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Legacy of Tril #1
Soulbound
Tril is a world where Barrons and Healers are Bound to each other: Barrons fight and Healers cure their Barrons' wounds in the ongoing war with the evil Graplar King. Seventeen-year-old Kaya was born a Healer, but she wants to fight. In Tril, and at Shadow Academy, where she is sent to learn to heal, it is against Protocol for Healers to fight. So Kaya must learn in secret. Enter two young men: One charming, rule-following Barron who becomes Bound to Kaya and whose life she must protect at all costs. And one with a mysterious past who seems bent on making Kaya's life as difficult as possible. Kaya asks both to train her, but only one will, and the consequences will change their lives forever.
394 pages, Hardcover
First published June 19, 2012
62 people are currently reading
7302 people want to read
About the author
Heather Brewer
25 books2,856 followersHeather Brewer is the pseudonym of Zac Brewer…but you can call him Z.
Zac is the NYT bestselling author of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, as well as The Slayer Chronicles series, Soulbound, The Cemetery Boys, The Blood Between Us, and more short stories than he can recall.
He grew up on a diet of Twilight Zone and books by Stephen King. He chased them down with every drop of horror he could find—in books, movie theaters, on television. The most delicious parts of his banquet, however, he found lurking in the shadowed corners of his dark imagination. When he’s not writing books, he’s skittering down your wall and lurking underneath your bed. Zac doesn’t believe in happy endings…unless they involve blood.
He lives in Missouri with his husband, two children, and four furry overlords that some people refer to as “cats”.
Zac is the NYT bestselling author of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, as well as The Slayer Chronicles series, Soulbound, The Cemetery Boys, The Blood Between Us, and more short stories than he can recall.
He grew up on a diet of Twilight Zone and books by Stephen King. He chased them down with every drop of horror he could find—in books, movie theaters, on television. The most delicious parts of his banquet, however, he found lurking in the shadowed corners of his dark imagination. When he’s not writing books, he’s skittering down your wall and lurking underneath your bed. Zac doesn’t believe in happy endings…unless they involve blood.
He lives in Missouri with his husband, two children, and four furry overlords that some people refer to as “cats”.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 558 reviews
August 7, 2012
Perhaps I should start with what I liked about this book. Yes, that's definitely a good place to start. What did I like about this book? The cover. We have a strong, kick ass looking heroine on the cover. Yay!
All right, on to what I hated about it. I know hate is a strong word, but I was scowling while reading this book. No joke. I chuckled maybe once. All the other times I was groaning at how horrible it was.
Things that call out to me that drove me batty. (There may be some spoilers)
1. Kaya is a whining little brat. I wanted to slap her I don't know how many times. We get it, you hate being there and you want to be a rebel. But there's being a strong female character who is standing up against a tyrannical political system and being the most annoying character in the book. "I don't get why (insert teacher's name) keeps giving me extra assignments. All I did was tell them off in front of the whole school."
2. Kaya finds it weird how boy crazy her best friend Avery is, that is until she gets to her new school and she finds two beautiful boys. That's right, we've got ourselves a love triangle. Yay!!!
3. Language. By this I mean swearing. I'm totally fine with cussing in books, makes it seem more real. But be original, especially since you're in a fantasy world. Fak in place of F*ck and Dek in place of D*ck is not original. At all.
3. Language. This time I mean the writing. All right, so we have this fantasy world that's pretty much medieval. We have a King, people live in villages, the Barrons fight with swords. What does not make sense in this mix? Kids eating in a cafeteria. Dead serious, the word cafeteria is used. I almost ripped my hair out at that point.
4. World. We never really see any true world building, which is a key part of a book that deigns to call itself fantasy. Also the government (at least I think it's some type of government, it's hard to tell really) does not use logical. "Oh all our healers are being targeted by Graplars? No of course we're not going to teach them self defense, that'd be crazy talk. Don't worry we'll give the first year healers Barron guards who have not been taught the art of combat. What's that you say? It makes no sense that when we're losing a war against an immortal King we're not using all of our naturally born fighters and we make the healers stand literally on the sidelines of the battles where they are attacked and killed? Well too bad, we don't use logic here."
5. Timeline. I swear there were moments when progressively the story did not make sense. Also, highly unbelievable that after a week or two of sparring and push ups that Kaya is able to hold her own against the best Katana teacher.
6. Twists. They aren't twists if we seem them coming miles away, ya know what I mean? Oh and thank goodness character A was able to overhear the enemy's soldiers (at a pub) spell out the betrayal of character B, so A returned just in time.
:sigh: There's more that I hated about this book, but then I'd just be recounting the entire book here. I wanted to like this book, I really truly did. It had so much potential but it got ruined by so many things. I would NOT recommend this to a reader of fantasy books, I just wouldn't insult them like this. I would only hand this book to a teen that comes in and has to read a fantasy book for English and only reads those mind numbingly annoying YA books about teen girls bickering and backstabbing each other.
All right, on to what I hated about it. I know hate is a strong word, but I was scowling while reading this book. No joke. I chuckled maybe once. All the other times I was groaning at how horrible it was.
Things that call out to me that drove me batty. (There may be some spoilers)
1. Kaya is a whining little brat. I wanted to slap her I don't know how many times. We get it, you hate being there and you want to be a rebel. But there's being a strong female character who is standing up against a tyrannical political system and being the most annoying character in the book. "I don't get why (insert teacher's name) keeps giving me extra assignments. All I did was tell them off in front of the whole school."
2. Kaya finds it weird how boy crazy her best friend Avery is, that is until she gets to her new school and she finds two beautiful boys. That's right, we've got ourselves a love triangle. Yay!!!
3. Language. By this I mean swearing. I'm totally fine with cussing in books, makes it seem more real. But be original, especially since you're in a fantasy world. Fak in place of F*ck and Dek in place of D*ck is not original. At all.
3. Language. This time I mean the writing. All right, so we have this fantasy world that's pretty much medieval. We have a King, people live in villages, the Barrons fight with swords. What does not make sense in this mix? Kids eating in a cafeteria. Dead serious, the word cafeteria is used. I almost ripped my hair out at that point.
4. World. We never really see any true world building, which is a key part of a book that deigns to call itself fantasy. Also the government (at least I think it's some type of government, it's hard to tell really) does not use logical. "Oh all our healers are being targeted by Graplars? No of course we're not going to teach them self defense, that'd be crazy talk. Don't worry we'll give the first year healers Barron guards who have not been taught the art of combat. What's that you say? It makes no sense that when we're losing a war against an immortal King we're not using all of our naturally born fighters and we make the healers stand literally on the sidelines of the battles where they are attacked and killed? Well too bad, we don't use logic here."
5. Timeline. I swear there were moments when progressively the story did not make sense. Also, highly unbelievable that after a week or two of sparring and push ups that Kaya is able to hold her own against the best Katana teacher.
6. Twists. They aren't twists if we seem them coming miles away, ya know what I mean? Oh and thank goodness character A was able to overhear the enemy's soldiers (at a pub) spell out the betrayal of character B, so A returned just in time.
:sigh: There's more that I hated about this book, but then I'd just be recounting the entire book here. I wanted to like this book, I really truly did. It had so much potential but it got ruined by so many things. I would NOT recommend this to a reader of fantasy books, I just wouldn't insult them like this. I would only hand this book to a teen that comes in and has to read a fantasy book for English and only reads those mind numbingly annoying YA books about teen girls bickering and backstabbing each other.
August 16, 2016
3.5 stars
This had several elements that have been done time and time again: sarcastic rule-breaking heroine, heroine is shipped off to boarding school without a choice, saved by cute boy (who just happens to be a total jerk... but... he's cute. So it's cool), meets another cute boy and the dreaded love triangle is born... need I go own? I must say though, it wasn't JUST that badass looking cover that sold me originally, I actually did read the summary on this one before immediately adding it to my read pile so I was really truly interested in reading this story. Despite the immediate evidence that this was like every other book I've read, for some reason I was hooked and I attribute that to a part of me kept hoping that something un-normal would happen or at the very least something badass that lived up to that awesome cover. (Seriously, that's one seriously kickass cover).
Regardless and despite all my seemingly negative comments down below, there was just something about this story that I really enjoyed. I was completely hooked on the story line and I really liked Kala even though she had some total dumb moments where I'd slap her upside the head if I could.
I had particular issue with the actual world of Tril. Love me some world-building, and once I hit around page 250 and realized I still had no clue where the hell this world was, whether it was an area on Earth, some floating planet like Atlantis, or a completely separate planet... no clue. There was one brief description where it was describing 'the Outer Rim' which is supposedly the most dangerous area in all of Tril 'running through all three-continents - that is, Kokora, Haruko, and Kaito-in an oval shape.' I would have appreciated some additional detail of what appears to be a fascinating world, and maybe a little earlier on because that brief description didn't even come until page 271 (in my arc - may not be actual page in official edition).
I found the writing to be appropriate considering the main character is a 17 year old. The only issue I had was her form of cuss words... 'fak', 'terked off', (what's so wrong with ticked off?) she would refer to people who were being jerks as 'deks' (which I personally found funny because fak is a substitute for 'fuck' but dek? A substitute for 'dick'? lol Maybe not what it was truly meant to be a substitute for but that's what it made me think.) Bottom line, I get the reason for not cussing but I would've just preferred it be left out entirely instead of this silly fake cussing business. But bonus points for inventing new words.
The explanation behind the Soulbounds was pretty awesome, how the two were born at the exact same moment and were thus paired together. The couples that were just 'Bound' were a little less interesting. I understand the significance between two that are Soulbound but being Bound doesn't appear to be anything special, that just meant to me was even if you were unfortunate to lose your Soulbound he/she is replaceable. Obviously they couldn't stay alone for the rest of their lives and sure the couples that are Bound don't have as strong a relationship and maybe I'm just complaining because I'm a big sappy romantic and the concept of being Soulbound had me 'awwing' but despite that I did like the whole concept behind Soulbounds.
As far as the actual relationship between Kaya and Trayton... it was way too insta-love for me. And Trayton? Could not have been more perfect. It was kind of disgusting. The first place they go together is his 'favorite place' which just so happens to be this absolutely gorgeous library (there was even a chandelier). I mean come on. That shit doesn't happen. (And if so, where the hell is my super fantastic dream guy who takes me to beautiful libraries on our first date?!) It was a total scene copy from Beauty and the Beast, except I'm going to assume Trayton was less fuzzy.
Bottom Line
I did enjoy this but not as much as I had anticipated. This had a lot of elements that reminded me of The Vampire Academy series and I think fans of that will enjoy this also. By the end there were almost too many questions that were left unanswered which left the book feeling a tad incomplete to me. (Not to mention the cliffhanger that was easily foreseeable) I understand that this is the first installment in a series but some resolution would have been nice. I am interested in seeing how this series progresses so I will definitely be picking up the next installment.
This had several elements that have been done time and time again: sarcastic rule-breaking heroine, heroine is shipped off to boarding school without a choice, saved by cute boy (who just happens to be a total jerk... but... he's cute. So it's cool), meets another cute boy and the dreaded love triangle is born... need I go own? I must say though, it wasn't JUST that badass looking cover that sold me originally, I actually did read the summary on this one before immediately adding it to my read pile so I was really truly interested in reading this story. Despite the immediate evidence that this was like every other book I've read, for some reason I was hooked and I attribute that to a part of me kept hoping that something un-normal would happen or at the very least something badass that lived up to that awesome cover. (Seriously, that's one seriously kickass cover).
Regardless and despite all my seemingly negative comments down below, there was just something about this story that I really enjoyed. I was completely hooked on the story line and I really liked Kala even though she had some total dumb moments where I'd slap her upside the head if I could.
I had particular issue with the actual world of Tril. Love me some world-building, and once I hit around page 250 and realized I still had no clue where the hell this world was, whether it was an area on Earth, some floating planet like Atlantis, or a completely separate planet... no clue. There was one brief description where it was describing 'the Outer Rim' which is supposedly the most dangerous area in all of Tril 'running through all three-continents - that is, Kokora, Haruko, and Kaito-in an oval shape.' I would have appreciated some additional detail of what appears to be a fascinating world, and maybe a little earlier on because that brief description didn't even come until page 271 (in my arc - may not be actual page in official edition).
I found the writing to be appropriate considering the main character is a 17 year old. The only issue I had was her form of cuss words... 'fak', 'terked off', (what's so wrong with ticked off?) she would refer to people who were being jerks as 'deks' (which I personally found funny because fak is a substitute for 'fuck' but dek? A substitute for 'dick'? lol Maybe not what it was truly meant to be a substitute for but that's what it made me think.) Bottom line, I get the reason for not cussing but I would've just preferred it be left out entirely instead of this silly fake cussing business. But bonus points for inventing new words.
The explanation behind the Soulbounds was pretty awesome, how the two were born at the exact same moment and were thus paired together. The couples that were just 'Bound' were a little less interesting. I understand the significance between two that are Soulbound but being Bound doesn't appear to be anything special, that just meant to me was even if you were unfortunate to lose your Soulbound he/she is replaceable. Obviously they couldn't stay alone for the rest of their lives and sure the couples that are Bound don't have as strong a relationship and maybe I'm just complaining because I'm a big sappy romantic and the concept of being Soulbound had me 'awwing' but despite that I did like the whole concept behind Soulbounds.
As far as the actual relationship between Kaya and Trayton... it was way too insta-love for me. And Trayton? Could not have been more perfect. It was kind of disgusting. The first place they go together is his 'favorite place' which just so happens to be this absolutely gorgeous library (there was even a chandelier). I mean come on. That shit doesn't happen. (And if so, where the hell is my super fantastic dream guy who takes me to beautiful libraries on our first date?!) It was a total scene copy from Beauty and the Beast, except I'm going to assume Trayton was less fuzzy.
Bottom Line
I did enjoy this but not as much as I had anticipated. This had a lot of elements that reminded me of The Vampire Academy series and I think fans of that will enjoy this also. By the end there were almost too many questions that were left unanswered which left the book feeling a tad incomplete to me. (Not to mention the cliffhanger that was easily foreseeable) I understand that this is the first installment in a series but some resolution would have been nice. I am interested in seeing how this series progresses so I will definitely be picking up the next installment.
January 26, 2013
First of all, this book reeked of cliffhanger.It omitted a smell so thick I was surprised when if didn't waft off the pages. As you all know, if you like to read, it is a terrifying smell that angers the reader. That results in tossing the book to the other side of the room and groaning. Anxiety will be felt for the next few minutes and depending on how delish the series is. Months, thanks JK Rowling. So, how do I know if my book is diagnosed with cliffhanger? The book will leave off in the middle of action, at the very end.
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You'll feel it, my friend.
First Sentence:The sharp edge of the paper sliced into my thumb and I sat up with a jerk.
Summary: At Shadow Academy , Kaya, age 16 is sent to study with other students. Or Else. She is a Healer. Healer's are not seen as courageous and are forbidden from fighting from Protocol (dumb bunny rules). Barrons are also known to date their Healers because of their close connection. Kaya's original Barron is dead. Not only is her new Barron is handsome but he's "dumb" and a goody two shoes. He thinks Kaya doesn't need to learn how to fight for herself just because they say so. Though she'll be trekking on a battlefield to heal him being chased by Graplars isn't her problem. There are questionings of war, corrupt rulers who fight for their own gain and protecting ones self.
Protagonist: Refreshing as heck, just looking at it. I can't help but notice how Kaya wanted to protect herself and still act like a girl. God, I was so happy. She's an actual strong female not like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo who survives bullets to the head. Kaya is blood, flesh and bone. Big stars for that one
NOT A ROMANCE!!!! Ever hear of terrible marketing, this is it. The flap makes it seem like some slushy kissy romance when it is NOT. Kaya never looses all drive for the need to be smooch.So, in that aspect it it refreshing.Suck on that other authors!!!!!!!
Normally, I am one to shy away from Fantasy World that aren't "Urban Fantasy". The terms are easy to remember if you enjoy the writing style but some may get confused.
Narration Chunky first person. I thought the book would have been sleeker as third person. Sort of Suzanne Collins-y but edited. And be prepared to here a spin off of that word that makes mothers die.
FAKK! every other sentence ;D
Pacing: Seems slow and drawn out at the beginning. Kaya's uninteresting journey through the woods, after the big event yadda yadda. She even slips into total "Mary Sue" girl mode describing some guy in huge detail, cupid bow lips, black hair. Which seemed out of character. During school attendance the school the book drags out. The classes get tedious. Though this should go into the back story of the teacher because some things needs do some "splaining" like Ricky Ricardo used to say. WTF Teacher? Really???????
The end was so explosive and I laughed. It was like being smacked in the face with a hand after a good nights sleep. Ummm that didn't sound as appraising as I wanted. Darn it! I did enjoy the twist at the end. Not as strong as it could have been but still "trucking"., I can tell the author tried. I just hope, she won't get into the "THAT STUFF". Okay , I "PRAY" she won't.
Though it isn't an "intellectual read",(yes SF livers who wear their Banana Republic peacoats and clutch briefcases while scowling at trolleys with cups of exotic teas. You may stfu).This book is pure fun. Four stars for pure enjoyability! Let's get back to Legacy Tril. So read this book!
Why was this suggested with Dystopia? This is not evening close! Legacy Tril is a fantasy world with nothing to do with the future, so when it was recommended with books like Level 2 , Insignia (favorite book of all time). Many people might have looked over it.
Shame ,baby, such a shame.
[image error]
You'll feel it, my friend.
First Sentence:The sharp edge of the paper sliced into my thumb and I sat up with a jerk.
Summary: At Shadow Academy , Kaya, age 16 is sent to study with other students. Or Else. She is a Healer. Healer's are not seen as courageous and are forbidden from fighting from Protocol (dumb bunny rules). Barrons are also known to date their Healers because of their close connection. Kaya's original Barron is dead. Not only is her new Barron is handsome but he's "dumb" and a goody two shoes. He thinks Kaya doesn't need to learn how to fight for herself just because they say so. Though she'll be trekking on a battlefield to heal him being chased by Graplars isn't her problem. There are questionings of war, corrupt rulers who fight for their own gain and protecting ones self.
Protagonist: Refreshing as heck, just looking at it. I can't help but notice how Kaya wanted to protect herself and still act like a girl. God, I was so happy. She's an actual strong female not like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo who survives bullets to the head. Kaya is blood, flesh and bone. Big stars for that one
NOT A ROMANCE!!!! Ever hear of terrible marketing, this is it. The flap makes it seem like some slushy kissy romance when it is NOT. Kaya never looses all drive for the need to be smooch.So, in that aspect it it refreshing.Suck on that other authors!!!!!!!
This is a post Twilight book. Girls who get saved from dying every second from a big sexy "He - Male" are not invited to the party.
He-Male: (n)(adv) A very manly male. Hence using male twice, he is "double the man." Muscular with strangely sexy face. Usually found in Paranormal books or down in Venice (Bench) not Italy.
Normally, I am one to shy away from Fantasy World that aren't "Urban Fantasy". The terms are easy to remember if you enjoy the writing style but some may get confused.
Narration Chunky first person. I thought the book would have been sleeker as third person. Sort of Suzanne Collins-y but edited. And be prepared to here a spin off of that word that makes mothers die.
FAKK! every other sentence ;D
Pacing: Seems slow and drawn out at the beginning. Kaya's uninteresting journey through the woods, after the big event yadda yadda. She even slips into total "Mary Sue" girl mode describing some guy in huge detail, cupid bow lips, black hair. Which seemed out of character. During school attendance the school the book drags out. The classes get tedious. Though this should go into the back story of the teacher because some things needs do some "splaining" like Ricky Ricardo used to say. WTF Teacher? Really???????
The end was so explosive and I laughed. It was like being smacked in the face with a hand after a good nights sleep. Ummm that didn't sound as appraising as I wanted. Darn it! I did enjoy the twist at the end. Not as strong as it could have been but still "trucking"., I can tell the author tried. I just hope, she won't get into the "THAT STUFF". Okay , I "PRAY" she won't.
Though it isn't an "intellectual read",(yes SF livers who wear their Banana Republic peacoats and clutch briefcases while scowling at trolleys with cups of exotic teas. You may stfu).This book is pure fun. Four stars for pure enjoyability! Let's get back to Legacy Tril. So read this book!
Why was this suggested with Dystopia? This is not evening close! Legacy Tril is a fantasy world with nothing to do with the future, so when it was recommended with books like Level 2 , Insignia (favorite book of all time). Many people might have looked over it.
Shame ,baby, such a shame.
July 23, 2023
I grew up reading Z Brewer and let me tell ya... they definitely influenced my reading. I haven't ever forgotten Z Brewer, and I was so lucky to find Soulbound hidden among the books on my TBR in my house. I jumped at the chance to go back into the worlds that Z crafted and be reminded how much I love their YA books.
Soulbound has broken my heart because I don't have the sequel! And I need it! I adored this book even if it had a bit of insta-love that felt forced, but hey... it's a YA book! And I used to eat up that insta-love stuff when this came out so it's hardly a problem. A magical world where people have special powers, fall in love with each other, and have to kill big, epic monsters? Sounds about right up my alley! And Z/Heather did an incredible job of making the world building feel oh so real.
Tril feels like a place I would have seen driving by on a long trip, and Kaya feels very relatable. She's torn between wanting to be herself and saving her family, she's torn between two men who've entered her life and could help her be safe. She's also torn in her friendships and how to make sure everyone is safe. Being a special teenage girl is hard in these fantasy/dystopia books!
Kaya being a sarcastic, butt-kicking healer is exactly what I needed. I also am going to ship her to not by with Trayton because that boy just gives me red flags and bad vibes. Let's go for the hunky man who is teaching her to fight. That sounds way more fun.
If you want a nostalgic trip back to 2010s young adult books, grab this book! It's a fun ride if you don't take it too seriously (or if you just really love YA and understand it's not supposed to be extremely serious).
Four out of five stars!
Soulbound has broken my heart because I don't have the sequel! And I need it! I adored this book even if it had a bit of insta-love that felt forced, but hey... it's a YA book! And I used to eat up that insta-love stuff when this came out so it's hardly a problem. A magical world where people have special powers, fall in love with each other, and have to kill big, epic monsters? Sounds about right up my alley! And Z/Heather did an incredible job of making the world building feel oh so real.
Tril feels like a place I would have seen driving by on a long trip, and Kaya feels very relatable. She's torn between wanting to be herself and saving her family, she's torn between two men who've entered her life and could help her be safe. She's also torn in her friendships and how to make sure everyone is safe. Being a special teenage girl is hard in these fantasy/dystopia books!
Kaya being a sarcastic, butt-kicking healer is exactly what I needed. I also am going to ship her to not by with Trayton because that boy just gives me red flags and bad vibes. Let's go for the hunky man who is teaching her to fight. That sounds way more fun.
If you want a nostalgic trip back to 2010s young adult books, grab this book! It's a fun ride if you don't take it too seriously (or if you just really love YA and understand it's not supposed to be extremely serious).
Four out of five stars!
September 9, 2016
Disclaimer: I didn't finish this book. I got to page 258 out of 394 before deciding I really couldn't stomach any more.
Honestly, I have no idea how 45% of people who read this book gave it 5 STARS. FIVE! STARS! I usually reserve my five stars for the most perfect and pleasing of books I read — and Legacy of Tril (Soulbound?) was neither of those.
From now on, I'll have to remember to not look just at the average rating — but some of the reviews themselves. If I had with this book, I would have seen that it was lacking world-building, that the characters are flat and uninteresting, and that the writing, frankly, needs a whole boatload of edits. Perhaps I could have saved the five hours of my life I spent reading the first two-thirds of this book.
Le sigh. To end, I guess I'll just tell you not to read this unless you're into bad prose, haphazard plotting and cliched storylines.
Honestly, I have no idea how 45% of people who read this book gave it 5 STARS. FIVE! STARS! I usually reserve my five stars for the most perfect and pleasing of books I read — and Legacy of Tril (Soulbound?) was neither of those.
From now on, I'll have to remember to not look just at the average rating — but some of the reviews themselves. If I had with this book, I would have seen that it was lacking world-building, that the characters are flat and uninteresting, and that the writing, frankly, needs a whole boatload of edits. Perhaps I could have saved the five hours of my life I spent reading the first two-thirds of this book.
Le sigh. To end, I guess I'll just tell you not to read this unless you're into bad prose, haphazard plotting and cliched storylines.
July 1, 2012
I wasn't entirely impressed with the story. The writing wasn't very good, and it didn't seem like much happened in the story.
Kaya is forced to go to a school to learn to become a healer, and most of the book consists of her daily chores and training. I also found the story to be extremely predictable. I suppose the ending was supposed to be a plot twist, but it was quite obvious at the beginning to me.
I also found it hard to empathize with Kaya. I liked her character, and I liked how she was tough and wanted to learn how to fight, but I could not relate to her emotionally. She meets a guy and immediately falls for him, she probably mentions that she misses her parents only twice, and even her angry outbursts about feeling like a 2nd class citizen I couldn't relate with.
Another thing that bothered me was the consistency of the story. Kaya has an obviously Japanese name, and the Zettai council sounds Japanese, and they fight with katanas, and yet everyone else had names like, "Trayton", "Darius", and "Maddox." And if Kaya and her family are supposed to be Asian, then the author had very little understanding about Asian culture. It was like reading about white people with asian names that swung katanas around.
That said, I did enjoy it enough that I will be reading the sequel.
Kaya is forced to go to a school to learn to become a healer, and most of the book consists of her daily chores and training. I also found the story to be extremely predictable. I suppose the ending was supposed to be a plot twist, but it was quite obvious at the beginning to me.
I also found it hard to empathize with Kaya. I liked her character, and I liked how she was tough and wanted to learn how to fight, but I could not relate to her emotionally. She meets a guy and immediately falls for him, she probably mentions that she misses her parents only twice, and even her angry outbursts about feeling like a 2nd class citizen I couldn't relate with.
Another thing that bothered me was the consistency of the story. Kaya has an obviously Japanese name, and the Zettai council sounds Japanese, and they fight with katanas, and yet everyone else had names like, "Trayton", "Darius", and "Maddox." And if Kaya and her family are supposed to be Asian, then the author had very little understanding about Asian culture. It was like reading about white people with asian names that swung katanas around.
That said, I did enjoy it enough that I will be reading the sequel.
August 1, 2012
Admittedly when I first got this book to read and review I was a bit hesitant to do so namely because of the cover- what can I say? I am a bono fide cover whore and this cover? Well, it didn't do anything for me, therefore resulting in me projecting those "meh" feelings onto the book. However, as I began to delve deeper and deeper into the book I began to realize that my initial reaction of the book was a silly assumption at best- and we all know what happens when you assume. ;) This book was SUCH a pleasure to read and in all honestly I am trying REALLY hard to write a coherent review/ keep my excitement, mainly in the form of jumping up and down, whilst SQUEEing about how you have to run out and buy this book RIGHT NOW, contained. Oh, and that cover? The only weak point about this book IMO, I can literally not think of a single complaint about the characters, plot, setting, essentially all of the important parts of this book.
What made this book so successful was three things: the strongest female character I think that I have EVER encountered before, TWO utterly swoon-worthy male characters, and a love triangle like no other.
As many have come to know (since I almost ALWAYS complain about it) heroines don't often do anything for me, I feel that they are too underdeveloped (especially when compared to their male counterparts), that they are too reliant upon the males in their lives, etc., however I did not find that whatsoever when it came to Kaya. As mentioned, she is without a doubt the strongest female character I have ever read before- mentally, physically, and emotionally. I think that compared to a lot of female characters I have read of over the years that she gave the most thought to everything that she did, she made informed decisions that benefited all of those around her in some way, shape or form, as opposed to jumping into something with seemingly little thought. She always strove to be better and not once complained when things didn't go her way. Furthermore, she didn't allow herself to be guided only by her heart, she also used her brain- she didn't turn into a gigantic puddle of mush as soon as one of the boys so much as showed her an ounce of attention.
As for Darius and Trayton, the two main males of the book? SWOONFEST! But what is perhaps the best about them is the love triangle they present- perchance one of the best I have ever read of. Why I enjoyed this love triangle is that there is ACTUAL competition (as opposed to what I consider to be an unsuccessful love triangle, where it is evident from the get-go who the lead is going to be with, as in the case of Simon, Jace, and Clary)- whenever I thought I was being swayed in one boys direction the other would do something to sweep me off of my feet. At this point in time I don't know who I would prefer to see Kaya end up with. Each of them truly brings out a bigger and better side of Kaya.
All in all, a strong heroine, amazing male characters, strong love triangle, coupled with a fast paced plot and interesting storyline makes this a MUST read and without a doubt the best epic fantasy I have read this year. I literally cannot say enough about this book (I'm not ashamed to admit that even 100 pages into this book I *may* have been shedding happy tears because it was just *that* good)- basically go out and buy it. Or you will regret it. Heather has easily soared to the top of my "authors to keep an eye out for" list- I CANNOT wait to see what she has up her sleeve next!
What made this book so successful was three things: the strongest female character I think that I have EVER encountered before, TWO utterly swoon-worthy male characters, and a love triangle like no other.
As many have come to know (since I almost ALWAYS complain about it) heroines don't often do anything for me, I feel that they are too underdeveloped (especially when compared to their male counterparts), that they are too reliant upon the males in their lives, etc., however I did not find that whatsoever when it came to Kaya. As mentioned, she is without a doubt the strongest female character I have ever read before- mentally, physically, and emotionally. I think that compared to a lot of female characters I have read of over the years that she gave the most thought to everything that she did, she made informed decisions that benefited all of those around her in some way, shape or form, as opposed to jumping into something with seemingly little thought. She always strove to be better and not once complained when things didn't go her way. Furthermore, she didn't allow herself to be guided only by her heart, she also used her brain- she didn't turn into a gigantic puddle of mush as soon as one of the boys so much as showed her an ounce of attention.
As for Darius and Trayton, the two main males of the book? SWOONFEST! But what is perhaps the best about them is the love triangle they present- perchance one of the best I have ever read of. Why I enjoyed this love triangle is that there is ACTUAL competition (as opposed to what I consider to be an unsuccessful love triangle, where it is evident from the get-go who the lead is going to be with, as in the case of Simon, Jace, and Clary)- whenever I thought I was being swayed in one boys direction the other would do something to sweep me off of my feet. At this point in time I don't know who I would prefer to see Kaya end up with. Each of them truly brings out a bigger and better side of Kaya.
All in all, a strong heroine, amazing male characters, strong love triangle, coupled with a fast paced plot and interesting storyline makes this a MUST read and without a doubt the best epic fantasy I have read this year. I literally cannot say enough about this book (I'm not ashamed to admit that even 100 pages into this book I *may* have been shedding happy tears because it was just *that* good)- basically go out and buy it. Or you will regret it. Heather has easily soared to the top of my "authors to keep an eye out for" list- I CANNOT wait to see what she has up her sleeve next!
May 8, 2012
THE FAERYS VIEW
Wow, Soulbound by Heather Brewer was a one-of-a-kind read and I’ve never quite read anything like it. Ms. Brewer put a whole new spin on an already present genre and put it on high octane!
The main character, Kaya grew up knowing what her duty in life would be that of a healer to her Soulbound (SB) Barron or Warrior. The each bear a mark somewhere on their body to let them know they've been born to be a healer or a Barren. Not everyone is born with a mark, it's a special tribute from the gods that come with powers.
There is a unique flow of energy between a healer and her SB and they to her. The war is vicious, the evil king has trained Graplers, huge beasts that will kill a human in seconds and love to chomp on their flesh.
One day in Kaya’s village during a festival, a Grapler comes, and kills Avery, Kaya’s best friend. It was vicious and brutal. The next day Kaya is ‘invited’ to the training compound where she’s expected to attend classes on healing only. Using her own natural healing along with herbal remedies is part of her studies but so is the history of the 100 year war.
Kaya meets her first friend who happens to be her own personal assistant who gets her meals, get’s her to class on time, chaperones her and at first Maddox thinks she’s just another spoilt healer but they soon become best friends. I loved Maddox, she absolutely rocks and her story is so sad yet hopeful, too.
When Kaya meets her Barron, swoon worthy Trayton, things start to look up for Kaya. Trayton is obviously taken with Kaya and she feels intense attraction to him but Trayton isn’t like Kaya-they have different points of view when it comes to healers, Kaya feels that healers should be trained in the art of self-defense while Trayton and the rest of the academy feel that it’s not the healers place that their Barron will take care of them and protect them but Kaya makes a good point: What if her Barron is dead? What if a Grapler is trying to attack her while she’s trying to heal her Barron?
There’s one person who says he will help her, and unskilled warrior named Darius-can you say ‘perfect man a-go-go?’ Silver haired, black eyed and battle ready; he is tough, stoic, takes no prisoners and is going to train Kaya as if she were a man. Darius and Kaya have instant ‘dislike’ for each other that soon grow to grudging respect and maybe something more but you’ll have to read the book to find out.
Ms. Brewer did a most excellent job on the plot! It was amazing to watch it all unfold so perfectly with so much complexity. What a joy to read! Soulbound starts off with a bang and doesn’t really stop until the very end with the cliff-hanger of all cliff-hangers. Leading into a love triangle that was so tastefully done but wasn’t quite finished in my book… which makes me look forward to Ms. Brewers second installment tentatively titled SOULBROKEN which kind of scares me a bit for reasons I cannot say for spoiler reasons!
There is so much more to this book then a mere review can capture and to use spoilers is a big no-no so I say PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK! You cannot go wrong; it’s perfect in every aspect that’s important in a fantastic book.
THE FAERY SAYS THAT SOULBOUND BY HEATHER BREWER ROCKED MY WINGS AND THEN SOME!
Wow, Soulbound by Heather Brewer was a one-of-a-kind read and I’ve never quite read anything like it. Ms. Brewer put a whole new spin on an already present genre and put it on high octane!
The main character, Kaya grew up knowing what her duty in life would be that of a healer to her Soulbound (SB) Barron or Warrior. The each bear a mark somewhere on their body to let them know they've been born to be a healer or a Barren. Not everyone is born with a mark, it's a special tribute from the gods that come with powers.
There is a unique flow of energy between a healer and her SB and they to her. The war is vicious, the evil king has trained Graplers, huge beasts that will kill a human in seconds and love to chomp on their flesh.
One day in Kaya’s village during a festival, a Grapler comes, and kills Avery, Kaya’s best friend. It was vicious and brutal. The next day Kaya is ‘invited’ to the training compound where she’s expected to attend classes on healing only. Using her own natural healing along with herbal remedies is part of her studies but so is the history of the 100 year war.
Kaya meets her first friend who happens to be her own personal assistant who gets her meals, get’s her to class on time, chaperones her and at first Maddox thinks she’s just another spoilt healer but they soon become best friends. I loved Maddox, she absolutely rocks and her story is so sad yet hopeful, too.
When Kaya meets her Barron, swoon worthy Trayton, things start to look up for Kaya. Trayton is obviously taken with Kaya and she feels intense attraction to him but Trayton isn’t like Kaya-they have different points of view when it comes to healers, Kaya feels that healers should be trained in the art of self-defense while Trayton and the rest of the academy feel that it’s not the healers place that their Barron will take care of them and protect them but Kaya makes a good point: What if her Barron is dead? What if a Grapler is trying to attack her while she’s trying to heal her Barron?
There’s one person who says he will help her, and unskilled warrior named Darius-can you say ‘perfect man a-go-go?’ Silver haired, black eyed and battle ready; he is tough, stoic, takes no prisoners and is going to train Kaya as if she were a man. Darius and Kaya have instant ‘dislike’ for each other that soon grow to grudging respect and maybe something more but you’ll have to read the book to find out.
Ms. Brewer did a most excellent job on the plot! It was amazing to watch it all unfold so perfectly with so much complexity. What a joy to read! Soulbound starts off with a bang and doesn’t really stop until the very end with the cliff-hanger of all cliff-hangers. Leading into a love triangle that was so tastefully done but wasn’t quite finished in my book… which makes me look forward to Ms. Brewers second installment tentatively titled SOULBROKEN which kind of scares me a bit for reasons I cannot say for spoiler reasons!
There is so much more to this book then a mere review can capture and to use spoilers is a big no-no so I say PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK! You cannot go wrong; it’s perfect in every aspect that’s important in a fantastic book.
THE FAERY SAYS THAT SOULBOUND BY HEATHER BREWER ROCKED MY WINGS AND THEN SOME!
January 28, 2012
Wow. Wow. I am IN love and I think I have my new favorite book! Seriously this book will blow your mind and leave you reeling!!!! This book was absolutely amazing and I loved every single page, as soon as I got the book I read the synopsis and I was like this is going to be an amazing book and was I ever right!!!
I will start with Kaya. What a character, you fall in love with her right in the beginning. She is a brave, outspoken, stubborn girl with a whole lot of kick ass in her bag and she is hilarious. Some of the comments she says and somethings she does will have you on the floor. She was "blackmailed" from her family to go to Shadow Academy , and she did NOT want to go and she had a HUGE chip on her shoulder, then to top it off her guard never came and one to not wait went looking for the school herself. As she is walking she is cursing the school the guard and everything else in her way, when she comes face to face with a beast that took someone she loved dearly she is scared and has no idea what to do. Add in a stanger with silver hair and who is absolutely gorgeous, and him barking orders at you and you have no idea who he is , and as she trusts him and takes off he saves her life. Then he blows her off and she is surprised by his attitude.
As soon as she gets inside safely she is brought to the headmaster, (what a joke) and she is surprised by his appearance. As she finds out she will be bound in the next few days her head is reeling and she is not happy she won't have a choice to who she will get to have this bond with and she speaks her mind about it all through the book and you just have to love the way she is. There is sweet, gentle Trayton who is a by the book protocol following boy and she feels a connection with him but she wants the freedom to choose him, then there is reckless not so by the book Darius who you can't help fall in love with as a reader. He is the bad boy who is a not by the book rule follower. Throughout the book Kaya is breaking rules, talking back and speaking her mind about how she wants to fight, how healers should be able to protect themselves and of course they don't listen
.As the book goes on you are just falling more and more in love with this crazy stubborn girl, who is not shy to speak her mind (like I said before), fights for what she wants but what does she want? On this crazy journey through this book you have some questions answered, and a bunch left unasked and unanswered but by the end you are like where is the next book, it can NOT end like that and then you want to pull out your hair because hello how long until the next book, am I going to make it. I don't think I will I am already chewing my nails down for book 2 and to see what happens.This is a book for all you looking for something different in the YA category and I think you will fall in love with these characters as I have :D
I will start with Kaya. What a character, you fall in love with her right in the beginning. She is a brave, outspoken, stubborn girl with a whole lot of kick ass in her bag and she is hilarious. Some of the comments she says and somethings she does will have you on the floor. She was "blackmailed" from her family to go to Shadow Academy , and she did NOT want to go and she had a HUGE chip on her shoulder, then to top it off her guard never came and one to not wait went looking for the school herself. As she is walking she is cursing the school the guard and everything else in her way, when she comes face to face with a beast that took someone she loved dearly she is scared and has no idea what to do. Add in a stanger with silver hair and who is absolutely gorgeous, and him barking orders at you and you have no idea who he is , and as she trusts him and takes off he saves her life. Then he blows her off and she is surprised by his attitude.
As soon as she gets inside safely she is brought to the headmaster, (what a joke) and she is surprised by his appearance. As she finds out she will be bound in the next few days her head is reeling and she is not happy she won't have a choice to who she will get to have this bond with and she speaks her mind about it all through the book and you just have to love the way she is. There is sweet, gentle Trayton who is a by the book protocol following boy and she feels a connection with him but she wants the freedom to choose him, then there is reckless not so by the book Darius who you can't help fall in love with as a reader. He is the bad boy who is a not by the book rule follower. Throughout the book Kaya is breaking rules, talking back and speaking her mind about how she wants to fight, how healers should be able to protect themselves and of course they don't listen
.As the book goes on you are just falling more and more in love with this crazy stubborn girl, who is not shy to speak her mind (like I said before), fights for what she wants but what does she want? On this crazy journey through this book you have some questions answered, and a bunch left unasked and unanswered but by the end you are like where is the next book, it can NOT end like that and then you want to pull out your hair because hello how long until the next book, am I going to make it. I don't think I will I am already chewing my nails down for book 2 and to see what happens.This is a book for all you looking for something different in the YA category and I think you will fall in love with these characters as I have :D
July 2, 2012
Tepid. That word probably best describes how I feel about this book. It was an interesting idea, but it was poorly executed. I have so many issues with this book, I don't know where to start.
1. The world-building just isn't there. People seem to walk everywhere -- not that they get out much -- but yet they talk like present-day teens? And despite the pre-industrialization/village setting, Tril seems to have electricity: one scene has Trayton flipping a switch to turn on a chandelier, if I'm not mistaken.
2. The war itself isn't explained, which made me not care about it. Plus, Kaya's parents love her, but apparently not enough to prepare her for the academy. She's not afraid to break rules and question authority figures, yet she doesn't bother to find out everything she can before leaving home. This makes me seriously question her intelligence.
3. Darius is billed as "Unskilled," yet no one questions why he's at the academy, how he knows about Barrons and Healers, and how he's so good he's teaching Barrons how to fight. That makes no sense, IMO.
4. The whole "Soulbound" deal doesn't make sense. What happens if more than two babies -- an odd number -- are born at the same time? Would you have three people "soulbound" together? Couldn't you bind one Healer to multiple Barrons after her "Soulbound" Barron dies? That would help solve the Healer shortage.
5. Healers are treated as second-class citizens. Treat the people who can save your life as subservient children. Brilliant. I think I'd go on strike.
6. What's with the chain mail on the book cover? That's not going to help in a fight. It's also like Clark Kent's glasses: Kaya uses her face mask to sneak out every morning to train, but I don't see how a chain mail eye cover hides her identity.
7. Thankfully, I borrowed this one from the library. However, if I'm remembering correctly, the inside flap had Kaya's age wrong. It also called the bad guy the "King of Graplars," but I don't think the book ever refers to him that way. I think his name is King Derrick, or something, but we don't actually see him in this novel.
8. There's not much of a plot. This was my first book by Brewer. I've seen her other books, but I'm not sure I'd bother after reading this one.
1. The world-building just isn't there. People seem to walk everywhere -- not that they get out much -- but yet they talk like present-day teens? And despite the pre-industrialization/village setting, Tril seems to have electricity: one scene has Trayton flipping a switch to turn on a chandelier, if I'm not mistaken.
2. The war itself isn't explained, which made me not care about it. Plus, Kaya's parents love her, but apparently not enough to prepare her for the academy. She's not afraid to break rules and question authority figures, yet she doesn't bother to find out everything she can before leaving home. This makes me seriously question her intelligence.
3. Darius is billed as "Unskilled," yet no one questions why he's at the academy, how he knows about Barrons and Healers, and how he's so good he's teaching Barrons how to fight. That makes no sense, IMO.
4. The whole "Soulbound" deal doesn't make sense. What happens if more than two babies -- an odd number -- are born at the same time? Would you have three people "soulbound" together? Couldn't you bind one Healer to multiple Barrons after her "Soulbound" Barron dies? That would help solve the Healer shortage.
5. Healers are treated as second-class citizens. Treat the people who can save your life as subservient children. Brilliant. I think I'd go on strike.
6. What's with the chain mail on the book cover? That's not going to help in a fight. It's also like Clark Kent's glasses: Kaya uses her face mask to sneak out every morning to train, but I don't see how a chain mail eye cover hides her identity.
7. Thankfully, I borrowed this one from the library. However, if I'm remembering correctly, the inside flap had Kaya's age wrong. It also called the bad guy the "King of Graplars," but I don't think the book ever refers to him that way. I think his name is King Derrick, or something, but we don't actually see him in this novel.
8. There's not much of a plot. This was my first book by Brewer. I've seen her other books, but I'm not sure I'd bother after reading this one.
May 26, 2013
Spoilers alert!!!
A very well rounded and fabulous book.
I loved the concept of the world the author has created. The idea of Barrons and Healers being soulbound and their hearts beating as one was sooo touching!
When the book started off, I enjoyed it immensely. The character of Kaya wasn't overpowering and she was funny. The setting was quite cool and the parents seemed mysterious and slightly badass, they reminded of the parents off Spy Kids...
When she got to school and met Maddox I thought
"Hello, this character is going to be very black an white"
but she wasn't!
The story line was romantic and eventful, not much action (except at the end) which I love because very few authors I find can actually write decent, intriguing action scenes.
There were a tad little things that annoyed me. Like...Kaya was nice at the start, but then she got into class and I can understand that she hated it and it was a bit of a culture shock, but there was no reason for her to say "Fak off" to one of her teachers. Nobody likes that kind of kid. Nobody.
Then there was the end. The fighting scene. Damn I hate fighting! Little bit, okay.
Her duelling with Darius, fine.
A million pages of running around the school, chopping off peoples arms, battling rogue Graplars and trying to get a dumb pendent. Not fine.
There was also the fact she was immediately wonderful at duelling confused me. I understand the 'natural ability' from her parents, or some smeg. But it was a bit inconsistent with her being wonderful and then her being down right poor at some points.
Plus how did Trayton recognise her when she was out of the school? I didn't get that bit...he'd never seen her fight...
Oh and I hated the front cover, main reason why I didn't want to read the book. It looked dumb, and then when I read about the duelling masks and how apparently 'no one could recognise you' I looked at the cover and thought
" wow, you would never know it was her... Unless you're Trayton of course..."
Apart from all those little things, I truly loved this book. Heather Brewer's writing style is so easy to read and so charismatic. I loved the humour, laughing a lot through the book and the characters were perfect! Can't wait till the second comes out!
A very well rounded and fabulous book.
I loved the concept of the world the author has created. The idea of Barrons and Healers being soulbound and their hearts beating as one was sooo touching!
When the book started off, I enjoyed it immensely. The character of Kaya wasn't overpowering and she was funny. The setting was quite cool and the parents seemed mysterious and slightly badass, they reminded of the parents off Spy Kids...
When she got to school and met Maddox I thought
"Hello, this character is going to be very black an white"
but she wasn't!
The story line was romantic and eventful, not much action (except at the end) which I love because very few authors I find can actually write decent, intriguing action scenes.
There were a tad little things that annoyed me. Like...Kaya was nice at the start, but then she got into class and I can understand that she hated it and it was a bit of a culture shock, but there was no reason for her to say "Fak off" to one of her teachers. Nobody likes that kind of kid. Nobody.
Then there was the end. The fighting scene. Damn I hate fighting! Little bit, okay.
Her duelling with Darius, fine.
A million pages of running around the school, chopping off peoples arms, battling rogue Graplars and trying to get a dumb pendent. Not fine.
There was also the fact she was immediately wonderful at duelling confused me. I understand the 'natural ability' from her parents, or some smeg. But it was a bit inconsistent with her being wonderful and then her being down right poor at some points.
Plus how did Trayton recognise her when she was out of the school? I didn't get that bit...he'd never seen her fight...
Oh and I hated the front cover, main reason why I didn't want to read the book. It looked dumb, and then when I read about the duelling masks and how apparently 'no one could recognise you' I looked at the cover and thought
" wow, you would never know it was her... Unless you're Trayton of course..."
Apart from all those little things, I truly loved this book. Heather Brewer's writing style is so easy to read and so charismatic. I loved the humour, laughing a lot through the book and the characters were perfect! Can't wait till the second comes out!
April 25, 2021
Really enjoyed reading this book again! Loved these characters, hated the world that was so unfair, and I now need to really, truly read the sequel!
*First Read May 7th, 2012*
Such a great book, compelling story line, and great characters! So good, I just devoured this book! Can't wait for the second one!!!!
*First Read May 7th, 2012*
Such a great book, compelling story line, and great characters! So good, I just devoured this book! Can't wait for the second one!!!!
January 26, 2014
At first glance, I was drawn to the cover & the description. But I didn't really have high expectations for this book.
To my shock - and horror, I was appalled at how nonsensical and flimsy the plot was. And then the writing. OHMYGOD. I felt like I was reading a middle-school creative writing paper. Or worse. It was just god-awful, with predictable, and cliched "character development" and plot twists, if you could even call it that.
I liked the premise; the idea behind the lazy, sloppily put together writing, but nothing made logical sense, and everything just confused the hell out of me. The big "event" that happened toward the end? At least I got a laugh or two out of reading this. But I wasn't laughing because it was funny.
Not only that, everything was SO OBVIOUS. Predictable plot/character development, less-than-mediocre writing, instalove x1000, and alarmingly obvious "twists" with weird left-field "surprises" thrown in for shock value. MYGOD. I won't even get to how AWKWARD the "romance" was. There was NOTHING even remotely romantic about anything here. Blehg!
Stay far away from this book if you value your sanity & time.
January 27, 2012
What!??!! Is this all there is for this book? I have to wait how long for the next one? I HATE that! I should have looked at the last page before I even decided to start it! I loved this book, it was so much fun, great adventure, great romance, a little magic, sassy girls, a love triangle. When is the next one coming?
Tril is the world and the protectors, great warriors, are the Barrons. The people who keep the Barrons alive when they are damaged are the Healers. The Barrons and the Healers are bound to each other, the Barrons fight and the Healers make sure they don't die. Kaya has just found out that she is a Healer and to keep her Barron parents safe (Barrons aren't supposed to be together), she has to go to the Academy for training.
Kaya is not a shrinking anything. She's smart, she's sarcastic, she's not going to sit back and wait for some Barron to protect her from the nasty monsters who've decided they want to eat up the whole school. She decides she needs more training so that she can take care of herself and that gets her into some serious trouble.
Not only is she in trouble for breaking protocol for wanting to train, she may be in love with the wrong guy!
Funny, exciting. Can't wait for more!
Tril is the world and the protectors, great warriors, are the Barrons. The people who keep the Barrons alive when they are damaged are the Healers. The Barrons and the Healers are bound to each other, the Barrons fight and the Healers make sure they don't die. Kaya has just found out that she is a Healer and to keep her Barron parents safe (Barrons aren't supposed to be together), she has to go to the Academy for training.
Kaya is not a shrinking anything. She's smart, she's sarcastic, she's not going to sit back and wait for some Barron to protect her from the nasty monsters who've decided they want to eat up the whole school. She decides she needs more training so that she can take care of herself and that gets her into some serious trouble.
Not only is she in trouble for breaking protocol for wanting to train, she may be in love with the wrong guy!
Funny, exciting. Can't wait for more!
January 25, 2012
Heather's done it again--in Soulbound she's taken the high fantasy genre and made it incredibly accessible, opening up a doorway between her Minions and a realm of stories they might not have explored yet. In the butt-kicking Kaya she has given us the anti-Bella--a girl who not only can take care of herself, but who defies tradition and her teachers to do so. Creepy monsters, a hot love triangle and a maddening cliffhanger ending make this breathlessly-paced, action-packed story a must-recommend for fantasy-loving teens (or those seeking a new genre to explore).
February 16, 2016
A great read! Although it leaves us at a huge cliff hanger, and the sequel has been cancelled one too many times, I am glad this book was written. It's fast paced and keeps you interested all the way through. Hopefully 'soulbroken' will be published.
July 19, 2016
Rating: 4.25/5
Review coming soon!
Review coming soon!
October 3, 2012
First of all I would like to say that I was really very excited to read this book. I had read the summary of this book a while ago and since then was really looking forward to read it. The description of the book had gotten me intrigued. It's description makes you believe that the book is gonna be really adventurous and fierce. Which certainly it wasn't.
Now to be frank, the start of the book was a bit boring. But after a while I got a bit interested when she meets the mysterious guy in the jungle who saves her life. Total cliché, but well it got me interested. After that the book JUST went downhill. I mean the plot was obvious. The moment she met the 'mysterious guy' in the jungle, I knew that her soul-bound is not dead and that this guy is her soulbound. It just gets you suspicious.
But as the book went on and when I came to know the mysterious guy aka Darius is unskilled, which again was suspicious.
Then like expected, the truth came forward and we came to know that Darius is indeed a Barron and his tattoo is red meaning his Healer is alive. Which was highly expected and obvious. And now all of a sudden Kara is attracted to him and is thinking about kissing him. The same Kara who till a page ago was very annoyed, scared and had nada feelings for him whatsoever. Which I should say indicates a very poor writing skill because her attraction towards him just isn't building up. It's all of a sudden.
And of course how can we forget our great Trayton. The guy to whom Kara is Bound since both of their soulbounds are dead. Or i should say at least Trayton's soulbound is dead. And Kara agrees to this with little resistance. And then they are Bound just the next day after she arrives to the academy.
To be frank, I found Trayton very annoying from the start. I JUST can't understand his personality. One moment he is portrayed as a sweet, kind and very caring guy. Next moment you are portraying him as a very annoying guy. Then again a sweet, carefree guy. The guy really annoys the fuck outta me. Bipolar much?
He is scolding and lashing out at Kara just because she wants to learn to defend herself. Sexist much? Or i should say healerist much?
So I would say:
1. Obvious plot.
2. Pathetic writing.
3. Very little thought was given to the surrounding or it's description and terrible world-building.
4. While reading this book, you don't get thrilled or excited. It's vey monotonous. Like reading a newspaper. Expressionless and blank look on your face. This is because the feeling of the main character or the people around them aren't portrayed properly. It's like writing 'scared' and expecting us to be scared just because that word is mention. Your emotions aren't building up to feel this was. You JUST have to pretend to feel that way because it's written over there that the character is scared. That got me really frustrated.
5. The Graplars even though are supposed to be scary, I JUST wasn't scared. It's again for the same reason that "YOU CANT FORCE THE READER TO FEEL A PARTICULAR EMOTION, JUST BECAUSE YOU WROTE THE EMOTION." we aren't computers that you command a certain emotion and all of a sudden we become scared or happy or whatever. You JUST don't know how to build up a emotion in a reader.
6. The Story wasn't written with a good strategical mindset, even though it's plot desperately demanded it.
7. The world in which the story was created has soooooo much potential. If this story was written by some other or I should say any better writer, it would be getting a very pleasant review. Brewer JUST didn't know how to use her resources smartly in building up her story.
Even though the story was poorly written, I really liked the idea or i should say the concept of the story. I liked the new world and it's rules which it introduced us to.(Even though I found many rules baseless and stupid and felt they were there JUST because there has to be SOME stupid or dumb rule against which the main character will fight).
I am a very curious person. If i start reading a book, i JUST HAVE to finish it. Even though i have come across manyyyy books which i JUST couldn't continue to read any further without wanting to strangle myself, i am grateful I didn't reach to that point with this book. Even though I was close enough. I wont say i hate this book, but i would certainly not say i enjoyed it.
This book really disappointed me. I had high expectations from this book, which certainly never got fulfilled. It definitely could have been written much better, considering the idea or the concept of the story. But it wasn't.
Now to be frank, the start of the book was a bit boring. But after a while I got a bit interested when she meets the mysterious guy in the jungle who saves her life. Total cliché, but well it got me interested. After that the book JUST went downhill. I mean the plot was obvious. The moment she met the 'mysterious guy' in the jungle, I knew that her soul-bound is not dead and that this guy is her soulbound. It just gets you suspicious.
But as the book went on and when I came to know the mysterious guy aka Darius is unskilled, which again was suspicious.
Then like expected, the truth came forward and we came to know that Darius is indeed a Barron and his tattoo is red meaning his Healer is alive. Which was highly expected and obvious. And now all of a sudden Kara is attracted to him and is thinking about kissing him. The same Kara who till a page ago was very annoyed, scared and had nada feelings for him whatsoever. Which I should say indicates a very poor writing skill because her attraction towards him just isn't building up. It's all of a sudden.
And of course how can we forget our great Trayton. The guy to whom Kara is Bound since both of their soulbounds are dead. Or i should say at least Trayton's soulbound is dead. And Kara agrees to this with little resistance. And then they are Bound just the next day after she arrives to the academy.
To be frank, I found Trayton very annoying from the start. I JUST can't understand his personality. One moment he is portrayed as a sweet, kind and very caring guy. Next moment you are portraying him as a very annoying guy. Then again a sweet, carefree guy. The guy really annoys the fuck outta me. Bipolar much?
He is scolding and lashing out at Kara just because she wants to learn to defend herself. Sexist much? Or i should say healerist much?
So I would say:
1. Obvious plot.
2. Pathetic writing.
3. Very little thought was given to the surrounding or it's description and terrible world-building.
4. While reading this book, you don't get thrilled or excited. It's vey monotonous. Like reading a newspaper. Expressionless and blank look on your face. This is because the feeling of the main character or the people around them aren't portrayed properly. It's like writing 'scared' and expecting us to be scared just because that word is mention. Your emotions aren't building up to feel this was. You JUST have to pretend to feel that way because it's written over there that the character is scared. That got me really frustrated.
5. The Graplars even though are supposed to be scary, I JUST wasn't scared. It's again for the same reason that "YOU CANT FORCE THE READER TO FEEL A PARTICULAR EMOTION, JUST BECAUSE YOU WROTE THE EMOTION." we aren't computers that you command a certain emotion and all of a sudden we become scared or happy or whatever. You JUST don't know how to build up a emotion in a reader.
6. The Story wasn't written with a good strategical mindset, even though it's plot desperately demanded it.
7. The world in which the story was created has soooooo much potential. If this story was written by some other or I should say any better writer, it would be getting a very pleasant review. Brewer JUST didn't know how to use her resources smartly in building up her story.
Even though the story was poorly written, I really liked the idea or i should say the concept of the story. I liked the new world and it's rules which it introduced us to.(Even though I found many rules baseless and stupid and felt they were there JUST because there has to be SOME stupid or dumb rule against which the main character will fight).
I am a very curious person. If i start reading a book, i JUST HAVE to finish it. Even though i have come across manyyyy books which i JUST couldn't continue to read any further without wanting to strangle myself, i am grateful I didn't reach to that point with this book. Even though I was close enough. I wont say i hate this book, but i would certainly not say i enjoyed it.
This book really disappointed me. I had high expectations from this book, which certainly never got fulfilled. It definitely could have been written much better, considering the idea or the concept of the story. But it wasn't.
November 24, 2012
3.5 stars
I have not read Brewer's Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, but I really want to after reading this one because I enjoyed it so much. I didn't know what I was getting into when I picked this one up. I knew that it had a heroine who I would love simply because she went against the norm and refused to play the damsel in distress, and I'm happy to say that it lived up to my expectations. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for a heroine who can kick some serious butt, so Kaya is a blossoming favorite of mine and easily commanded my respect.
The plot in this one was amazing. The thought behind it is unimaginable and I have nothing bad to say about it. It dragged me in from page one and I couldn't get enough, easily finishing this book in one sitting, though the ending was predictable. The fight scenes took my breath away and the attention to detail, especially when describing the hideous, fantasy Graplar beasts, was superb. But what upset me is the slight love triangle. It's not overpowering, but it does exist between the rule following Barron that Kaya is Bound to and his rule-breaking best friend that is the only respected Unskilled in all of Tril. As fascinating as it was, it made the characters seem very wishy-washy at times, which is upsetting since the characterization in this novel was so strong and well done.
Believe it or not, this book got its rating for only two reasons. First of all, the ending was predictable. I figured it out on a hunch within the first one hundred pages in the book even though it was barely foreshadowed. What was supposed to be this huge bomb was easily foreseen, though as predictable as it was, I am still craving book two. August of 2013 is way too far away, if you ask me.
My other qualm with this book is the language and, at times, the way it is written. Part of the reason I breezed through a four hundred page book was because it was written for ages twelve and up. As a senior in high school, I still enjoy some middle-grades, so I found no problem with that at all. However, this book liked to use cuss words, but since you can't drop the f-bomb or call someone the d-word in a book for twelve year olds, the words "fak" and "dek" were tossed around a lot. While I understand the need to create unique cuss words in young adult literature these days to make it appropriate for younger readers but somehow convey the powerful frustration and angry emotions that a cuss word is normally used with, a word that seems so out of place sometimes doesn't work out. Honestly, these words, specifically "fak", are found very often in this one, and it mislead me as a reader and tended to constantly ruin serious moments because of the sheer awkwardness and silliness of the faux-cuss word. If you are going to write a book for such a young audience, don't throw such serious insults in. The need for young readers could be found in other scenes throughout the novel because they were written in less detail or very simply so that they could be read by younger individuals. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with this, but the entire book wasn't written this way, so such moments seemed out of place to me and disrupted the plot flow. If this was corrected, it would have been a much smoother read.
With all of that being said, I am anxiously awaiting book two. I really enjoyed this one and Kaya is a great main character. Though slightly illogical and prone to overly-girlish moments, she's respectable, relatable, and fighting for an amazing cause as an underdog. She'll do anything to protect her parents and the constant death threats against them. In other words, she's my kind of girl.
I have not read Brewer's Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, but I really want to after reading this one because I enjoyed it so much. I didn't know what I was getting into when I picked this one up. I knew that it had a heroine who I would love simply because she went against the norm and refused to play the damsel in distress, and I'm happy to say that it lived up to my expectations. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for a heroine who can kick some serious butt, so Kaya is a blossoming favorite of mine and easily commanded my respect.
The plot in this one was amazing. The thought behind it is unimaginable and I have nothing bad to say about it. It dragged me in from page one and I couldn't get enough, easily finishing this book in one sitting, though the ending was predictable. The fight scenes took my breath away and the attention to detail, especially when describing the hideous, fantasy Graplar beasts, was superb. But what upset me is the slight love triangle. It's not overpowering, but it does exist between the rule following Barron that Kaya is Bound to and his rule-breaking best friend that is the only respected Unskilled in all of Tril. As fascinating as it was, it made the characters seem very wishy-washy at times, which is upsetting since the characterization in this novel was so strong and well done.
Believe it or not, this book got its rating for only two reasons. First of all, the ending was predictable. I figured it out on a hunch within the first one hundred pages in the book even though it was barely foreshadowed. What was supposed to be this huge bomb was easily foreseen, though as predictable as it was, I am still craving book two. August of 2013 is way too far away, if you ask me.
My other qualm with this book is the language and, at times, the way it is written. Part of the reason I breezed through a four hundred page book was because it was written for ages twelve and up. As a senior in high school, I still enjoy some middle-grades, so I found no problem with that at all. However, this book liked to use cuss words, but since you can't drop the f-bomb or call someone the d-word in a book for twelve year olds, the words "fak" and "dek" were tossed around a lot. While I understand the need to create unique cuss words in young adult literature these days to make it appropriate for younger readers but somehow convey the powerful frustration and angry emotions that a cuss word is normally used with, a word that seems so out of place sometimes doesn't work out. Honestly, these words, specifically "fak", are found very often in this one, and it mislead me as a reader and tended to constantly ruin serious moments because of the sheer awkwardness and silliness of the faux-cuss word. If you are going to write a book for such a young audience, don't throw such serious insults in. The need for young readers could be found in other scenes throughout the novel because they were written in less detail or very simply so that they could be read by younger individuals. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with this, but the entire book wasn't written this way, so such moments seemed out of place to me and disrupted the plot flow. If this was corrected, it would have been a much smoother read.
With all of that being said, I am anxiously awaiting book two. I really enjoyed this one and Kaya is a great main character. Though slightly illogical and prone to overly-girlish moments, she's respectable, relatable, and fighting for an amazing cause as an underdog. She'll do anything to protect her parents and the constant death threats against them. In other words, she's my kind of girl.
June 21, 2012
I normally don't quote blurbs in my reviews, but I was about to start explaining the world of Tril and realized the blurb did it quite neatly in a single sentence. "Tril is a world where Barrons and Healers are Bound to each other: Barrons fight and Healers cure their Barrons' wounds in the ongoing war with the evil Graplar King." Kaya is a Healer and the daughter of two Barrons. But Barrons are not supposed to have relationships with each other. Kaya must attend the Shadow Academy and be the model Healer or her parents will be killed. But Kaya doesn't want to remain defenseless on the sidelines. She wants to fight.
Kaya and her friends should be safe within the walls of Shadow Academy. Somehow the Graplars, quick, vicious beasts, are breaching the defenses. If the perimeter's weakness can't be found, everyone living in the academy might perish. I loved that there is a self-contained plot in SOULBOUND in addition to the questions to be explored later in the Legend of Tril. Nothing annoys me more than the trend of first books that are all rising action. Kudos to Brewer for avoiding that trap.
I think Kaya is an easy heroine to identify with, especially for teenagers. She questions authority and works to pursue her dreams at all costs. I enjoyed Brewer's Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, but the real reason I wanted to read SOULBOUND was the fierce woman on the cover. Kaya lives up to the cover's promise.
Other major characters include Maddox, Darius, and Trayton. Maddox is assigned to be Kaya's guard and soon becomes her best friend. They're two troublemakers who are always there for each other. Darius is an Unskilled who teaches swordplay to the Barrons. He saves Kaya from a Graplar, then acts like he hates her. Yet he's the only person she can trust to teach her to fight. And Trayton is the Barron bound to Kaya. He's the rule-abiding sort, but Kaya's influence pushes him towards breaking tradition. I liked both guys, which makes me sad that there's probably going to be a full-blown love triangle in book two, SOULBROKEN.
If you're like me, you'll want to read SOULBROKEN the instant you finish SOULBOUND. (Cliffhangers, man. Cliffhangers.) Not even a cliffhanger would make me want to continue if the first book was bad, however. SOULBOUND is a terrific beginning to what should be an epic series. I like the characters and the world is intriguing. I'm ready to see Kaya shake up the establishment and to find out just what evil King Darrek's deal is. Fantasy fans will eagerly devour SOULBOUND.
Kaya and her friends should be safe within the walls of Shadow Academy. Somehow the Graplars, quick, vicious beasts, are breaching the defenses. If the perimeter's weakness can't be found, everyone living in the academy might perish. I loved that there is a self-contained plot in SOULBOUND in addition to the questions to be explored later in the Legend of Tril. Nothing annoys me more than the trend of first books that are all rising action. Kudos to Brewer for avoiding that trap.
I think Kaya is an easy heroine to identify with, especially for teenagers. She questions authority and works to pursue her dreams at all costs. I enjoyed Brewer's Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, but the real reason I wanted to read SOULBOUND was the fierce woman on the cover. Kaya lives up to the cover's promise.
Other major characters include Maddox, Darius, and Trayton. Maddox is assigned to be Kaya's guard and soon becomes her best friend. They're two troublemakers who are always there for each other. Darius is an Unskilled who teaches swordplay to the Barrons. He saves Kaya from a Graplar, then acts like he hates her. Yet he's the only person she can trust to teach her to fight. And Trayton is the Barron bound to Kaya. He's the rule-abiding sort, but Kaya's influence pushes him towards breaking tradition. I liked both guys, which makes me sad that there's probably going to be a full-blown love triangle in book two, SOULBROKEN.
If you're like me, you'll want to read SOULBROKEN the instant you finish SOULBOUND. (Cliffhangers, man. Cliffhangers.) Not even a cliffhanger would make me want to continue if the first book was bad, however. SOULBOUND is a terrific beginning to what should be an epic series. I like the characters and the world is intriguing. I'm ready to see Kaya shake up the establishment and to find out just what evil King Darrek's deal is. Fantasy fans will eagerly devour SOULBOUND.
December 15, 2012
Kaya lives in a world that is ruled by protocol. There are two classes of people who work together as a team in a world filled with war. The two classes are Healers and Barrons. The Barrons are warriors and the Healers are there to keep the Barrons safe by their ability to heal but there is a catch, they must either be soulbound (at birth) or bound which is basically being assigned to each other. If a Barron does not have a Healer, they have no chance of surviving in battle, and Healers are becoming more and more rare.
Though the laws say couples can only be a combination of a Barron and a Healer, Kaya's parents are both Barrons and thus they are outlaws who are hiding from the Zettai Council and their rules. But Kaya was born a healer. One day a letter arrives for Kaya telling her that she must attend the Shadow Academy, the school for both Barrons and Healers or else her parents will pay. So Kaya sets off to the world her parents tried so hard to leave behind in order to protect them.
What Kaya discovers at the Academy are monsters beyond the walls of the Academy which could kill them all. She also finds the school has plans for her, including binding her with someone on her second day there since her soulbound mate was killed. The more she learns about the heirachy of the world within the Academy, the more she realizes things must change. Healers are treated as second class citizens and are only there to heal the Barrons but Kaya wants to learn to fight as well. She must test her new surroundings and discover which friends she has which could help her achieve her goal, even though it's against protocol.
This book was a great new step for well-known author Heather Brewer (Vladimir Tod series). The word building is good, the plot is excellent, and the story is fast paced. A great read for either teen boys or girls (the main character being a girl but plenty of action for boys). Nothing in this one to keep it off the shelves. There are indications of cussing but words are changed so not to include any real foul language. The characters are lively and likeable but still keep the reader on their toes. An excellent read and I look forward to the next installment.
Though the laws say couples can only be a combination of a Barron and a Healer, Kaya's parents are both Barrons and thus they are outlaws who are hiding from the Zettai Council and their rules. But Kaya was born a healer. One day a letter arrives for Kaya telling her that she must attend the Shadow Academy, the school for both Barrons and Healers or else her parents will pay. So Kaya sets off to the world her parents tried so hard to leave behind in order to protect them.
What Kaya discovers at the Academy are monsters beyond the walls of the Academy which could kill them all. She also finds the school has plans for her, including binding her with someone on her second day there since her soulbound mate was killed. The more she learns about the heirachy of the world within the Academy, the more she realizes things must change. Healers are treated as second class citizens and are only there to heal the Barrons but Kaya wants to learn to fight as well. She must test her new surroundings and discover which friends she has which could help her achieve her goal, even though it's against protocol.
This book was a great new step for well-known author Heather Brewer (Vladimir Tod series). The word building is good, the plot is excellent, and the story is fast paced. A great read for either teen boys or girls (the main character being a girl but plenty of action for boys). Nothing in this one to keep it off the shelves. There are indications of cussing but words are changed so not to include any real foul language. The characters are lively and likeable but still keep the reader on their toes. An excellent read and I look forward to the next installment.
April 5, 2016
An Advanced Reader Copy was provided by the publisher for review. Quotes pulled from the ARC may be incorrect and may be subject to change.
Kaya lives in Tril with her parents who are both Barrons. Barrons and Healers are soul bound. Together they are a team. One fights and the other heals. Her parents are fugitives from their lives as barrons and to stay alive Kaya must attend the academy to learn her place as a healer. She finds out her soul bound Barron is dead so she has been assigned a new one. Handsome and kind, Trayton is her new Barron, and Kaya can’t help but like him. Yet she is also attracted to Trayton’s best friend Darius who seems to be hiding secrets that’ll change the fate of Kaya’s future.
Lots of action in this one! I definitely enjoyed Kaya being such a strong heroine. Although she did have such a temper that bought her extra duties after class. It’s safe to say that Trayton is the good boy and Darius is the bad one, and Kaya seems to have stolen both their hearts. Kaya’s other wise strong temper and short fuse made her so stubborn and reckless, that she would get stuck in such dangerous situations. It’s a good thing she can butt!
Rather confusing as to the time period this book was set in, so I just figured it was an era that was set in the renaissance time. They had primitive technology, yet they swore in such a modern way that I got confused. The plot is definitely great and the pacing was better than most books. I also figured since they used a katana which is a Japanese sword, I figured it was set in Japan.
As for the ending, I very well knew it and I can’t wait until the second book. Great start to a series I’m sure I will devour.
Quotes
“Great. So now I was expected to be a damsel in distress? I didn’t think so.”—Kaya
Kaya lives in Tril with her parents who are both Barrons. Barrons and Healers are soul bound. Together they are a team. One fights and the other heals. Her parents are fugitives from their lives as barrons and to stay alive Kaya must attend the academy to learn her place as a healer. She finds out her soul bound Barron is dead so she has been assigned a new one. Handsome and kind, Trayton is her new Barron, and Kaya can’t help but like him. Yet she is also attracted to Trayton’s best friend Darius who seems to be hiding secrets that’ll change the fate of Kaya’s future.
Lots of action in this one! I definitely enjoyed Kaya being such a strong heroine. Although she did have such a temper that bought her extra duties after class. It’s safe to say that Trayton is the good boy and Darius is the bad one, and Kaya seems to have stolen both their hearts. Kaya’s other wise strong temper and short fuse made her so stubborn and reckless, that she would get stuck in such dangerous situations. It’s a good thing she can butt!
Rather confusing as to the time period this book was set in, so I just figured it was an era that was set in the renaissance time. They had primitive technology, yet they swore in such a modern way that I got confused. The plot is definitely great and the pacing was better than most books. I also figured since they used a katana which is a Japanese sword, I figured it was set in Japan.
As for the ending, I very well knew it and I can’t wait until the second book. Great start to a series I’m sure I will devour.
Quotes
“Great. So now I was expected to be a damsel in distress? I didn’t think so.”—Kaya
October 22, 2012
First book I've read by this author...started last night and finished at 1am this morning! 'Academy/school' series can be repetitive and overdone but that's not the case here!
Kaya has a simple life with loving parents in an small village. She knows their history and that a simple slip from her can mean their deaths. She even knows that she had a place in that society but her parents chose each other, and their choices protect her from that life and war.
(Soulbound, Bound...adds a new dimension to any type of relationship between a Barron and Healer, and a greater heartache should one of them die.)
Maddox, Trayton and Darius are all at the academy and between them, the staff, Graplers and a jealous Barron- Kaya's simple life becomes something she doesn't recognize or even want. Darius is always a jerk, she's to become Bound with Trayton and Maddox just tries to keep her bailed out and sane.
But Kaya doesn't fold or break down. She's a strong, capable teen and doesn't hesitate to stand up for what's right- no matter how many extra duties she picks up, nor to the detriment of the relationships with those closest to her.
The twists and turns the story takes keeps you intrigued and picks up pace as the story unfolds. By the end of the story you're left wanting the second book (out in 2013) now!
Kaya has a simple life with loving parents in an small village. She knows their history and that a simple slip from her can mean their deaths. She even knows that she had a place in that society but her parents chose each other, and their choices protect her from that life and war.
(Soulbound, Bound...adds a new dimension to any type of relationship between a Barron and Healer, and a greater heartache should one of them die.)
Maddox, Trayton and Darius are all at the academy and between them, the staff, Graplers and a jealous Barron- Kaya's simple life becomes something she doesn't recognize or even want. Darius is always a jerk, she's to become Bound with Trayton and Maddox just tries to keep her bailed out and sane.
But Kaya doesn't fold or break down. She's a strong, capable teen and doesn't hesitate to stand up for what's right- no matter how many extra duties she picks up, nor to the detriment of the relationships with those closest to her.
The twists and turns the story takes keeps you intrigued and picks up pace as the story unfolds. By the end of the story you're left wanting the second book (out in 2013) now!
April 30, 2014
You would have to be a complete and utter dipshit not to know that Kaya was Soulbound to Darius. I mean come on, there was no suspense at all. Ziltch. Nada. I only finished this book because I had the hopes it might get better. How in the 9 Circles of Hell are people giving this book 5 stars? Is it because of the YA factor? Is making all the teens tingle? I don't get it.
This story actually had promise, until I read the word Fek and Dek. Really? Just say Fuck and Dick and get it over with. And have I mentioned I absolutely hate love triangles. And this love triangle was so poorly written that I wanted to stick a ice pick in someones throat. Seriously it evoked that much negative emotion.
Alas had it had one shred of intrigue, or even made the whole Barron and Healer thing interesting I may have read the next in the series just to say I tried, but given that I am struggling to find one redeeming quality about the book, I'll just end my review here along with any hope I'll pick up the next book.
This story actually had promise, until I read the word Fek and Dek. Really? Just say Fuck and Dick and get it over with. And have I mentioned I absolutely hate love triangles. And this love triangle was so poorly written that I wanted to stick a ice pick in someones throat. Seriously it evoked that much negative emotion.
Alas had it had one shred of intrigue, or even made the whole Barron and Healer thing interesting I may have read the next in the series just to say I tried, but given that I am struggling to find one redeeming quality about the book, I'll just end my review here along with any hope I'll pick up the next book.
August 5, 2012
Really it was a 3.5. The book was entertaining, the plot runs smoothly, and the charcters are likable. I really enjoyed the main character she does not settle for less, when she wants to do something or speak out her mind she does. The other characters were good too, having conflicts that make them human and completely human. The writing is good. Finished it in a day. The cliff-hangeris good, amazing good.
The reason that the rating is not higher is because it was the same formula:
1)Girl goes to new school.
2)Girl meets two boys somehow.
3)Girl rebells (get in trouble).Confused?
4)Girl helps saves day.
5) Major cliff-hanger setting up for the sequel. (causing reader to scream and pull hair out).
in the end it is a book worth reading.
The reason that the rating is not higher is because it was the same formula:
1)Girl goes to new school.
2)Girl meets two boys somehow.
3)Girl rebells (get in trouble).Confused?
4)Girl helps saves day.
5) Major cliff-hanger setting up for the sequel. (causing reader to scream and pull hair out).
in the end it is a book worth reading.
July 7, 2012
This book was one of those that are very unique because you've never read anything like them before. Miss Brewer created a completely different story that didn't involve the common vampires, werewolves, or angels that we see in most YA books these days. Not to say I don't enjoy reading about said mythical creatures, but it's nice to read something fresh-of-the-block once in a while. This book earned bonus points from me just because of that, and I'm very happy to say that I finished it in all of about 3-4 hours. It was a very easy and light read so it wen't by very quickly, but it also flowed very well together so it felt like I was done in about a few minutes, haha. So writing all that, what I'm trying to say is that this book was different, engaging, and a fun read.
Our main character Kaya has been kept hidden since she was a child, by her parents, who never want her to face the burdens they did when they were younger. Kaya knows she's a healer, and that she has a Barron out there that was soulbound to her, but she knows that person is gone ever since she was a child. But Barrons and healing never really mattered to Kaya as she grew up in a common village surrounded by the 'normal' people who have no real idea that's there more to the world then they're used to. But everything changes for Kaya when her best friend gets hurt, and she receives an ominous letter from the Academy that her parents had attended, and had never wanted Kaya to step foot into. But the options offered to Kaya are very limited, and in the end, she has no choice but to except her fate as a healer. When she arrives at the Academy, she learns so much more about herself and about the dangers that her world holds for her. Trying to balance school-work, an erratic attraction towards two strangers, one being her bound Barron, and all the while sneaking about the Academy, is definitely something Kaya can't handle. As her determination to be able to fight grows rapidly, so do her skills. But there are foreboding consequences that someone like Kaya can't even imagine, and all she understands is that she must never get found out. But with shadows lurking everywhere, traitors watching your every step, and deaths of fellow students popping up out of nowhere, Kaya will need all her courage to handle the worst of the truths and the best of the opponents.
The main character Kaya is someone you'd get to like as you read more about her, and as the book moves along. She does have those tiny tendencies of her that annoyed me and which I will be getting to later, but for now let's concentrate on her pros. In the beginning of the book, I never pegged Kaya as someone who was either brave or courageous. This made sense because she was born a healer and none of those qualities mentioned above were required from her. There were also some scenes in the first couple of chapters that made me cringe and think, oh no...not another damsel in distress, this girl needs to stop making wide eyes, freezing, and squealing at moments of panic. But I have to say she sure did redeem herself by the end of the book. She showed that she's not a coward and she wants to learn how to fight and not just stand in the sidelines and watch people fight. Brownie points from me there people. And by the end she was even handing some of the best warriors in the academy their asses; by that point, I was already out of my seat cheering her on. Kaya showed tremendous growth throughout the novel. I have very little to say about her....cons. The reason she annoyed be was because of her cheesy relationship to the Barron she was bound to at her school. Just because he's cute, warm, sweet, and gives you roses doesn't mean there's a requirement that you should love him, and forget about finding someone you want to actually be with. She could've done better (*wink wink* she does do better by the end, heehee).
Yes, I am very very verrrry, NOT pleased to say there is a love triangle, and no, not one that particularly appealed to my taste. Probably because, as I said before, it's simple, I just did not like the Barron she was bound to. He was too sweet, and even though he wasn't supposed to be portrayed as a snob, he kind of came across to me that way. One major flaw about him that made me want to choke him, lol, was his occasional shows of possessiveness. It's like he didn't want Kaya near anyone just because she was bound to him. I'm not like Kaya, I'm not going to think that the way he's acting is common, because it shouldn't be. He needs to back off a little. The other love interest is much better. I'm on his team, and will be for the rest of the books to come. I felt like Kaya had way more chemistry with him than she did with her Barron. He might have been a bit jerky at first, but I'd take jerky over sickeningly sweet any day.
Soulbound by Heather Brewer was refreshing but the writing style wasn't close to being flawless at all. I feel like with more practice, and more detail, this book could've made it to my favorites list. I still adored the whole plot of this story and loved the new ideas that Brewer has created and put into her debut novel. And I will be looking forward to reading the next book in the series, and hoping that next time, it will definitely take it's place onto my favorites list.
Our main character Kaya has been kept hidden since she was a child, by her parents, who never want her to face the burdens they did when they were younger. Kaya knows she's a healer, and that she has a Barron out there that was soulbound to her, but she knows that person is gone ever since she was a child. But Barrons and healing never really mattered to Kaya as she grew up in a common village surrounded by the 'normal' people who have no real idea that's there more to the world then they're used to. But everything changes for Kaya when her best friend gets hurt, and she receives an ominous letter from the Academy that her parents had attended, and had never wanted Kaya to step foot into. But the options offered to Kaya are very limited, and in the end, she has no choice but to except her fate as a healer. When she arrives at the Academy, she learns so much more about herself and about the dangers that her world holds for her. Trying to balance school-work, an erratic attraction towards two strangers, one being her bound Barron, and all the while sneaking about the Academy, is definitely something Kaya can't handle. As her determination to be able to fight grows rapidly, so do her skills. But there are foreboding consequences that someone like Kaya can't even imagine, and all she understands is that she must never get found out. But with shadows lurking everywhere, traitors watching your every step, and deaths of fellow students popping up out of nowhere, Kaya will need all her courage to handle the worst of the truths and the best of the opponents.
The main character Kaya is someone you'd get to like as you read more about her, and as the book moves along. She does have those tiny tendencies of her that annoyed me and which I will be getting to later, but for now let's concentrate on her pros. In the beginning of the book, I never pegged Kaya as someone who was either brave or courageous. This made sense because she was born a healer and none of those qualities mentioned above were required from her. There were also some scenes in the first couple of chapters that made me cringe and think, oh no...not another damsel in distress, this girl needs to stop making wide eyes, freezing, and squealing at moments of panic. But I have to say she sure did redeem herself by the end of the book. She showed that she's not a coward and she wants to learn how to fight and not just stand in the sidelines and watch people fight. Brownie points from me there people. And by the end she was even handing some of the best warriors in the academy their asses; by that point, I was already out of my seat cheering her on. Kaya showed tremendous growth throughout the novel. I have very little to say about her....cons. The reason she annoyed be was because of her cheesy relationship to the Barron she was bound to at her school. Just because he's cute, warm, sweet, and gives you roses doesn't mean there's a requirement that you should love him, and forget about finding someone you want to actually be with. She could've done better (*wink wink* she does do better by the end, heehee).
Yes, I am very very verrrry, NOT pleased to say there is a love triangle, and no, not one that particularly appealed to my taste. Probably because, as I said before, it's simple, I just did not like the Barron she was bound to. He was too sweet, and even though he wasn't supposed to be portrayed as a snob, he kind of came across to me that way. One major flaw about him that made me want to choke him, lol, was his occasional shows of possessiveness. It's like he didn't want Kaya near anyone just because she was bound to him. I'm not like Kaya, I'm not going to think that the way he's acting is common, because it shouldn't be. He needs to back off a little. The other love interest is much better. I'm on his team, and will be for the rest of the books to come. I felt like Kaya had way more chemistry with him than she did with her Barron. He might have been a bit jerky at first, but I'd take jerky over sickeningly sweet any day.
Soulbound by Heather Brewer was refreshing but the writing style wasn't close to being flawless at all. I feel like with more practice, and more detail, this book could've made it to my favorites list. I still adored the whole plot of this story and loved the new ideas that Brewer has created and put into her debut novel. And I will be looking forward to reading the next book in the series, and hoping that next time, it will definitely take it's place onto my favorites list.
September 3, 2023
This is 4.5 for me and I have to say that I enjoyed it but it makes me mad! There is so much left unexplained and I need to know the answers, but that won’t be happening because the author didn’t deem this series fit for continuation. I just hate when that happens. I really need to know what’s supposed to happen and I have many questions!😫😤
Rant over with for now…
Rant over with for now…
September 5, 2019
I was like 60% into this book when I realised the sequel was dropped and I was 60% into this book when I realised we were going to have rushed, cliff hanger ending.
The book has no basis, no explanations and is full of plot holes.
I did not like Kaya. Who I thought would you a badass female is a actually a mess. It's like Brewer couldn't they wanted from the lead character so you got a very messy character who was unlikable.
Then you have you male leads, one a precious golden boy, one respect but broody outsider...you just know where this is going.
The book has no basis, no explanations and is full of plot holes.
I did not like Kaya. Who I thought would you a badass female is a actually a mess. It's like Brewer couldn't they wanted from the lead character so you got a very messy character who was unlikable.
Then you have you male leads, one a precious golden boy, one respect but broody outsider...you just know where this is going.
December 16, 2020
From start to finish an incredible book!! It has just about everything. Action, suspense, a little romance as well. Redefines the difference between fighting & fighting for what's right...Can't wait to read Soulbroken!!
October 16, 2017
Ms. Brewer tried to create the new Rose Hathaway with Kaya. She did not succeed.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book...but it's not an epic one either. I was expecting a corrupt government, a mysterious boarding school, an intricate world, creative worldbuilding, a steamy romance and nonstop action and intrigue (that run-on sentence tho). What I got was just about every YA cliche imaginable.
You've got a "sassy" main character who is sent to a boarding school and immediately meets (or in this book's case, bonds) with a gorgeous heartthrob who says all the right things and is so disgustingly sweet you want to throw up and "awwwwww" at the same time. Then you've got the super mysterious (yet hawt) jerkwad guy who our "sassy" main character keeps claiming to hate. Yeah, sure. If you hate him so much then why are you drooling over his abs?Exactly.
So now we've got an unnecessary love triangle. Yay. As if there aren't already a million of those out there. Anyways, we've also got this Graplar King I think. King Darrek?I haven't read this in a while so I don' really remember. Anywho, he dosen't appear at all in this book and is only mentioned a couple of times so I can't even count him as a villain or an antagonist. Was he supposed to be the Voldemort of this book?The Valentine?The Viktor Dashkov?The lame antagonist (can we even call her an antagonist?) we got was so weak that I found myself so bored and just trying to get it over with as I read the last few chapters because it was like Ms. Brewer just said,"oh, I forgot to put in a villain I better just pick a random character and turn her into the villain. Oh yes, she'll be perfect since she and Kaya don't like each other. None of those dumb readers will ever guess who it is!"
No, Ms. Brewer, of course we won't because of how stupid it was to choose her. Why her?It would've been a good twist if it had been Trayton letting in the Graplars or Darius. I think it would have been more interesting if Kaya found one of them tampering with the gate or whatever and then trying to act all casual. Maybe it was the principal dude whatever his name was. HE would have made a far better antagonist since I already don't like him and he seems sketchy asf to me.
Now, onto the characters.
Kaya: typical main character who's independent and attempts to be cool or awesome or sassy like Rose Hathaway and Isabelle Lightwood. She fails miserably.
Darius: a mixture of Dimitri Belikov (to me) and William Herondale (again, to me). Not his own character, just a carbon copy of the "jerk who's secretly a sweetheart guy" in books. You know the guy I'm talking about, don't pretend like you don't.
Trayton: annoying asf. He was a total sweerheart yeah but too much of a goody-goody. Maybe I just like bad boys a little too much. Whatever. He was just boring to me.
Maddox: a pretty interesting character actually. I would have rather read a book about her than Kaya in all honesty.
Now, the plot.
What plot?Ms. Brewer was so caught up in her steamy romance novel that she forgot about the plot various times during the book and had to sprinkle in little things here and there to remind you that this is still a fantasy book. Yeah. Sure.
The worldbuilding.
Que?If you wanted another Middle Earth, Wizarding World, or Narnia you're gonna have to keep looking. Something about an Outer Rim (that I didn't understand) was explained after spending half the book just having to imagine a cool new world myself instead of picturing Tril, the world Ms. Brewer has created. Besides that, there is no world. Tril is...I don't know. Is it another planet?Is it a completely different world, universe?Is Tril some sort of alternate universe?
Sigh. I wanted a new heroine to look up to like Rose, Izzy, Clary Fray, and Sydney Sage. I wanted a new fictional boyfriend like Adrian Ivashkov, Jace Herondale, Simon Lewis, and Dimirti Belikov. I wanted a new world that I could daydream about living in. I wanted a fantasy story that took cliches - love triangle, boarding school, - and twisted them around and put a new spin on them. Why can't we have a villain main character for once like in the Young Elites?Why can't one of our MCs love interests be evil or something?Or maybe not have everyone look like supermodels?I don't know.
I still give it three stars. All of my nitpicking aside Soulbound wasn't a terrible book - I just think that Brewer could've done much better ya know?Focused a bit more on character development, worldbuilding, and plot?I'll read the second book if I can find it, to see if it gets better or not.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book...but it's not an epic one either. I was expecting a corrupt government, a mysterious boarding school, an intricate world, creative worldbuilding, a steamy romance and nonstop action and intrigue (that run-on sentence tho). What I got was just about every YA cliche imaginable.
You've got a "sassy" main character who is sent to a boarding school and immediately meets (or in this book's case, bonds) with a gorgeous heartthrob who says all the right things and is so disgustingly sweet you want to throw up and "awwwwww" at the same time. Then you've got the super mysterious (yet hawt) jerkwad guy who our "sassy" main character keeps claiming to hate. Yeah, sure. If you hate him so much then why are you drooling over his abs?Exactly.
So now we've got an unnecessary love triangle. Yay. As if there aren't already a million of those out there. Anyways, we've also got this Graplar King I think. King Darrek?I haven't read this in a while so I don' really remember. Anywho, he dosen't appear at all in this book and is only mentioned a couple of times so I can't even count him as a villain or an antagonist. Was he supposed to be the Voldemort of this book?The Valentine?The Viktor Dashkov?The lame antagonist (can we even call her an antagonist?) we got was so weak that I found myself so bored and just trying to get it over with as I read the last few chapters because it was like Ms. Brewer just said,"oh, I forgot to put in a villain I better just pick a random character and turn her into the villain. Oh yes, she'll be perfect since she and Kaya don't like each other. None of those dumb readers will ever guess who it is!"
No, Ms. Brewer, of course we won't because of how stupid it was to choose her. Why her?It would've been a good twist if it had been Trayton letting in the Graplars or Darius. I think it would have been more interesting if Kaya found one of them tampering with the gate or whatever and then trying to act all casual. Maybe it was the principal dude whatever his name was. HE would have made a far better antagonist since I already don't like him and he seems sketchy asf to me.
Now, onto the characters.
Kaya: typical main character who's independent and attempts to be cool or awesome or sassy like Rose Hathaway and Isabelle Lightwood. She fails miserably.
Darius: a mixture of Dimitri Belikov (to me) and William Herondale (again, to me). Not his own character, just a carbon copy of the "jerk who's secretly a sweetheart guy" in books. You know the guy I'm talking about, don't pretend like you don't.
Trayton: annoying asf. He was a total sweerheart yeah but too much of a goody-goody. Maybe I just like bad boys a little too much. Whatever. He was just boring to me.
Maddox: a pretty interesting character actually. I would have rather read a book about her than Kaya in all honesty.
Now, the plot.
What plot?Ms. Brewer was so caught up in her steamy romance novel that she forgot about the plot various times during the book and had to sprinkle in little things here and there to remind you that this is still a fantasy book. Yeah. Sure.
The worldbuilding.
Que?If you wanted another Middle Earth, Wizarding World, or Narnia you're gonna have to keep looking. Something about an Outer Rim (that I didn't understand) was explained after spending half the book just having to imagine a cool new world myself instead of picturing Tril, the world Ms. Brewer has created. Besides that, there is no world. Tril is...I don't know. Is it another planet?Is it a completely different world, universe?Is Tril some sort of alternate universe?
Sigh. I wanted a new heroine to look up to like Rose, Izzy, Clary Fray, and Sydney Sage. I wanted a new fictional boyfriend like Adrian Ivashkov, Jace Herondale, Simon Lewis, and Dimirti Belikov. I wanted a new world that I could daydream about living in. I wanted a fantasy story that took cliches - love triangle, boarding school, - and twisted them around and put a new spin on them. Why can't we have a villain main character for once like in the Young Elites?Why can't one of our MCs love interests be evil or something?Or maybe not have everyone look like supermodels?I don't know.
I still give it three stars. All of my nitpicking aside Soulbound wasn't a terrible book - I just think that Brewer could've done much better ya know?Focused a bit more on character development, worldbuilding, and plot?I'll read the second book if I can find it, to see if it gets better or not.
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