What beautiful writing! It's not hard to make me cry, but for me to cry and then still think about the heartbreak a year later... you know you wrote an emotional and lasting story.

This was an interesting YA novel. It's not often a premise will sound different from anything I've heard - but this got me. Unfortunately the book itself didn't live up to the hype and a lot of it came as pretty predictable. Still, if this is your first of this intriguing fantasy genre, then you'll love it!

I completely adored this book! One of my favorite YA fantasies in a long while. I'll be looking forward to the next title from this author.

The Winner's Curse and The Girl of Fire and Thorns? Sign me up!! When I started this story I was die hard excited for this tale that was supposed to be perfect for fans of those other two stories. Sadly that was just not the case. I did enjoy parts of it but the ending and parts of the story itself just didn't work for me. I understand that just because a story ends doesn't mean that it will be happy but it can still be good. One of my main issues with this one was that it was overly religious. I think just in the first few chapters a character would say One True God this and One True God that. It was just very over baring.

Overall, I think that this title will find the right readers. But for me I just wasn't it.

This is one of the rare books that doesn't provide a happy ending--and even rarer, does it incredibly well.

Bannen crafted the weaknesses and inner convictions of the two main characters so well that the strange world they were in didn't seem far-fetched, which is a common flaw I see in many YA fantasy or sci-fi books.

The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because the worldbuilding fell a bit flat. The story was so centered on the conflict and characterization that even though these elements were vivid and riveting, the rest of the society kind of faded away. There were SO many opportunities for really bringing the setting and history and culture into the foreground that would have propelled this book into a masterpiece.

This has similar vibes as Girl of Fire and Thorns and is by a writer who has received praise for her previous book. I have already purchased it for the library and highly recommend it.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

I really enjoy the author's writing. It just invokes so many emotional reactions from me, and I end up feeling so much for the characters. The reason I am not rating this higher is that I was just not very invested in the worldbuilding/setting. It focuses very heavily on a religious aspect-- everything from character development to plot. I personally am not a huge fan of religion encompassing the entirety of the book.

I have read the authors previous book, which I loved wholeheartedly, and I look forward to her future works.

This was the first book by Megan Bannen I've read, and wow, what a tale. This one demolished my heart and left me longing for more of the story, more of the lore, more of the world. If you're looking for a standalone fantasy that will smash your heart to pieces, look no further--Bannen will make you cry, several times. I loved the worldbuilding and remain hopeful for any kind of continuation in this world, it was that fascinating.

This was one of my anticipated reads of 2020, and it did not disappoint. The plot is amazing, the characers are memorable. Everyone should read Soulswift.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The character development was subtle in a myriad of ways, and the plot moves along quickly enough to keep interest. I could have used a little more expansion around the ending of the book, but on the whole found the experience very enjoyable.

This was interesting and different. It is easy to see this as an opera or ballet. it has the same movement and pacing. The right build-up and release of tensions and emotions. and the ending is poetic, completely renaissance. Bannen is a wonderful author.

Okay, let me start with this. I have not read Bannen’s first book, The Bird and The Blade. Until two seconds ago, I could have sworn I owned it. I am wrong somehow. After reading Soulswift, I will fix this.
If your thing is NOT strong world-building and existential philosophizing about religion, this is not for you. However, please don’t let that steer you away from this book. I have NEVER seen a YA book tackle religion like this, in such a deep and deft manner that never felt like it was thwacking you over the head. Yes, sometimes, the telling of differing tales felt like it took up a lot of time, but most often it was followed immediately by a contrasting story and it was just fascinating. In general, Bannen is an incredibly talented writer, so you won’t find much lacking in writing quality at anything.
There is also a core relationship to this book, between main characters Gelya and Tavik, that is simply beautiful. My biggest pet peeve is YA book relationships that take off like a shot and don’t actually build from everything, but this is a relationship that takes its time and as a result, feels so strong and real. (At the same time, this means you’re in for a slow burn so if you’re looking for a bright, happy romance … look elsewhere.)
I read enough about this book and her debut to realize that this book was going to do things to my emotions, and I was not wrong. I delayed reading this book because I haven’t been able to stomach anything but bright and airy romances since COVID hit, for the most part. I am so, so glad I stuck it out and read it but also I have been put through the wringer and had one heck of a book hangover.
The ending is also the thing that keeps this from being a five-star book for me, but not for the reasons that I think many other people dislike it. As a rule, I hate that people expect happy endings of children’s and YA books and think that YA especially deserves as much nuance as adult books. I love it when an author fights back. However, there was something about the pacing, something about the rationale of actions and choices of the ending that just left me off-balance and a bit confused. This is granular level stuff about characters we have come to know and also stylistic writing choices. Maybe someone just has to explain it to me. Maybe I just didn’t get it. That’s possible, but it keeps this book at four stars.
This written review will be followed by a YouTube review on my channel, Betwixt the Books, to be posted the day before release on Nov 16th.

While this book had such a promising premise, there were aspects of it that caused me to have a falling out. Despite reading further and further, I had troubles grasping onto the characters and feeling invested in their relationship. Certain aspects of their dynamic fell flat and unbelievable and, over time, I just wanted something dangerous to happen. I felt the world building, magic systems, and languages were well developed and added so much depth to this novel, but something with the characters threw me off and made me not want to finish the book several times. On average, I read a book within 2 days and I've sat waiting on this book for well over two weeks and am barely 30% in. I might reread it at a later time, but with so many other books able to grasp me from the beginning, I'm unsure if it was me overthinking this book or if really isn't connecting. I'm positive I'm receiving it in a book box next month and will try it again once I have the physical copy.

This book's ending is just as devastating as The Bird & the Blade, but completely different just the same. I loved the world building and the overarching ideas regarding religion and interpretation of stories and texts over time. While I was a bit confused at some points, overall it was an immersive and quick read.

Yes, I am always influenced by the cover and this cover doesn't let you down! This book has everything I want in a YA fantasy - a strong but struggling female protagonist, a simmering romance, a world I haven't been in before but can visualize by the middle of the book. This book also has a compelling moral dilemma - how do you reconcile the truths you learned as a child with an expanding view of the world? It's hard and not trivialized in this story. And the ending had my adrenaline pumping like very few other books.

This was a well written, engaging, and well paced story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.

Excruciatingly beautiful. Well written with beautiful details. You can’t tear your eyes off the page as your heart breaks for the heroes.

I really enjoyed The Bird and the Blade, Bannen's first book, so I've been waiting for this one. And reader? It didn't disappoint!

I was particularly engrossed by Soulswift's focus on its world's fantasy religions. The interspersed arguments between Gelya and Tavik as to which of their respective religions is more or less believable/outlandish were highlights for me, as well as the more tender moments that explain why they believe what they do in the first place.

I'm also a sucker for a "journey" type story, a sense of adventure, which this book has in abundance. Seeing the two leads at odds with one another at every step of the way made this read fly right on by.

As I waited for Soulswift, I now anxiously await Bannen's next project!