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Crown Prince Aven Lanuken wants something more than a trophy for a future wife. He wants a woman who will be more friend than follower. A queen who will be more warrior than diplomat. He wants a partner he can trust...with a dangerous secret that's kept him trapped in a dark mountain fortress his entire life.
Sloane Murphy thought hiking the Grand Canyon alone after graduation would be an awesome adventure. Until she slips and starts to plummet to her death. Then the unthinkable happens. She transforms into...a dragon. After flying to safety and trying to convince herself she isn’t having a mental breakdown, the hunters come for her. She runs, somehow managing to stay one step ahead of them. Until her luck runs out. Now the hunters have her, and they intend to kill, not capture.
Aspiring rock star Annika Brisby thinks she knows where her life is going until she steps through a broken portal that leaves her stranded in a fae-filled realm of fairies, shapeshifter druids, psychic vampires, and other mythical beings. Unable to return until it's repaired, she's rescued by wood nymphs who believe her sudden arrival is no accident. After being taken in by a prominent family of elves, Annika finds herself struggling to resist the seductive spell of their youngest son, Talvi.
Saiya Buchanan is a wraith, able to detach her shadow from her body and send it off to do her bidding. But, unlike most of her kin, Saiya doesn't deal in death. Instead, she trades secrets - and in the goblin besieged city of Stirling in Scotland, they're a highly prized commodity. It might just be, however, that the goblins have been hiding the greatest secret of them all. When Gabriel de Florinville, a Dark Elf, is sent as royal envoy into Stirling and takes her prisoner, Saiya is not only going to uncover the sinister truth.
Catalia "Cat" Fisa is a powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice. Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her.
The Witch's Reign...a land of unnatural hellish cold ruled over by the Ice Witch herself, who is in turn guarded by three creatures - Wolf, Bear, and Raven. Those lovely beasts derive their power directly from their mistress and just happen to kill any who cross their paths. To get there, you first must pass through the Dragon's Ground. Full of, you guessed it, dragons who for the record, also do not like trespassers. Sounds like a fun place to go, doesn't it? Yeah, not so much.
Crown Prince Aven Lanuken wants something more than a trophy for a future wife. He wants a woman who will be more friend than follower. A queen who will be more warrior than diplomat. He wants a partner he can trust...with a dangerous secret that's kept him trapped in a dark mountain fortress his entire life.
Sloane Murphy thought hiking the Grand Canyon alone after graduation would be an awesome adventure. Until she slips and starts to plummet to her death. Then the unthinkable happens. She transforms into...a dragon. After flying to safety and trying to convince herself she isn’t having a mental breakdown, the hunters come for her. She runs, somehow managing to stay one step ahead of them. Until her luck runs out. Now the hunters have her, and they intend to kill, not capture.
Aspiring rock star Annika Brisby thinks she knows where her life is going until she steps through a broken portal that leaves her stranded in a fae-filled realm of fairies, shapeshifter druids, psychic vampires, and other mythical beings. Unable to return until it's repaired, she's rescued by wood nymphs who believe her sudden arrival is no accident. After being taken in by a prominent family of elves, Annika finds herself struggling to resist the seductive spell of their youngest son, Talvi.
Saiya Buchanan is a wraith, able to detach her shadow from her body and send it off to do her bidding. But, unlike most of her kin, Saiya doesn't deal in death. Instead, she trades secrets - and in the goblin besieged city of Stirling in Scotland, they're a highly prized commodity. It might just be, however, that the goblins have been hiding the greatest secret of them all. When Gabriel de Florinville, a Dark Elf, is sent as royal envoy into Stirling and takes her prisoner, Saiya is not only going to uncover the sinister truth.
Catalia "Cat" Fisa is a powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice. Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her.
The Witch's Reign...a land of unnatural hellish cold ruled over by the Ice Witch herself, who is in turn guarded by three creatures - Wolf, Bear, and Raven. Those lovely beasts derive their power directly from their mistress and just happen to kill any who cross their paths. To get there, you first must pass through the Dragon's Ground. Full of, you guessed it, dragons who for the record, also do not like trespassers. Sounds like a fun place to go, doesn't it? Yeah, not so much.
Dara Ruminor is a serious young duelist in the mountaintop kingdom of Vertigon, a land of dramatic cliffs and misty peaks where mysterious Fire magic runs through the stones like blood. The secluded kingdom has been peaceful for 100 years. Swords are used for sport, and successful athletes live like kings as long as the crowds love them. Eighteen-year-old Dara needs to find a wealthy patron in order to duel professionally and avoid a lifetime working in her parents' Fire Lantern shop.
Abandoned as a child and unable to remember her past, Morgan was raised as a hunter, one of an elite group of fighters sworn to protect humans from the dangerous paranormal creatures who invade our world...creatures such as herself. Her life changes the day she's summoned to the Academy of Assassins, a school that trains witches and hunters to eradicate paranormals who prey on humans. Her first assignment - find and eliminate the killer who is using the Academy as their own personal hunting ground.
Arianna is a queen heir and at 20 years old she's now eligible for the crown of wolf shifters. Heirs are trained and groomed so that they're ready should the queen perish during their time of eligibility. Of course, there's little chance of that happening. The Red Queen has stood for a century, and her power is beyond reckoning. Or so Arianna believes, right up until the final tolling of the bells. The queen has fallen. Four heirs will now fight it out for the crown.
Revised edition: This edition of Dragon Marked includes editorial revisions.
Teenage girls don't believe in fairy tales, and 16-year-old Elena Watkins was no different - until the night a fairy tale killed her father. Now Elena's in a new world and a new school. The cutest guy around may be an evil dragon, a prince wants Elena's heart, and a long-dead sorcerer may be waking up to kill her. Oh, and the only way Elena's going to graduate is on the back of a dragon of her own.
In Minatsol, being a dweller means that you are literally no better than dirt. In fact, dirt might actually be more useful than Willa. Her life will be one of servitude to the sols, the magic-blessed beings who could one day be chosen to become gods. At least her outer village is far removed from the cities of the sols, and she won't ever be forced to present herself to them... Until one small mistake changes everything, and Willa is awarded a position to serve at Blesswood, the top sol academy in the world - a position that she definitely did not earn.
When the road forks, how do you know which path is the right one? Raven Black hunts evildoers for fun, but her vigilante justice isn't the only reason she's hiding from the law. Half vampire, half mage, she's spent years living as a rogue to stay alive. When a Russian shifter offers her a job in his covert organization hunting outlaws, dignity and a respectable career are finally within her grasp.
Piper Jones can't catch a break. After a lifetime of animosity and indifference from the supernatural community, she thought she'd finally found a home with the vampire king's enforcers. Then the dark and mysterious Merc walks into her life, and it takes a disastrous turn for the worse.
Something has always been missing from my life. A hole that I could never seem to fill. When I accidentally turn a coven of witches into nightmares, I find out what that something is. Magic. And it turns out, I have a crap load of it. As a latent power awakens deep inside of me, I'm exposed to one of the most powerful and corrupt organizations in the magical world - the Mages' Guild. Barely knowing a spell from a few swear words and luck, I won't be able to evade them alone. And that's when I meet him.
On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, 17-year-old Cyrene Strohm's lifelong plans come to fruition when she's chosen for one of the most prestigious positions in her homeland - an Affiliate to the Queen. Or so she thinks. When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems.
The Trateri are about to learn a vital lesson of the Broken Lands. Deep in the remote expanse where anything can happen, it pays to be on a pathfinder's good side. Nobody ventures beyond their village. Nobody sane, that is. Monstrous creatures and deadly mysteries wait out here. Luckily for the people she serves, Shea's not exactly sane. As a pathfinder, it's her job to face what others fear and find the safest route through the wilderness. It's not an easy job, but she's the best at what she does.
Sixteen-year-old Allyssa appears to be the ideal princess of Emperion - she's beautiful, elegant, and refined. She spends her days locked in a suffocating cage, otherwise known as the royal court. But at night, Allyssa uses her secret persona - that of a vigilante - to hunt down criminals and help her people firsthand. Unfortunately, her nightly escapades will have to wait because the citizens of Emperion may need saving from something much bigger than common criminals.
A deathbed promise.
Arlyn's quest is simple: Find her father and let him know her mother is dead. After all, Arlyn had promised her mother she'd go. The problem? Her father's people are myths and legends, and he doesn't even live on Earth. But despite a long journey through the mysterious mists of the Veil, finding him turns out to be the easy part.
A dream long buried.
After 500 years, Kai has given up on finding his soulbonded. So when he stumbles across Arlyn after returning from his latest mission and recognizes her as his mate, Kai starts their bond in haste. But he never could have imagined that his bonded is his best friend's newfound daughter. Whoops.
A hidden conspiracy sparked to life.
Though the sight of Kai makes Arlyn's heart pound, she isn't sure she can forgive him for starting their bond without her permission. But her love life is the least of her problems. Her father is an elf lord, and his sudden acknowledgment of a half-human heir reignites the same conspiracy that took him away from her mother in the first place. Now Arlyn and her family must face iron-wielding assassins, bigotry, and her newly awakened magical abilities if they hope to come through in one piece.
Arlyn thought she would return to Earth after meeting her father. Now she must fight to save the family she never knew she wanted.
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Somewhat. I did enjoy the setup and explanations of the culture, but unfortunately the romance was an afterthought at best. The summary had me expecting a marriage-then-love plot with some court politics, but what I got was a lot of background of the world the characters inhabited with little to no depth given to those characters themselves.
Would you recommend Soulbound to your friends? Why or why not?
No. I feel like friends who enjoy fantasy world-building wouldn't enjoy the shoehorned romance but friends who enjoy romance wouldn't enjoy the drawn out world-building explanations or the very poorly executed romance plot. The author seemed to want to do both, but ended up dividing her efforts too much between them and the story suffered for it.
Which character – as performed by Gabrielle de Cuir and Stefan Rudnicki – was your favorite?
None of the characters were especially relatable or lovable. They all felt shallow and one-note in their characterization. I would say Adams clearly had a favorite, because that character was given the most backstory and explanation of anyone, that being Lyr. While the author clearly meant for Arlyn to be the main character, she feels more like an alternate point of view to a story mainly revolving around her father.
What would have made this romance irresistible?
Actually having spent time on said romance, for one. The summary implies that it is a main plotline but it is actually a background plot that receives little to no development. The characters are just suddenly "in love" with no buildup or effort. While Aryn is initially doubtful about the soulbond, after Kai is injured she is suddenly totally accepting of it. The two only have a handful of conversation in the entire book (most of which is just Kai explaining culture or history to Arlyn) but suddenly they are confessing their love to one another and falling into bed.
Any additional comments?
If you are primarily looking for a romance, this is really not the story for you. If you enjoy believable character depth & development, this is not the book you want. If you simply enjoy fantasy elven culture, you might really enjoy this book, because that is where the main focus is.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
This book does a good job of showing a sensitive yet strong male lead character. I wasn't sure about it at first but it's good.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
I enjoyed the story. It was a unique enough fantasy that it kept my interest and I wanted to know more about the world and the people and the culture.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
I enjoyed the male narrator immensely - he did a fantastic job! The female narrator, however, almost ruined this book for me. I almost stopped listening several times because of her. She did an okay job with the descriptive bits and the male voices, but her voice for the female lead was grating and childish and made me really hate the main character. She came off so petulant and whiny!! Horrible. If I hadn't already used a credit on this book and if half wasn't being narrated by someone else much better, I would have stopped after the first chapter.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
If you are like me, another series is the last thing you need. But this one gets added to the list and gets bumped to the front end for priority too.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I feel cruel writing this, but I feel compelled to do so. If you are fussy about the narrators of audiobooks, then you want to avoid this one. It was difficult to determine if I enjoyed the book. Every time Ms. de Cuir read, I found myself doing my best to not shut it off. I think it is a lack of her acting ability. Her inflection, intonation, and how she elongated words made it grueling to listen to. Finally, her voice of Arlyn was like that of a child/valley girl/annoyed teen. and not the voice of an adult.
Now, in Ms. De Cuir's defense of portraying Arlyn as an adult, Ms. Adams made her character too young for her age as well as her "soul mate." It was also difficult to believe a five hundred year old man would act like a teenager.
This story had great potential, but it was horrible. The characters became too familiar too soon. Some of the details were unnecessary which made the performance sucked.
I was so excited to see this book on Audible. I have a physical copy but haven't had time to read it. The story is great and draws you into the lives of the characters. Bethany set a high bar with her first novel. I can't wait for the second one to come out.
I had a pleasant surprise when listening as I was so excited about the book being on here I didn't look at the narrators. It was a pleasure to hear two of my favorite narrators reading a book I'd been anticipating.
If your looking for a new story to enjoy this is a great start to what I expect will be an amazing series.
Any additional comments?
Overall this was just a great book with an original storyline!!! I had to read the next and was disappointed when they were over. Simply put, I wanted more!!!
I will want to finish the series very good, with many unexpected turns. excellent mystery, and still calm enough to read to relax before bed.
The stoey was very weak. Many different characters were introduced with dead end story lines. Names were so familiar it was confusing as to who was who at some points. Was promised a strong female character, did not deliver. The main character spent much of her time whining and the strengths that were hinted at became non-existent in this "world". Forced myself to finish since I had paid too much for this story. The narrators were excellent but had weak material to work with.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
This storyline had so much potential I was saddened to see it slaughtered so! No romance what so ever, just three conversations and bed. Terrible characters. A 500-year-old elven guy that is as mature as a 15-year-old. The female narrator turns the protagonist into a whiny kid. No real descriptive prose, anything complicated was avoided. The protagonist spent weeks in the portal, yet we are told nothing about it.
Would you ever listen to anything by Bethany Adams again?
Never ever! Nope! Shoot myself first.
Did Gabrielle de Cuir and Stefan Rudnicki do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?
Did not like this joint venture, but i would consider listening to Gabrielle de Cuir again.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
disappointment, I came for elves and got inmature 500 year old idiots.
Any additional comments?
Thank god i can give the book back.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful