Soul of the Sword was everything I wanted it to be. When I come into a Harlequin Teen (now Inkyard Press) book, I am looking for romantic tension.
I love recommending their books to readers who like angsty, rife with tension, romance, whether it is the whole plot or a subplot. In typical fashion, they delivered.
This book picks up where the last one left off, Tatsumi has fallen to Hakaimono, the first Oni, the demon who had been trapped in the sword Kamigoroshi for hundred of years, and he is ready to experiment with his freedom.
Yumeko still has a piece of the dragon scroll and there are many forces out there who plan on retrieving them and asking the dragon for their wish to be granted. She is still denying her feelings for Tatsumi, but now she is struggling with guilt over the fact his last thoughts before falling were of her.
THIS IS THE EXACTLY THE TYPE OF MELODRAMA I ENJOY.
I found myself racing through the story. At times it can feel very commercial and cheesy. With dialogue and scene blocking that can feel right out of a soap opera, but I don’t think it takes away from the charm. The tension still lands, the need to know what happens next never disappears.
The company traveling with Yumeko sort of fell to the wayside for me in this one, only a few had some plot of their own going down, and it didn’t seem to have nearly the chemistry and tension of Yumeko/Tatsumi. Honestly, outside of those two I didn’t find much interesting with her friends.
I enjoyed seeing more of Hakaimono and his history of relationships with other characters. I like two bad guys fighting over who gets to be the most bad. It was appealing in the race to the end.
Ultimately I was very satisfied with the ending. I liked the solutions, even when they make me extra anxious for the next one.
This is a great read for those who enjoy fantasy Asian dramas, those who like the dangerous vampire tension of will-they-wont-they-kill-me, and anyone who enjoys some angsty romance.
Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
A.J. Eversole 