REVIEW: A Claiming of Souls by R.A. Sandpiper
A Claiming of Souls is finally here, and it’s absolutely nothing short of suri-eal what R.A. Sandpiper accomplishes in this epic and soul-stirring conclusion to the Amefyre trilogy. Filled with equal parts action and emotion, love and loss, and heart and hurt, this is truly everything you could wish for from a grimdark romantic fantasy. 
After the intensely bittersweet ending of A Promise of Blood, I was beyond excited (okay, and quite nervous) to dive into the grand finale to Kol and Suri’s story. In some ways, they are stronger than ever, yet at the same time things have never looked so dire for our precious broken babes; a soul has been taken, a prophecy remains unfulfilled, and a war comes ever closer to destroying all they know and love as threats both human and divine grow more deadly dangerous with each passing second. In other words, the stakes are high, the emotions run even higher, and absolutely zero punches are pulled.
Honestly, it almost feels unreal how far we’ve come with these characters since the start of A Pocket of Lies. I already loved Suri’s well-earned growth over the course of book 2, but I think she really gets her time to shine in A Claiming of Souls. Yes, she is still so realistically flawed and more scarred than ever on both a physical and an emotional level, but I found it beautiful to see how she has gone from being a selfish and stupidly impulsive thief to an absolutely badass reluctant hero who will stop at nothing to protect the people she loves; people who she never, ever could have imagined loving in the first place.
Seriously, I think the unexpected development of all the complex interpersonal relationships that lie at the heart of this story was just as surprising to me as it was to Suri herself, and I loved how both the multi-book slow-burn enemies to lovers romance and the heartfelt found family vibes came to their peak in A Claiming of Souls. I mean, it’s so common for me to lose interest in the relationship(s) over the course of a fantasy romance series, but I loved how Sandpiper avoided that here by continuing to explore new hidden depths to the characters and keeping a believable level of tension without creating unnecessary, melodramatic conflict.
Be it my dark, broody, and fiercely protective marshmallow of a Dark Lord Kol (please don’t tell Suri I was probably swooning even harder over him than she was, I don’t want her to hunt me down), the suave and sarcastic heartthrob Nadrian (a.k.a the true MVP of this story), or my fearsome sapphic ladies Scilla and Viantha (where do I sign up for their spin-off series?!); this entire ragtag crew of broken souls just has my heart, and I loved revelling in all their complicated but heartfelt feelings for each other. Also, this cast of characters is so refreshingly and casually diverse, and I really appreciated the authentic exploration and representation of physical disability, queerness, and mental health struggles.
There’s so much trauma that all these characters have endured and continue to endure, and I found it so powerful to see how they learned to cope, hold onto hope, and find moments of light in the darkness. Especially Suri’s inner conflict due to the loss of her soul in A Claiming of Souls felt like a metaphor for living with depression to me, which made it all the more hard-hitting for me to see how her struggles impacted both herself and the people around her.
All that said, as deeply impressed as I am with how well Sandpiper was able to balance and interweave all the many different aspects of this story, I have to admit that I was personally always much more invested in the inner/interpersonal conflicts rather than the external conflicts. To me, the diabolical, scheming Queen Lera felt a bit like an underdeveloped villain, and all the deep lore/magic dives with Sotoledi and Diophage were fascinating but maybe a bit overly ambitious at times. Moreover, the way that the entire high stakes final act unfolded felt a bit messy and suspiciously convenient to me, with a few sudden unbelievable level-ups in power and some wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff that almost made my last lone brain cell wither and die.
Still, I think A Claiming of Souls overall more than sticks the landing, and I loved how Sandpiper gave more than enough closure to feel utterly satisfied while also leaving some threads dangling for potential spin-offs in this world. I absolutely devoured this trilogy, and I will absolutely be first in line for whatever comes next, be that in this world or something completely new; R.A. Sandpiper is absolutely going to be an author to watch, I’m calling it now.
This story is truly so much more than just another popcorn read of a Fae fantasy romance; it’s a refreshing, bold and deeply layered story of survival, sacrifice, growth, healing, hope, redemption, and love in all its devastating beauty. So whether you normally like your fantasy dark, brutal and action-packed or intimate, sexy and emotional, I think the Amefyre trilogy is an absolute must-read that might just satisfy reading cravings you never even knew you had.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. A Claiming of Souls is scheduled for release on May 10th, 2025.
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