The Soulstealers

by Jacqueline Rohrbach

Arnaka Skytree grew up believing she was chosen to bring new magic to the world. As the heir to the cult of druids responsible for keeping their floating palace habitable for the wealthy aristocracy, she’s expected to wield her power as those before her did: by culling the souls of peasant women.

But when Arnaka learns more about the source of her magic, and that her best friend’s soul will be harvested, she embarks on a journey to end the barbarous practice and to restore a long-forgotten harmonious system of magic practiced by the original druids. Along the way, she discovers she’s not the only girl chosen to restore balance to their world—many others have powerful magic inside, and with them, she will tear the floating palace from the sky so everyone can live in the sun—out of the shadow of the eclipse.

Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Queer, Young Adult, Romance, Lesbian, Asexual

365 pages, ebook

First published April 1, 2019

About the author

Jacqueline Rohrbach is an asexual/aromantic author of queer romance and speculative fiction. Her books focus on offbeat characters caught up in strange, sometimes absurd situations where they have to grow with each other in order to save the day. She loves her cinnamon roll alphas with extra icing, her sarcastic ladies with the spine to back their spunk, and her antiheroes with the softest of soft spots for the love of their life. Currently, she’s the author of four full-length novels and three novellas. When she’s not writing, you can find her walking with her two dogs, Mulder and Nibbler or trying to catch a nap.

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars. The Soulstealers was a well written, YA fantasy book. I do have to admit that I didn’t love the story as much as I wanted to. However, I’m still rating this on the higher side because it’s a well done, quality, YA book.

In this world magic comes at a steep price. When Druids come of age they steal and trap the soul of a person to leach magic off of. Arnaka, is turning 16 and it is now time for her to get a soul familiar. The problem is the girl that must die to have her soul trapped by Arnaka is her best friend. Arnaka promises her friend that she will do everything in her power to stop any more people having to die for magic. Can Arnaka fight all that stands against her to keep her promise?

While this is a YA book, it is on the darker side. If librarians are considering this I would suggested it for older teens. One of my issues with the storyline is I felt it was pretty depressing. There is friendship, hope and even a teeny tiny baby f/f romance, so it’s not all doom and gloom, I just wish there were a bigger amount of lighter moments. I felt like this book weighed on me a bit.

The imagination of this book is very well done. While a floating city and palace above a ravaged land is not a new concept, the rest of the book felt pretty fresh. I have read a lot of mainstream and LGBTQ fantasy books so it’s always a pleasant surprise for a book to have really new ideas.

The characters are all pretty well done even the more secondary ones. It was a good cast of heroes and villains. As I mentioned before there is a baby romance but nothing more than a couple kisses. I wish there was time to develop the relationship between the characters more but with so much going on in the book, there just wasn’t.

This sort of leads me to one of my issues which was time. I wish there was more time for expanding on things in the book. I didn’t feel enough time was spent between Arnaka and her best friend to really cement their strong friendship connection. I wanted more time for the romance even if it was kept G rated and I wanted more time at the end of the book, the ending was a tiny bit of a letdown.

This book has some great adventures, some good magic battles and well thought out characters. And the story itself felt refreshingly new. It did make me feel a little melancholy because it is on the sadder side. Overall I would still recommend this to YA fantasy fans.

Edit to add NineStar Press really has some of the best covers. They impress me more and more every time I see a new book out.

An ARC was given to me for a honest review.

[Joc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first novel I’ve read by Rohrbach and I loved it. It’s much darker than I expected it to be with an immersive story line. In a palace kept afloat above the earth by magic, Arnaka Skytree is the next in line to rule the druids. Her coming of age requires that she has a soul familiar which is brought about by the death of one of the peasant girls who is also her best friend. Her only way to fight the barbaric custom is to harness her power with the soul familiar and fight from within.

This is a world where women have the power of magic but their use of it is at the behest of the men. Men control the army and the administrative functions. Women use their power for beauty, fashion and gardens. Social hierarchy is strongly delineated and the gap between the wealthy and the poor is vast. The more Arnaka learns, the more resistant she becomes to continuing the way they live.

Arnaka is a wonderful character. For all her power, both before her soul familiar and after, she’s clumsy and she makes mistakes with disastrous consequences. Her journey to unseating the power of the wealthy is fraught with twists and turns, danger and constantly looming failure. The harshness of the world she’s in is graphic and disturbing but also riveting. The characters she fights with and against are superb in their diversity and characteristics.

For all the darkness there is humour which breaks the tension at just the right moment. There is ethnic diversity, sexual diversity and some very beautiful relationships. The story contains violence, internalized misogyny and family abuse.

Book received from Netgalley and NineStar Press for an honest review.

[E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★☆ | A family can be three and a half of queer girls and one soft boy


This book is July's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicliterature.

“Your brother plays the game for a tad more power, a pinch more esteem. Ego mostly. You, my dearest one, must play it to live.”

➽ SUMMARY

🌼 bi black MC
🌸 aro/ace rep
🌼 f/f relationship
🌸 enemies to lovers
🌼 unlikely allies
🌸 complex female villain
🌼 an alternate take on the Chosen One trope

Arnaka Skytree grew up to believe she is the Chosen Soulkeeper to bring the new magic to the floating palace. One day though she learns there is a price to pay for this magic and she is not the one who’s supposed to pay it. The Soulkeeper’s magic boost comes from the souls of peasant women and Arnaka is just about to harvest the soul of her best friend. Arnaka then makes a promise to fix the brutal system and, along with some like-minded people she met along the way, she sets out to fight for what is right.

➽ THE FLOATING PALACE, DRUID MAGIC AND THE DARKNESS UNDERNEATH

Arnaka grows up in an impressive floating palace — a great achievement of the Soulkeepers from the past — with a beautiful garden sustained by magic, colourful dresses and lavish lifestyle of aristocracy. Beyond that; however, she finds a garden that is lifeless, harsh misogyny of fellow titled men and their jealousy of her magic and, finally, the darkness of the eclipse.

The worldbuilding of The Soulstealers is rich, fascinating and full of magic.

➽ CHARACTERS

Arnaka — Arnaka is a born rebel. She will try everything that is forbidden and after caught she will try it again and again. She will insult anyone to prove the point but she’s also sensitive and an idealist. She is ready to fight for what she believes in even though she’s sure she will die trying.

Mother — Grieta Skytree is a complex woman. She experienced a lot of pain and betrayal in her life but she also inflicted it and more so to the innocent people than to who harmed her. She’s a master manipulator and the most powerful druid, and thus woman, in the floating palace. She wants revenge but she also readily sacrifices what is not hers to take.

Other important characters include Arnaka’s brother who is an example of a man who thinks himself entitled, Arnaka’s childhood friend — a nameless soul to be harvested, Arnaka’s maid — a reserved girl forced to live in servitude, and two members of the resistance — a cheerful and loyal boy and a stubborn but soft girl.

➽ GREAT FRIENDSHIPS, HEARTBREAKING FAMILY DYNAMICS AND A RUSHED ROMANCE

The book has many amazing friendships between various characters and it’s obvious that writing friendships is something that comes easily and naturally to the author. There’s banter, teasing and fun but also quarrels and tears. It’s interesting to read about all those different interactions.

Arnaka’s complex family dynamics are also well explored. The brother she hates and who hates her and brings her pain on every occasion but she also remembers their easier interactions from the past. The mother who manipulates her and expects her to play out her plans but who also brought magic into her life and whom she wants to impress no matter how much she disapproves of her actions. Even the teacher she treats as her safe space plays an important role in breaking her heart.

The romance; however, felt rushed. It was more a fantasy about a bunch of queer characters with side f/f relationship than an f/f fantasy and I did enjoy that but the ‘I love you’s after only a few weeks felt… too fast.

➽ MISOGYNY, CLASSISM, AND TAKING AWAY ONE’S AUTONOMY

The Soulstealers is a tale about the brutal world of men’s entitlement and violence that forced women to turn against each other to seek the little power they could gain. The magic is the only thing that gives women any privilege and even that doesn’t provide them anything beyond being equal to the lowest of men. Magic is power and druids of the floating palace take souls of the peasant women to gain more of it.

This complex relation of being abused but also an abuser really fleshes out the conflict of the novel and makes the fight against the system more layered.

➽ WHY NOT 5 STARS??

Amazing worldbuilding, loveable characters, and interesting plot but somehow there weren’t enough feelings and intensity for me. It was great but also didn’t really go for my heart.

“Great, Arnaka thought, I’ll be the first druid killed by trees.”

___________________________

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[Joyfully Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

5 stars

I’m going to gush, just a little bit, about this book. I’m really not a giant fan of post-apocalyptic books, but somehow this one gave me a world covered in the dazzling glitter of fantasy and beautifully complex villains with understandable and sympathetic motives (not forgivable, just understandable), along with a tightly woven plot and snarkily lovely characters, and it just hit all the right notes for me. There are intimations of sexual violence, but nothing is shown; however, we are given a few scenes of actual violence where people are stabbed, bludgeoned, and beaten. It’s not overly graphic, but if scenes of a woman being beaten, tied up, and threatened with abuse are triggering for you, then read with caution.

I loved this book. The writing is good, the plot is both simple to follow and yet lushly elaborated upon. Arnie is clumsy (a “trait” I hate), but it continues throughout the book so much so that her friends know to expect it and even mock her gently for it. Tam has her own personality and life outside of Arnie, and the two of them pair up so well that it made their acknowledgment of their feelings for one another feel so sweet and genuine. A side character’s asexuality is briefly mentioned and works well with her character, and with the role she plays both in the story and the culture. Most of the cast are people of color, and I loved how Arnie saw beauty in every person (even her brother and sister.) Please, if you love fantasy, magic, and kick-ass women, read this book.

Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.

[Erika Sarutobi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was honestly expecting more of the story but was greatly disappointed. I really liked the first half of this book and was enjoying it until the second part started. I really enjoyed the political aspects that was happening despite Arnaka being horrible at dealing with it rather than all the convenient struggles they were put through.

I felt like the story dragged on and some parts could have been removed to focus more on the magic system and how things started and came to be. I found the pacing to be messy and all over the place especially close to the end. A lot of things were conveniently solved and happy go lucky besides decisions happening out of place. I was hoping Arnaka would be more in dilemma with not using her powers but she rarely worried on it and just kept using the same trick instead throughout the second half until the end. Though I didn't mind the romance, it started weirdly out of nowhere and was brushed over in the ending.

I couldn't connect with the characters and felt like they were superficial and underdeveloped besides Arnaka, her mother and brother.

Overall, I wish there were more focus on how things came to be and what happened after the ending rather than the hate each side felt towards the other.

Also, I didn't know that every wrist grab could cause bruises and break bones.

Thank you BookSirens for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

[Kazza · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA.
Fantasy.
Nice world building without overwhelming.
Nice writing.
Interesting characters, the protagonists really got to me.
Loved the chapter headings and the way they tie into the story.
Diverse - QUILTBAG/LGBTQIA and PoC rep.

In arrhythmia now, so this will have to do but there is already a review on Dark Hints.

[Anna Kaling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an ARC of Soulstealers and I'm trying to write an informative review but all I want to do is gush. I just LOVED it. I've read many of Jacqueline Rorhbach's books and this is my absolute favourite.

It stirred up the whole range of human emotions in me, and I can't give a book much better praise than that. It took me a few chapters to warm to Arnaka, for reasons you will understand when you read, but then I was smitten. I laughed with her and hated with her (Christ, how I want to kick Mother in the face) and was afraid for her and yearned for her to achieve her goals and find happiness.

I love the complex female relationships and I love that Arnaka is motivated and gutsy and strong but not in the stereotypical 'Strong Female Character (TM)' way. She doesn't need to put down other women or stress how she's not like other girls. None of the women (or men) in the book are stereotypes. They're all wonderfully layered and feel so real.

As an aside, I've seen the cover in a blog post and Ninestar continues to knock it out of the park with gorgeous covers.

I really can't wait for the next in the series!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the July 2019 book as part of the Sapphic Book Club.

The way magic works is unique in this book. Oppression such as classism and sexism were integrated in thoughtful ways that added to the story and created a good allegory for real life. The characters were dynamic, though I felt I could have used a bit more backstory. The romance took a backseat to the action and adventure, which isn’t a bad thing. While it was a bit dark, I think that makes it more realistic and it still had a hopeful ending.

[Eva (Books Eva After) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving this book 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 on the 5 star scale).

In this book we follow our main character Arnaka who is the heir to a pretty powerful druid. The druids in this society have managed to twist their magic to suit their own needs, moving from pure nature magic to harnessed rune magic, bending nature to their will instead of working in harmony with it. This rune magic is dependent on souls of those who are lower-born and the society is basically just run by the aristocrats who have magic. They have magicked their city so it floats above the dying world, basically not giving a damn about what happens to anyone outside their circle. The lowborn are just tools to be used and nothing more.

Arnaka isn't a fan of this system and wants to bring the old magic back. We get to watch her struggle with her relationship with her mother and brother as well as trying to maneuver social situations with lower born people.

The first 30% or so of this book are absolutely captivating and I was so interested in the politics and the magic of the world. But I felt that as the book progressed we moved towards the romance aspect a bit too much and I felt the dialog between those characters could be very clunky and disjointed at times but then I got completely immersed in the story once we moved back to the main plot.

The magic system in Soulstealers is a low magic system and I felt that sometimes people conveniently forgot they had magic OR forgot that they could also just tackle a person instead of weaving an intricate spell. But I still highly enjoyed the nature magic and I loved the idea that the druids took the magic and twisted it to something evil while still "believing" they had the right. It shows how much power can warp your mind and we get to experience that through Arnaka as well in her struggles to leave rune magic behind.

Overall I think this is a really fun book to read, there are some great friendships in here, great representation and the mother is just.. oof. I have no words for that woman. I'm a sucker for nature magic and this book did not disappoint.

I definitely recommend giving it a go!

[Reuben R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was read as part of @SapphicBookClub


I had a lot of fun reading this.Overall it was very engaging.

For the most part the world building was well-rounded and detailed without being told in exposition dumps.I felt like information about the different types of magic and how characters used it was woven well into the narrative of the plot so it didn't lose it's pace.

A common criticism of fantasy is prejudices for the sake of having prejudices without really exploring how systems operate in the world.However that isn't the case of this book.Classism and sexism are important themes in Soulstealers that are fully explored and I loved how the author showed how magic affected the politics and systematic prejudices.

The character development of the main character and her sidekick was amazing to read.I was hooked on following how they changed and grew into themselves.

However there's parts of Souleaters that frustrated me which is why I'm giving it a four star rating instead of a five.The villains feature heavily in Souleaters but they felt very one dimensional.They were obviously bad people and that was their one defining trait.Near the end of the book we get to find out the main villain's backstory and motivation ,which I enjoyed, but it felt like it happened too late to make her properly compelling.I would of liked to have seen her being more manipulative towards Arnie and for us to have seen earlier on why people rallied behind her and to have seen her charming mask.Also , during the middle of the book it slowed down and was slightly difficult to get through.The plot stopped and it felt like a checklist of events needed to get it to the exciting parts.

Obviously I enjoyed how the magic was portrayed but parts of the world building felt underdeveloped.By the end of the book I still didn't really understand what certain terminology meant.

[Brooklynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great book, I loved every bit of the story and Arnaka is such a phenomenal character. The world building was well done and not overdone, which is a pet peeve of mine in fantasy novels, Only tell me about the relevant things, don't write 3 pages on some mystical tree that never is part of the plot. I loved the story and our bisexual black main character and asexual representation. The female/Female enemies to lovers storyline was perfect.

I loved that despite "druids" being strong female only mages they still lived in a deeply misogynistic society ruled by men. This was a touch that added a bit of reality to the whole scenario, seemed like a future we could have.

I gave this 4.5 stars rounded down to 4 due to pacing and flashbacks, I found this book rushed and really think each of the three parts of the book could have been expanded into a full novel making this an excellent trilogy. In the beginning, we have few flashbacks to when the main character was a child, which I found mostly unneeded.

Overall I highly recommend this to anyone seeking a good queer fantasy with nice representation.

*I Recieved an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

[Leelynn (Sometimes Leelynn Reads) ❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to BookSirens and NineStar Press for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Ugh thank you so much to BookSirens for not kicking me off their site for taking so darn long with my reviews! I’m so glad that I finally pushed this up on my list and ended up finishing it when I intended to, and now I can finally freaking talk about this! Stay tuned, fam.



This cover is literally giving me life. She reminds me of some sort of African Warrior Queen like please give me all of that.
Black magic user that isn’t a slave. I feel ya, I feel ya.
Oh wait what? Her magic is corrupted? Of course it is.
Why can’t black girls have anything good without strings attached?



Misogyny is STRONG in this world.
Okay for one, Arnaka’s brother is a freaking asshole. I don’t usually like to swear in my reviews, but that is freaking nice of me to say about him. Like… wow. Almost everything that came out of his mouth was abusive and just cruel and I don’t understand how Grieta or her husband – who is never mentioned so maybe he died? I don’t know – allowed him to even be raised like that. Although looking at the majority of the males in this book, this seems to be the damn norm. Just, just look at this, okay?

“It’s just… it’s just you should be honored someone like me would consider you worthy. You don’t even have a name. That’s how unimportant you are.”

Escan to Hannah (Girl)
Oh my gosh, do you know how badly I wanted to beat the crap out of this dude when he said this? And this was after he tried to tell Hannah that he loved her, you know, after he slapped her across the face. Because love means getting beaten at like 8 years old or however young these kids were, right?

Oh man this pissed me off okay.

I honestly could not highlight every part where Escan or any other dudes were being misogynistic or I would have highlighted maybe a third of the book. And these women are supposed to take that? Hell to the naw.

Slavery and the Erasing of Identity
The “Soulkeepers” even though they were really Soulstealers like the title says, would have someone killed in order to be their soul familiar and provide a source for the magic that they would use. Arnaka’s soul familiar is Hannah, who actually was only referred to by Girl by those that weren’t her family, because she wasn’t allowed to have a name. It’s like they do this to erase their identity before they can even grow up to have one. I don’t remember when Hannah was executed to give Arnaka her powers, but it wasn’t old enough for her to have actually had a life to live. The druids are in power in this world – surprisingly most of the druids are black or POC coded – and those that don’t have power and are forced into indentured servitude or live in the Below where the sun literally can’t shine are mostly white. Very interesting this shift in dynamics, and such a parallel to what’s happening in today’s political climate. I feel like it’s also interesting to note that Arnaka is supposed to accept that she’s at fault for what her ancestors did many years ago, and even when she didn’t realize what they did until much later, they still hated her and called her corrupted and expected her to be submissive about their feelings.

Not sure how I feel about that honestly, when she was the one that actually took steps TO change the system rather than just accept it and say she can’t do anything about it.



I feel like Arnaka had the most to learn from since she basically “fell from grace” from her castle in the sky to find out the truth about her people and where their magic came from. Sure, she learned when she was younger that her friend was going to be sacrificed in order to provide her a source of magic, but that’s how she thought it always was. Then she finds out the truth and wants to change it, not only because she made a promise to her friend, but because she doesn’t want more people to have to die in order for others to be powerful. It’s not right, and she learns that. She learns how to let others lead for once, especially when they may be in a better position to be in charge than her. I won’t say she learned how to be humble though, because I don’t think she was ever really “cocky.” She spoke fact, and people just assumed she was being cocky because she was right. Everyone else was okay I guess. I think Tamlin had to learn how to stop hating Arnaka for what her people did, and separate the two especially when Arnaka was trying to learn how to do a completely different kind of magic that wouldn’t use up Hannah’s soul.



Well I mean I was definitely angry while reading this because of Escan – even though I wouldn’t call him a main character by any means. But he made me angry enough that I was wondering if I was going to get through this book. I was also really sad for Arnaka because it seemed like nobody would actually educate her on why what she was doing could be offensive or hurtful to Hannah and her family. Instead they just treated her like crap behind Grieta’s back, so they wouldn’t get punished for it, but told a child that they hate her. Like, this girl is already not loved by her own mother or brother, and you’re going to make her feel even less loved as a person as a total damn stranger? How rude.



The prose was okay, although I noticed I had to look up more words than usual. Hey, at least I was constantly learning something. The pacing in the first part of the novel, when it would shift from the present to the past over and over was okay. I liked seeing the backstory of Arnaka and Hannah as children, although sometimes I felt like it could have been avoided or moved to another spot. Sometimes it felt like it didn’t flow as much. After that part when Arnaka and Nara were in the Below, the pacing got better and I was able to follow the story better.

I’m still feeling a little empty inside? Like I know this is a standalone and it definitely ended as a standalone, but I feel like something is missing. There are the fates of certain characters that were a little too up in the air for me, and I wanted some closure for that. I will also say that the final chapter seemed to have taken place a few weeks or at least sometime well in the future rather than directly after the final battle, if that makes sense. But there was no indication as to how long time passed between the two chapters. So that was a little weird but not enough to change my rating for it.



I personally really wish that black girls could just stop going through some familial abuse in books and don’t have to overcome trauma in order to realize just how bad ass they are. That’s all. It hurts, you know? Not all black girls have to go through shit in order to realize our worth.



I was really looking forward to seeing a black girl MC in a bad ass role, and I got some of that. I won’t deny that, but the abuse that she went through from her family and strangers that didn’t even want to listen to the fact that she was going against everything she knew and learned to do better in life, just bothered me. I also was a little upset with how much misogyny this world ended up having, even though in this world the magic goes through the female bloodline. In the end, and the author even said this in the novel, women are just glorified slaves. Either they bear magical children or are forced into servitude. That’s really it. I need more novels that don’t put women in this situation as a default, and then have a character try to change this in one novel, you know?

But other than that, this was an interesting first novel that I read from Rohrbach, and I ended up learning about a new publishing company that I never knew about that focuses on LGBT stories, which is who published this novel. Arnaka was bisexual if I read it correctly, and I thought it was so cool that it was never questioned by anyone, you know?

[Mae Crowe · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received a review copy of this book through BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.

The Soulstealers is a book built on an extremely fascinating premise - a world where magic is derived from the souls of people and the souls of the natural world. Ideally, this magic is supposed to be shared, used gently and with permission, but an elite group of druids decide it is preferable to take magic by force, all while framing it as doing good for their people.

In terms of magic's usual presence in YA fantasy, this premise is extremely unique, a siren's song promising a breath of fresh air, a new experience.

Unfortunately, the execution of this story just didn't hold up for me, primarily due to pacing issues.

It took until about the 30% point for me to feel like the actual story was beginning, with everything leading up to that point feeling as though it were simply exposition, a set-up for what was to come. Arnaka takes a ridiculously long time to take full initiative, resulting in an extremely slow pace during this first third, a slow pace which was contributed to by the flashback chapters in this portion of the book.

I would have liked to see Arnaka take full initiative sooner, or maybe just have the story start closer to that time. I also think it would have helped the pacing issue to have the flashback chapters - which I do believe are important - spread out over the course of the book, treated perhaps in a dual-timeline manner. This would have helped with the lack of connection, investment, and awareness of Hannah that seems to set in around the story's middle.

I actually had that problem with pretty much all the characters besides Arnaka. It was hard to connect with them largely because they're introduced at a point in the story where the pace just takes off, exponentially faster with very little time to breathe. In other words, the plot kicks into full gear just as we're meeting half of Arnaka's main group and getting to know Nara, before we have any real connection to them. This also affected my perception of the story's main pairing, which, in any other circumstance, I would have reveled in and rooted for. I just... didn't feel like I had a stake in it.

It wasn't all bad, though, not by any means. Someone with less of a need for character connection than I might very well thoroughly enjoy it. The plot itself was interesting, and if certain plot points felt a little too coincidental... Hey! It's fantasy! The ending was also strong, starting to find a middle ground between the too-slow start and the too-quick middle.

I don't know. I really wanted to like this more than I did, but I have to acknowledge that I didn't. Even the strong ending didn't feel like enough for me - it's hard to derive satisfaction from the story's payoff if you were never given the chance to get invested in it.

The Soulstealers is a YA fantasy novel with a truly unique premise set in an intriguing world. The plot is good, but the pacing off, with a too-slow first third serving as what should have been exposition. Nevertheless, the story ended strongly, and it functions as a solid standalone.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Soulstealers is about a young woman named Arnaka Skytree. She is the heir to a cult of druids, known as the Soulkeepers, who sacrifice peasant women from the below and keep their souls and obtain powerful magic. Arnaka becomes friends with 'Girl', the young girl whose soul Arnaka is destined to keep. After realizing Arnaka cannot save Girl, she vows to make her friend the last one to be sacrificed for the druids magic. After the ritual is complete, Arnaka sets to work on finding a way to stop the sacrifices from ever happening again. She befriends a servant girl named Nara, this gets Nara in trouble and deemed deviant and sentenced to the below. In an attempt to save her, Arnaka breaks Nara out of prison and leaps to the below with her friend. Once there the two must fight to survive and learn the truth of the history of the Soulkeepers. Together with new friends, they return to the home of the Soulkeepers and stop them once and for all fulfilling Arnaka's promise to Girl.

I really liked Arnaka. At first she is shown as a strong courageous woman who has no fear and a free willed spirit. She comes off confident, capable, and unbreakable. Then we see her outside of her castle. Her weaknesses are shown and I felt like it made her so much more.. wonderful! I loved how she was ultimately portrayed as just a scared girl trying to keep her promise to her friend. I also found her relationship with Tamlin to be very sweet. The quirky nervousness she showed when first trying to win her was endearing. It really helped to her as a relatable, complex individual. Rohrbach did an amazing job with her character.

I was hooked from the first page! The writing is engaging from the first paragraph to the last. Wonderfully written, I just cant say that enough. The characters are well developed with no two characters emitting the same energy. This book was on the darker side but I loved it! I thought the darkness of it really helped the storyline and added for the desperation of the situation and the characters. After all, if it wasn't dark and desperate than why fight so hard to change it? I would recommend this book for anyone 14+ who enjoys stories about heroes and magic.

This and other reviews can also be found on my blog:
www.liddybugreviews.blogspot.com

[Free_dreamer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review

NineStaPress has published many brilliant Fantasy novels. Sadly, “Soulstealers” was not one of them.

I can’t even say what exactly I didn’t like about this book. For some reason, it just didn’t work for me at all.

I didn’t feel any sort of connection to Arnaka, other than vague annoyance at times. I didn’t care at all for any of the minor characters. And I didn’t care too much about the plot. I felt a vague disconnection, occasionally broken by vague annoyance. I started skipping paragraphs and only reading the dialogue somewhere around the 60% mark.

There was some worldbuilding and while the idea of druids harnessing souls as a source for magic is not something I’ve come across before, it all felt a bit generic. I missed depth, like religion. There’s talk of a “merciful goddess”, but there’s no explanation of any kind of religion or religious practice other than that. I thought it odd that this was a patriarchal society, when men didn’t have magic and there was apparently a female god.

Since I didn’t care about any of the characters, I really didn’t feel the connection between Arnaka and her love-interest. I’d actually expected a different love-interest, since she expressed feelings toward that girl. But it turned into a sort of enemies-to-lovers trope, which I don’t like under the best of circumstances. It also felt a bit sudden, which might be due to my skimming. And the way they behaved somehow didn’t really fit with their previous characterization.

The editing could have been a little more thorough as well. While there weren’t any obvious grammar/spelling mistakes, there were other inconsistencies. For the first 20% or so, souls are judged “devious”. And then, all of a sudden, it’s “deviant” souls, only to switch back to “devious” somewhere toward the end. There were also several instances, where the women traced “ruins” instead of “runes”.

365 pages isn’t all that long for a Fantasy novel and I’m usually a fast reader. But it took me ages to finish this book, because I kept getting distracted all the time. It just couldn’t hold my interest for any length of time.

Overall, “Soulstealers” just didn’t work for me at all. Which annoys me, because I have yet to find a F/F story that I actually really like and that just doesn’t make sense. The pairing shouldn’t matter, if it’s not primarily a love story. But I often have trouble with female MCs in fiction, so maybe this just isn’t my kind of thing.

The cover by Chelsea Geter is okay, though I think the woman on the cover doesn’t look like a 16-year-old.

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Soulstealers is the first book by Jacqueline Rohrbach I have read, but it definitely won't be the last.

Arnaka is a druid, and has been raised to believe magic is done a certain way. However, being the rebellious little soul that she is, Arnaka is determined to find a different way. This leads her to be in direct conflict with both her mother and her brother, and thrown out from her home (quite literally). Arnaka finds herself in a new land, with only a servant, Nara, to depend on as she tries to figure out how she fits into this new world.

I was thoroughly engrossed by this story! It has a multitude of layers, and a list of characters that are not only highly developed, but are not who they appear to be at first glance. I loved how Hannah played such a huge part of this story, even though physically she wasn't in it for long. It is rampant with emotions, making it a read to lose yourself in.

The world-building is excellent, with the lands being clearly described, and the dire situation made extremely clear. The pacing was smooth, giving me enough time to digest each situation before it moved onto the next.

As far as I can see, this is a standalone, but I would love to hear more about Arnie and Tamlin, along with Jus and Nara obviously!!! Absolutely recommended by me.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Eshana Ranasinghe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed The Soulstealers. No one is more surprised by these turn of events than I am.
The setting is creative and magical but grim dark and super misogynistic. The magic is great and the while the beginning is a bit slow and anger inducing it gets better in the middle. There were lots of things I found hard to read about like abuse and oppression and violence but the magic was amazing.
If you find these topic too heavy or dislike reading about it maybe give this a skip.

I really enjoyed the characters, especially Arnaka and Nara and all the character development they under go. Arnaka is pretty unlikable in the beginning which no doubt will be off putting for some. The friendships in these stories were great. The romance was nice but it felt a bit underdeveloped to me (but that might be me not being able to pick up on any subtext and chemistry lol)

Overall enjoyable and satisfying read. I highly recommend it but consider the content warnings before reading.

Long rating review on my blog HERE

[Nessa [October Tune] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, this has not changed my opinion in any way.

The concept for this book was really great, but I did feel like it was lacking sometimes. The first half of the book felt rather uneventful, and the action didn't start until I was 50% through. However, it did pick up a lot after that point, so I continued reading with excitement. I would have loved to see a bit more worldbuilding (and a map? I love maps honestly). I did very much enjoy the magic system and loved reading about the different ways of doing magic.

Character-wise, I didn't like any of the characters at first, though Arnaka started to grow on me as the book continued. I did pretty much like Nara right from the start, and Juscar and Tamlin (who had to grow on me as well) were also great characters..

As for the romance, it wasn't too much out there, which I really liked. It was (for me at least) quite obvious what was going to happen right from the moment the two characters met, but like I said it was not too heavy as usually happens whenever the love interests meet and I am very grateful for that!

All in all, this book was a true rollercoaster ride and I enjoyed it very much.

[Mary Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

In a world where druids take their magic from the world around them, and have turned from tending to the world to taking from it, Arnaka Skytree grows up as the heir to a troubled legacy. As a child, she befriends a young Girl (yes, that is her name), only to learn the source of her magic. On the day she came of age, she had to kill Girl and make her soul her familiar. But she made a promise to Girl before her death. A promise to end the corrupt magic of the druids. And Arnaka intends to do exactly that.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. It has a lot of interesting concepts, such as druids stealing lifeforce rather than nurturing it, in a way that I've never seen before. And, in the broad strokes, there was some interesting world building and concepts here. The issue is, there was simply too much to fit in one book, and so many elements of the story, from the plot itself to the characters to how the world works, were not able to have the time they truly needed. The book is split into three sections, and honestly, each book could have been it's own novel in a trilogy. Without spoiling too much, each section had it's own moment that felt like a climax. There was just too much in one book, and it suffered.

Arnaka, being the main character, is the most developed of the cast, but for how many characters there are, she is only one of maybe three I would consider to be three dimensional. And even that isn't saying much. Given how the book shows us parts of her childhood with Girl, the way she acted at the beginning of the book made little sense to me. Additionally, it felt she didn't really develop much as a character because of this. She starts out wanting to put an end to magic and ends the book with that same desire. She also was rather difficult to like. I've read other books where the main character starts in a position of privilege and gradually changes, and those characters still managed to be at least somewhat likable from the beginning. The same could not be said about Arnaka, and even at the end, I didn't care too much for her.

For the most part, almost every other character was pretty flat and two dimensional. The villains felt like they were evil for the sake of being evil, and none really had an redeemable qualities. Even Arnaka's mother is never seen in a favorable light, not even at the beginning of the book. Most of the side characters are the same, with perhaps the exceptions of Nara and Tamlin. However, it did not feel like they gradually grew as people over the course of the novel. Instead, they started out one way, and then about halfway through, they were suddenly a completely different way, with no real explanation. This also caused the romance to suffer, and it just didn't feel genuine, which is a real shame, because I could have really gotten behind an f/f enemies to lovers story that was well fleshed out.

Despite the diversity and representation of this novel (yay for ace characters!), there were still parts of it that felt very distinctly problematic, or at the very least forced. The whole concept of devious/deviant souls is fine on the surface, especially since it was a concept from the villains of the story, but the fact that it is claimed to be genetic and was never really challenged in any way left a bad taste in my mouth, because the whole thing just reminded me of eugenics and the concept of "socially unfit" that was espoused by supporters of the concept. On top of that, woo, overthrow the patriarchy... except the fact that a patriarchy exists at all in the druid society really makes no sense at all, especially when you consider that the only people with magic are the women, which begs the question: how do men have more power in this society when they have no magic? Also, characters seem to be completely fine with same sex couples in the story, but this doesn't make sense when earlier, the political and societal importance of a man marrying a powerful druid or a woman marrying a strong military man is so emphasized. I'm sorry, but in that culture, the chances of characters having no issue with same sex couples is highly unlikely, especially for someone like Arnaka who grew up in so much privilege in said society.

Speaking of the world building: I have no idea how the magic system works. Sometimes druids take life force from their soul familiars (which tended to be mentioned so little I almost forgot about them, rather than being omnipresent) and sometimes they took it from the life around them. What determines when they do what? The druids have tattoos of runes all over their bodies. Sometimes they touch them to cast spells, sometimes they trace it with chalk, and sometimes they simply trace the runes in the air. At times, they seem to do none of the above. What do these different methods mean and how do they effect the spells? And (no spoilers) someone please explain to me what was going on with the Soulreavers, because that entire thing went completely over my head.

I'm sure a lot of people will really enjoy this story, and I'm sorry I've mostly talked about the negatives, but I just could not get into it. I had to stop for a few months because of school and started over, and even the second time, it was no better. Perhaps I just am not part of the target audience.

1.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 2.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

it can be devastating when you discover the truth behind power - the sacrifices that someone must make, so that others may have what those who sacrificed can only dream of.

this is a story of transcendent love of many kinds, grounded in selflessness, built on by faith and love and hope for others.

the battles are fought against prejudice and hate, against greed. the weapons are sword and shield, magic and love.

a lingering hope, and a still burning fire leaves a chance to rebuild something new beyond the ashes of what was left behind.

I read an advance copy of this book.

I can only honestly recommend you dig into this story - an awesome story of love.

it is not neat, nor clean and guilt free. there is blood and fire and loss.

in the beginnings of peace, there is hope and laughter - take it in, and enjoy!

[Fran (The Ramblebee)]

Thank you to NetGalley and Nine Star Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I'm not gelling with the writing style in general and the main character in particular, so I won't be finishing this since I don't want to give it an unfairly negative review. DNF @ 10%

[The Quille and Lampe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time: Fantasy; Alternate Dimension
MCs: FF
Sub-Genre: Fantasy; YA; Magic; Horror-Adventure
Themes: Self-Discovery; Ending a Dynasty; Found Family; Romance; Interracial
Summary: A young woman becomes aware of the means by which her family and other magic users in her realm power their magic and she decides to find out all the hidden things. The truth might also end all that she knows.
What I Think: This is not a sweet tale as the authoress leaves us in no doubt as to the horror underlying this seemingly sweet, magic-filled world. Yet, Arnaka has sworn to end it. A promise that she unwittingly walks towards in her bid to earn a friend of her own. But the only way this is happening is if she’s ready to bring down her home, clan, and country. This must be the youngest heroine’s tale I’ve ever reviewed but magic, an alternate dimension, and POC characters made it a must. Even then I hesitated(you know how I feel about YA. Children have enough problems without putting the weight of the world on their delicate shoulders). But then, I went on to read another of this Authoress’ tales so back I went to Book Siren to get this one and I was not disappointed. Arnaka is so much more mature and not looking at things through rose-tinted glasses as those were ripped from her young eyes quite early. She is ready for battle and totally unafraid, certain that she must keep her promise and ready to do whatever it takes to keep her word. She’s so adult that already my heart aches for her youth even as I cringe from the actions of the nobility.
The gender inequality in this tale made me want to rage at the world. Even in a dimension where women had become so necessary the country couldn’t run without them, they are still bound by society and men and banned to the shadows. But Arnie has balls of steel. How else can she go against her clan and society over and over again, in spite of the darkness she seems to bring to those she wants to love? I would have placed this under adventure fantasy and left it there but, finally, she appears. The one I already know will be Arnie’s own and partner in crime. And, oh, what an entrance! Had me thinking back to when I was younger and read romance novels while wishing I could be the Knightress in shining armor who saves the damsel in distress. But what happens when an unmovable object meets an unstoppable force? They clash, collide and snuff out the light in the darkness of the world beneath, yet, already I can tell something these 2 can’t. When they finally move as one, they will bend the very world to their wishes and I’m in such a hurry to see this that I’m speedreading.
The ensuing choices that lead to battles, races against time and evil forces, sacrifices, losses then the final battle left me breathless and speechless. It is a shame how the strongest of us are usually those who believe themselves to be the weakest. Even more emboldening is how pure mental will can bend the world around it which is something I can completely relate to. It’s a life I live every day, a maxim I practice every second as my health renders my body and mind on two parallel paths that only pure will melds together.
It is said that a lion can not be friends with a rabbit which makes it so important that we find the right clan to belong to. Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are is also a common saying and it is proven true in every aspect of this tale. Arnaka is made up of pure will and in my mind, I have dubbed her the original Arnaka of Great Will (capitalized so it must be true), and her found family are truly equal allies in this battle. Children, they might be but having been raised in these harsh realities, they’re already adults, dragged there by the cruelty and selfishness of those around them. But as their world finally begins its road to change and Arnaka says goodbye to Promise, my eyes misted over. If this is an ending, then I shall be glad to let my mind fill in the future, but if this is the beginning of a series, then I eagerly await more, Mme. Jacqueline!

Verdict? A gorgeously crafted tale that proves the old proverb – where there is a will, there is a way!

[Jacqueline Rohrbach]

Warning: Graphic violence, internalized misogyny, family abuse

Category: Literary/Genre Fiction, Young Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Word Count: 90100
Sex Content: N/A
Pairing: FF
Orientation: Lesbian
Identity: Cisgender

Cover Art: Chelsea Geter
Cover Titling: Natasha Snow

Links:

Ninestar
Amazon
Smashwords
Kobo

[Ceillie Simkiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review here!

[Lea]

Sadly I had real issues getting into this book. I was drawn in by the cover and the fact that there is a sapphic relationship but I just found the beginning of this book very chewy. I think this is definitely one of those "it's not you, it's me" situations but sadly this just didn't grab my attention like I hoped it would!

[Margot Lissens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy The Soulstealers, but there were some points that I didn’t like or love, so I ended up giving it a 3 out of 5 stars. I’ll start with what I did love about this book.

The thing I loved the most about The Soulstealers was the diversity in this book. I believe all of our characters are POC. Which is something you don’t read a lot in YA fantasy. Next to that there were also a couple of LGBTQ+ characters. Our main character Arnaka is bisexual, her love interest is lesbian and another antagonist is asexual. Next to that there was also a mention of a plus sized character. The way the book talked about these characters was just lovely. They didn’t have to do a big coming out and could just talk about their sexuality with each other and seemed so normal and natural. That was definitely such a big plus point for me.

The magic system in this book is very original and not like anything I’ve read before. There were different types of magic, but they all seemed a bit alike, so sometimes it was hard to know the differences between the types. The soulstealer magic was definitely the most interesting one, especially because it’s actually quite evil magic.

The world building of this book was good as well. It was also an original world, not a lot like something I had read before, so that was definitely also a good point for the book.

I also really liked the first couple of chapters and the last two chapters. Those were to me the best written chapters. Overall this book was written well for sure. But I did have some issues here and there with the writing. The writing style itself was good, but the chapters in the middle were a bit weird I guess.

The book is divided in different parts and in the first part we had a lot of flashback chapters. Those were mainly chapters about Arnaka’s youth. Those chapters were definitely necessary and important, but a bit too much in my opinion. It felt like there were more past chapters than present chapters. I don’t really know how that could have been solved, but it needed some work in my opinion.

My ultimate biggest ‘issue’ with The Soulstealers was that our main character Arnaka didn’t really do a lot herself. This book is very action packed, but Arnaka doesn’t really participate in that action a lot. It felt like everything just happened around her and she was always lucky to have other people save her ass. In my opinion a main character in a book has to participate in the action and kind of be the problem solver. But Arnaka wasn’t those things at all, there were always other characters who did that for her.

The enemies to lovers trope is a part of this book. I have to admit that that’s not a trope I usually enjoy. It has to be done so well and believable for me to enjoy that part of a book. I’m not saying that this trope was necessarily done bad, it just wasn’t good enough for me. It felt a bit too rushed and a bit too sudden. Everything was suddenly fine between the two lovers, without really an explanation of why they weren’t enemies anymore, or why they stopped disliking each other.

Now on a more positive note: my favourite characters. I had two favourite characters and those were Nara and Hannah. We didn’t really read a lot about Hannah. She was in most of the past chapters. I don’t really know why I liked her so much, but she just really spoke to me. I guess it’s because she did take actions and was active in the chapters she appeared in and not passive like Arnaka. Same goes for Nara, she did the most ass saving and I liker her for that. But she did annoy me a bit at the beginning of the book. But I guess that’s called character development!

Character development was something the author did very will in this book. Arnaka’s character development was probably the best one in the book. But in the end all the characters were a different person than they were at the beginning of the book. The development felt natural and not forced at all, which is great.

Overall I would recommend this book if you’re into YA fantasy, or you’re just starting out with reading YA fantasy or you really like diverse books.

I received an e-arc of this book through Book Sirens for free, but that doesn’t affect my opinion.

[Cavak · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know how '80s Hollywood media often has the do-gooder vanilla protagonist as the main character? The well meaning, out-of-their-depth sort? With their charismatic best friend of snark (of a different ethnicity/identity/social status) by their side? Sounds familiar?

Now imagine a fantasy story that has that snarky friend as the protagonist. Rather than being grounded and untouchable, she's an emotional mess who is chopped down by everyone yet refuses to be broken. She goes through the same exact hero's arc we've seen time and time again without losing her biting tongue. And her best friend is the typical Hollywood protagonist except she doesn't learn much; she is only given more opportunities to shine as herself as time passes.

Well, that's The Soulstealers to me.

This is my first Rohrbach read, so I don't know how the rest of her writing style is like. What I can say about The Soulstealers is that it's rooted in contemporary fiction. Rapid fire action, multiple diversities (represent!), thinly veiled social commentary, flat villainy, easy-to-read with snap-snap writing. An audiobook adaptation would be a joy to listen to since the chapters are so thrilling and short.

At the same time, I couldn't feel too attached. Neither the world building nor the characters took center stage to me—it was adventure, magic, fantasy! Every single chapter had to end with some cliffhanger, sometimes to interrupt thoughtful character interaction and connection. It's fine to have characters do something because that's how stories get going. Yet it felt like empathy building was sacrificed.

When the lesbian love interest is established, I was blind-sighted due to the lack of emotional build up between the two characters. One party is attracted to women, and that is made no mystery to us while reading. Trust and camaraderie are there, yet their character interactions alone don't quite lead to romance. Perhaps in a rushed "do it now before we die" sort of way... maybe. One or two more scenes of them together before their first kiss would've helped clear up uncertainty.

Jebus, this story is not kind to men. Two of the named male characters survive, the rest are either forgotten or get the axe in brutal ways. The big bad who is a woman? Not by a character's direct hand. But her mind is killed and she is presumably crushed by debris so it's all good, right? Yikes. The last murder is pretty cold-blooded for an otherwise merciful character. No chance for redemption. Necessary loss and nobody will miss them, the narration so tells you.

But then again, I condone fictional massacres if they lead somewhere or invoke a specific mood. With The Soulstealers's ending scene, I feel like the intended sensation of liberation and peace kinda fell flat. Perhaps anything mentioning the reconstruction phases, like Arnaka teaching any surviving druids the same learning process that she did, would've helped.

It has flaws, yet I liked the experience in an amusement park ride sort of way. So, if you want a quick standalone fantasy with magic and Lady Snark, The Soulstealers might be an entertaining read for you too. The beginning is rough, and the story hinges on you liking Arnaka (or at least tolerating her). Try to hang on until pg. 170 if you're hesitating to invest since that's where the world opens up beyond petty aristocratic mind games.

Random commentary: I must be getting worse with remembering names or my brain is missing a few screws. Whenever I read, my mind did these irregular mental swaps that sometimes caused me to snicker. Just for fun, here are some examples:

Arnaka Skytree ⇒ Anakin Skywalker
Arnaka ⇒ Arslān
Arnie ⇒ AiRI
Nara ⇒ Nana
Escan ⇒ Excalibur
Tamlin ⇒ Darūn (this version)

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Briar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Soulstealers by Jacqueline Rohrbach so much – at first. The main character seemed awesome, really interesting and fun. The situations she found herself in were high stakes, and the worldbuilding was super cool. There seemed to be some intriguing relationships, and I was excited to see where the story was going to go.

I’ll talk about the worldbuilding first, because I think that’s the biggest strength of this book. I love the whole notion of the palace in the sky, so huge, so beautiful, so luxurious and full of light, sound and colour, and the contrast of it with what its residents call the Below. The people who live in the world beneath view it quite differently, of course, and I liked how there being a giant palace in the sky does have a serious effect on the world beneath and its people. I’d have liked more world building around that below-world. We meet a community of people, but I wasn’t sure whether they were typical of those who live on the earth or not because we never get to meet anyone else. Still, all the details around that were very cool.

Then there was the way the magic worked. Arnaka’s coming-of-age ceremony, where we learn where the Druids get their magic from. The difference between child’s magic and adult’s magic, which gets explored throughout the book and is quite interesting. The apparently impossible vow that Arnaka has made to her childhood friend to take down the entire system. Her insistence on forging a relationship with a servant girl. There’s so much potential in everything we get introduced to.

Unfortunately, the book simply didn’t live up to that potential, or not for me. Perhaps I’m missing something because it has a lot of really good reviews, but I found myself constantly disappointed (and then irritated) because time after time a big moment that was supposed to be important and meaningful just… wasn’t.

Here’s an example of what I mean. There’s a moment when something really really terrible happens to people who have become very important to Arnaka. It’s really bad, and although she didn’t do it, she’s being blamed for it. The author builds up a good atmosphere of tension as people mutter, then start to shout names at her, then demand that she be thrown out of their community. It feels nasty and scary, and it should. But then: “Uncomfortable with the negative attention, Arnaka tried to scoot behind a pillar.”

Aaaaaand record scratch!

Being “uncomfortable” with the “negative attention” and then trying to hide (!) in the most silly-little-child way possible feels like the most ludicrous under-reaction to the severity of what’s happening in the story that I couldn’t take it seriously. It’s the kind of almost comical reaction someone would have to discovering that they’ve been walking around in public with their skirt tucked into their knickers. It’s just completely inappropriate to the situation.

I probably wouldn’t mind so much, but this sort of thing happens over and over again. Every time the story built up to an important moment that should have changed the whole way the reader sees the world of the story or the people in it, it’s an anticlimax and fails to have the importance for the story or the characters that it ought to have.

Unfortunately for me, characters are the single most important factor in enjoying any story, and I simply didn’t care about these ones. They had no vulnerabilities; I never felt as though they were in peril, physically or psychologically, and their motivations felt more as though they were doing what the author wanted them to rather than coming from the core of who they were themselves. One of the reasons I was excited to read The Soulstealers was for the queer characters, but by the time I got to those bits I couldn’t have cared less, and actually found myself rolling my eyes when the two romancey characters kissed.

I also have to mention Jacqueline Rohrbach’s use of the exceedingly tired and offensive trope, Evil People are Ugly That’s How You Can Tell They’re Evil. Arnaka’s brother is described in such brutish, animalistic terms that I really hoped for a moment that the author was going to parody the trope and make him good. But no. And the fact that he’s also a black man just makes it so much worse. Then there’s the moment when Arnaka, the heroine, and I quote, says: “Again, I ask that you assess those you fight beside. The color of their skin, the points of their teeth, the yellow tint to their eyes.” YIKES.

All in all, I can’t say I really enjoyed The Soulstealers and I’m incredibly frustrated about it because it ought to be right up my street, with a diverse cast, an awesome situation to start with, great worldbuilding and even quite a good story. By which I mean, if the story had been well-written, if the characters had been complex and crunchy, if all those big emotional moments had landed properly, the story could have been wonderful. But all those things were not the case, not for me, at least. If you’re someone to whom plot is more important than character you would probably enjoy it a lot more than I did, though. Thanks to Book Sirens for the free copy!

[Bug · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was really intriguing, and the first chapter was incredible, but unfortunately it fell flat for me after that. There was definitely a lot of potential, and there were some really good moments, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.
My main issue is that the worldbuilding was basically nonexistent. It started off just vague enough to be intriguing, but it never got explained in the end so it didn't feel like it paid off. I'm the type of reader who really loves strong worldbuilding and hard magic systems, but I couldn't even begin to explain the magic system or how things worked, and I can't really picture the world. I don't understand the politics or the society of the world either, all I know is that women are apparently unimportant, but I only know that because the characters said so. I don't understand why anything is the way it is. This really got in the way of my enjoyment, but for someone who doesn't prioritize that as much it may not be as much of an issue.
The other main problem I had is that the characters had no chemistry at all, in my opinion. The romance was abrupt and didn't feel natural, and the friendships felt forced. Most character interactions felt like they were just for the purpose of the plot, and the character growth felt really unnatural as well. None of the characters felt particularly vivid or realistic, and none of them were really likable. Not that they were unlikable, I just felt neutral and didn't care about anyone.
One other problem I had with it is that while it does try to have good representation, a lot of it is very underwhelming. The main character is bisexual, but the only reason we know she's bi is because there was a line (that's actually written twice) along the lines of, "I had a crush on [him], and [her] as well." There's supposedly asexual/aromantic rep, but again it's just because of one quick line that says, "I'm not attracted to anyone. I don't want to kiss a boy or a girl." While this rep is definitely better than none, I think that it's just a weak throw-away line to be able to say that there's rep.
There were some clever lines of dialogues, and some really well-written moments, but overall I had a hard time understanding the story because I couldn't really get into it because of the issues I mentioned above.
Overall this was an interesting premise with some good moments, but I would mostly recommend it to readers who prefer plot-driven books and don't prioritize characters or world-building.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is so much that could have been amazing about this book, but much of it just fell flat. I could not for the life of me like Arnaka, despite her character's growth throughout. She's such a brat in the beginning and into the middle that I just wanted to slap her silly. If we were supposed to identify and empathize with her, I don't think she hit the mark.

The story itself was interesting. I liked the plot, I liked getting to know Hannah and seeing her and Arnaka grow up. The type of magic was different from other things I've read. Too much of what happened was just a lucky break, where something happens that doesn't really get explained but that saves the day. It was too easy.

The writing was good, but I disliked the romance aspect. It felt like Arnaka moved from one person to another and then suddenly she's in love. Dislike. It needed to be much more organic, and it didn't feel that way to me.

In the end, this was a moderately good fantasy book that lacks a lot of worldbuilding and characterization, but has a somewhat unique type of magic and some interesting adventure. I wish more had been done with some of it, and I wish less of it relied on Arnaka just "figuring stuff out" and it working (and other people coming to the rescue at the last second). 3/5 stars

Thank you to Book Sirens and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy for review purposes. My opinions are my own.