I’ve been looking for a pirate book for a while now and Soulgazer is it! We love a reckless hero who wants to be the best story and someone who is searching for her own path. Keep reading this book review of Soulgazer for my full thoughts.
Summary
Saoirse yearns to be powerless. Cursed from childhood with a volatile magic, she’s managed to imprison it within, living under constant terror that one day it will break free. And it does, changing everything.
Horrified at her loss of control, Saoirse’s parents offer her hand to the cold and ruthless Stone King. Knowing she’ll never survive such a cruel man, Saoirse realizes there is only one path forward…she must break her curse.
On the eve of her wedding, Saoirse seeks out the legendary Wolf of the Wild—Faolan, a feral, silver-tongued pirate. He swears to help rid her of the deadly magic, if she’ll use it to locate a lost mythical isle first. Crafted by the slaughtered gods, it’s the only land that could absorb her power.
But Saoirse knows better than to trust a pirate’s word. With the wrath of her disgraced father and scorned betrothed chasing them, Saoirse adds one last condition to protect if Faolan wants her on his ship, he’ll have to marry her first.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
All I knew going into Soulgazer was to never trust a pirate and that there was a scorned fiance. And that was enough to get me utterly bewitched. Soulgazer has some beautiful character work balanced by a high seas adventure soaked world. Let’s start with Faolan. He’s a legend. He’s used to being the stuff of myth, mystery, and illusions. And he’s chasing this high, this unknowable quality. But when he meets Saoirse – the answer to one of the biggest mysteries, the key to the next legendary story – his whole life changes. Because not only does he get drawn into her orbit, he might have to realize you can only run from the man behind the legend for so long.
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Saoirse’s whole life she’s been reviled, scorned by everyone who should have loved her, and haunted by this curse. Soulgazer is her story. It’s a story about not only going off on her own, but realizing her own power even if it’s not what she thought it was. She’s so used to the pain of cutting herself away, people who have never loved her as she is, and have always demanded a love of boxes. The obedience they demand. When she meets Faolon who has notches on his bedpost and stories to be sung about in taverns, she doesn’t want to be just another chapter. She can’t stand to be the punchline, the bridge in a song. With her presence, she sees the truth and horror behind the legends.
Soulgazer explores the importance of myths, the creation of legends, and the power of dreams. It’s definitely swoony, but at its core it’s a story about choices. The power of choosing ourselves. To realize what a sacrifice is when we choose it versus when it is demanded of us. It’s about freedom and the cages we build for each other and ourselves. Find Soulgazer on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.