The story follows Reia, lone survivor of her family’s brutal murder at the hands of a bunch of demons turned sacrifice by the local townspeople, who plan to offer her to the Duskwalker to rid them of her bad juju and to ensure their protection from the demons who terrorize them nightly.

The book is long, and I struggled with that too. I think some of the side ‘danger’ could have been cut a bit (for me). The world that Reyne has created is gorgeously rich and intriguing and builds on lore that is mixed with hints of known mythology and new expanses that have been, meticulously crafted. It left me wanting to know more about the lore behind not only the characters but also the creatures and world around them. The sex (surprisingly?) which was described in a way that sounded painful rather than hot. Rearranging someone's guts... metaphorically is fine... but literally? Jeez Louise, no thanks!This is not like those boring old fantasy books from the past. This doesn't have mindnumbing world building, or multiple family units with names you can't pronounce, a confusing magic system or generic bad guys.

He’d thought it was a hopeless endeavour, until he met her. She’s not afraid of him, and his insatiable desire deepens within every moment of her presence. If I erase this part of the story from my mind, I loved the book. I can’t wait to learn more about the unnamed Duskwalker, and I will be reading the rest of the series with hopes that a situation like the one above isn’t repeated. And yet, for some reason, Katerina is still jealously possessive of Orpheus and reminds Reia that she's "just a replacement." Her character exists only to make Orpheus sad and to make Reia look better by comparison, and she has no consistency. Even worse, Reia has the audacity to be JEALOUS of Katerina for being Orpheus's first partner, despite knowing that Katerina is so traumatized from her experiences that she wants to kill Orpheus. She's portrayed as some slutty, greedy ex-girlfriend who abandoned poor unloved Orpheus when she's actually just a survivor of some horrific kidnapping and assault who's turned her life around with a new partner who treats her better. Known as a harbinger of bad omens and blamed for Demons eating her family, Reia is shunned by her entire village. When the next offering is due and the monstrous Duskwalker is seen heading their way, her village offers her an impossible choice – be thrown into the prison cells or allow herself to be sacrificed to a faceless monster.I was having a decent time for most of the book. The dynamic between Orpheus and Reia is interesting (we know he won't eat her, but he sure gets close to it), and it was fun to see which parts of The Ancient Magus' Bride the author decided to work into the story and what world-building was original. The pacing was a little slow and claustrophobic for my taste, though. I just want to say—most of the novel was enjoyable. Watching Orpheus try so hard to give Reia everything she wanted was so sweet, and his petty jealousy with the other Duskwalker was adorable. He was so caring toward her, even in the moments the beast took over, and he wanted to kill her. There was never a dull moment, (well apart from the dreaded traveling) it was one adventure after another. I liked the addition of secondary characters be they good or bad. My favorites were the other mavka, the bookshop keeper and of course the witch owl. I’m super curious about her and I hope we get more of her in future books. While Reia was out here living her monster lover dreams, Katerina was surviving a supernatural true crime horror nightmare. Reia got to experience Orpheus after he's learned from his 18 other failed relationships. Katerina was his first, and therefore the one who experienced Orpheus at his least humane, at his most dangerous. I guess it would've made the romance too uncomfortable if Katerina was given the grace to actually express how awful it was to be trapped in that relationship with him, fearing that saying no would mean her death. A Soul to Keep is reminiscent of Beauty & The Beast except with charming Duskwalkers and bloodthirsty demons.

Orpheus is adorable with his determination to provide Reia with anything she could possibly need. His loneliness and fear that he will lose Reia, as he has lost so many before, is heartbreaking. His need to keep her safe and happy overcame even his most basic hunter instincts. I loved how he eventually felt secure about Reia and her feelings for him. But I am shameless enough to admit I read alllll the sex, which was interesting to say the least lol.

Customer reviews

Reia was a joy to get to know. Despite having a horrible life before Orpheus she remained pragmatic and future focussed. I found it amusing that she didn't want to admit to her feelings for Orpheus and kept talking herself out of leaving by making very lame excuses. I think I would try another book from this author but maybe this particular series isn’t going to be exactly what I want. I think if you want some weird/unique monster creatures then definitely give this one a try! And what is that?” she sobbed, her heart breaking further for him. Her tears finally fell, dripping from the corners of her eyes to run over her temples and into her hair. Ladies, just because your man treats you nicely doesn't mean that his ex, who is still dealing with PTSD from being his first partner, is evil.