I grew up reading Z Brewer and let me tell ya... they definitely influenced my reading. I haven't ever forgotten Z Brewer, and I was so lucky to find Soulbound hidden among the books on my TBR in my house. I jumped at the chance to go back into the worlds that Z crafted and be reminded how much I love their YA books.

Soulbound has broken my heart because I don't have the sequel! And I need it! I adored this book even if it had a bit of insta-love that felt forced, but hey... it's a YA book! And I used to eat up that insta-love stuff when this came out so it's hardly a problem. A magical world where people have special powers, fall in love with each other, and have to kill big, epic monsters? Sounds about right up my alley! And Z/Heather did an incredible job of making the world building feel oh so real.

Tril feels like a place I would have seen driving by on a long trip, and Kaya feels very relatable. She's torn between wanting to be herself and saving her family, she's torn between two men who've entered her life and could help her be safe. She's also torn in her friendships and how to make sure everyone is safe. Being a special teenage girl is hard in these fantasy/dystopia books!

Kaya being a sarcastic, butt-kicking healer is exactly what I needed. I also am going to ship her to not by with Trayton because that boy just gives me red flags and bad vibes. Let's go for the hunky man who is teaching her to fight. That sounds way more fun.

If you want a nostalgic trip back to 2010s young adult books, grab this book! It's a fun ride if you don't take it too seriously (or if you just really love YA and understand it's not supposed to be extremely serious).

Four out of five stars! ( )

I'd wanted to read this for about three years, and now, I'm in limbo for the sequel. ARAGH!!!!!! I enjoyed the heck out of this fantasy, need it in my library, and know several of my students who would love it, too. The heroine is strong, feisty, not in it for love, but family. If love comes, she's not opposed to it, but it's certainly not her mission. Fak, is their favorite curse word, making me think of the new Battle Star Galatica. Lots of world building and frustrating society rules that need changing. Love Heather Brewer, wonder if she'd consider self publishing the sequel? ( )

This book showed promise, but it desperately needed a better editor. There were sections where the characters just rambled and several grammatical errors throughout.

The societal norms present in this book were quite aggravating and annoyed me to no end. Why the hell would you send out people with ZERO training to fight in battles? Especially since you claim that those lives are valuable. I applaud Kaya for fighting against that.

That brings me to point number two about this book: Kaya. I liked her for the most part, but holy hell she was annoying at times. mouthing off to everyone and turning to yelling almost immediately when arguing.

The idea of the bond between Healers and Barrons is rather interesting and made me decide to carry on with the series, especially after seeing that ending scene. ( )

This book showed promise, but it desperately needed a better editor. There were sections where the characters just rambled and several grammatical errors throughout.

The societal norms present in this book were quite aggravating and annoyed me to no end. Why the hell would you send out people with ZERO training to fight in battles? Especially since you claim that those lives are valuable. I applaud Kaya for fighting against that.

That brings me to point number two about this book: Kaya. I liked her for the most part, but holy hell she was annoying at times. mouthing off to everyone and turning to yelling almost immediately when arguing.

The idea of the bond between Healers and Barrons is rather interesting and made me decide to carry on with the series, especially after seeing that ending scene. ( )

I had some issues with this book, but I wound up really enjoying it and looking forward to the sequel. Kaya is a Healer who is forced into a boarding school for Healers and Barrons. Every Healer is soulbound/bound to a Barron. Healers are subservient and must assist their Barron in battle. Kaya, having grown up with two Barrons as parents wants to learn to fight, but that is against protocol. There are monsters somehow getting into their school and Kaya wants to protect herself.

The storyline and love triangle are a tad predictable, but there are some surprises that make it worth reading. I wanted the story to be more high fantasy, rather than this weird mix of high school drama and fantasy. I thought the made up language that only applied to cursing was weird. I'd rather the made up language appear in other situations to really make the world believable. Overall the book is a page tuner that I finished quickly. I will probably read the sequel, Soulbroken when it comes out next year. ( )