Soul Survivor

Spirit Shield Saga, #0 Prequel

Susan Faw

Self-Pub, Aug 2016

Kindle, 102 Pages

Also available in paperback, audiobook

Genre(s) Fantasy/Mythology

Source Author’s newsletter

Other books in this series

Seer of Souls #1, Soul Sanctuary #2, Soul Sacrifice #3

My Disclaimer:

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book. I am voluntarily providing an honest review in which all opinions are fully my own. I am not being compensated in any way.

~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review

What it’s about…

While King Caerwyn has been worried about the Primordials outside his castle gates, it’s really his siblings he should have been keeping a close eye on.

Alfreda would do anything to support Caerwyn. And the people love their queen. Artio has chosen a human to share her immortal life with. The ritual will require they use the full power of the moon tonight. Helga has been making plans to send them all into eternity and have all the rewards for herself. She’s tired of always getting the dead people.

Hud is just the King’s body servant. His son, Mordecai, holds the Box of Balance. Can they carry out the King’s orders?

How long does an Immortal live?

Technical Tidbits…

The cover is both eye-catching and relevant to the story. Yay!

The storyline is pretty simple for all the twisting of the characters.

The characters are all quite shallow, but we don’t need to get to know them for this plot. This would be a better play than a book.

The pace was choppy.

The tension was pretty good. You just kept yourself braced for whatever these nasty little godlings might come up with next.

And this is where you STOP if you don’t want to see any SPOILERS…

The good, the bad, and the ugly…and how much it lit up my life… ✰✰✰✰

Initially, the King seems like a pretty grand personage, but then his sister Alfreda shows up and is so small, graceful, and glamorous that Caerwyn looks like a clod beside her. He feels like one, too. Then he takes off to deal with the little godling siblings and you’re supposed to think of him as a great warrior again? No. That whole business with comparing the two older siblings sort of wore the shine off Caerwyn and I didn’t have the same sort of confidence in him as I did in the beginning. I think that was a mistake. The comparison should have been to make him seem bigger and stronger rather than a clod. In spite of that comparison, I did like the relationship between the two. I would have liked to see more of their interactions, but the characters were so shallow that there wasn’t much of that sort of thing.

There wasn’t much interplay between Caerwyn and Hud, either. And Hud is the one he hands it all to later on. You’d think that their relationship would have been shown to be a bit warmer or closer. Were we supposed to assume a closer relationship because the King knew about his son? All of a sudden, the silent servant is full of gab and sharing his life story with the King? I felt their relationship really needed more support for what happens later. Not any long conversation, but sort of a few words here and there tossed between them like an ongoing communication between two people on the same wavelength. Then what happened later would have made more sense. Some indication that they were close in some way other than Hud gets Caerwyn into his clothes and armor each day and takes him out of them each night. A distant servant relationship.

I still can’t figure out what Calleigh, Genii’s mother was up to. First, she’s helping Artio and Genii to cast the spells and such for their ritual to bind his soul to Artio’s and make him as close to an Immortal as possible. Second, she’s helping Helga do her nasty stuff. Whose side is Calleigh on? Then she tells Caerwyn what’s happening, basically. They all rush nicely into Helga’s traps. And they all have to stand there and listen while Helga cackles about how smart and superior she was than they were. How now she’s going to have her piece of the world.

I would have loved to have seen the scene on a movie screen of Caerwyn bestowing his powers on Hud and then the responsibility on Mordecai. Then their leave-taking. I think that is well-done. All the way to the end. The ending is what hooks you into wanting to read the series. Mordecai is such an enchanting little character that he draws you in and it’s almost as if he’s motioning you to follow him for the next adventure.

I don’t like short books. I don’t like prequels. This is only 102 pages. But I recommend it and suggest you try the next book based on what I read here. I will probably read the next one, too. Mordecai thinks I should.

841 wc