Even though I adore the Swoon Reads imprint because of the swoony romances, I was still excited for The Soul Keepers, which has no romance (at least with the main character) in it. I was promised an action-pack adventure and it more was more than fulfilled!
The Soul Keepers begins right away with Rhett and his parents dying in a car accident and Rhett looking at the scene away from his body. He soon realizes that they have all died and comes across a figure, Basil, who can see him. Basil recruits him to the Harbinger, which holds all of the souls and the syllektors (soul collectors and what Rhett has now become).
The world building is fantastic in The Soul Keepers. I loved learning about the Harbinger and the job of the syllektors as Rhett goes on missions with his new crew. Part 1 really focuses on explaining what’s going on and why the souls need to be collected. Part 2 then skips ahead to ten months later when the monsters controlled by a demon who wants Rhett start attacking the his crew and the rest of the ship. There is a prophecy involving Rhett, which is why the demon is after him in the first place. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’m hot going to explain the mythology.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel dealing with the afterlife like The Soul Keepers does and I really enjoyed how Devon Taylor tackled everything. His writing style fit so well with explaining the world and letting Rhett’s voice shine through while also keeping the story quick and fast-paced. I enjoyed the other characters and the interesting dynamic that formed between them. I especially liked Basil and Mak.
Overall, The Soul Keepers is an action-packed debut novel filled with adventure and fascinating world building! I cannot wait for a sequel!
My Rating:
*This ARC was provided to me by the publisher through Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
About The Soul Keepers
Release Date: August 28, 2018
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble
Full of danger, stormy otherworld seas, ghost ships, and terrifying monsters, this thrilling debut novel is perfect for fans of Taran Matharu and Neal Shusterman.
Death is just the beginning.
After dying in a terrible car accident, Rhett awakens in the afterlife and is recruited to join the crew of the Harbinger, a colossal seafaring vessel tasked with ferrying the souls of the dead. To where exactly, no one knows. But the crew must get the souls there, and along the way protect them from vicious soul-eating monsters that will stop at nothing to take the ship and all of its occupants.
Rhett and his new friends have a hard enough time fighting back the monsters that grow bolder and more ferocious every day. But then a new threat emerges, a demon who wants something that Rhett has. And if she gets it, it could mean the end of everything… for both the living and the dead.
Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, The Soul Keepers is a pulse-pounding, cinematic adventure by debut author Devon Taylor.
About Devon Taylor
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Devon Taylor was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two daughters. His day job consists of sneaking around the house with ninja-like stealth to avoid waking up his kids. When not writing, reading, or tediously typing out text messages with all the correct spelling and punctuation, he spends his time with his family.