Guest Book Review: Robin’s Take on Wayward Soul by L.D. Greenwood
Please welcome our guest reviewer today! Let’s see what she has to say. Take it away, Robin…
Thank you! ♥
Wayward Soul by L.D. Greenwood
I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.
Wayward Soul, by L.D. Greenwood, is a paranormal romance about finding yourself and remembering your loved ones in the face of tragedy. After finding out her little sister, Jana, had traded her soul to a siekawa named Drekvic, Ellie Alwood must journey to the world of the dead to free her soul. Along the way, she meets a soul collector named Chester who agrees to help her after Fate asks (orders) him to. Soon, Ellie finds herself braving the world of the dead and realizes that there’s more to Jana, and to herself, than she thought.
I absolutely adored how Greenwood centers her characters around family. Immediately, Ellie and Drekvic are alike in their obsessions. Although they find more comfort in the powers they already have, they’re still attached to their old lives. The past cradles them. No matter what they may say, they’ll stop at nothing to ensure the safety of their loved ones and to know that they’re happy, even if it’s not with them. Chester is also a good example of this; his backstory was heartbreaking, but it’s satisfying to know that not all the dead are lost. That compassion can extend into the afterlife is reassuring, regardless of how many lies we tell ourselves. I was relieved when Greenwood didn’t force a romance between Ellie and Chester. For Ellie to continue thinking about the memory of Chester’s family, as well as his wife, speaks volumes to her maturity. She has a lot of kindness for someone who is clearly still grieving, which many romance protagonists lack.
I appreciate the concept of Fate being this mischievous goddess character. Practitioners, especially the ones I know, like to think of women as these no-nonsense guides who will help anyone who asks. Nope. No. Even if her intentions are pure, Fate likes screwing people around. Even when she helps Ellie she screws with her. What happened at the end is, I believe, Fate is still screwing with Ellie because she likes it too much. Sure, she could go back to her partner, but she is in a perpetual state of boredom, and as such, likes to make Ellie’s life so very difficult.
There were times when I felt Ellie’s character didn’t match the story’s atmosphere. True, Ellie is navigating a completely different world, but in certain situations, she feels more like a teenager rather than an adult. I also wish there was more romantic tension between Ellie and Chester; Drekvic was laying it on thick, and unfortunately, it appeared as a creepy one-sided attraction more than anything. He’s like the overly dramatic emo kid constantly badgering you to pay attention to him. It’s cute but annoying.
Overall, this was a solid story. I would’ve loved to see more romance from the characters. But the world-building was good, and the relationships, intimate or not, provided a great foundation for a cozy paranormal thriller. As such, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.
Book Blurb:
Ellie Alwood is the most powerful witch of her generation, but she’s never faced anything like this: finding Jana, her younger sister, dead with a shadowy figure stealing her soul.
Consumed by grief and desperate to save her sister’s afterlife, Ellie makes a deal with the devil: Jana’s soul in exchange for a reaper’s magical stone. Despite having the ability to pierce the veil, stealing from a reaper is almost impossible.
But she has to try.
Even in death, family always comes first.
Wayward Soul is the first book in The Wayward Gods Trilogy. It’s an urban fantasy story of magic, suspense, and family bonds that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
Universal Reader link: https://books2read.com/u/m2JeW7
Here’s an excerpt from the book…
I reached for the light-switch, but the faintest whiff of an unfamiliar scent made me hesitate. Jana didn’t need me to protect her, but the scent coming to me from the dark living room was metallic; it reminded me of blood.
My heart started beating faster, and I resisted the urge to call out. Jana was fine. She had to be fine. She was a witch, and as such, she could protect herself. Besides, I was a witch too, and I wouldn’t be afraid in my own home.
Holding fast to that confidence, I reached out and flicked the switch. The beige carpet was red, drenched with blood, and so was my sister.
She was strewn across the floor, her limbs all akimbo. Her blonde hair was spread out in a perfect half-moon, around her face. It was draped over her outstretched arm, but it couldn’t hide the deep cuts on her forearm, running from her elbow to her wrist. The cuts were so deep that I could see hints of white bone.
From where I stood at the threshold, the girl’s face was hidden from me, but I’d recognize Jana’s lithe form anywhere. I took a step forward involuntarily, my heart aching with a pain that I hadn’t yet acknowledged.
I don’t know how long I stood there with my heart beating loudly in my ears and the edges of my vision going black, but eventually I realized I wasn’t alone with Jana’s body. There was a presence in the back corner, hugging the shadows and trying to stay unobtrusive, as it put something in a bottle.
I looked up, and found myself staring into the eyes of a man. No, it wasn’t a man. It was a siekewa, a soul dealer. He was carefully dropping a silvery substance into a dark vial. Each movement was practiced, and even though I’d never seen a soul’s energy without a body before, I knew it exactly for what it was.
Immediately, I reached for the magic stored in the sapphire ring on my right hand. The power burned through me, strengthened by my fear. “Let go of my sister’s soul, you monster!” I shouted, moving forward and holding my now-glowing hands in front of me.
It looked at me in surprise. Its blue eyes were icy, and the color seemed to spread the chill into my bones. I pulled more power out of my ring, burning the death from his gaze out of my lungs.
It looked like a man, but I tried not to think of him as one. He was beautiful in his surprise, his sculpted face almost seeming a mask. His mouth was a perfect “O” and his long lashes were dark against his alabaster skin.
“You can see me,” he mused, his hands curling around the black bottle that was glowing faintly. His voice was beautiful, but it made my skin crawl to hear something so evil speaking to me.
“Monster,” I hissed, feeling my long auburn hair start to float in the aura my magic created. “Let my sister’s soul go. It doesn’t belong to you.”
“Actually,” he said, his baritone voice smug, “it does. Jana and I have a pre-existing arrangement. She didn’t deliver on her end of the bargain, so her life and her soul are forfeit.”
“Liar! Jana would never work with a siekewa.” I took a confident step forward, my skin glowing with power. He would give back Jana’s soul or I would break his human form and take it from him.
“She wanted to be stronger,” he said, waving his hand to make a long scroll appear in front of him. With a flick of his wrist, it unfurled and floated towards me. It was a contract. “She was tired of living in your shadow. I can see why. You are… quite a
specimen.”
His compliment made me sick, but the heavy words at the end of the scroll made me sicker.
If I cannot complete the task outlined above, I forfeit my soul.
And there, in painfully familiar handwriting, was Jana’s name, written in blood.
My confidence faltered, and the extra power flowed seamlessly back into my ring. My hair fell back around my shoulders, frizzy from the magic’s
charge.
“I asked her for a simple thing too, but she decided she didn’t want to do it anymore. She asked for me to take back the power I gave her, but the contract is quite clear,” he said, snapping his fingers.
The scroll rolled back up and vanished with a small pop. I didn’t even flinch. I stared at Jana’s body, my hands hanging uselessly at my sides.
“All I wanted was a stone. If she could not get it for me for whatever reason, her soul would become mine. She wasn’t even willing to ask for an extension of time. She just… gave up. Sad, really. I had such high hopes for her.”
A stone?
My head perked up. If all it took was a stone, why wouldn’t Jana just get it for him? Why hadn’t she asked me for help? I wouldn’t have let this happen to her. I would have given anything to save her, and I would have stopped at nothing to get it for her. Now — she was dead.
Oh, God, my sister was dead.
The siekewa moved closer, as though my pain was a magnet. He stepped in Jana’s blood, but didn’t leave any footprints.
The bottle in his hand was glowing. Jana was in there, trapped forever because of her own stupidity. Why would she do something like that? Was it really so important to be more powerful? I shuddered, wrapping my arms around myself.
The siekewa was right in front of me now, and he took a step to the side, circling me. I didn’t like it, but grief was starting to crush me, rooting my feet to the ground. All I could see were Jana’s beautiful curls, stained red.
He was behind me, and I could smell a faint hint of ash clinging to him. His black robe brushed my bare ankle and I shuddered, finding my feet again and moving away from him. I was careful to avoid Jana’s body as I stepped back towards the huge open glass doors.
There was a smile on his pale lips.
“You could save her, you know,” he said seductively, promising hope.
“How?” I choked, ashamed that my voice broke in front of him. The only way I knew how to save a soul was to take its place, and as much as I loved Jana, I didn’t know if I could do that.
“I just need a stone,” he whispered, moving closer until he was in front of me again. He was taller than me, and I looked up, feeling my knees tremble.
“Why did Jana refuse to give it to you?” I demanded.
“I have absolutely no idea, although I’m sure she hadn’t gotten it yet.” He was nonchalant, but the words sounded hollow.
If I couldn’t trade my soul for Jana’s, I was going to figure out what she gave hers up for. “What stone?”
“If you can see me, then you can see the soul collectors. Each carries a stone that looks like an opal, but it glows with a fierce inner light. It is a badge, a symbol, nothing more. But I like shiny things, and I want one.”
“Jana was going to steal one for you?” I asked, goosebumps lifting the hair on my arms.
“Yes. I want one of those stones. If you bring it to me, I will let your sister go.”
“And if I can’t do it?” I asked, my stomach rolling. I was thinking about making a deal with a siekewa. No matter how good it seemed, there was always a catch. There had to be.
“Then I keep her. I need souls to feed my powers. Without them, I can’t grant wishes,” he said, shrugging. “I will keep your sister until she is too tired to do anything more, and then I will set her free.”
He’d set her free, but no collector would come to bring her to the afterlife. She would be stuck in this reality, quietly haunting the living.
It was cruel.
I had to save her. If I didn’t, he would suck the magic out of her to keep going, to trick others into doing his bidding. If I could get a stone — and I knew the exact stone he was talking about — then I could free my sister. Of course, he had to have a better reason than a stone being pretty; he wanted it for something more, probably something bad, and I couldn’t get him one if it meant worse than losing Jana.
I opened my mouth to say no way, but what came out was, “No time limits. I can back out at any time with no repercussions.”
“None against you directly. Your sister, though, is mine until you get me that stone.”
I hesitated, wondering if I could ever wash the dirt off my hands after this.
“You don’t take my soul, ever,” I countered, real fear rising in my chest.
“I will not take your soul unless you give it to me directly,” he replied, stepping forward.
“I’ll do it then,” I said, proud that my voice didn’t tremble. “I will get you your stone and then you will free my sister.”
He snapped his fingers and another scroll appeared in the air. It unfurled in front of me, letters glittering in the dim lamp light. I read the words, making sure he hadn’t added anything. I even checked the corners and the back for fine print.
He held out a pen, and when I took it, I felt an uncomfortable tingling in my fingers. The moment I started to write my name, it turned into pain. I remembered Jana’s contract, and how it was signed in blood. Disgusted, I signed the contract and threw the pen back at the siekewa.
My name glistened on the scroll still hanging in the air before me: Ellie Alwood.
He caught it, and the contract disappeared with another snap of his fingers. I crossed my arms, wanting him to leave so I could break down into my hysterics and somehow manage to call the police.
Instead, he stepped even closer. The smell of ash made my nose tickle, and I glared up at him, even though my knees were trembling and I was starting to feel dizzy.
“There is only one thing left then,” he whispered, his voice going low and husky.
I didn’t like it and I certainly didn’t trust it. “I signed your contract. Our deal is done,” I snapped, not liking that I could feel his breath tickling my face.
“Really, Ellie, you’d think you’d never dealt with a siekewa before.” His smile was full of delight, and I stiffened when he cupped my face in his hands, the feel of his ruby ring cold on my cheek.
I could feel power through his icy skin. It whispered so seductively that I gasped as it brushed against me.
And then he kissed me, his lips cold against my warm skin. I didn’t try to pull away, realizing what he had meant. The Siekewa’s Kiss was to seal the deal. It twined my fate to his, forming an unbreakable bond, so that whenever I was ready to pay my debt, all I would have to do was say his name.
The power that he held left his lips and filled my entire body with strength and purpose. Strong magic hummed through me, awakening all my senses. The world was painful for a moment, too vivid and alive, and then he pulled away.
His hands left my face at the same moment, and I collapsed to my knees, a sob escaping my lips. The power was gone, severed so quickly that I felt like a stranger in my own body.
He brushed a hand through my hair, and then he was gone, vanishing from the room with a soft pop.
I continued to sob, hugging and rocking myself. My sister was dead and I had made a deal with her killer. I was going to steal from the collectors to free Jana’s soul.
And now I knew the monster’s name: Drekvic.
Intriguing! So, what are other people saying about this book?
“An enjoyable, light read with a protagonist who leaves you feeling like there’s something more. As a debut novel, Greenwood introduces an interesting world with a mix of magic and paranormal elements that feel believable. The ‘real world’ our protagonist comes from feels slightly shallow only in the sense that it leaves you wondering how common the use of magic is, with the presence of shapeshifters and if there are other traditional fantasy creatures. The world is open to further development which is a possibility as this is the first book in a trilogy.” — Leslie A., Amazon
“Wayward Soul by L.D. Greenwood is a wonderful story by a brand new author for me to read. This is start to a brand new series that I loved reading this story so much. If you love reading paranormal stories with a twist in it, then I highly recommend this story to you. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series by this wonderful author.” — Scarolet Ellis, Amazon
“I give any author props for really thinking out of the box and writing something different, and L.D. Greenwood did just that with Wayward Soul. I’ve never read anything like it. The world-building was excellent. Everything made sense within the world created, and I loved seeing how everything unfolded in the story for Ellie and Chester. I felt myself wanting more just based on the uniqueness of the story alone. Add in a misunderstood villain who is hard to hate and a main character who is destined for greatness, despite her flaws, and all things mystical and magical, and I was hooked.” — MissKrys, Amazon
“Wayward Soul is a character driven novel that follows magical researcher Ellie Alwood. We are introduced into a whole new creation encompassing a potpourri of magical and paranormal elements in a fantasy setting. The character building is solid & well detailed descriptive realm settings. I loved the aspect of shapeshifters being included in this YA fantasy series with a sprinkle of romance. A magical realm that encircles paranormal twists within a suspenseful narrative. This ends with a cliffhanger, hopefully book two will be available soon.” — Sophie Koufes, Amazon
BOOK INFO:
AUTHOR: L.D. Greenwood
TITLE: Wayward Soul
GENRE: Clean/Sweet/Fantasy Romance, Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: February 25, 2019
PUBLISHER: N/A
ISBN/ASIN: B07MQLBR5B
OUR RATING: 4 stars
REVIEWED BY: Robin G.
Guest Blogger/Reviewer Bio:
My pen name is Robin Goodfellow. I fell in love with reading after I picked up Fallen by Lauren Kate. I am currently a licensed substance abuse counselor and LPC-A (although I hope to be an LPC soon). I was also a former math and special education teacher. Although I tried going to medical school, it didn’t work out. On the bright side, I’ve got more time for reading and writing! Mental health is a personal passion of mine, as is crochet, and annoying my husband.
This book looks fascinating! ♥ We’ll check it out…
Thanks for this review, Robin, and for stopping by the blog! :)
Check out our latest Writing in the Modern Age blog post here.
Originally published on April 18, 2024 at https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com.
