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Saturday, February 28, 2015

Julia Reviews Soulbound by Kristen Callihan

Title/Author: Soulbound by Kristen Callihan
Publisher/Year Published: February 2015 by Forever/Grand Central Publishing
How I got this book: I was provided an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Why I read this book: I absolutely adore The Darkest London series!
Rating: 4.5 stars
(warning, very minor spoilers for the earlier books in the series)

Summary:
When Adam's soul mate rejected him, there was more at stake than his heart. After seven hundred years of searching, his true match would have ended the curse that keeps his spirit in chains. But beautiful, stubborn Eliza May fled-and now Adam is doomed to an eternity of anguish, his only hope for salvation gone . . . 

No matter how devilishly irresistible Adam was, Eliza couldn't stand the thought of relinquishing her freedom forever. So she escaped. But she soon discovers she is being hunted-by someone far more dangerous. The only man who can help is the one man she vowed never to see again. Now Adam's kindness is an unexpected refuge, and Eliza finds that some vows are made to be broken . . .

If I had to choose one romance series out there now to declare my favorite this series would be it. Soulbound is the sixth book in The Darkest London series and it lives up to the expectations I have formed for this series. 

The thing with this series, unlike a lot of other paranormal romance series, is that each book is completely unique. I have yet to read in the six books the same storyline at all. Each character isn't just a slightly different writing of the same trope. It's wonderful and refreshing. 

Soulbound is the story of Adam and Eliza. We met them in the fifth book (I think... it actually may have even been the fourth), where Eliza is killed but her soul not ready to leave this world. Adam is summoned to turn her into a Ghost in the Machine (GIM), in which the just killed person declares themselves to serve Adam and in return he gives them a clockwork heart and life again, unaging and with some cool powers (like being able to leave their body and like flit around like ghosts).

Well, when Adam sees Eliza, he does not make her a GIM but chains him to her and disappears. In the fifth book she is freed but this is the book where their story takes off. Eliza is living with the Fae queen and struggling to figure out life in London. She is faced with some horrid prospects and what she was running from in Boston has followed and found her in London.

She stumbles on a captured Adam and comes up with an idea to run involving him. But how do they break him free without any of the powerful Fae knowing? Seriously the story is the secondary part in my opinion; the romance between the two takes the lead.

Adam has a lot to atone for from the previous books, but he needs to if he is ever going to have his curse lifted and find true love. Eliza has to learn to forgive for past transgressions and see Adam for who he really is. I loved how much the story focused on the two of them. And the ending is seriously not what I expected! 

I love these books. They are some of the best, most unique paranormal romances out there. I will say if you haven't read the other five, that book six isn't the best place to start. Can you read it as a stand alone? I guess... but I wouldn't recommend it. You would miss a lot of the background of the secondary storylines as well as the beginnings of the relationship between Adam and Eliza. But I would recommend this entire series. Callihan continually surprising me with engaging stories and character and is truly one of the best out there in paranormal romance today.

If you are looking for a great paranormal romance set in lovely Victorian London, this series is the best. Other reviews of the first five books in the series can be found at these links -  Firelight, Moonglow, Winterblaze, Shadowdance, and Evernight.

I thoroughly enjoyed Soulbound and can't wait to see what is next in The Darkest London. 

2 comments:

  1. This is the second review I have read of this book. It sounds good, but I am still baffled as to why he is holding the chains. I am assuming its a metaphor, but IDK

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    1. This is my least favorite of the covers in this series, and while metaphorical, he is actually physically chained for a portion of this book. And he chained her to him in the last book, so I guess the physical chains play a part in their relationship too. I've heard this book also described as a play on Hades/Persephone as well. It's slightly there but not too much of an adaptation. But I dont think Hades physically chained Persephone...

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