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Duskwalker Brides #1
A Soul to Keep
All Reia ever wanted was freedom.
Known as a harbinger of bad omens and blamed for Demons eating her family, Reia is shunned by her entire village. When the next offering is due and the monstrous Duskwalker is seen heading their way, her village offers her an impossible choice – be thrown into the prison cells or allow herself to be sacrificed to a faceless monster.
However, he is not what he seems. His skull face and glowing eyes are ethereal, and she finds herself unwittingly enchanted by him.
All Orpheus ever wanted was a companion.
Each decade, in exchange for a protection ward from the Demons that terrorise the world, Orpheus takes a human offering to the Veil – the place he lives and the home of Demons. The brief companionship does little to ease his loneliness, and their lives were always, unfortunately, cut short.
He'd thought it was a hopeless endeavour, until he met her. She’s not afraid of him, and his insatiable desire deepens
within every moment of her presence.
But will Orpheus be able to convince Reia to stay before she’s lost to him forever?
Known as a harbinger of bad omens and blamed for Demons eating her family, Reia is shunned by her entire village. When the next offering is due and the monstrous Duskwalker is seen heading their way, her village offers her an impossible choice – be thrown into the prison cells or allow herself to be sacrificed to a faceless monster.
However, he is not what he seems. His skull face and glowing eyes are ethereal, and she finds herself unwittingly enchanted by him.
All Orpheus ever wanted was a companion.
Each decade, in exchange for a protection ward from the Demons that terrorise the world, Orpheus takes a human offering to the Veil – the place he lives and the home of Demons. The brief companionship does little to ease his loneliness, and their lives were always, unfortunately, cut short.
He'd thought it was a hopeless endeavour, until he met her. She’s not afraid of him, and his insatiable desire deepens
within every moment of her presence.
But will Orpheus be able to convince Reia to stay before she’s lost to him forever?
534 pages, Paperback
First published June 16, 2022
13717 people are currently reading
80138 people want to read
About the author
Opal Reyne
21 books5,804 followersOpal Reyne is an Australian Author who has been a fan of the Adult Paranormal Romance genre from the moment she picked up a book of it - and has never looked back.
She loves everything spicy, smutty,and everything boarder-line monster loving. She started writing because of her love of the written word, and because she wanted to build a diverse world of mythological creatures, while also showing the beauty of all ethnicities of humanity. She thrives to produce a plot driven, character developing book while sprinkling in enchanting imagery.
-Duskwalker Brides a series that features a very real monster who never turns into a handsome prince.
-Witch Bound is a series of Dragon-shifter males falling for their species enemies, Witches!
-She currently has a completed series called 'A Pirate Romance duology'.
As of the 20th of June 2022, The Aedus Chronicles has been unpublished. Thank you to all the readers who enjoyed the series, and Opal may look into revising them in the future.
She loves everything spicy, smutty,and everything boarder-line monster loving. She started writing because of her love of the written word, and because she wanted to build a diverse world of mythological creatures, while also showing the beauty of all ethnicities of humanity. She thrives to produce a plot driven, character developing book while sprinkling in enchanting imagery.
-Duskwalker Brides a series that features a very real monster who never turns into a handsome prince.
-Witch Bound is a series of Dragon-shifter males falling for their species enemies, Witches!
-She currently has a completed series called 'A Pirate Romance duology'.
As of the 20th of June 2022, The Aedus Chronicles has been unpublished. Thank you to all the readers who enjoyed the series, and Opal may look into revising them in the future.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,906 reviews
July 29, 2022
As a fan of The Ancient Magus' Bride, you cannot not love this reimagining.
Also, Orpheus is such a cinnamon roll... and he fucks like a stallion.
And here is where I'll leave you.
P.s. the best monster romance I've read so far.
--------
Okay, that is one of the most blasé reviews I've ever put out. Second try!
A Soul to Keep is one slow burn romance between a Duskwalker (imagine Elias from TAMB, furry body, wolf skeleton for the head and Impala's horns on the top... also, a very unique, ✨exceptional✨ male 'anatomy') and the virgin sacrifice that lacks fear and deemed to be cursed by the villagers.
Needless to say, it is a tale as old as time.
Belle and the Beast, huh?... I still don’t know, but what would have happened in the story if Belle had fucked the Beast before he became a human.
And oh boy, did it get you some.
I think what made this book actually works for me, compared to other monster romance that I've read, was that this book took the time to develop the chemistry and dynamic between these two. I love that it didn't dive straight into the filthy weird (weird good okay!) sexual tension and have them banging each other on page 50. Nope, you have to wait 370+ pages for that.
Also, Orpheus is a complete sweetheart. The author nailed it out of the park with his character. I can't tell you how many times I stopped and awwed at the things he did. I love little gestures in my romance and Orpheus checked off all the boxes. He's attentive, protective, a little naive, and just a wholesome hero. I would be glad to be offered anytime as a sacrifice. Wouldn't mind a damn thing.
So yes, I would highly recommend this book if you're in the mood for something slow burn, monster-virgin sacrifice trope, cinnamon roll (with a zest)... and especially if you want to know how four tiny tentacles surrounded a dick works in this world.
Also, Orpheus is such a cinnamon roll... and he fucks like a stallion.
And here is where I'll leave you.
P.s. the best monster romance I've read so far.
--------
Okay, that is one of the most blasé reviews I've ever put out. Second try!
A Soul to Keep is one slow burn romance between a Duskwalker (imagine Elias from TAMB, furry body, wolf skeleton for the head and Impala's horns on the top... also, a very unique, ✨exceptional✨ male 'anatomy') and the virgin sacrifice that lacks fear and deemed to be cursed by the villagers.
Needless to say, it is a tale as old as time.
Belle and the Beast, huh?... I still don’t know, but what would have happened in the story if Belle had fucked the Beast before he became a human.
And oh boy, did it get you some.
I think what made this book actually works for me, compared to other monster romance that I've read, was that this book took the time to develop the chemistry and dynamic between these two. I love that it didn't dive straight into the filthy weird (weird good okay!) sexual tension and have them banging each other on page 50. Nope, you have to wait 370+ pages for that.
Also, Orpheus is a complete sweetheart. The author nailed it out of the park with his character. I can't tell you how many times I stopped and awwed at the things he did. I love little gestures in my romance and Orpheus checked off all the boxes. He's attentive, protective, a little naive, and just a wholesome hero. I would be glad to be offered anytime as a sacrifice. Wouldn't mind a damn thing.
So yes, I would highly recommend this book if you're in the mood for something slow burn, monster-virgin sacrifice trope, cinnamon roll (with a zest)... and especially if you want to know how four tiny tentacles surrounded a dick works in this world.
February 24, 2025
I don't want to talk about it. My tastes are growing more and more concerning by the second.
![Profile Image for Lori [semi-hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1652024485i%2F125758944._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
June 18, 2022
2.5 but rounded down
it was very sweet but the ow storyline killed it for me.
the ow was his first and it was drilled too much that he pleasured her and that they had sex, that he built her a home and that he gave her things that even the heroine stated he'd never given her. It was to the point that the heroine felt jealous all the time about the ow.
i also didn't like the confrontation between him and the ow at the end, he still seemed hung up on her and only chose the heroine because she wanted to be with him whereas the ow hadn't wanted that (that was her defining quality). he was already wavering for the ow when she was lying to him and remembered how much he cared about her and how much her betrayal had hurt.
i guess in the end i didn't buy that he loved the heroine more, only that she was the only one willing to be his companion and he was lonely.
the heroine seemed to love the hero more, and i want to read the reverse in a romance novel
it was very sweet but the ow storyline killed it for me.
the ow was his first and it was drilled too much that he pleasured her and that they had sex, that he built her a home and that he gave her things that even the heroine stated he'd never given her. It was to the point that the heroine felt jealous all the time about the ow.
i also didn't like the confrontation between him and the ow at the end, he still seemed hung up on her and only chose the heroine because she wanted to be with him whereas the ow hadn't wanted that (that was her defining quality). he was already wavering for the ow when she was lying to him and remembered how much he cared about her and how much her betrayal had hurt.
i guess in the end i didn't buy that he loved the heroine more, only that she was the only one willing to be his companion and he was lonely.
the heroine seemed to love the hero more, and i want to read the reverse in a romance novel
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2022
This was gonna be a 3-star review up until the 80% mark, at which point I was genuinely angry at the way they decided to handle things, so down to 1-star we go.
Every 10 years, the village must sacrifice someone to the Duskwalker in exchange for protection. This year, Reia is chosen, yet she finds that this 7ft tall demon creature Orpheus isn't as bad as she'd expected.
I was having a decent time for most of the book. The dynamic between Orpheus and Reia is interesting (we know he won't eat her, but he sure gets close to it), and it was fun to see which parts of The Ancient Magus' Bride the author decided to work into the story and what world-building was original. The pacing was a little slow and claustrophobic for my taste, though.
What really got me ticked off, though, was the Katerina situation. Here's where we get into spoiler territory and a rant.
I don't expect highly nuanced feminism in my monster romance, but this plot point was so stupid and misogynistic that I could not enjoy any part of the story after that.
It is what it is. The book's writing is decent and the story up until that point was okay, but I wish the author had reconsidered her choices with Katerina. It's such a shame because this author clearly took inspiration from both The Ancient Magus' Bride and Demon Slayer without taking any of the themes of forgiveness and empathy for others, all for some cheap jealous woman nonsense.
Every 10 years, the village must sacrifice someone to the Duskwalker in exchange for protection. This year, Reia is chosen, yet she finds that this 7ft tall demon creature Orpheus isn't as bad as she'd expected.
I was having a decent time for most of the book. The dynamic between Orpheus and Reia is interesting (we know he won't eat her, but he sure gets close to it), and it was fun to see which parts of The Ancient Magus' Bride the author decided to work into the story and what world-building was original. The pacing was a little slow and claustrophobic for my taste, though.
What really got me ticked off, though, was the Katerina situation. Here's where we get into spoiler territory and a rant.
I don't expect highly nuanced feminism in my monster romance, but this plot point was so stupid and misogynistic that I could not enjoy any part of the story after that.
It is what it is. The book's writing is decent and the story up until that point was okay, but I wish the author had reconsidered her choices with Katerina. It's such a shame because this author clearly took inspiration from both The Ancient Magus' Bride and Demon Slayer without taking any of the themes of forgiveness and empathy for others, all for some cheap jealous woman nonsense.
November 28, 2022
✦ ended up skimming quite a bit towards the end because this book just didn't want to fucking end. it was way too long and the pacing was just way off.
✦ making a book 500+ pages when there's barely any actual plot or proper world building should be illegal. this definitely could have been at least 200 pages shorter.
✦ wouldn't have been as tedious if i actually felt some chemistry between the mcs, but sadly i didn't.
✦ making a book 500+ pages when there's barely any actual plot or proper world building should be illegal. this definitely could have been at least 200 pages shorter.
✦ wouldn't have been as tedious if i actually felt some chemistry between the mcs, but sadly i didn't.
October 27, 2022
Words cannot express my joy in reading a fantasy of this caliber.
Just the simple idea that you become what you consume, felt like such a statement on humanity in general.
This is not like those boring old fantasy books from the past. This doesn't have mindnumbing world building, or multiple family units with names you can't pronounce, a confusing magic system or generic bad guys.
Main takeaways:
✔️Intelligent fmc with self respect, and a dash of snark
✔️Terrifying creature with an absolute heart of gold
✔️A tiny cabin in the woods with a garden surrounded by demons
✔️The twice daily required bath comes with a full-body oil massage
✔️Watch those changing eye colors
✔️One of the most fascinating male reproductive units ever
✔️Character driven, it's mostly just the two of them
This is a beauty and the beast retelling, with a very different ending than we're used to. It was deeply erotic, with a well executed plot.
There were a few moments of frustration, when I wanted something different to happen. But overall I was so impressed with the storytelling here, and these amazing characters this author has created. I will add, and this could be a perk to some readers, I felt like the erotica near the end took over the story. Seriously, they're at it again....
Hea/hfn.
This is not like those boring old fantasy books from the past. This doesn't have mindnumbing world building, or multiple family units with names you can't pronounce, a confusing magic system or generic bad guys.
Main takeaways:
✔️Intelligent fmc with self respect, and a dash of snark
✔️Terrifying creature with an absolute heart of gold
✔️A tiny cabin in the woods with a garden surrounded by demons
✔️The twice daily required bath comes with a full-body oil massage
✔️Watch those changing eye colors
✔️One of the most fascinating male reproductive units ever
✔️Character driven, it's mostly just the two of them
This is a beauty and the beast retelling, with a very different ending than we're used to. It was deeply erotic, with a well executed plot.
There were a few moments of frustration, when I wanted something different to happen. But overall I was so impressed with the storytelling here, and these amazing characters this author has created. I will add, and this could be a perk to some readers, I felt like the erotica near the end took over the story. Seriously, they're at it again....
Hea/hfn.
![Profile Image for ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ mimi ໒꒱ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ [semi-ia].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1717798941i%2F161661704._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
May 30, 2024
i was expecting a lot of “👹😈🐗🍆🍆💦👌🏼👈🏼👀”
but ended up getting “🫂💗🎀😔💔🥺🥰🫶🏼💞💘”
ps- this is so ancient magus bride coded 🫶🏼
—————
reading this for ”scientific purposes” 👀
but ended up getting “🫂💗🎀😔💔🥺🥰🫶🏼💞💘”
ps- this is so ancient magus bride coded 🫶🏼
—————
reading this for ”scientific purposes” 👀
September 13, 2023
I just wasn’t vibing with this book :/ overall all fun in theory but it just didn’t work for me.
January 29, 2024
This book saved me from a reading slump. I had tried to read 7 books and was about to give up until I gave this one a try
I was hooked on Orpheus at his smell ; he smells of Mahogany wood and pine. That is MY FAVORITE SCENT EVER. I was sold and it was only page 20.
Orpheus made it 2nd on the book boyfriend list (yes I know, he’s a monster. But to be fair, my first one is Death from Belladonna so I might have a problem but that’s a discussion for later)
He makes her stuff and is super happy to show her, he preciously keeps the things she makes him even if its insignificant, he teaches her stuff, he grows a garden even if he doesn’t eat those things… etc etc etc. Conclusion : he’s perfect
I cannot wait to read the book about the unnamed one - he is so dumb it’s actually really cute 😂. I will definitely be rereading this one 🤭
The dedication : To all the monsterfuckers out there, this book is for you. Don’t pretend that you’ve never wanted to be railed by some human eating, dark entity that has a skull for a face - you saw the cover, you knew what you were getting yourself into, and you still chose to open this book and read it
PS#1: the fan art of his manly parts now lives in my mind rent free just like this book 🤭
PS#2: I don’t usually like spice/smut so much tbh but this was really good and very well written
I was hooked on Orpheus at his smell ; he smells of Mahogany wood and pine. That is MY FAVORITE SCENT EVER. I was sold and it was only page 20.
Orpheus made it 2nd on the book boyfriend list (yes I know, he’s a monster. But to be fair, my first one is Death from Belladonna so I might have a problem but that’s a discussion for later)
He makes her stuff and is super happy to show her, he preciously keeps the things she makes him even if its insignificant, he teaches her stuff, he grows a garden even if he doesn’t eat those things… etc etc etc. Conclusion : he’s perfect
I cannot wait to read the book about the unnamed one - he is so dumb it’s actually really cute 😂. I will definitely be rereading this one 🤭
The dedication : To all the monsterfuckers out there, this book is for you. Don’t pretend that you’ve never wanted to be railed by some human eating, dark entity that has a skull for a face - you saw the cover, you knew what you were getting yourself into, and you still chose to open this book and read it
PS#1: the fan art of his manly parts now lives in my mind rent free just like this book 🤭
PS#2: I don’t usually like spice/smut so much tbh but this was really good and very well written
July 9, 2025
2.75⭐️
July 4, 2024
★3 stars
Sold on the monster but not the human, idk what that says about me 💀
RTC after the holiday weekend!
* ゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜*
Pre-review:
“To all the MonsterFuckers out there, this book is for you. Don’t pretend that you’ve never wanted to be railed by some human eating, dark entity that has a skull for a face–you saw the cover, you knew what you were getting yourself into, and you still chose to open this book and read it.” ☠️
My queen Maeghan 🖤 said this one was so good so obvi I had to run to read it!! 🏃🏻♀️💨
Sold on the monster but not the human, idk what that says about me 💀
RTC after the holiday weekend!
* ゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜*
Pre-review:
“To all the MonsterFuckers out there, this book is for you. Don’t pretend that you’ve never wanted to be railed by some human eating, dark entity that has a skull for a face–you saw the cover, you knew what you were getting yourself into, and you still chose to open this book and read it.” ☠️
My queen Maeghan 🖤 said this one was so good so obvi I had to run to read it!! 🏃🏻♀️💨
October 16, 2022
This was a ok read, but overall I found it much too long. Instead of 500+ pages this could have easily been your standard 300ish novel with no loss in terms of plot.
A few other things that bothered me:
1) The typos, which normally I don’t notice but in this book my boredom brought these faults to the forefront, and oh boy did they bother me. Not to mention the weird insertions of current day slang/information. What would a peasant without internet know about flamingos?
2) The pacing was wonky… probably an artifact of the stupidly high page count.
3) The sex (surprisingly?) which was described in a way that sounded painful rather than hot. Rearranging someone's guts... metaphorically is fine... but literally? Jeez Louise, no thanks!
4) The whole bath thing just felt squiffy. It was another thing that I’m sure was supposed to be hot but ended up just feeling icky.
5) The choice of villain. Katerina really felt like a victim of woman-blaming/victim blaming. She was taken from her home and forced (I.e. was very likely to die if she tried to escape and given no other choices) to live with someone she thought was a monster. Of course she would do whatever it took to keep him happy and then leave as soon as she could. I can’t even really blame her for wanting revenge either. I mean I would have had more sympathy for her if she hadn’t gone that route, but really revenge was quite a rational desire for her, so the fact that she is made out to be totally evil (rather than just traumatized and a bit of a bitch) bothered me.
Overall? Meh.
Would I read more by this author? Probably not.
Would I recommend this book? No.
A few other things that bothered me:
1) The typos, which normally I don’t notice but in this book my boredom brought these faults to the forefront, and oh boy did they bother me. Not to mention the weird insertions of current day slang/information. What would a peasant without internet know about flamingos?
2) The pacing was wonky… probably an artifact of the stupidly high page count.
3) The sex (surprisingly?) which was described in a way that sounded painful rather than hot. Rearranging someone's guts... metaphorically is fine... but literally? Jeez Louise, no thanks!
4) The whole bath thing just felt squiffy. It was another thing that I’m sure was supposed to be hot but ended up just feeling icky.
5) The choice of villain. Katerina really felt like a victim of woman-blaming/victim blaming. She was taken from her home and forced (I.e. was very likely to die if she tried to escape and given no other choices) to live with someone she thought was a monster. Of course she would do whatever it took to keep him happy and then leave as soon as she could. I can’t even really blame her for wanting revenge either. I mean I would have had more sympathy for her if she hadn’t gone that route, but really revenge was quite a rational desire for her, so the fact that she is made out to be totally evil (rather than just traumatized and a bit of a bitch) bothered me.
Overall? Meh.
Would I read more by this author? Probably not.
Would I recommend this book? No.
November 16, 2023
started my 2023 smutty reads with space vampires with wings and since the year is coming to an end, it only makes sense that my taste in men *ahem* has evolved into golden retriever heroes looking like this 🌚
August 18, 2022
The prose is so utterly godawful that I dropped it after half a chapter. Imagine writing the sentence ‘They came in many sizes, which informed their prey if the monster in front of them would guarantee their death or not.’ and thinking it’s anything but excruciatingly mechanical.
I don’t care how sexy the monster is, I’m not wasting my time on Wattpad-quality writing.
I don’t care how sexy the monster is, I’m not wasting my time on Wattpad-quality writing.
July 18, 2022
This was cute as all hell - Beauty and the Beast vibes but unexpectedly HOT 🔥🔥🔥 - and it takes place in a remarkably well-crafted fantasy world.
Orpheus is a total cinnamon roll and I LOVE HIM so much even if he did eat people in the past 🤣 He just wanted love omg 🥺
Reia is a decent heroine, a little too stupid to live at times but she’s very fearless, inexperienced, and impulsive so I guess it only makes sense. (Also, if she was shunned by the community from the age of seven, how exactly did she manage to grow up? That wasn’t clear but it’s not crucial to the story. Come on y’all, we all know we’re here for the monster smut 😌)
Opal is a fantastic storyteller with great ideas and a wonderful talent for capturing deep emotions. With the addition of a good editor, she could compete with the big name PNR authors, and this would be an automatic 5 ⭐️ read from me. She’s definitely one to watch!!!
Orpheus is a total cinnamon roll and I LOVE HIM so much even if he did eat people in the past 🤣 He just wanted love omg 🥺
Reia is a decent heroine, a little too stupid to live at times but she’s very fearless, inexperienced, and impulsive so I guess it only makes sense. (Also, if she was shunned by the community from the age of seven, how exactly did she manage to grow up? That wasn’t clear but it’s not crucial to the story. Come on y’all, we all know we’re here for the monster smut 😌)
Opal is a fantastic storyteller with great ideas and a wonderful talent for capturing deep emotions. With the addition of a good editor, she could compete with the big name PNR authors, and this would be an automatic 5 ⭐️ read from me. She’s definitely one to watch!!!
August 4, 2022
This review might contain spoilers, read at your own risk.
I wanted to like this book. The premise, world, characters all seemed interesting and not quite like other books I have read. However when I hit the first cringy trope the bubble absolutely burst.
The author foregoes any sort of exposition about the world we're about to delve into and instead the world building is peppered in randomly, most of the time it feels like an afterthought shoe-horned in during a scene. It felt like important scenes were rushed along while innocuous scenes were fluffed to the brim with pointless dialogue. Both were also written incredibly anachronistic, the MC mentions things like Stockholm Syndrome, hymens, periods/hormones, she goes around saying "freaking" continuously. Quite frankly if a random bit of world setting wasn't dropped more than halfway through the book I wouldn't have had any clue what sort of time period this book was set in.
Almost right away our MC Reia read very much like a mary-sue, sheltered but wise, weak but strong, doesn't like books but is knowledgeable about things like psychology and anatomy. One moment she's waxing poetic about our other MC Orpheus and then the next she's denying any feelings for him. Meanwhile I felt as though Orpheus had a strong start. He knew what he was and the dangers his nature as a Duskwalker presented to humans, he didn't try to hide it but also did what he could to warn Reia. But as the two grew closer and eventually became intimate his character became... dumb. He became a love-sick puppy with massive separation anxiety, he had no personality except to exist to please Reia.
Speaking of being intimate and to circle back to the mention of hymen, this was the bubble burster. In one of the first physical scenes between Reia and Orpheus the author includes misinformation about what a hymen is, as well as the harmful purity stereotype that revolves around it. It would be one thing if purity culture was part of the world building, but to have your MC talk about it like scientific fact? In a monster romance?! Talk about a jump-scare. The list of icks only continued as I read; gut rearranging sex magic, victim blaming, the overuse of the word "squelch", sex as a metric of love and care.
And if all of this wasn't enough red flags, I would like to quote her message regarding her second book. "The next book, A Soul to Heal, will feature a plus sized character and the nameless Duskwalker we met in this book. He has a lot to learn, and learning it all will be rather comedic. "What's this thing?" A pussy, my friend, and you're going to discover just how yummy it is." ICK!! Sexualizing infantilized characters?! No thank you. Unfortunately it appears that Opal Reyne will be firmly added to my blacklist of authors forever.
I wanted to like this book. The premise, world, characters all seemed interesting and not quite like other books I have read. However when I hit the first cringy trope the bubble absolutely burst.
The author foregoes any sort of exposition about the world we're about to delve into and instead the world building is peppered in randomly, most of the time it feels like an afterthought shoe-horned in during a scene. It felt like important scenes were rushed along while innocuous scenes were fluffed to the brim with pointless dialogue. Both were also written incredibly anachronistic, the MC mentions things like Stockholm Syndrome, hymens, periods/hormones, she goes around saying "freaking" continuously. Quite frankly if a random bit of world setting wasn't dropped more than halfway through the book I wouldn't have had any clue what sort of time period this book was set in.
Almost right away our MC Reia read very much like a mary-sue, sheltered but wise, weak but strong, doesn't like books but is knowledgeable about things like psychology and anatomy. One moment she's waxing poetic about our other MC Orpheus and then the next she's denying any feelings for him. Meanwhile I felt as though Orpheus had a strong start. He knew what he was and the dangers his nature as a Duskwalker presented to humans, he didn't try to hide it but also did what he could to warn Reia. But as the two grew closer and eventually became intimate his character became... dumb. He became a love-sick puppy with massive separation anxiety, he had no personality except to exist to please Reia.
Speaking of being intimate and to circle back to the mention of hymen, this was the bubble burster. In one of the first physical scenes between Reia and Orpheus the author includes misinformation about what a hymen is, as well as the harmful purity stereotype that revolves around it. It would be one thing if purity culture was part of the world building, but to have your MC talk about it like scientific fact? In a monster romance?! Talk about a jump-scare. The list of icks only continued as I read; gut rearranging sex magic, victim blaming, the overuse of the word "squelch", sex as a metric of love and care.
And if all of this wasn't enough red flags, I would like to quote her message regarding her second book. "The next book, A Soul to Heal, will feature a plus sized character and the nameless Duskwalker we met in this book. He has a lot to learn, and learning it all will be rather comedic. "What's this thing?" A pussy, my friend, and you're going to discover just how yummy it is." ICK!! Sexualizing infantilized characters?! No thank you. Unfortunately it appears that Opal Reyne will be firmly added to my blacklist of authors forever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2024
3 ⭐️ Listen, it’s honestly a pretty good book. It’s just not for me.
"Your life is precious. I will try to make sure it does not end if I can."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ monster romance
✨ he's a cinnamon roll duskwalker desperate for a companion who can survive his hunger
✨ she's a strong, fearless human and her village's offering to the duskwalker
✨ beauty and the beast (loose) retelling
✨ interesting fantasy world with duskwalkers, humans, demons, and magic
✨ 'arranged' marriage
✨ forced proximity
✨ slow burn
✨ sexy bath time
✨ somnophilia
✨ 4/5 🌶️
✨ dual POV
✨ OW drama
My Thoughts:
I listened to this audiobook over the course of a few days, and honestly, I thought it was great. The narrators did a FANTASTIC job (seriously, Wolfgang Millken perfectly voiced Orpheus). And even though it's an 18 hour audiobook, I was engaged most of the time.
Here's the thing, I totally get why so many people LOVE this book. I liked a lot of it, and enjoyed the overall story - the first half more than the second half. However, there are certain things that just weren’t my cup of tea. But first, let me tell you about the things I liked.
What I liked:
The characters, Orpheus and Reia are great! Reia is such a strong FMC who, instead of being afraid in this situation, she makes the most of it and embraces the weird. She is definitely inexperienced and sometimes a little dumb, but I think it worked with the story. Orpheus is the sweetest monster of all time who just wants to be good and do Reia right, but also is tempted to eat her. lol I love him.
Orpheus’ learning experiences with Reia were fun and sweet. Orpheus is basically a creature that, over hundreds of years, has learned and grown by eating beings. It's why he has animal and human features. Because each time he eats something, it becomes a part of him. So the way he's gained intelligence is by eating humans. Orpheus is intelligent enough to learn, and he has with each new offering. But there's a lot he doesn't know, so Reia has to patiently explain and teach things to him- like boundaries and what's normal human behavior. Basically, she trains him. lol What's so adorable is that Orpheus is just so eager to understand and learn what Reia likes/wants. She is his whole world, and he will do anything and be better for her.
The romance is so sweet 🫶 and sexy. 🔥 I liked the combination of the forced proximity with the slow burn and friends to lovers. It all just went together so well. Chapter after chapter, as they start to fall in love, I found myself also falling more in love with them. Orpheus' nickname for Reia is 'my little doe' and I thought that was just so stinking cute.
But even though Orpheus is super sweet, he's also 'super naughty' (as Reia likes to say), and most of the time, he doesn’t mean to be . . . it just sort of happens. For example, he has to bathe Reia every day to keep this magic demon repellent on her skin. And by bathe, I mean full on naked bathe where he touches here EVERYWHERE. 🙈 Or when Reia wakes up with his face between her legs because he smells something sweet, and it just so happens to be her arousal from a sexy dream. Plus, his dirty talk was ON POINT - very direct but so sincere.
The world building is interesting. It took a while for the world building to really unfold but I liked this because there was no info dumping. Instead, you learn as Reia learns, which means a lot more showing versus telling. I've never read a fantasy story with a world quite like this, so it felt very new and fresh to me. However, there were some times where I thought, "that seems like a ridiculous/easy explanation" when it came to the hows and the whys of the creatures or magic in this realm, but I decided to accept it for what it was so I could continue to enjoy the story.
What I didn't like:
As much as I liked Reia, she is pretty stupid and acted childish more than a few times. There are a lot of moments where Reia is purposefully obtuse, which was very annoying and had me screaming at her to use her brain. There's also a few times where she has too much bravado and ends up doing something reckless and rash, when in reality, it's just plain stupid. If she wasn't the MC, she would have died early on. But of course, Orpheus is always there to save her.
My lack of sexual interest in Orpheus due to his skull head and weird dick. Look, Orpheus is so sweet, but I’m not down for an animal skull headed dude nor am I into a penis that has tentacles that can retract inside the body. It's just not for me. However, I did think the sex scenes were done super well. There are a lot of them (7 scenes total I believe). But as someone who's not into the hardware and mechanics of all that, once they started actually having sex, I lost interest.
The OW drama. Listen, it’s definitely a me thing, but I HATE OTHER WOMAN DRAMA. While I believe it made sense with this plot and was done well, it's just not something I enjoy.
**SPOILER AHEAD**
I didn't like how Reia invalidated Katerina's trauma. I know we're supposed to hate Katerina, but honestly, I just felt sorry for her. She was taken against her will by a monster, and because she thought she'd die if she resisted Orpheus, she placated him by agreeing to cordially live with him. She never denied him and his sexual advances because she thought if she did, he would eat her. So for five years, in her mind, Katerina was a prisoner being raped, biding her time till she could escape. But instead of seeing this point of view, Reia legit blames her since Katerina "never voiced her wants, had never denied Orpheus, simply because she was too blind to see he would have stopped touching if she has just simply said no." But HOW THE FUCK WAS KATERINA SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT? Also, that was 200 years ago and over those centuries Orpheus has become more intelligent and understanding of humans, so yeah, he could have easily gotten angry and eaten her. Reia then goes on to say that Katerina is "a spiteful fucking bitch" because she wants to hurt and kill Orpheus for what he did to her. Nah. This is just fucked up. Just because Reia likes Orpheus and doesn't see him as a monster doesn't mean Katerinas trauma and revulsion to him isn't valid.
The length of this story. It was 200 pages too long and had a lot of 'slow' moments. By slow, I mean there were a lot of scenes of Reia and Orpheus' day to day life and so much inner dialogue with Orpheus and Reia constantly questioning themselves and mentioning how much they like each other. The pacing didn't bother me while listening to the audiobook because I was driving across state lines for hours and I actually thought their inner dialogue was spot on for people in their situation. However, I know if I had been reading this story, I would have skimmed A LOT because after a while, it did become redundant and wasn't truly necessary for the plot.
Some of the dialogue and words used were too modern for this story. This is just a personal preference, but when I read fantasy, I cannot stand when there are modern words or phrases. It always takes me out of the story. Here are some examples:
-"Blah, blah, blah." Ok, Ke$ha.
- "He deserved it for being such a dick." They didn't even say that 30 years ago, so don't use it in a fantasy world.
- "All peaches and cream here." There's no way they even knew about peaches and cream.
- "I think you broke my hymen." There is no way this girl, who grew up in a medieval-esque village without plumbing and electricity knows internal human anatomy.
- She legit finds a book with the Beauty and the Beast story. 🙄
But regardless of what I didn't like, I think you should read this if you’re interested in monster romance. I’m glad I listened to it and I’ll probably think about this story (well, the first half at least) for a while, but I won’t continue the series.
Favorite Quotes:
"Come, little human. Let me melt your heart."
_______
"I have desired you from the first moment you smiled at me, my little doe."
_______
Mine! She was his human! His offering! His to touch, his to see, his to eat.
_______
"I do not want you to leave me, Reia.''
_______
"You are beautiful. And your personality is shiny. I have missed many humans that have left, but I like you more than any of the others that have come here. Even if you safely make it out of the Veil, you will be gone."
_______
She is perfect. A perfect little human that was quickly stealing his lonely, aching heart.
_______
"You gave me something no one else has wanted to give me, and I don't want it from anyone but you.
"And what is that?"
"Someone who wanted to be by my side."
_______
Reia had found heaven in the Veil, and it was given to her by the cock of a Duskwalker that was fucking her into oblivion.
_______
"Your life is precious. I will try to make sure it does not end if I can."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ monster romance
✨ he's a cinnamon roll duskwalker desperate for a companion who can survive his hunger
✨ she's a strong, fearless human and her village's offering to the duskwalker
✨ beauty and the beast (loose) retelling
✨ interesting fantasy world with duskwalkers, humans, demons, and magic
✨ 'arranged' marriage
✨ forced proximity
✨ slow burn
✨ sexy bath time
✨ somnophilia
✨ 4/5 🌶️
✨ dual POV
✨ OW drama
My Thoughts:
I listened to this audiobook over the course of a few days, and honestly, I thought it was great. The narrators did a FANTASTIC job (seriously, Wolfgang Millken perfectly voiced Orpheus). And even though it's an 18 hour audiobook, I was engaged most of the time.
Here's the thing, I totally get why so many people LOVE this book. I liked a lot of it, and enjoyed the overall story - the first half more than the second half. However, there are certain things that just weren’t my cup of tea. But first, let me tell you about the things I liked.
What I liked:
The characters, Orpheus and Reia are great! Reia is such a strong FMC who, instead of being afraid in this situation, she makes the most of it and embraces the weird. She is definitely inexperienced and sometimes a little dumb, but I think it worked with the story. Orpheus is the sweetest monster of all time who just wants to be good and do Reia right, but also is tempted to eat her. lol I love him.
Orpheus’ learning experiences with Reia were fun and sweet. Orpheus is basically a creature that, over hundreds of years, has learned and grown by eating beings. It's why he has animal and human features. Because each time he eats something, it becomes a part of him. So the way he's gained intelligence is by eating humans. Orpheus is intelligent enough to learn, and he has with each new offering. But there's a lot he doesn't know, so Reia has to patiently explain and teach things to him- like boundaries and what's normal human behavior. Basically, she trains him. lol What's so adorable is that Orpheus is just so eager to understand and learn what Reia likes/wants. She is his whole world, and he will do anything and be better for her.
The romance is so sweet 🫶 and sexy. 🔥 I liked the combination of the forced proximity with the slow burn and friends to lovers. It all just went together so well. Chapter after chapter, as they start to fall in love, I found myself also falling more in love with them. Orpheus' nickname for Reia is 'my little doe' and I thought that was just so stinking cute.
But even though Orpheus is super sweet, he's also 'super naughty' (as Reia likes to say), and most of the time, he doesn’t mean to be . . . it just sort of happens. For example, he has to bathe Reia every day to keep this magic demon repellent on her skin. And by bathe, I mean full on naked bathe where he touches here EVERYWHERE. 🙈 Or when Reia wakes up with his face between her legs because he smells something sweet, and it just so happens to be her arousal from a sexy dream. Plus, his dirty talk was ON POINT - very direct but so sincere.
The world building is interesting. It took a while for the world building to really unfold but I liked this because there was no info dumping. Instead, you learn as Reia learns, which means a lot more showing versus telling. I've never read a fantasy story with a world quite like this, so it felt very new and fresh to me. However, there were some times where I thought, "that seems like a ridiculous/easy explanation" when it came to the hows and the whys of the creatures or magic in this realm, but I decided to accept it for what it was so I could continue to enjoy the story.
What I didn't like:
As much as I liked Reia, she is pretty stupid and acted childish more than a few times. There are a lot of moments where Reia is purposefully obtuse, which was very annoying and had me screaming at her to use her brain. There's also a few times where she has too much bravado and ends up doing something reckless and rash, when in reality, it's just plain stupid. If she wasn't the MC, she would have died early on. But of course, Orpheus is always there to save her.
My lack of sexual interest in Orpheus due to his skull head and weird dick. Look, Orpheus is so sweet, but I’m not down for an animal skull headed dude nor am I into a penis that has tentacles that can retract inside the body. It's just not for me. However, I did think the sex scenes were done super well. There are a lot of them (7 scenes total I believe). But as someone who's not into the hardware and mechanics of all that, once they started actually having sex, I lost interest.
The OW drama. Listen, it’s definitely a me thing, but I HATE OTHER WOMAN DRAMA. While I believe it made sense with this plot and was done well, it's just not something I enjoy.
**SPOILER AHEAD**
I didn't like how Reia invalidated Katerina's trauma. I know we're supposed to hate Katerina, but honestly, I just felt sorry for her. She was taken against her will by a monster, and because she thought she'd die if she resisted Orpheus, she placated him by agreeing to cordially live with him. She never denied him and his sexual advances because she thought if she did, he would eat her. So for five years, in her mind, Katerina was a prisoner being raped, biding her time till she could escape. But instead of seeing this point of view, Reia legit blames her since Katerina "never voiced her wants, had never denied Orpheus, simply because she was too blind to see he would have stopped touching if she has just simply said no." But HOW THE FUCK WAS KATERINA SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT? Also, that was 200 years ago and over those centuries Orpheus has become more intelligent and understanding of humans, so yeah, he could have easily gotten angry and eaten her. Reia then goes on to say that Katerina is "a spiteful fucking bitch" because she wants to hurt and kill Orpheus for what he did to her. Nah. This is just fucked up. Just because Reia likes Orpheus and doesn't see him as a monster doesn't mean Katerinas trauma and revulsion to him isn't valid.
The length of this story. It was 200 pages too long and had a lot of 'slow' moments. By slow, I mean there were a lot of scenes of Reia and Orpheus' day to day life and so much inner dialogue with Orpheus and Reia constantly questioning themselves and mentioning how much they like each other. The pacing didn't bother me while listening to the audiobook because I was driving across state lines for hours and I actually thought their inner dialogue was spot on for people in their situation. However, I know if I had been reading this story, I would have skimmed A LOT because after a while, it did become redundant and wasn't truly necessary for the plot.
Some of the dialogue and words used were too modern for this story. This is just a personal preference, but when I read fantasy, I cannot stand when there are modern words or phrases. It always takes me out of the story. Here are some examples:
-"Blah, blah, blah." Ok, Ke$ha.
- "He deserved it for being such a dick." They didn't even say that 30 years ago, so don't use it in a fantasy world.
- "All peaches and cream here." There's no way they even knew about peaches and cream.
- "I think you broke my hymen." There is no way this girl, who grew up in a medieval-esque village without plumbing and electricity knows internal human anatomy.
- She legit finds a book with the Beauty and the Beast story. 🙄
But regardless of what I didn't like, I think you should read this if you’re interested in monster romance. I’m glad I listened to it and I’ll probably think about this story (well, the first half at least) for a while, but I won’t continue the series.
Favorite Quotes:
"Come, little human. Let me melt your heart."
_______
"I have desired you from the first moment you smiled at me, my little doe."
_______
Mine! She was his human! His offering! His to touch, his to see, his to eat.
_______
"I do not want you to leave me, Reia.''
_______
"You are beautiful. And your personality is shiny. I have missed many humans that have left, but I like you more than any of the others that have come here. Even if you safely make it out of the Veil, you will be gone."
_______
She is perfect. A perfect little human that was quickly stealing his lonely, aching heart.
_______
"You gave me something no one else has wanted to give me, and I don't want it from anyone but you.
"And what is that?"
"Someone who wanted to be by my side."
_______
Reia had found heaven in the Veil, and it was given to her by the cock of a Duskwalker that was fucking her into oblivion.
_______
August 11, 2022
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥+
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from our paranormal romance group A Love Less Ordinary )
Basic plot:
Reia is ostracized in the village after her whole family is eaten by demons, believing she is bad luck. She’s offered as a virgin bride to the duskwalker in exchange for protection for their village.
Give this a try if you want:
- High steam – plenty of creative monster scenes with unique nether region fun (6 full scenes)
- Monster romance – heroine is human, hero is a duskwalker
- You like a mix of danger, suspense, and a touch of mystery
Ages:
- Heroine is 26, hero is unknown but probably hundreds?
My thoughts:
I really struggled with getting into this book. And I never really ended getting into it, really. I think I really just had a disconnect with the writing.
But I am shameless enough to admit I read alllll the sex, which was interesting to say the least lol.
The book is long, and I struggled with that too. I think some of the side ‘danger’ could have been cut a bit (for me).
Reia, I just never grew to like her. And I felt like I didn’t know her that well by the end of the book. Orpheus we learn more about, but it seemed like a lot of it was revealed by others and I wanted to know him more from his perspective.
There was a lot of him wanting to eat her the entire book. And I’m not like ohhhh I can’t handle that, but it was just done so nonchalantly, it felt almost comical to me. Like oh were you going to eat me again?? Nods head shamefully…Shakes finger at him. Youuuuuuuu...
I also wanted more from the world building. I think it could have been really neat but it was like things would pop up and be explained quickly in a sentence or two and then moved on from. I just wanted more depth and better flow, a more comprehensive unfolding of this world with demons and duskwalkers and a veil.
I think I would try another book from this author but maybe this particular series isn’t going to be exactly what I want. I think if you want some weird/unique monster creatures then definitely give this one a try!
Cock stats
A few other notes:
Content warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥+
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from our paranormal romance group A Love Less Ordinary )
Basic plot:
Reia is ostracized in the village after her whole family is eaten by demons, believing she is bad luck. She’s offered as a virgin bride to the duskwalker in exchange for protection for their village.
Give this a try if you want:
- High steam – plenty of creative monster scenes with unique nether region fun (6 full scenes)
- Monster romance – heroine is human, hero is a duskwalker
- You like a mix of danger, suspense, and a touch of mystery
Ages:
- Heroine is 26, hero is unknown but probably hundreds?
My thoughts:
I really struggled with getting into this book. And I never really ended getting into it, really. I think I really just had a disconnect with the writing.
But I am shameless enough to admit I read alllll the sex, which was interesting to say the least lol.
The book is long, and I struggled with that too. I think some of the side ‘danger’ could have been cut a bit (for me).
Reia, I just never grew to like her. And I felt like I didn’t know her that well by the end of the book. Orpheus we learn more about, but it seemed like a lot of it was revealed by others and I wanted to know him more from his perspective.
There was a lot of him wanting to eat her the entire book. And I’m not like ohhhh I can’t handle that, but it was just done so nonchalantly, it felt almost comical to me. Like oh were you going to eat me again?? Nods head shamefully…Shakes finger at him. Youuuuuuuu...
I also wanted more from the world building. I think it could have been really neat but it was like things would pop up and be explained quickly in a sentence or two and then moved on from. I just wanted more depth and better flow, a more comprehensive unfolding of this world with demons and duskwalkers and a veil.
I think I would try another book from this author but maybe this particular series isn’t going to be exactly what I want. I think if you want some weird/unique monster creatures then definitely give this one a try!
Cock stats
A few other notes:
Content warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
July 4, 2024
Re-read:
I was shocked and didn't know that there was an audiobook of A Soul to Keep, and started listening to it since April. The narrators are amazing and the voices for the characters fits so well! Especially Wolfgang Milliken, because his voice though
I could listen to his voice all day. 🤭
Overall, I was happy when I saw that it is also in audiobook because I had really enjoyed listening to it so much! Highly recommended! Make sure that you are wearing your headphones while listening to it if you plan to go out in the public, because some scenes were pretty spicy. 😉
__________________________________
My review of A Soul to Keep is finally here! This review is a spoiler-free review.
Before you start reading my review, I would like to point out that this book, or this series, is not suitable for readers who are under 18 years old due to sexual content.
I would also like to point out that there are no main triggers in this book, expect gore. For further informations about trigger warnings in this book, you can click and read → here.
A Soul to Keep is the first book in the Duskwalker Brides series, and it is written by an Australian author - Opal Reyne.
What is the book about?
In A Soul to Keep, there are two main characters in the book: Reia - a human girl and the FMC, and Orpheus - a Duskwalker (or a Mavka) and the MMC.
All Reia ever wanted was freedom.
Known as a harbringer of bad omens and blamed for Demons eating her family, Reia is shunned by her entire village. When the next offering is due and the monsterous Duskwalker is seen heading their way, her village offers her an impossible choice: to be thrown into the prison cells, or allow herself to be sacrificed to a faceless monster.
However, he is not what he seems. His skull face and glow eyes are ethereal, and she finds herself unwittingly enchanted by him.
All Orpheus ever wanted was a companion.
Each decade, in exchange for a protection ward from the Demons that terrorise the world, Orpheus takes a human offering to the Veil – the place he lives and the home of Demons. The brief companionship does little to ease his loneliness, and their lives were always, unfortunately, cut short.
He had thought it was a hopeless endeavour, until he met her. She is not afraid of him, and his insatiable desire deepens within every moment of her presence.
But will Orpheus be able to convince Reia to stay before she is lost to him forever?
My thougths and opinions on the book
When you saw this review, especially that cover, you might be thinking: "Ugh... What on earth was she reading?"
Listen. Before I started reading A Soul to Keep, I have never read any monster-romance books before. At all! I was like a monster-romance-virgin back then. 🤣 I remember that I was just looking and scrolling around Amazon's website, just for fun actually, and when I saw that cover, yes that cover, I was stunned.
After that "incidence" and many months later, sometimes I could not stop thinking about that cover in my head. However! Ever since I bought a Kindle since last summer, I had finally decided to read that book because my curiosity would not leave me alone and I ended up buying the book on my Kindle. 😂 I was about to start reading the book until I saw the book dedication:
My reaction to that was of course this:
So, my thoughts on A Soul to Keep? Oh my god... I... freaking... loved it! 😍❣️ I even bought A Soul to Heal immediately after I finished reading it! 🤣
What I liked about it?
💙 Dual-POV
I really enjoyed reading both Reia's and Orpheus's POV, especially Orpheus's POV. I also like that there is a skull (or a head) of Orpheus between paragraphs in each chapter, because it tells me that the next POV will switch to either Reia or Orpheus in each chapter.
💙 Writing style
To me, I think Opal Reyne did a great job with her writing style because it was easy to read, and easy to understand. Each chapters are not long either. ☺️👍
💙Relationship between Reia and Orpheus
As the story progresses, I fangirled a lot. Like, a lot.
💙 Orpheus
Orpheus...
Orpheus.
ORPHEUS!!!
I love him! He is solemn, wistful, gentleman, and most importantly: adorable! 😫 He is overly protective of Reia, and very territorial of his home and her. Thanks to dual-POV because I got to know more about his background, it makes me want to hug him so badly! 😭❣️
💙 Duskwalker and their visible eye emotions
Duskwalker's eyes change colors depending on their emotions, which makes it very hard for them (including Orpheus 🤣) to hide their emotions, like a human can. 😉
If Shakira says her hips don't lie, then Duskwalkers says their eyes don't lie.
💙 Spicy AF
Is it spicy in this book: oooooh yeah! ~ 🌶 Don't mess with Opal Reyne because she will make you faint and sweat with that spice level in the book. Monster-romance with some extra spice in it: Lord have mercy on me.😳💦🔥
What I did not like about it?
💙 No world map
Why is there no world-map? 😥 If you know me, I'm that type of reader who needs a world map, no matter what. With world-map, I would have a full overview of the world. Without world-map, I would be lost. Lucikly, the worldbuilding is pretty simple in this series. 😅
Overall
This is the first book I have read of Opal Reyne's books, and I have enjoyed it a lot. 😍 The Duskwalker Brides series is still ongoing, and I understand that there will be 8-9 books in the series. Which means that I will read the rest of the books in the series in the future! 🤩🙌
I recommend this book to the readers who:
→ ... are into monster-romance books.
→ ... are a beginner to monster-romance books.
→ ... are a fan of The Ancient Magus' Bride (anime/manga).
→ ... likes a Beauty and the Beast-retelling.
→ ... likes reading spicy or smutty books.
→ ... likes forced proximity trope.
→ ... likes arranged marriage trope.
Give this book or series a try! 😉🙌
How many stars will I give to A Soul to Keep?
4.5 ⭐️
I was shocked and didn't know that there was an audiobook of A Soul to Keep, and started listening to it since April. The narrators are amazing and the voices for the characters fits so well! Especially Wolfgang Milliken, because his voice though
I could listen to his voice all day. 🤭
Overall, I was happy when I saw that it is also in audiobook because I had really enjoyed listening to it so much! Highly recommended! Make sure that you are wearing your headphones while listening to it if you plan to go out in the public, because some scenes were pretty spicy. 😉
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My review of A Soul to Keep is finally here! This review is a spoiler-free review.
Before you start reading my review, I would like to point out that this book, or this series, is not suitable for readers who are under 18 years old due to sexual content.
I would also like to point out that there are no main triggers in this book, expect gore. For further informations about trigger warnings in this book, you can click and read → here.
A Soul to Keep is the first book in the Duskwalker Brides series, and it is written by an Australian author - Opal Reyne.
What is the book about?
In A Soul to Keep, there are two main characters in the book: Reia - a human girl and the FMC, and Orpheus - a Duskwalker (or a Mavka) and the MMC.
All Reia ever wanted was freedom.
Known as a harbringer of bad omens and blamed for Demons eating her family, Reia is shunned by her entire village. When the next offering is due and the monsterous Duskwalker is seen heading their way, her village offers her an impossible choice: to be thrown into the prison cells, or allow herself to be sacrificed to a faceless monster.
However, he is not what he seems. His skull face and glow eyes are ethereal, and she finds herself unwittingly enchanted by him.
All Orpheus ever wanted was a companion.
Each decade, in exchange for a protection ward from the Demons that terrorise the world, Orpheus takes a human offering to the Veil – the place he lives and the home of Demons. The brief companionship does little to ease his loneliness, and their lives were always, unfortunately, cut short.
He had thought it was a hopeless endeavour, until he met her. She is not afraid of him, and his insatiable desire deepens within every moment of her presence.
But will Orpheus be able to convince Reia to stay before she is lost to him forever?
My thougths and opinions on the book
When you saw this review, especially that cover, you might be thinking: "Ugh... What on earth was she reading?"
Listen. Before I started reading A Soul to Keep, I have never read any monster-romance books before. At all! I was like a monster-romance-virgin back then. 🤣 I remember that I was just looking and scrolling around Amazon's website, just for fun actually, and when I saw that cover, yes that cover, I was stunned.
After that "incidence" and many months later, sometimes I could not stop thinking about that cover in my head. However! Ever since I bought a Kindle since last summer, I had finally decided to read that book because my curiosity would not leave me alone and I ended up buying the book on my Kindle. 😂 I was about to start reading the book until I saw the book dedication:
To all the MonsterFuckers out there, this book is for you.
Don't pretend that you've never wanted to be railed by some human eating, dark entity that has a skull for a face - you saw that cover, you knew what you were getting yourself into, and you still chose to open this book and read.
My reaction to that was of course this:
So, my thoughts on A Soul to Keep? Oh my god... I... freaking... loved it! 😍❣️ I even bought A Soul to Heal immediately after I finished reading it! 🤣
What I liked about it?
💙 Dual-POV
I really enjoyed reading both Reia's and Orpheus's POV, especially Orpheus's POV. I also like that there is a skull (or a head) of Orpheus between paragraphs in each chapter, because it tells me that the next POV will switch to either Reia or Orpheus in each chapter.
💙 Writing style
To me, I think Opal Reyne did a great job with her writing style because it was easy to read, and easy to understand. Each chapters are not long either. ☺️👍
💙Relationship between Reia and Orpheus
As the story progresses, I fangirled a lot. Like, a lot.
💙 Orpheus
Orpheus...
Orpheus.
ORPHEUS!!!
I love him! He is solemn, wistful, gentleman, and most importantly: adorable! 😫 He is overly protective of Reia, and very territorial of his home and her. Thanks to dual-POV because I got to know more about his background, it makes me want to hug him so badly! 😭❣️
💙 Duskwalker and their visible eye emotions
Duskwalker's eyes change colors depending on their emotions, which makes it very hard for them (including Orpheus 🤣) to hide their emotions, like a human can. 😉
If Shakira says her hips don't lie, then Duskwalkers says their eyes don't lie.
💙 Spicy AF
Is it spicy in this book: oooooh yeah! ~ 🌶 Don't mess with Opal Reyne because she will make you faint and sweat with that spice level in the book. Monster-romance with some extra spice in it: Lord have mercy on me.😳💦🔥
What I did not like about it?
💙 No world map
Why is there no world-map? 😥 If you know me, I'm that type of reader who needs a world map, no matter what. With world-map, I would have a full overview of the world. Without world-map, I would be lost. Lucikly, the worldbuilding is pretty simple in this series. 😅
Overall
This is the first book I have read of Opal Reyne's books, and I have enjoyed it a lot. 😍 The Duskwalker Brides series is still ongoing, and I understand that there will be 8-9 books in the series. Which means that I will read the rest of the books in the series in the future! 🤩🙌
I recommend this book to the readers who:
→ ... are into monster-romance books.
→ ... are a beginner to monster-romance books.
→ ... are a fan of The Ancient Magus' Bride (anime/manga).
→ ... likes a Beauty and the Beast-retelling.
→ ... likes reading spicy or smutty books.
→ ... likes forced proximity trope.
→ ... likes arranged marriage trope.
Give this book or series a try! 😉🙌
How many stars will I give to A Soul to Keep?
4.5 ⭐️
July 17, 2022
3.5 stars ⭐️
A Soul To Keep starts out with this dedication:
To all the MonsterFuckers out there,
This book is for you. Don’t pretend that you’ve never wanted to be railed by some human eating, dark entity that has a skull for a face – you saw the cover, you knew what you were getting yourself into, and you still chose to open this book and read it.
Needless to say, after reading that, I was very excited to dive in and I was not disappointed.
This was kind of like smutty Beauty and The Beast, if the Beast never turned into a human. Orpheus (aka the Beast) was incredibly sweet. He was like a big, weird puppy dog. I loved him! Reia was ok. She annoyed me sometimes, but she wasn’t too bad. The world building was interesting, but the best part of this book was the smut.
If there was an award for most creative monster peen then this book would win, hands down! The description of Orpheus’ 🍆 was like 4 pages long. I was equal parts horrified and intrigued. I literally imagined a demogorgon popping out of Orpheus’ trousers 🤣
I think I would have liked this book a lot more if it was shortened by about 100 pages. It didn’t need to be this long and I felt like some parts dragged on and on. But overall, I enjoyed it.
A Soul To Keep starts out with this dedication:
To all the MonsterFuckers out there,
This book is for you. Don’t pretend that you’ve never wanted to be railed by some human eating, dark entity that has a skull for a face – you saw the cover, you knew what you were getting yourself into, and you still chose to open this book and read it.
Needless to say, after reading that, I was very excited to dive in and I was not disappointed.
This was kind of like smutty Beauty and The Beast, if the Beast never turned into a human. Orpheus (aka the Beast) was incredibly sweet. He was like a big, weird puppy dog. I loved him! Reia was ok. She annoyed me sometimes, but she wasn’t too bad. The world building was interesting, but the best part of this book was the smut.
If there was an award for most creative monster peen then this book would win, hands down! The description of Orpheus’ 🍆 was like 4 pages long. I was equal parts horrified and intrigued. I literally imagined a demogorgon popping out of Orpheus’ trousers 🤣
I think I would have liked this book a lot more if it was shortened by about 100 pages. It didn’t need to be this long and I felt like some parts dragged on and on. But overall, I enjoyed it.
August 10, 2025
Reia and Orpheus forever ✨🫶🏾
🖤 Bookish Thoughts
Oh how I adore this book! This was a reread and I loved it even more the second time. Reia and Orpheus forever ✨🫶🏾
Our FMC Reia is a weird girlie and I mean that in the best way. She was raised as a harbinger of death by her village and treated awful because of it. As such, she has some interesting social skills but also had a fighting spirit. Honestly, it made her the perfect and unafraid bride for our Duskwalker.
“Reia had fight in her – always had, always would. She wanted freedom.”
Orpheus baby 🥰 Absolutely loved him. He was so so so lonely and just wanted companionship. He was utterly devoted to Reia, and their relationship unfolded in such a beautiful way. Also, “You are strange, my little doe” lives in my head rent free.
The world building in this book is top tier. It’s a longer read, but at no point did I feel bored or that the pacing dragged. Highly recommend the audiobook! I did immersive reading both times and loved it.
🖤 Bookish Thoughts
Oh how I adore this book! This was a reread and I loved it even more the second time. Reia and Orpheus forever ✨🫶🏾
Our FMC Reia is a weird girlie and I mean that in the best way. She was raised as a harbinger of death by her village and treated awful because of it. As such, she has some interesting social skills but also had a fighting spirit. Honestly, it made her the perfect and unafraid bride for our Duskwalker.
“Reia had fight in her – always had, always would. She wanted freedom.”
Orpheus baby 🥰 Absolutely loved him. He was so so so lonely and just wanted companionship. He was utterly devoted to Reia, and their relationship unfolded in such a beautiful way. Also, “You are strange, my little doe” lives in my head rent free.
The world building in this book is top tier. It’s a longer read, but at no point did I feel bored or that the pacing dragged. Highly recommend the audiobook! I did immersive reading both times and loved it.
August 29, 2023
DNF @ 28%
I felt this story had an interesting premise but needed a firmer editing hand. There was a lot of clunky language, awkward sentence construction, repetitive phrasing, and inconsistencies. This ultimately pulled me out of the story one too many times, but what is unworkable for me may not register for someone else.
I also want to mention that I was disappointed (and a little befuddled) by the author's approach to the first intimate scene.
I felt this story had an interesting premise but needed a firmer editing hand. There was a lot of clunky language, awkward sentence construction, repetitive phrasing, and inconsistencies. This ultimately pulled me out of the story one too many times, but what is unworkable for me may not register for someone else.
I also want to mention that I was disappointed (and a little befuddled) by the author's approach to the first intimate scene.
June 15, 2024
This was cute, smutty and wholesome.
I have seen this book for quite awhile but wasnt sure if it was my cup of tea, but I went for it. It for sure really is smutty, and defintly in the fantasy world (I meeeean, they even made a fun little toy dedicated to Orpheus. Just saying. Thanks twitter).
It took me awhile to get into it, but when I enjoyed Orpheus really fast and Reia after awhile. The story is fun, wholesome and pretty cozy all in all. I enjoyed it, will continue this series for sure!
I have seen this book for quite awhile but wasnt sure if it was my cup of tea, but I went for it. It for sure really is smutty, and defintly in the fantasy world (I meeeean, they even made a fun little toy dedicated to Orpheus. Just saying. Thanks twitter).
It took me awhile to get into it, but when I enjoyed Orpheus really fast and Reia after awhile. The story is fun, wholesome and pretty cozy all in all. I enjoyed it, will continue this series for sure!
June 25, 2022
tfw your monster boyfriend has to magically alter your insides to accommodate his size
notes:
+ actual monster, not some lame bodybuilder dude
+ monster bf is adorably sweet 🥺
+ I like the various demons and worldbuilding. Not infodumpy and not pointless either
- not sure how I feel about the mandatory baths but also this is a smutty book so it seems silly to complain
- ow drama 🙄
- introductory chapters with the villagers could have been skipped imo. Doesn't add anything, and they mention her upbringing enough in later conversations that you really don't need it
Sooo despite a few small complaints, I'm very much looking forward to reading more from this author! Spicy 🔥 scenes and very cool monsters 👏💯
notes:
+ actual monster, not some lame bodybuilder dude
+ monster bf is adorably sweet 🥺
+ I like the various demons and worldbuilding. Not infodumpy and not pointless either
- not sure how I feel about the mandatory baths but also this is a smutty book so it seems silly to complain
- ow drama 🙄
- introductory chapters with the villagers could have been skipped imo. Doesn't add anything, and they mention her upbringing enough in later conversations that you really don't need it
Sooo despite a few small complaints, I'm very much looking forward to reading more from this author! Spicy 🔥 scenes and very cool monsters 👏💯
Want to read
April 2, 2025It’s a DNF for me 😅
May 6, 2023
**Edited review**
Rating: First read-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Second read- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶/5
First time reading: If you know me, no you don’t. I shamelessly loved this book and now I need to go to church, k thx bye, I’ll save ya a seat ✌🏻⛪️
Second time reading: Idgaf this book is amazing. Orpheus is just a cuddly cinnamon roll who wants a companion. Reia is bloody perfect for him and so understanding and open. I cried several times from sheer joy alone, and said “awww” out loud more than once. On the flip side of sweetness, the spice is insane in the best way but I shamelessly loved it once again and have no regrets 😚
Rating: First read-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Second read- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶/5
First time reading: If you know me, no you don’t. I shamelessly loved this book and now I need to go to church, k thx bye, I’ll save ya a seat ✌🏻⛪️
Second time reading: Idgaf this book is amazing. Orpheus is just a cuddly cinnamon roll who wants a companion. Reia is bloody perfect for him and so understanding and open. I cried several times from sheer joy alone, and said “awww” out loud more than once. On the flip side of sweetness, the spice is insane in the best way but I shamelessly loved it once again and have no regrets 😚
July 5, 2022
“You gave me something no one else has wanted to give me, and I don’t want it from anyone but you.”
“And what is that?” she sobbed, her heart breaking further for him. Her tears finally fell, dripping from the corners of her eyes to run over her temples and into her hair.
“Someone who wanted to be by my side.”
Si son fans del manga (o anime) The Ancient Magus Bride/Mahō Tsukai no Yome y aparte les gustan los libros spicy.... este libro es perfecto para ustedes.
Entre a leer este libro super emocionada con mil expectativas y les quiero decir felizmente que no me decepciono, fue super SUPER cute y emocional pero también divertido y muy HOT PERO RE CONTRA RE MIL HOT. Los personajes son geniales y la construcción del mundo a mi me re gusto, te da lo suficiente para mantenerte enganchada y te deja mas preguntas para después en los otros libros seguir contestándolas.
Pense que este libro iba a ser de esos donde es mas porno que plot (que no tiene nada de malo) pero genuinamente tiene un plot decente y puedo ver como puede desarrollarse en los libros que viene, estoy muy feliz de haber encontrado este libro.
“And what is that?” she sobbed, her heart breaking further for him. Her tears finally fell, dripping from the corners of her eyes to run over her temples and into her hair.
“Someone who wanted to be by my side.”
Si son fans del manga (o anime) The Ancient Magus Bride/Mahō Tsukai no Yome y aparte les gustan los libros spicy.... este libro es perfecto para ustedes.
Entre a leer este libro super emocionada con mil expectativas y les quiero decir felizmente que no me decepciono, fue super SUPER cute y emocional pero también divertido y muy HOT PERO RE CONTRA RE MIL HOT. Los personajes son geniales y la construcción del mundo a mi me re gusto, te da lo suficiente para mantenerte enganchada y te deja mas preguntas para después en los otros libros seguir contestándolas.
Pense que este libro iba a ser de esos donde es mas porno que plot (que no tiene nada de malo) pero genuinamente tiene un plot decente y puedo ver como puede desarrollarse en los libros que viene, estoy muy feliz de haber encontrado este libro.
August 16, 2025
My expectations for this were high. In the end I enjoyed, but didn't love it. The FMC was frustrating to me at times because she refused to see things that were soo obvious to me; lkong story short I simply didn't get that warm with the main characters.
The book did a good job enternainment wise and I can't remember being actively bored at any point. I liked the worldbuilding and enjoyed the knowledge about the origins of both the world and the dustwalkers. The other Mavka was very cute so I am currently considering reading the sequel eventualy.
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pre read: please be wholesome 🥹
The book did a good job enternainment wise and I can't remember being actively bored at any point. I liked the worldbuilding and enjoyed the knowledge about the origins of both the world and the dustwalkers. The other Mavka was very cute so I am currently considering reading the sequel eventualy.
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pre read: please be wholesome 🥹
October 11, 2022
Truthfully, I ended up skimming through most of this. Absolutely did not need to be 500+ pages long. Felt like an unedited first draft- this shit was word salad, mama. The writing style was also very... goofy?? The beginning set this up to be a serious, fantastical fable, but then you have the main character using silly, modern vernacular at totally inappropriate times? And the exclamation points in the third person narration felt very Wattpad. Jokes on me though because author Opal Reyne self-identifies as a huge anime and manga fan, and credits Ancient Magus Bride and Demon Slayer as inspirations for this (which, she outright uses the term DemonSlayer as an occupation in this world. Shoulda seen that coming). Honk honk honkin all the way to Stupid Jail for me *clown emoji*
November 8, 2023
HOLY MOTHER OF JESUS. 🥵
I'm afraid this book has ruined all other books and Orpheus has ruined all men for me. I'm out of words but this is one of the best things I've ever read holy shit I'm absolutely OBSESSED!
Firstly, lets start with the cover- I just can't stop staring at it it's just so gorgeous and perfect.
I'm so obsessed with this sweet giant of a Duskwalker and his perfect girl who finally showed him what love means.
Oh and well, it might be one of the best smuts I’ve read so far 🙄🤭
There's 4 more books and it's just like a Christmas miracle to me- this is the best gem ever I have stumbled upon to.
One of my new favourites ever!!!!!
I'm afraid this book has ruined all other books and Orpheus has ruined all men for me. I'm out of words but this is one of the best things I've ever read holy shit I'm absolutely OBSESSED!
Firstly, lets start with the cover- I just can't stop staring at it it's just so gorgeous and perfect.
I'm so obsessed with this sweet giant of a Duskwalker and his perfect girl who finally showed him what love means.
Oh and well, it might be one of the best smuts I’ve read so far 🙄🤭
There's 4 more books and it's just like a Christmas miracle to me- this is the best gem ever I have stumbled upon to.
One of my new favourites ever!!!!!
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