. Actually—go ahead and pre-order it. Digital and physical. Start it immediately on release day, then display that gorgeous copy on your shelf like the trophy it is.
This one is worth it, babes. All the stars!!!!
Thank you to Ballantine books and Netgalley for an eARC copy of this book. Keeping it real with my honest thoughts as always. 🖤
For my full review + more fantasy book recs, check out my blog here → https://www.abookfortheendoftheworld.com
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Recieved an e-arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Can we just make some commotion for the COVER??? Hot damn. Truly one of the best covers I have seen in a while.
This book in interesting in its premise and its lore. I have read countless books that feature soulmates, sworn enemies, enemies to lovers, but for a single book to feature all of this, between the main characters? It immediately caught my attention. The detail behind the world building was also very good, and I was genuinely engaged with the lore.
But the execution of these concepts/tropes just fell a little flat for me. While I really liked the idea of it, I just couldn't fully believe the connection between the FMC and MMC. Talia seems smart, resourceful, if a little rough around the edges and a little problematic in her thinking, and Cain is, well, a dumbass. I didn't like him at all. I just felt bad for him.
I am intrigued by the story, despite it moving a bit slow, and found the ending to be just enough for me to want to know what happens next. I can see myself reading the next book if I see it out and about.
Can we just make some commotion for the COVER??? Hot damn. Truly one of the best covers I have seen in a while.
This book in interesting in its premise and its lore. I have read countless books that feature soulmates, sworn enemies, enemies to lovers, but for a single book to feature all of this, between the main characters? It immediately caught my attention. The detail behind the world building was also very good, and I was genuinely engaged with the lore.
But the execution of these concepts/tropes just fell a little flat for me. While I really liked the idea of it, I just couldn't fully believe the connection between the FMC and MMC. Talia seems smart, resourceful, if a little rough around the edges and a little problematic in her thinking, and Cain is, well, a dumbass. I didn't like him at all. I just felt bad for him.
I am intrigued by the story, despite it moving a bit slow, and found the ending to be just enough for me to want to know what happens next. I can see myself reading the next book if I see it out and about.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Welcome to my (spicy) adult fantasy era! Soul Sworn is the first book in a duology and I can't wait for you all to meet Talia and Cain!
Content Warning
While Soul Sworn was written to be a fun book you can fall in love with, it does touch on topics some readers may find difficult, these include: parental death, religious abuse, religious trauma, and childhood prostitution. It also features: violence, death, murder, mild gore, maiming, sex, mild kink, and strong language.
Content Warning
While Soul Sworn was written to be a fun book you can fall in love with, it does touch on topics some readers may find difficult, these include: parental death, religious abuse, religious trauma, and childhood prostitution. It also features: violence, death, murder, mild gore, maiming, sex, mild kink, and strong language.
Did Not Finish
July 10, 2026dnf. I am 99% certain huge chunks of this book was written by AI, specifically Claude. I already have to grade so much AI nonsense in my day job, I am not interested in reading AI books in my spare time. After three years at doing this, I know an AI written nonsense sentence before I have to put it through the checker. I can even tell you which software wrote which sentence because I have read those same nonsense sentences a thousand times! can people please stop doing this! ai is literally killing the planet!
June 10, 2026
This book was EVERYTHING.
Talia is a lie Eater and reaper, fiercely protective of her younger sister after losing both of their parents. In a kingdom where being a witch is a death sentence, she’s spent her life hiding what she is to survive. When she’s forced into a mission she doesn’t want to take and her sister is used against her, she finds herself traveling through a haunted forest soaked in the blood of thousands of executed witches.
Enter Cain.
A Blood Scribe raised by a ruthless religious order, Cain has spent his entire life trying to atone for sins he isn’t even sure are his own. He’s pious, tortured, deadly and also sent to kill Talia.
The chemistry between these two is immediate. She literally feeds on all of his delicious lies. Their dynamic is messy, complicated, antagonistic, and absolutely addictive.
Tropes & vibes:
🖤 True enemies to lovers to ....
🖤 Forced proximity
🖤 One bed at the inn
🖤 Touch her and die 😲
🖤 Morally gray characters
🖤 Religious trauma
🖤 Gothic fantasy
🖤 Haunted forest
🖤 Witch persecution
🖤 Protective older sister
🖤 Virgin self flagellating MMC
🖤 Praise and punishment dynamics
🖤 Slow burn!!
The worldbuilding was atmospheric and both Talia and Cain felt deeply wounded and beautifully complex. I loved that they were genuine enemies with real reasons to distrust each other, making every moment of connection special.
4.25 ⭐️
Talia is a lie Eater and reaper, fiercely protective of her younger sister after losing both of their parents. In a kingdom where being a witch is a death sentence, she’s spent her life hiding what she is to survive. When she’s forced into a mission she doesn’t want to take and her sister is used against her, she finds herself traveling through a haunted forest soaked in the blood of thousands of executed witches.
Enter Cain.
A Blood Scribe raised by a ruthless religious order, Cain has spent his entire life trying to atone for sins he isn’t even sure are his own. He’s pious, tortured, deadly and also sent to kill Talia.
The chemistry between these two is immediate. She literally feeds on all of his delicious lies. Their dynamic is messy, complicated, antagonistic, and absolutely addictive.
Tropes & vibes:
🖤 True enemies to lovers to ....
🖤 Forced proximity
🖤 One bed at the inn
🖤 Touch her and die 😲
🖤 Morally gray characters
🖤 Religious trauma
🖤 Gothic fantasy
🖤 Haunted forest
🖤 Witch persecution
🖤 Protective older sister
🖤 Virgin self flagellating MMC
🖤 Praise and punishment dynamics
🖤 Slow burn!!
The worldbuilding was atmospheric and both Talia and Cain felt deeply wounded and beautifully complex. I loved that they were genuine enemies with real reasons to distrust each other, making every moment of connection special.
4.25 ⭐️
June 11, 2026
Great concept, mediocre execution. The writing itself is overstuffed and the phrasing feels “off,” and the magic system doesn’t make a lot of sense, despite it theoretically being very simple. The romance is forced as well.
Want to Read
July 3, 2026🗡️❤️🔥 Soul Sworn ❤️🔥🗡️
📖 Bookish Thoughts
My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.
💫What to Expect
• Dark Romantasy
• Enemies to Lovers
• Assassin x Assassin
• Fated Mates
• Blood Magic
• Forbidden Love
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: November 17, 2026
Thank you to Ballantine, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
📖 Bookish Thoughts
My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.
💫What to Expect
• Dark Romantasy
• Enemies to Lovers
• Assassin x Assassin
• Fated Mates
• Blood Magic
• Forbidden Love
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: November 17, 2026
Thank you to Ballantine, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Two ruthless assassins. One deadly romance.
They were never meant to fall in love. They were meant to destroy each other.
The blurb and cover for this book had me so intrigued and I was so happy to secure an ARC. However, I think my expectations were set too high. The premise sounds so interesting and there was potential but the execution was pretty poor.
The characters lacked depth and the magic system was quite confusing, even though it should have been pretty straight forward. I think that definitely could have been fleshed out a bit more. I didn’t feel anything between the two main characters and found it hard to root for them as a couple.
Overall, I found the story flat and boring :(
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, Kate Dylan for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Publication date: November 17, 2026
They were never meant to fall in love. They were meant to destroy each other.
The blurb and cover for this book had me so intrigued and I was so happy to secure an ARC. However, I think my expectations were set too high. The premise sounds so interesting and there was potential but the execution was pretty poor.
The characters lacked depth and the magic system was quite confusing, even though it should have been pretty straight forward. I think that definitely could have been fleshed out a bit more. I didn’t feel anything between the two main characters and found it hard to root for them as a couple.
Overall, I found the story flat and boring :(
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, Kate Dylan for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Publication date: November 17, 2026
June 27, 2026
I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this and oh my gosh run don’t walk when it comes out!
Such a well written book. I loved the magic use, I loved how clever and Opus Dei coded the belief system was, and the characters were phenomenal. The plot twists were great, and kept me guessing, and the world building is gorgeous. A really solid romantasy novel I’ve already preemptively recommended to people.
Such a well written book. I loved the magic use, I loved how clever and Opus Dei coded the belief system was, and the characters were phenomenal. The plot twists were great, and kept me guessing, and the world building is gorgeous. A really solid romantasy novel I’ve already preemptively recommended to people.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Delacorte Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, for gifting me an early ARC copy of "Soul Sworn" through NetGalley to review.
I have to say that women’s fiction has to be a genre somewhere in Soul Sworn because the main character, Talia Atwater, can outperform men when she does her reaping. Dylan intimately focuses on Talia’s innocence being stripped from her because of many life events that happened to her as a child, which has led to her becoming somewhat calloused and literally opposes what is called entanglement.
All I will say about entanglement is that it has to do with lovers being bonded. Talia’s idea of love is tainted, and understandably so. I believe Dylan did a great job of going back and forth between memory and current moments, and how they distort Talia’s perception of being hyper-fixated on reaping and the kills she makes.
This takes place during medieval times, so I was immediately hooked. It had similar terminologies to the Octopath Traveler video game series, and it becomes apparent that the very real issues of situations like plague, child abuse, and sexual abuse outweigh the cost of the magic system in this world. Just like the Octopath Traveler series, it focuses on a single continent, and the social cues are similar in this world, even if the lore is different.
We have a main male character (MMC) Cain Hawthorne, who is sent on a mission by his religious cult to kill Talia because she’s a reaper, but he had no idea what he was in for. Talia is dominant, and this book immediately felt like a twist on Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James, but much better than that, with a woman no less. She is considered the depraved one, and she breaks him in. He’s the goody-two-shoes, and she is the one who has to learn about reconciling her painful past with a potential love.
Talia is afraid of getting burned, so she burns everything and everyone else in return except for her sister. This is familiar, but there isn’t a book that comes along that shows a woman experiencing this while also championing her agency at the same time. Cain deals with religious abuse after being neglected by his parents and sent to this religious temple. Because of this, Cain has convoluted beliefs that involve him self-flagellating whenever he sins, and he was beaten with canes by the other priests. Not only does Talia have to find a way to love again, but she also teaches Cain another way of life that doesn’t include torture and religious abuse.
One thing I really like about Cain is how much he loves entanglement. Two things I wish the book would have had are a glossary explaining some key terms related to the lore, and also a page or two explaining the four Gods and the eight magical gifts associated with each of them. It got confusing at times when reading, but this might work in the author’s favor if she added these features. I was starting to get impatient with how slow the romance build-up was, but nothing excites me more than two potential lovers who don’t even realize the budding love themselves, all the while it shows up in their actions.
The wait was worth it because Dylan DELIVERED. It was three chili peppers spicy, and I forgot to mention that Talia is also bisexual. The LGBTQA+ representation was done with care, and it was nice to see. All I will say is that she’s dominant, so don’t expect her to be submissive like other authors write their female main characters (FMCs) in straight romances. I loved this book but just wish it was longer and hope that Kate Dylan can reconsider the duology and make it a series instead. I would read them all. I definitely think this book is deserving of 4/5 stars. The dark romantasy community is big, so come and get Soul Sworn when it is released on November 17th, 2026!
I have to say that women’s fiction has to be a genre somewhere in Soul Sworn because the main character, Talia Atwater, can outperform men when she does her reaping. Dylan intimately focuses on Talia’s innocence being stripped from her because of many life events that happened to her as a child, which has led to her becoming somewhat calloused and literally opposes what is called entanglement.
All I will say about entanglement is that it has to do with lovers being bonded. Talia’s idea of love is tainted, and understandably so. I believe Dylan did a great job of going back and forth between memory and current moments, and how they distort Talia’s perception of being hyper-fixated on reaping and the kills she makes.
This takes place during medieval times, so I was immediately hooked. It had similar terminologies to the Octopath Traveler video game series, and it becomes apparent that the very real issues of situations like plague, child abuse, and sexual abuse outweigh the cost of the magic system in this world. Just like the Octopath Traveler series, it focuses on a single continent, and the social cues are similar in this world, even if the lore is different.
We have a main male character (MMC) Cain Hawthorne, who is sent on a mission by his religious cult to kill Talia because she’s a reaper, but he had no idea what he was in for. Talia is dominant, and this book immediately felt like a twist on Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James, but much better than that, with a woman no less. She is considered the depraved one, and she breaks him in. He’s the goody-two-shoes, and she is the one who has to learn about reconciling her painful past with a potential love.
Talia is afraid of getting burned, so she burns everything and everyone else in return except for her sister. This is familiar, but there isn’t a book that comes along that shows a woman experiencing this while also championing her agency at the same time. Cain deals with religious abuse after being neglected by his parents and sent to this religious temple. Because of this, Cain has convoluted beliefs that involve him self-flagellating whenever he sins, and he was beaten with canes by the other priests. Not only does Talia have to find a way to love again, but she also teaches Cain another way of life that doesn’t include torture and religious abuse.
One thing I really like about Cain is how much he loves entanglement. Two things I wish the book would have had are a glossary explaining some key terms related to the lore, and also a page or two explaining the four Gods and the eight magical gifts associated with each of them. It got confusing at times when reading, but this might work in the author’s favor if she added these features. I was starting to get impatient with how slow the romance build-up was, but nothing excites me more than two potential lovers who don’t even realize the budding love themselves, all the while it shows up in their actions.
The wait was worth it because Dylan DELIVERED. It was three chili peppers spicy, and I forgot to mention that Talia is also bisexual. The LGBTQA+ representation was done with care, and it was nice to see. All I will say is that she’s dominant, so don’t expect her to be submissive like other authors write their female main characters (FMCs) in straight romances. I loved this book but just wish it was longer and hope that Kate Dylan can reconsider the duology and make it a series instead. I would read them all. I definitely think this book is deserving of 4/5 stars. The dark romantasy community is big, so come and get Soul Sworn when it is released on November 17th, 2026!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
1.5 / 5.0
Soul Sworn by Kate Dylan is a fantasy romance with assassins, soulmates, and an interesting magic system - at least it wants to be?
I am going to be very careful saying this because it is a HUGE hot topic but I think part of this is written using a LLM. The writing displays several hallmarks of generative, prompt-based writing. Within the first three chapters alone I read examples of the big three ("the list of three", weird metaphors, and contrast phrasing) in every paragraph. A prime example of this being "It was a scream in flavor and a churn of nausea in scent." (location 170). What?
There is very little emotion to the writing which makes it hard to connect to the characters, writing, magic, entire book... The excessive use of em dashes and avoidance of copulas, which leads to run-on sentences and circular reasoning, are basic LLM markers and they are pervasive in this text.
I do believe that the dialogue was created though genuine creativity. The syntax in the spoken text of this is very modern. In a world that is based off a medieval fantasy model, the language is casual and could be heard down at any corner coffeeshop. It does not fit the setting or the characters, taking the reader out of the story and highlighting the issues with the writing. The actual prose does strive for a "fantasy voice" in the writing which is completely at odds with the dialogue.
Finally, the magic is illogical. Each person has a soulmate and an enemy bound to them. The soulmate part is messy but the enemy part makes no sense at all. This person is destined to kill you, but they also have a soulmate and an enemy of their own? So everyone has to search for their soulmate and for the person they are an enemy of while avoiding the person who is their enemy? How do you know your enemy OR if you're someone's enemy? And then there's the soulmate... if you don't find YOUR soulmate then you never get to be bonded, but there's nothing explaining how you come to find this person. It was very confusing to read which is compounded by the poor writing and a secondary magic system based on non-hereditary magic focused around truth/lies/healing/blood/souls/fate. This was undeveloped and confusing as well.
I really wanted to dive into this and find a new fantasy favorite, especially since this is a duet in a world of epic sagas. Unfortunately, I am not able to recommend this because I am not sure of the provenance of the writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.
Soul Sworn by Kate Dylan is a fantasy romance with assassins, soulmates, and an interesting magic system - at least it wants to be?
I am going to be very careful saying this because it is a HUGE hot topic but I think part of this is written using a LLM. The writing displays several hallmarks of generative, prompt-based writing. Within the first three chapters alone I read examples of the big three ("the list of three", weird metaphors, and contrast phrasing) in every paragraph. A prime example of this being "It was a scream in flavor and a churn of nausea in scent." (location 170). What?
There is very little emotion to the writing which makes it hard to connect to the characters, writing, magic, entire book... The excessive use of em dashes and avoidance of copulas, which leads to run-on sentences and circular reasoning, are basic LLM markers and they are pervasive in this text.
I do believe that the dialogue was created though genuine creativity. The syntax in the spoken text of this is very modern. In a world that is based off a medieval fantasy model, the language is casual and could be heard down at any corner coffeeshop. It does not fit the setting or the characters, taking the reader out of the story and highlighting the issues with the writing. The actual prose does strive for a "fantasy voice" in the writing which is completely at odds with the dialogue.
Finally, the magic is illogical. Each person has a soulmate and an enemy bound to them. The soulmate part is messy but the enemy part makes no sense at all. This person is destined to kill you, but they also have a soulmate and an enemy of their own? So everyone has to search for their soulmate and for the person they are an enemy of while avoiding the person who is their enemy? How do you know your enemy OR if you're someone's enemy? And then there's the soulmate... if you don't find YOUR soulmate then you never get to be bonded, but there's nothing explaining how you come to find this person. It was very confusing to read which is compounded by the poor writing and a secondary magic system based on non-hereditary magic focused around truth/lies/healing/blood/souls/fate. This was undeveloped and confusing as well.
I really wanted to dive into this and find a new fantasy favorite, especially since this is a duet in a world of epic sagas. Unfortunately, I am not able to recommend this because I am not sure of the provenance of the writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.
July 8, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The cover is stunning yet unfortunately, easily the most fully realised thing about this book. There are interesting ideas buried in here, but almost none of them are developed, and the whole thing reads like an author who wanted to sprint straight to the scenes between two people without doing the work of building a world, a craft, or a reason to care.
Talia is completely unlikeable and not in an intentional, thorny way, or in an interesting character study way. The opening few pages are essentially "I'm an unstoppable badass assassin, I'm also thin and sexy, and I only kill to protect my sister. Did I mention thin and sexy?" which is the setup for every forgettable romantasy on the market. Cain, though, was surprisingly well done. His backstory and lore were fresh and engaging, and his POV was the only part I looked forward to. He had a level of nuance that Talia did not.
It was the endless religion talk that brought this book down from being an ok-ish read to aggravating for me. The critiques of the in-world faith (or what little is built at least...) are lazily lifted almost wholesale from real-life criticism of Christianity, to the point of breaking immersion entirely. Talia goads Cain like a bad-faith internet atheist while he answers calmly and without taking the bait, and the effect is the opposite of what I think was intended. It reads as if her endless jabbing is supposed to expose him as an out of touch zealot, or perhaps a brainwashed victim, but it's so badly done that it just makes him look more credible and her look petty. I love watching characters wrestle with belief, bias, and the gap between what they profess and how they act. That's done beautifully with Cain and terribly with Talia. Almost none of it connects to what little plot there is, and just feels like the author trying to shoehorn in their own talking points (of which there are SO many better than what was presented if you really want to go down that route).
Worse than all, there is essentially no chemistry between the leads, which is fatal for the genre. I do think the author is capable of far better than what was produced here, there were glimmers of decent writing in places, but this book felt unfinished. Like a first draft. Low-hanging romantasy fruit without the payoff the genre usually delivers.
The cover is stunning yet unfortunately, easily the most fully realised thing about this book. There are interesting ideas buried in here, but almost none of them are developed, and the whole thing reads like an author who wanted to sprint straight to the scenes between two people without doing the work of building a world, a craft, or a reason to care.
Talia is completely unlikeable and not in an intentional, thorny way, or in an interesting character study way. The opening few pages are essentially "I'm an unstoppable badass assassin, I'm also thin and sexy, and I only kill to protect my sister. Did I mention thin and sexy?" which is the setup for every forgettable romantasy on the market. Cain, though, was surprisingly well done. His backstory and lore were fresh and engaging, and his POV was the only part I looked forward to. He had a level of nuance that Talia did not.
It was the endless religion talk that brought this book down from being an ok-ish read to aggravating for me. The critiques of the in-world faith (or what little is built at least...) are lazily lifted almost wholesale from real-life criticism of Christianity, to the point of breaking immersion entirely. Talia goads Cain like a bad-faith internet atheist while he answers calmly and without taking the bait, and the effect is the opposite of what I think was intended. It reads as if her endless jabbing is supposed to expose him as an out of touch zealot, or perhaps a brainwashed victim, but it's so badly done that it just makes him look more credible and her look petty. I love watching characters wrestle with belief, bias, and the gap between what they profess and how they act. That's done beautifully with Cain and terribly with Talia. Almost none of it connects to what little plot there is, and just feels like the author trying to shoehorn in their own talking points (of which there are SO many better than what was presented if you really want to go down that route).
Worse than all, there is essentially no chemistry between the leads, which is fatal for the genre. I do think the author is capable of far better than what was produced here, there were glimmers of decent writing in places, but this book felt unfinished. Like a first draft. Low-hanging romantasy fruit without the payoff the genre usually delivers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Soul Sworn had me in a chokehold. I could not stop reading once I started. I think it put me in a book hangover too. It took a while to recover and nothing else sounded nearly as good after. I was expecting to like this one, simply because it sounded right up my alley with a badass/morally gray FMC and a conflicted, somewhat naive MMC. What I wasn't expecting was to fly through it in a very short amount of time. But I did. Now, I have to wait oh-so-long for book two. Ugh.
The main female character, Talia Atwater, is not a good person, technically. Maybe. She's a reaper, which means she kills people who will end up killing someone else's soulmate. That's the whole point of the story, deliberating if it's okay to take someone's life if you know that person will end up taking another's life in the future. It's the age-old morality question that there is no perfect answer for. Talia is also taking these jobs for her sister, so it adds in another morality question about doing bad things to keep you and your family alive. I really liked Talia. I think she was conflicted, jaded, feisty, sexy, and powerful all in one.
As for Cain, the MMC, he's basically a monk warrior who kills people because his parish tells him to. While I'm not super excited for religious characters in my fictional stories (fantasy or otherwise), Cain did have me invested. Poor boy was going through it. Also, a small thing, I really loved that Talia was older than Cain. We need older FMCs in romantasy, even if it's only by a few years.
For the worldbuilding, I think it's fascinating that Kate Dylan kind of took the concept of fanfiction soulmate storylines and put them into a unique fantasy world. I'm not saying the author purposefully did this or even if that was her inspiration. I honestly don't know if that was her intent. But to me, the story reminded me of my favorite soulmate AUs. The soulmate and sworn enemy ring bands really contributed to that. As for the magical powers, the witch element is really cool. There are different types of witches that all have proper names, but they can basically be described as lie detectors, seers, and a bloody version of email. That's basically Cain's power, sending emails through his own flesh and blood. Overall, it was super easy to follow and I had a good time immersing myself into the story. The sexuality-fluid world was fantastic too!
Honestly, my biggest complaint for the book is that the spicy scenes were glazed over at some points. It was pretty disappointing. I wanted more! The buildup was there. I just needed the payoff. It was kind of the same for the ending in general. Things were nicely paced at first, and then towards the end, things went too quickly. I think it needed another fifty pages at the end to keep the pace and tension. And while I am very excited for book two, I didn't feel the impact of the two major cliffhangers like I wanted to because of the fast pacing. I will be reading the sequel, though. You can count on that.
All in all, I think fans of the witchy, forbidden love elements of Serpent & Dove and The Crimson Moth duology, as well as Susan Dennard's Truthwitch, will devour this book. But, since it's definitely an adult romantasy, I think some more mature comp titles based on vibes, worldbuilding, and the author's writing style would include Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Silvercloak by L.K. Steven, What Fury Brings by Tricia Levenseller, and Danielle L. Jensen's romantasy books.
4 stars
*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.
The main female character, Talia Atwater, is not a good person, technically. Maybe. She's a reaper, which means she kills people who will end up killing someone else's soulmate. That's the whole point of the story, deliberating if it's okay to take someone's life if you know that person will end up taking another's life in the future. It's the age-old morality question that there is no perfect answer for. Talia is also taking these jobs for her sister, so it adds in another morality question about doing bad things to keep you and your family alive. I really liked Talia. I think she was conflicted, jaded, feisty, sexy, and powerful all in one.
As for Cain, the MMC, he's basically a monk warrior who kills people because his parish tells him to. While I'm not super excited for religious characters in my fictional stories (fantasy or otherwise), Cain did have me invested. Poor boy was going through it. Also, a small thing, I really loved that Talia was older than Cain. We need older FMCs in romantasy, even if it's only by a few years.
For the worldbuilding, I think it's fascinating that Kate Dylan kind of took the concept of fanfiction soulmate storylines and put them into a unique fantasy world. I'm not saying the author purposefully did this or even if that was her inspiration. I honestly don't know if that was her intent. But to me, the story reminded me of my favorite soulmate AUs. The soulmate and sworn enemy ring bands really contributed to that. As for the magical powers, the witch element is really cool. There are different types of witches that all have proper names, but they can basically be described as lie detectors, seers, and a bloody version of email. That's basically Cain's power, sending emails through his own flesh and blood. Overall, it was super easy to follow and I had a good time immersing myself into the story. The sexuality-fluid world was fantastic too!
Honestly, my biggest complaint for the book is that the spicy scenes were glazed over at some points. It was pretty disappointing. I wanted more! The buildup was there. I just needed the payoff. It was kind of the same for the ending in general. Things were nicely paced at first, and then towards the end, things went too quickly. I think it needed another fifty pages at the end to keep the pace and tension. And while I am very excited for book two, I didn't feel the impact of the two major cliffhangers like I wanted to because of the fast pacing. I will be reading the sequel, though. You can count on that.
All in all, I think fans of the witchy, forbidden love elements of Serpent & Dove and The Crimson Moth duology, as well as Susan Dennard's Truthwitch, will devour this book. But, since it's definitely an adult romantasy, I think some more mature comp titles based on vibes, worldbuilding, and the author's writing style would include Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Silvercloak by L.K. Steven, What Fury Brings by Tricia Levenseller, and Danielle L. Jensen's romantasy books.
4 stars
*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I dont know why my previous review disappeared so here it is again
I usually try to give a book at least 50% before deciding to DNF, so I’m especially disappointed to be putting this one down so early. On paper, Soul Sworn has all the ingredients for a compelling romantasy: assassins, soulmates, magic, danger, and high emotional stakes. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me.
The writing is the book’s biggest weakness. It’s very obvious this is a debut novel, and the story desperately needed several more rounds of editing and revision. The worldbuilding is confusing to the point of distraction. The magic system is barely explained, leaving major concepts vague and underdeveloped. I never understood the logic behind the “soulmate” premise, particularly the idea that a finger somehow knows when the person destined to kill your soulmate will die. Instead of intriguing, it felt nonsensical.
The plot itself is extremely thin and seems largely constructed as a vehicle for explicit scenes, which unfortunately were some of the worst I’ve read in the genre. The dialogue and descriptions felt immature enough that I genuinely had to double-check the author’s age.
The FMC was another major issue for me. She constantly delivers long monologues about being an elite assassin despite repeatedly being described as malnourished, frail, and paper-thin. The characterization never matched the story’s insistence that she’s this deadly, legendary killer. The book relies heavily on telling rather than showing, which made her come across as more of a self-insert fantasy than a believable character. She felt deeply self-obsessed, narcissistic, and overwhelmingly Mary Sue-coded.
I was also uncomfortable with the book’s repeated fatphobic descriptions. Nearly every “good” character is portrayed as thin and attractive, while “bad” or undesirable characters are consistently described as fat, pudgy, or unattractive. After a while, the pattern became impossible to ignore and made the reading experience increasingly unpleasant.
Overall, this had a promising premise but lacked the polish, coherence, and characterization needed to make it work for me.
I usually try to give a book at least 50% before deciding to DNF, so I’m especially disappointed to be putting this one down so early. On paper, Soul Sworn has all the ingredients for a compelling romantasy: assassins, soulmates, magic, danger, and high emotional stakes. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me.
The writing is the book’s biggest weakness. It’s very obvious this is a debut novel, and the story desperately needed several more rounds of editing and revision. The worldbuilding is confusing to the point of distraction. The magic system is barely explained, leaving major concepts vague and underdeveloped. I never understood the logic behind the “soulmate” premise, particularly the idea that a finger somehow knows when the person destined to kill your soulmate will die. Instead of intriguing, it felt nonsensical.
The plot itself is extremely thin and seems largely constructed as a vehicle for explicit scenes, which unfortunately were some of the worst I’ve read in the genre. The dialogue and descriptions felt immature enough that I genuinely had to double-check the author’s age.
The FMC was another major issue for me. She constantly delivers long monologues about being an elite assassin despite repeatedly being described as malnourished, frail, and paper-thin. The characterization never matched the story’s insistence that she’s this deadly, legendary killer. The book relies heavily on telling rather than showing, which made her come across as more of a self-insert fantasy than a believable character. She felt deeply self-obsessed, narcissistic, and overwhelmingly Mary Sue-coded.
I was also uncomfortable with the book’s repeated fatphobic descriptions. Nearly every “good” character is portrayed as thin and attractive, while “bad” or undesirable characters are consistently described as fat, pudgy, or unattractive. After a while, the pattern became impossible to ignore and made the reading experience increasingly unpleasant.
Overall, this had a promising premise but lacked the polish, coherence, and characterization needed to make it work for me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Netgalley, for providing a copy of this arc for my review.
I would truly recommend this for people who enjoyed Daggermouth, that just happened to be another book that wasn’t to my personal tastes
I was so excited by the synopsis of this story that I started reading it as soon as I was approved, and I was enjoying it right away. The writing style is very accessible, the characters are enjoyable, and the worldbuilding is interesting. Talia is an interesting character with a dark backstory but I truly liked her. It is because I liked her, and I trusted the author (and characters) repeatedly reiterating that Talia is so observant that I couldn’t understand why she blatantly ignored the very clear red flag screaming at her that Cain is trying to kill her. From the very moment he says he isn’t there to hurt her and she discovers it’s a lie there should never have been a moment she should have trusted him. Then, a grown man is murdered in her tent who she very quickly discovers was killed by Cain, yet she never puts together that 1) he wants to hurt her and 2) this man was murdered in her tent at EXACTLY THE TIME SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THERE INSTEAD. I understand their tenacious alliance was required to make it out of the forest, but she should have slit his throat the second they made it out and not looked back.
Additionally, this book did fall a bit victim of circumstance as I read this at the same time as reading the Scythe series. ************SPOILERS FOR THE SCYTHE SERIES AHEAD, STOP HERE IF YOU WANT TO READ THEM, AND I WOULD RECOMMEND READING THE FIRST 2 ARE FIVE STARS. JUST IGNORE THE LAST ONE. MAKE UP YOUR OWN ENDING. THANKS**************************************But, due to the intense religious fanatism that occurs throughout that series, especially in the last book which I was reading at the same time as Soul Sworn, I was beyond over reading about zealot religious delusion. This instantly made me not like Cain, or empathize with him in any way which is why the romance was never going to work for me.
I would truly recommend this for people who enjoyed Daggermouth, that just happened to be another book that wasn’t to my personal tastes
I was so excited by the synopsis of this story that I started reading it as soon as I was approved, and I was enjoying it right away. The writing style is very accessible, the characters are enjoyable, and the worldbuilding is interesting. Talia is an interesting character with a dark backstory but I truly liked her. It is because I liked her, and I trusted the author (and characters) repeatedly reiterating that Talia is so observant that I couldn’t understand why she blatantly ignored the very clear red flag screaming at her that Cain is trying to kill her. From the very moment he says he isn’t there to hurt her and she discovers it’s a lie there should never have been a moment she should have trusted him. Then, a grown man is murdered in her tent who she very quickly discovers was killed by Cain, yet she never puts together that 1) he wants to hurt her and 2) this man was murdered in her tent at EXACTLY THE TIME SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THERE INSTEAD. I understand their tenacious alliance was required to make it out of the forest, but she should have slit his throat the second they made it out and not looked back.
Additionally, this book did fall a bit victim of circumstance as I read this at the same time as reading the Scythe series. ************SPOILERS FOR THE SCYTHE SERIES AHEAD, STOP HERE IF YOU WANT TO READ THEM, AND I WOULD RECOMMEND READING THE FIRST 2 ARE FIVE STARS. JUST IGNORE THE LAST ONE. MAKE UP YOUR OWN ENDING. THANKS**************************************But, due to the intense religious fanatism that occurs throughout that series, especially in the last book which I was reading at the same time as Soul Sworn, I was beyond over reading about zealot religious delusion. This instantly made me not like Cain, or empathize with him in any way which is why the romance was never going to work for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!!!!
Talia Atwater, a reaper who takes a job that threatens fate collides with Cain, a hot priest assassin sent to stop her.
They were never meant to fall in love.
They were meant to destroy each other.
First of all I would like to say I enjoyed this book so much and I would have finished it sooner if I could!!!!! (Alas life gets in the way)
The premise of this book really intrigued me and boy was it delivered!
These two main characters with their backgrounds and personalities drew me in right away. The way they live their lives really create inner conflict within themselves that adds so much to the storyline as you read.
The setting was so fun and such a great picture was created while reading. I liked how fast paced it was with the adventure and mystery of the plot.
I felt the action/conflicts in this book was neck and neck with the slow burning romance and tension these characters have in this book. Knowing this is a duo-logy, I thought the pacing of the romance was done very well. It was fun waiting for certain things with the characters to be revealed while reading their developing relationship.
I think with this book there wasn’t as much yearning as I wish there was, but from how I interpreted who the main characters are and how they go about connecting with others, this makes sense why there wasn’t. I have a feeling in the next book some things will be different based on what has happened with the ending of book 1.
I also hope there’s a little more of a dive into the world-building/entanglements into book 2, especially after the ending of the first book.
The ending really leaves me wanting so much more not only with the romance but the plot as well! I think both the characters are about to find out more about themselves through what’s come out of their journey together and what their previous missions/responsibilities will try to demand of them.
I would highly recommend this book to other readers/friends!!!
I cannot wait for book 2!
Talia Atwater, a reaper who takes a job that threatens fate collides with Cain, a hot priest assassin sent to stop her.
They were never meant to fall in love.
They were meant to destroy each other.
First of all I would like to say I enjoyed this book so much and I would have finished it sooner if I could!!!!! (Alas life gets in the way)
The premise of this book really intrigued me and boy was it delivered!
These two main characters with their backgrounds and personalities drew me in right away. The way they live their lives really create inner conflict within themselves that adds so much to the storyline as you read.
The setting was so fun and such a great picture was created while reading. I liked how fast paced it was with the adventure and mystery of the plot.
I felt the action/conflicts in this book was neck and neck with the slow burning romance and tension these characters have in this book. Knowing this is a duo-logy, I thought the pacing of the romance was done very well. It was fun waiting for certain things with the characters to be revealed while reading their developing relationship.
I think with this book there wasn’t as much yearning as I wish there was, but from how I interpreted who the main characters are and how they go about connecting with others, this makes sense why there wasn’t. I have a feeling in the next book some things will be different based on what has happened with the ending of book 1.
I also hope there’s a little more of a dive into the world-building/entanglements into book 2, especially after the ending of the first book.
The ending really leaves me wanting so much more not only with the romance but the plot as well! I think both the characters are about to find out more about themselves through what’s come out of their journey together and what their previous missions/responsibilities will try to demand of them.
I would highly recommend this book to other readers/friends!!!
I cannot wait for book 2!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Everyone has a soulmate. That one person where everything clicks and you feel like the luckiest person in the world. There’s this pretty gold band that find it’s way onto your finger at some point in your life showing you that your soulmate was born - or maybe you’ve had that mark since birth. The hardest part is finding that one person.
But the thing is, everyone also has a sworn enemy shown by a red band - the person who’s the cause of your soulmate’s death. The reason there’s widows and widowers, or the reason why someone never found their special person.
So how do you combat that and make sure you have lifelong happiness with your true love? You hire Talia to hunt down your sworn enemy and make sure they never become a problem. And she 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 does that to ensure that her sister and unborn nibling can live as comfortably as possible. Until one job is forced on her and Cain steps in to hunt the hunter.
Let me tell you, this book goes 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵; there’s no possible way to get bored reading Soul Sworn because something is 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 happening. Which is great - the writing was easy to follow and digest. And I really enjoyed the magic system, it felt unique. The characters felt real enough and I’m always a sucker for a storyline where the FMC is trying to save her sister.
Now, I wish the author had a little more faith in the readers. The story does a lot of telling vs showing and letting the reader come to the same conclusion. In one scene, the FMC punches the MMC in the face and his internal dialogue is “yes, she had to do that because she showed compassion and had to assert that she was not a soft person.” The reader could get to the same conclusion without being told that.
Soul Sown was a super quick and really enjoyable read - I devoured it in the couple of hours after getting the approval email.
Thank you Ballantine/Delacorte and Netgalley for an early copy.
But the thing is, everyone also has a sworn enemy shown by a red band - the person who’s the cause of your soulmate’s death. The reason there’s widows and widowers, or the reason why someone never found their special person.
So how do you combat that and make sure you have lifelong happiness with your true love? You hire Talia to hunt down your sworn enemy and make sure they never become a problem. And she 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 does that to ensure that her sister and unborn nibling can live as comfortably as possible. Until one job is forced on her and Cain steps in to hunt the hunter.
Let me tell you, this book goes 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵; there’s no possible way to get bored reading Soul Sworn because something is 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 happening. Which is great - the writing was easy to follow and digest. And I really enjoyed the magic system, it felt unique. The characters felt real enough and I’m always a sucker for a storyline where the FMC is trying to save her sister.
Now, I wish the author had a little more faith in the readers. The story does a lot of telling vs showing and letting the reader come to the same conclusion. In one scene, the FMC punches the MMC in the face and his internal dialogue is “yes, she had to do that because she showed compassion and had to assert that she was not a soft person.” The reader could get to the same conclusion without being told that.
Soul Sown was a super quick and really enjoyable read - I devoured it in the couple of hours after getting the approval email.
Thank you Ballantine/Delacorte and Netgalley for an early copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I read this book in a single day because I simply could not put it down. Every chapter left me needing to know what would happen next, and I was desperate to see how two people from such different worlds could possibly find their way to each other.
Talia is a compelling heroine. As a Reaper and Lie Eater, her life revolves around one goal: protecting her sister and unborn niece or nephew at all costs. She is fierce, capable, and unapologetically herself. Beneath her strength, however, is a lifetime of pain and secrets that she keeps carefully guarded. Talia refuses to let people get too close, making her journey throughout the story all the more impactful.
Cain was equally fascinating. A Reaper, Blood Scribe, and priest, he is bound by sacred oaths and strict teachings that constantly clash with his growing feelings for Talia. Watching him struggle between duty, faith, and desire created the most compelling moments, and character development in the book. The internal conflict he experiences from the moment he meets Talia felt authentic and emotionally charged.
The romance is a true slow burn, and Kate Dylan handles it in a really exciting way. The tension builds steadily throughout the story. Their differences, beliefs, responsibilities, and mistrust for one another create obstacles that kept creating plot twists.
The world-building, magic system, and high stakes kept me fully invested, but it was the characters and their emotional journeys that made this story unforgettable. And that ending? I never saw it coming. It completely caught me off guard and left me desperate to get my hands on book two.
Soul Sworn is an addictive dark fantasy with dark themes, filled with compelling characters, slow-burn romance, emotional conflict, and a conclusion that will leave you eagerly anticipating the next installment in this duology.
Talia is a compelling heroine. As a Reaper and Lie Eater, her life revolves around one goal: protecting her sister and unborn niece or nephew at all costs. She is fierce, capable, and unapologetically herself. Beneath her strength, however, is a lifetime of pain and secrets that she keeps carefully guarded. Talia refuses to let people get too close, making her journey throughout the story all the more impactful.
Cain was equally fascinating. A Reaper, Blood Scribe, and priest, he is bound by sacred oaths and strict teachings that constantly clash with his growing feelings for Talia. Watching him struggle between duty, faith, and desire created the most compelling moments, and character development in the book. The internal conflict he experiences from the moment he meets Talia felt authentic and emotionally charged.
The romance is a true slow burn, and Kate Dylan handles it in a really exciting way. The tension builds steadily throughout the story. Their differences, beliefs, responsibilities, and mistrust for one another create obstacles that kept creating plot twists.
The world-building, magic system, and high stakes kept me fully invested, but it was the characters and their emotional journeys that made this story unforgettable. And that ending? I never saw it coming. It completely caught me off guard and left me desperate to get my hands on book two.
Soul Sworn is an addictive dark fantasy with dark themes, filled with compelling characters, slow-burn romance, emotional conflict, and a conclusion that will leave you eagerly anticipating the next installment in this duology.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A solid start to the Soul Sworn Saga! In Soul Sworn, every person exists knowing they have two fated ‘entanglements’: a soulmate and a sworn enemy. Each is marked by a band on their finger when those connections are born, and disappears once they die. FMC Talia is an assassin who eliminates sworn enemies for pay. The story follows her as she takes on a brutal job that goes against her strict moral code. The MMC Cain has been raised in religion and is strictly devout to his beliefs that all entanglements are sacred, no matter their nature. His job is to eliminate reapers like Talia in order to protect all entanglements, even sworn enemies.
What I liked:
💘The overall concept. The entire premise of not only having a fated mate but also a sworn enemy was unique and enticing! I felt it adds a sense of urgency to life in their world, making sure you live life to the fullest because even if slim, there IS a chance you’ll meet the one who is destined to bring about the end of your life.
🧐That religion was brought into question. This is obviously a very personal opinion and might not resonate with everyone, but I always appreciate when people question beliefs that are meant to be blindly followed. Talia challenged Cain on this, with what were pretty valid points, and it further exposed the extent of Cain’s brainwashing.
All in all I thought the spice was okay, but I definitely wanted a little more connection between the two. I expected Cain’s surrender to feel a little more angsty and intense, especially because Talia is such a force, but he fell a little flat. I do think there’s promise for more character growth in book 2 though, so I would still totally recommend!
Thank you to Kate Dylan, NetGalley, and Ballantine/Delacorte Press for the chance to read this eARC. All thoughts are my own.
What I liked:
💘The overall concept. The entire premise of not only having a fated mate but also a sworn enemy was unique and enticing! I felt it adds a sense of urgency to life in their world, making sure you live life to the fullest because even if slim, there IS a chance you’ll meet the one who is destined to bring about the end of your life.
🧐That religion was brought into question. This is obviously a very personal opinion and might not resonate with everyone, but I always appreciate when people question beliefs that are meant to be blindly followed. Talia challenged Cain on this, with what were pretty valid points, and it further exposed the extent of Cain’s brainwashing.
All in all I thought the spice was okay, but I definitely wanted a little more connection between the two. I expected Cain’s surrender to feel a little more angsty and intense, especially because Talia is such a force, but he fell a little flat. I do think there’s promise for more character growth in book 2 though, so I would still totally recommend!
Thank you to Kate Dylan, NetGalley, and Ballantine/Delacorte Press for the chance to read this eARC. All thoughts are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Soul Sworn is a dark, enemies-to-lovers romantasy centered around two assassins destined to be each other’s undoing.
Talia is a ruthless assassin, a Reaper who kills other people’s sworn enemies (the person fated to kill their soulmate) for pay. Cain is a member of a secret religious order, tasked with hunting Reapers who present a significant threat to entanglements. When Talia takes on such a job, Cain is sent to eliminate her. The two are dragged into a game of secrets, lies, and desire that threatens their duties, lives, and everything they hold dear.
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, as the blurb and the author’s descriptions made it sound like something I’d love! The vibes reminded me of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and the idea of sworn enemies/soulmates was something I was intrigued by. Unfortunately, the story ended up being a little disappointing for me (especially considering how hyped I initially was).
I felt that the world-building was a little lacking and found myself left with a lot of unanswered questions about the setting. I wish there had been more detail about the culture and religion of the Fractured Continent. There was some explanation about entanglements, but there wasn’t much explanation about the different Gods, the heaven/hell that were mentioned, or any rituals associated with the religion.
Readers who appreciate a slow-burn romance that doesn’t follow a conventional path will likely enjoy this. The concept and premise are unique, compelling, and enjoyable, despite my criticisms. While this wasn’t a top read for me, I’ll definitely seek out Book 2 and will finish the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for making a copy of this available to review!
Talia is a ruthless assassin, a Reaper who kills other people’s sworn enemies (the person fated to kill their soulmate) for pay. Cain is a member of a secret religious order, tasked with hunting Reapers who present a significant threat to entanglements. When Talia takes on such a job, Cain is sent to eliminate her. The two are dragged into a game of secrets, lies, and desire that threatens their duties, lives, and everything they hold dear.
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, as the blurb and the author’s descriptions made it sound like something I’d love! The vibes reminded me of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and the idea of sworn enemies/soulmates was something I was intrigued by. Unfortunately, the story ended up being a little disappointing for me (especially considering how hyped I initially was).
I felt that the world-building was a little lacking and found myself left with a lot of unanswered questions about the setting. I wish there had been more detail about the culture and religion of the Fractured Continent. There was some explanation about entanglements, but there wasn’t much explanation about the different Gods, the heaven/hell that were mentioned, or any rituals associated with the religion.
Readers who appreciate a slow-burn romance that doesn’t follow a conventional path will likely enjoy this. The concept and premise are unique, compelling, and enjoyable, despite my criticisms. While this wasn’t a top read for me, I’ll definitely seek out Book 2 and will finish the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for making a copy of this available to review!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤: Soul Sworn (ARC)
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: Blood magic, Assassins, Touch her and die, Only one bed, Enemies-to-lovers, Forced Proximity, Fated Mates
👀 𝐌𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
If you are deeply invested in that unhinged "we are literally supposed to kill each other but also I am desperately in love with you" energy, this is your next five-star read 🙂↕️
𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝘁𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿. She is a badass "reaper"—an elite blade-for-hire who literally makes her living by hunting down the sworn enemies of her clients to save their soulmates. She has this incredibly rare and dangerous magic that allows her to sense lies, making her virtually untouchable 👀
𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝘄𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲. He is giving major tortured, emotionally repressed "hot priest" vibes. Cain was surrendered to a powerful religious order called the Brotherhood as a child and was essentially broken down and turned into a living weapon to hunt rogue reapers like Talia in the name of the Gods
𝑨𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕
When a ruthless client forces Talia to take on a horrific job targeting a child, the Brotherhood dispatches Cain to stop her. What ensues is a lethal, intoxicating cat-and-mouse game filled with blood magic, hidden identities, and insane tension
𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏
This book is an absolute masterpiece of the slow-burn romantasy genre. I usually get impatient with slow burns, but the tension here does all the heavy lifting before the romance finally catches fire, and when it does, it is gloriously decadent. It is dark, it is highly addictive, and it leaves you completely breathless 🫢
Huge thanks to the author for writing such a wonderful story and giving us such well-rounded, multi-layered characters 🙃❤️
𝐇𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐈𝐆 @cennbooks 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬!
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: Blood magic, Assassins, Touch her and die, Only one bed, Enemies-to-lovers, Forced Proximity, Fated Mates
👀 𝐌𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
If you are deeply invested in that unhinged "we are literally supposed to kill each other but also I am desperately in love with you" energy, this is your next five-star read 🙂↕️
𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝘁𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿. She is a badass "reaper"—an elite blade-for-hire who literally makes her living by hunting down the sworn enemies of her clients to save their soulmates. She has this incredibly rare and dangerous magic that allows her to sense lies, making her virtually untouchable 👀
𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝘄𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲. He is giving major tortured, emotionally repressed "hot priest" vibes. Cain was surrendered to a powerful religious order called the Brotherhood as a child and was essentially broken down and turned into a living weapon to hunt rogue reapers like Talia in the name of the Gods
𝑨𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕
When a ruthless client forces Talia to take on a horrific job targeting a child, the Brotherhood dispatches Cain to stop her. What ensues is a lethal, intoxicating cat-and-mouse game filled with blood magic, hidden identities, and insane tension
𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏
This book is an absolute masterpiece of the slow-burn romantasy genre. I usually get impatient with slow burns, but the tension here does all the heavy lifting before the romance finally catches fire, and when it does, it is gloriously decadent. It is dark, it is highly addictive, and it leaves you completely breathless 🫢
Huge thanks to the author for writing such a wonderful story and giving us such well-rounded, multi-layered characters 🙃❤️
𝐇𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐈𝐆 @cennbooks 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬!
June 29, 2026
NetGalley Arc
Rating: 4.2/5
Summary
This novel follows the story of Talia Atwater and Cain Hawkethorne as the two unknowing enemies work together to uncover a malicious money scheme plaguing a lordship.
In a universe where soulmates and sworn enemies exist, the powerful elite hire reapers to eliminate threats and gain leverage. Talia Atwater is a reaper sent on a mission she cannot refuse. With her sister's fate used as a bargaining chip, Talia is ordered to do the unthinkable.
Cain Hawkethorn, a reaper for the brotherhood, is sent to interrupt her assignment and keep her from ever reaping another soul. But when Cain meets Talia, inexplicable forces keep him from killing her, ultimately pushing him to sacrifice himself time and time again to save her life.
As Talia works to gain leverage on her blackmailer and Cain works to rationalize his inability to act on his assignment, the two team up to save a small lordship from being further devastated by a plague. While working side by side, Talia and Cain unpack their beliefs and discover parts of themselves that ultimately bring them closer together.
Personal Review:
I think the pacing and plot devices in this book were logical and helped move the story along at a decent pace. At no point did I feel like the characters acted unrealistically, with the characterization of both Talia and Cain supporting their actions.
Throughout the story, I enjoyed the “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” vibe to Talia and Cane’s dynamic, and I thought that the characters were artfully crafted.
My biggest qualm with this novel is the lack of explanation for the fantastical world that they live in. I wish the author had explained all the rules and limits of the soulmate and sworn-enemy bonds earlier on. There were points towards the end of the novel where facts about the bonds felt hastily added.
Overall, this fantasy book was incredible, and I look forward to the next book in this duology!
Rating: 4.2/5
Summary
This novel follows the story of Talia Atwater and Cain Hawkethorne as the two unknowing enemies work together to uncover a malicious money scheme plaguing a lordship.
In a universe where soulmates and sworn enemies exist, the powerful elite hire reapers to eliminate threats and gain leverage. Talia Atwater is a reaper sent on a mission she cannot refuse. With her sister's fate used as a bargaining chip, Talia is ordered to do the unthinkable.
Cain Hawkethorn, a reaper for the brotherhood, is sent to interrupt her assignment and keep her from ever reaping another soul. But when Cain meets Talia, inexplicable forces keep him from killing her, ultimately pushing him to sacrifice himself time and time again to save her life.
As Talia works to gain leverage on her blackmailer and Cain works to rationalize his inability to act on his assignment, the two team up to save a small lordship from being further devastated by a plague. While working side by side, Talia and Cain unpack their beliefs and discover parts of themselves that ultimately bring them closer together.
Personal Review:
I think the pacing and plot devices in this book were logical and helped move the story along at a decent pace. At no point did I feel like the characters acted unrealistically, with the characterization of both Talia and Cain supporting their actions.
Throughout the story, I enjoyed the “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” vibe to Talia and Cane’s dynamic, and I thought that the characters were artfully crafted.
My biggest qualm with this novel is the lack of explanation for the fantastical world that they live in. I wish the author had explained all the rules and limits of the soulmate and sworn-enemy bonds earlier on. There were points towards the end of the novel where facts about the bonds felt hastily added.
Overall, this fantasy book was incredible, and I look forward to the next book in this duology!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine | Delacorte Press for the eARC!
I’m not normally into the whole fated mates/ soulmates thing, but the plot of this one was intriguing. And I’ve been on a dark fantasy romance kick this year, so I decided to give this one a whirl. No regrets. I devoured this one. And after that ending…I need book two so bad.
Talia is a reaper, someone who kills sworn enemies for a price. Cain is also a reaper, but instead of killing sworn enemies, he kills other reapers at the behest of his religious order. What follows is one of the slowest burns I’ve ever read. (Not a complaint, I love a super slow burn). Sure, the attraction is rather quick, but between his religious leanings and her distrust, they don’t get really into things until much later in the book. Then, that ending. Yeesh.
One of my favorite parts of this story was the world-building. There was so much attention to detail in regards to the magic and religious systems. They both felt genuine and unique. As someone who is not religious, I was not bothered by the clear questioning of Cain’s faith and the way religion is used to manipulate others. In fact, I agreed with Talia on quite a lot of her points. But someone who has either religious trauma or is into that thing might have some issues, so just a warning. If that doesn’t bother you, then I highly recommend this one if you’re looking for a dark, complex fantasy romance between two (very) morally grey characters.
Overall, I’m giving this one 4.5 stars rounded up to a 5. I loved reading it and can’t wait for the sequel. Thankfully, it's a duology, so here’s hoping the wait isn’t too unbearable.
I’m not normally into the whole fated mates/ soulmates thing, but the plot of this one was intriguing. And I’ve been on a dark fantasy romance kick this year, so I decided to give this one a whirl. No regrets. I devoured this one. And after that ending…I need book two so bad.
Talia is a reaper, someone who kills sworn enemies for a price. Cain is also a reaper, but instead of killing sworn enemies, he kills other reapers at the behest of his religious order. What follows is one of the slowest burns I’ve ever read. (Not a complaint, I love a super slow burn). Sure, the attraction is rather quick, but between his religious leanings and her distrust, they don’t get really into things until much later in the book. Then, that ending. Yeesh.
One of my favorite parts of this story was the world-building. There was so much attention to detail in regards to the magic and religious systems. They both felt genuine and unique. As someone who is not religious, I was not bothered by the clear questioning of Cain’s faith and the way religion is used to manipulate others. In fact, I agreed with Talia on quite a lot of her points. But someone who has either religious trauma or is into that thing might have some issues, so just a warning. If that doesn’t bother you, then I highly recommend this one if you’re looking for a dark, complex fantasy romance between two (very) morally grey characters.
Overall, I’m giving this one 4.5 stars rounded up to a 5. I loved reading it and can’t wait for the sequel. Thankfully, it's a duology, so here’s hoping the wait isn’t too unbearable.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The entire premise of Soul Sworn intrigued me - Talia Atwater is an elite assassin, a 'reaper' and employed by those who wish for her to dispose of their sworn enemy. Cain Hawthorne is a deeply religious man, sworn to a powerful religious organisation with one task - hunt down and kill rogue reapers, as the Gods decree. After all, one person's sworn enemy can be another's soul mate, and fated ties must be protected at all costs...So when Talia's latest assignment threatens fate, Cain is sent to stop her. Except, neither of them expected the forbidden attraction between them, and this could be their undoing.
The descriptions of Talia's world are immersive and atmospheric. The slow burn is delicious - and humorous at times! I loved the dynamic between Talia and Cain - they genuinely can't stand each other for a large portion of the book, and they clash over Cain's religious ideals more than once. They are both strong and independent, and do not enjoy having to accommodate someone else's beliefs. Despite her profession, Talia has a strong set of morals that she doesn't enjoy having challenged. The magic system is unique too, which was refreshing. Both our main characters have dark and complex pasts, and it makes for some dark reading at points. But it gives them both a lot more depth, I felt like I could genuinely understand why they turned out the way they did.
The ending though! Kate, how could you leave us like this! I need to know what happens right now! And special note for the cover - it is divine!
Perfect for fans of slow burn, enemies to lovers romantasy with an intriguing moral undercurrent.
The descriptions of Talia's world are immersive and atmospheric. The slow burn is delicious - and humorous at times! I loved the dynamic between Talia and Cain - they genuinely can't stand each other for a large portion of the book, and they clash over Cain's religious ideals more than once. They are both strong and independent, and do not enjoy having to accommodate someone else's beliefs. Despite her profession, Talia has a strong set of morals that she doesn't enjoy having challenged. The magic system is unique too, which was refreshing. Both our main characters have dark and complex pasts, and it makes for some dark reading at points. But it gives them both a lot more depth, I felt like I could genuinely understand why they turned out the way they did.
The ending though! Kate, how could you leave us like this! I need to know what happens right now! And special note for the cover - it is divine!
Perfect for fans of slow burn, enemies to lovers romantasy with an intriguing moral undercurrent.
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