Thank you to Fierce Reads and Netgalley for the arc of this book.

In this retelling of Wuthering Heights, Suri focuses on what might have happened while Heathcliff left the Moors and if Cathy and he had learned new things about themselves during the absence and found their way back to each other.

It has been a while since I've read the original Wuthering Heights, but I really enjoyed this reimagining! I thought both Cathy and Heathcliff were much more respectable characters in this one than the original and I feel like the readers of this story will probably have an easy time relating to them and having empathy for the situations they found themselves in.

I was more interested in the Heathcliff chapters and what was happening in the city and how he got together with other Indians to turn things around.

This was beautifully written and very interesting to read! I still really love these reimaginings of classics!

Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Misogyny and Gun violence

There are some authors whose writing you just click with, and that is Tasha Suri for me. I knew from the first line that What Souls Are Made Of was going to be something special.

I have never read Wuthering Heights but I think most of us know the story. I was pleased to find that Tasha Suri's take was much more hopeful while also not shying away from heavier themes.

I also appreciated that she chose to give Catherine a perspective, which I know she doesn't have in the original novel.

I recommend the audiobook. There are two narrators, one for Cathy and one for Heathcliff, and they do a fantastic job. Thank you Netgalley for the ALC!

2.5 stars. I loved Wuthering Heights when I read it, it is easily one of my favorite classics. My favorite part of the story is the second half. What Souls Are Made Of focuses on the first half of the original story, giving the characters the possibility for a different ending. I did like the remix element of having the characters be Indian because I think it fits really well with the original stories metaphors and themes. When it came to the themes and overall message of the story is was definitely spelled out a lot for the reader. I found myself at times struggling to figure out whos perspective I was reading from as they all felt similar with the writing. Overall I don't think this is a bad book, but the writing wasn't my favorite and it missed out on the part of the original story I was looking forward to seeing remixed.

Tasha Suri just doesn't write a bad book. And while this isn't my favorite book from her (it does drag at times early on due to the excessive use of narrated flashbacks), I still ended up really liking it. I should say that I am a fan of Wuthering Heights as a gothic tragedy, and I loved what she did with the story. Her authors note at the end is well worth reading and explains some of the liberties she took with the original. It stays true to much of the original thematically, but chooses a more hopeful ending and focuses a lot on characters learning to accept their South Asian heritage and this question of being white-passing.

Instead of being told from Nelly's perspective, Catherine and Heathcliff tell their own stories and this focuses on an earlier period in the lives of these characters than much of Bronte's book does. Similar to the original, this is a book about identity, loss, childhood trauma, and abuse - and the impact of those things. Tasha Suri evokes the cold bleakness of the setting to perfection and the tone is very much in line with the darkness and angst you would expect from a good gothic novel. I think fans of Wuthering Heights might really enjoy seeing this twist on the story, but I also think people who didn't enjoy the original might find this more to their liking. The audio has two narrators who do a great job! I received an audio review of this via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

My favorite of the Remixed Classics series thus far!

I wasn't a fan of Wuthering Heights when I read it some years ago. There was too much tragedy, and the characters were all awful people. But I still jumped at the chance to read this because Tasha Suri is a fantastic writer, the synopsis is intriguing, the cover is stunning, and I have absolutely loved every installment of the Remixed Classics series thus far.

And it absolutely lived up to and exceeded every one of my hopes and expectations. I loved the split narration between Cathy and Heathcliffe. I loved their distinct voices and the way the narrators performed their chapters. I loved how, though they were distinct, their childhood belief that they shared one soul felt true. I especially loved how this story deviated from the original.

The character growth of both Cathy and Heathcliffe is immense. They do not start the book as 'likeable' people, either of them, but I was rooting for each of them to find themself from the beginning, and by the end I loved them.

The ending is a satisfying conclusion and very obviously a new beginning and I would happily read more books exploring where Cathy and Heathcliffe go and how they choose to pay the debts Cathy's father owed as they set their ghosts to rest.

Speaking of ghosts, I loved the fantastical elements to the story. They were at once jarring and a natural extension of the plot. They felt right and true.

The discussion of the East India Company's atrocities in India, colonialism in general, the way rich white men viewed all non-white foreigners, expecting them to be grateful to serve them, was sickening. The revelations about Cathy's father were blows to Cathy and to the reader.

This story was hard-hitting and the language was gorgeous and kept the haunting gothic atmosphere of the original. I was riveted and couldn't stop listening. I loved that I never knew what was going to happen. There were points where one of the characters would face a choice, and I could see where one choice would lead - to something like the plot of the original Wuthering Heights - and I would desperately hope they would choose the other path, even though it wasn't clear what lay at the end of it.

I loved the element of found family that Heathcliffe stumbles into -- I'm a sucker for a found family plot -- and I really wish there could be a sequel where Cathy gets to meet them. I would love to see what she would make of Heathcliffe's life and choices in Liverpool. At the same time I love where Tasha Suri chose to end the story. It felt... right.

This is my favorite of the Remixed Classics series thus far. Highly recommend.

I also highly recommend the audiobook because it is absolutely gorgeous and the narrators really bring the story to life. It is emotional and haunting and gothic and perfectly matches that gorgeous cover.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Feiwel & Friends, and Macmillan Audio for providing an audio arc for review.

Advanced Reader’s Copies provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Macmillan Young Listeners in exchange for an honest review.

WHAT SOULS ARE MADE OF is the fourth book in Macmillan's Remixed Classics series where authors of color get a chance to reimage a classic written by a white author lending voices to Black, Indigenous, and people of color. I am totally here for this series and so far have really enjoyed each one. These aren't retellings, they are not new takes. They take the characters and overarching elements and give them a new light. For this one, in the author's note, Tasha Suri explains that in Brontë's WUTHERING HEIGHTS, Catherine never got a voice, her parts were only told through the eyes of others. Suri's novel takes the time where Heathcliff runs away, leaving Catherine behind to when Heathcliff comes back and gives space for both characters to take the lead in their own narratives. WUTHERING HEIGHTS is one of my favorites (even if Heathcliff is insufferable) and I'm glad that this isn't just an updated version of Brontë's work. Suri's Heathcliff and Catherine are still just as wild and hurt from their childhood traumas. But there is also depth to them, there is purpose to them.

Suri expertly captures the otherworldly power and beauty of the English moors. The writing style evokes a similar feel to Brontë's, but in this one identity and heritage are explored as both Heathcliff and Catherine grapple to come to terms with who they are and how the world sees them. Heathcliff is an angry young man - and has every right to be so. But in the end, he still tries to do good by the people he cares about. Experiencing Catherine's world unravel around her as she realizes she is white passing and that her foothold on society isn't as sure as she grew up thinking it was should bring out a reader's emotions. Suri gave fans of WUTHERING HEIGHTS some hope in the doomed love between Heathcliff and Catherine.

WHAT SOULS ARE MADE OF is told in alternating points of view between Heathcliff and Catherine, where for the most part, the narrative styling evokes the feeling that they are writing letters to each other. Having the audiobook narration given to two different voice actors was a great choice and both Alex Williams and Becca Hirani do an excellent job. Overall, this is a great remix of an old favorite and a thoughtful take on a classic.

DNF @ 37%

Objectively, this is a great book. I really love the writing style, the gothic vibes and think it's a great retelling. That said, I just can't get into it. I'm not looking forward to listening and am counting down the time to finishing. For this reason, I've decided to DNF.

4 stars; A fresh take on Wuthering Heights and what could have been. I received an AudioARC via the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cathy and Heathcliff: a tale as old as time of loss, regret, and those who haunt us. In this new take titled What Souls Are Made Of we finally get to hear some of Cathy's side of the story. The author gives her a voice while weaving a remixed series of events for Heathcliff. If you enjoy the original, give this a fair shot; you may even find you prefer it to the classic.

Wuthering Heights is known for its ghosts and sorrow. While the ghosts aren't the same characters in this version the suffering they foreshadow is just as potent. Minorities have a voice in this telling in a way true to history of the time. I really enjoyed this novel, the only reason it won't get 5 stars from me is the narrator for Heathcliff. Cathy's narrator had a beautiful melody to her voice with proper pauses and sentence breaks. However the gentleman who narrates Heathcliff's chapters almost sounded like her was asking one continuous run on question. I kept waiting for the question to finish to hear the answer, but by then we were in another place entirely. Once I got used to the odd rhythm of the male narrator I was able to focus a little better, but I could have enjoyed those chapters more.

5 stars for the story itself, 5 stars for Cathy's narrator, but only 2 stars for Heathcliff's, bringing the score down to a 4. If you enjoy classics retold or even stories about minorities overcoming multiple obstacles then I heavily recommend What Souls Are Made Of. Recommended for readers 12+.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I have to be honest, classics have not been my jam. There have been very few that I've actually enjoyed, and *shameful confession incoming* I've actually never read a Bronte novel in my life. But after falling in love with Suri's writing in The Jasmine Throne, I absolutely could not pass up a chance to see her take on this classic. So I figured I'd probably never have a better opportunity to enjoy Wuthering Heights. And I was right, for the most part.

The story takes on a distinctly diverse tone with Suri's treatment of this classic, in a much more sensitive way than I'm guessing the original had. In this story, both Catherine and Heathcliff are biracial, although they are placed in much different situations. Catherine is lighter-skinned, raised as a lady by a wealthy father and brought up as a woman with marriageable prospects. Heathcliff is darker, and was taken in as a servant by Catherine's father, who is now deceased. Regardless, the two bonded early on, and fall in love, which is frowned on, since Heathcliff doesn't have a place in society. The only place each of them really feels comfortable and safe is with each other.

There's a gothic theme running through the story, with heavy aspects involved, such as racism, abuse, and domestic violence. It added an extra depth to the novel that kept me intrigued and frustrated with lack of options that the characters had available to them. All of the characters, both main and side characters, had literally no other options available to them.

The story is told in two POVs, Catherine and Heathcliff. I found myself looking forward more to Heathcliff's chapters, mainly because there was more going on. He was engaging in different adventures and meeting new people, because he had slightly more control over what was happening to him and what he could do, simply because he was a man. Meanwhile, Catherine had very little control over what was happening to her and what was expected of her - all she could do was basically sit around and pine over Heathcliff and wish to change her life without being able to take any action. She was expected to follow the script for her life, so her chapters were just filled with angst that was painful to listen to, and her character wasn't necessarily as interesting to listen to until she started to grab the reins of her own life towards the end of the book.

I loved the discussion towards the end about her not assuming responsibility for the actions of others, and the way that this story deviated from the original. Yeah, I looked up the summary of the original to find out what I was in for, and I was definitely pleasantly surprised to discover that Suri didn't stick to the original script fully. This one is a book that I suggest, even if like me, classics aren't a genre that you typically enjoy. And I'm now fully convinced that everything Suri writes is a book that I can enjoy.

I'll start my review by saying I've never read Wuthering Heights. I had no familiarity with the story going on and I only finally checked the Wikipedia summary 60% into the book. With that being said, I think I can confidently say that What Souls Are Made Of will be a delight for fans both new and old. Suri uses the scaffold of Wuthering Heights, the characters Cathy and Heathcliff, class differences and outlooks, to really explore how colonization and exploitation of India in the 1800s lead to two people losing, and re-learning, their heritage. More specifically, Suri looks at the 2nd-generation immigrant experiences, of inheriting a culture you've never directly interacted with, the vicious suppression of denial and ignorance. There's such richness in the prose that brings Heathcliff and Cathy to life. I switched to the audiobook about halfway and the power in the narrators' emotions, especially Heathcliff's, brought this book to a whole new level. I'm taking off half a star because I didn't really like the ending, but everything else was just a delight to read. Overall, I rate this book a 4.5/5.

DNF @ 36% sadly. I think this is a case of the audiobook just not working for me mixed with the fact I haven’t read WUTHERING HEIGHTS in a really long time. I like the narrators but the narrative style that Suri chose to tell the story in makes me feel like I’m struggling to keep up and that I am missing something. I honestly at this point unsure of what is happening aside from the vaguest sense, so DNF. I would have done better with an eARC or physical copy