Soulhome by Sarah Lin is the first book in the Weirkey Chronicles series, introducing readers to the main protagonist, Theo, who is a complex character with a bitter soul on a quest for vengeance. The story follows Theo's journey as he navigates the Nine Worlds, dealing with betrayal, loss, and the challenge of rebuilding his strength and power. The book features a unique magic system where power is gained by constructing a house inside one's soul using materials from the Nine World, offering a fresh take on the cultivation genre. Sarah Lin's writing style is described as clean and imaginative, with a focus on character development and world-building, making the story engaging and intriguing for readers.
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From The Publisher:
Betrayed. Murdered. Reborn. One last chance, to make it right. Theo's adventure ended with his mentor's hands around his neck. The betrayal cost him his friends, allies and everything he had built... but not his life. Though broken and powerless, Theo has one last chance to enter the Nine Worlds, wielding the knowledge and expertise of his first life. This time, he needs more than just power, he needs to unravel the deception that killed him once... and is coming for him again.
Reborn in the world of Tatian, the odds are stacked against Theo this time. Demons are crawling from the darkness, inter-dimensional travelers are working against him, and a shadowy conspiracy lies in wait to destroy him. Theo has a plan to gather allies and regain his power, but weakened from his rebirth, he'll have to survive long enough to enact it.
Sarah Lin is the bestselling author of Street Cultivation, the critically acclaimed The Brightest Shadow, and several other completed works. Soulhome is the first book in her newest series.
Ratings (41)
Incredible (4) | |
Loved It (7) | |
Liked It (11) | |
It Was OK (8) | |
Did Not Like (10) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (66):
Read It (34) | |
Currently Reading (3) | |
Want To Read (17) | |
Did Not Finish (9) | |
Not Interested (3) |
3 comment(s)
Amazing magic system with interesting main and side characters. Still waiting for the next book to release though.
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.
Could not get passed the lack of explanation as to why anyone would ever use an inferior "blueprint". What made the MC special and what kept every other character in the book from doing the exact same as the MC?
What can you read after
Soulhome?
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