Sign in with Facebook
Lula's Reviews > Soulhome
Soulhome (The Weirkey Chronicles, #1)
by
by
This book explored some pretty fascinating ideas, but overall just missed the mark for me. It could've been amazing, and instead, it was just ok.
The concept of a soulhome is incredibly unique and has unmeasurable potential for worldbuilding; through cultures, fighting style, commerce, hierarchy, etc. The execution of that idea, however, was painfully lackluster. There wasn't enough explanation of the mechanics and base functionality of the soulhome. We glossed over the absorption of the divine materials, and what little detail we got felt half-baked and disconnected to any believable concept. This lack of depth and reasoning spanned the entire length of the story, becoming more and more frustrating as the magic system continued to make less and less sense.
That is my main gripe with Soulhome, but it isn't the only issue, unfortunately.
Characters are the true star of any story; their development, desires, motives, relationships—all come together to create a personality that a reader wants to follow. Theo was not the type of character that I, at least, as a reader, want to follow. He had all this supposed backstory and experience over who knows how many years, but he often came off as a moody teenager; petulant, all-knowing, and antisocial. The two "friends" he made by the end of this book would've been more interesting to follow than him (Fiyu, especially). He was unlikeable, and while not every protagonist needs to be a charismatic knight in shining armor, they must be fascinating enough (whether morbidly or genuinely) to inspire SOME emotion in the reader. The only thing I felt for Theo was bland, bordering on antipathy.
In the end, I started this book with high hopes, endured this book for the promising concept, and will be abandoning this series for its absence of polish or care.
I think this author is talented, and I wouldn't be opposed to reading more from them in the future, but it would be unfair for me to continue this series, knowing that more less-than-glowing reviews are in store should I continue. The people who like it like it, and the people who don't, don't.
The concept of a soulhome is incredibly unique and has unmeasurable potential for worldbuilding; through cultures, fighting style, commerce, hierarchy, etc. The execution of that idea, however, was painfully lackluster. There wasn't enough explanation of the mechanics and base functionality of the soulhome. We glossed over the absorption of the divine materials, and what little detail we got felt half-baked and disconnected to any believable concept. This lack of depth and reasoning spanned the entire length of the story, becoming more and more frustrating as the magic system continued to make less and less sense.
That is my main gripe with Soulhome, but it isn't the only issue, unfortunately.
Characters are the true star of any story; their development, desires, motives, relationships—all come together to create a personality that a reader wants to follow. Theo was not the type of character that I, at least, as a reader, want to follow. He had all this supposed backstory and experience over who knows how many years, but he often came off as a moody teenager; petulant, all-knowing, and antisocial. The two "friends" he made by the end of this book would've been more interesting to follow than him (Fiyu, especially). He was unlikeable, and while not every protagonist needs to be a charismatic knight in shining armor, they must be fascinating enough (whether morbidly or genuinely) to inspire SOME emotion in the reader. The only thing I felt for Theo was bland, bordering on antipathy.
In the end, I started this book with high hopes, endured this book for the promising concept, and will be abandoning this series for its absence of polish or care.
I think this author is talented, and I wouldn't be opposed to reading more from them in the future, but it would be unfair for me to continue this series, knowing that more less-than-glowing reviews are in store should I continue. The people who like it like it, and the people who don't, don't.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Soulhome.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
January 8, 2022
– Shelved as:
to-read
January 8, 2022
– Shelved
February 9, 2022
–
Started Reading
February 11, 2022
–
Finished Reading
