I am writing this review after two days since I finished the book. Yet I can not remember a single thing that stood out to me tbh. I think it shows in my review. So, yeah, it was not an extraordinary book. The author still needs to go a long way to get there. The plot and writing style was okay. As I said not extraordinary, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. Worth giving it a try.

⚠️Trigger Warnings:</b></i> <i>Physical and Verbal Abuse⚠️

It's been a long time since I read a mythology story so well written and mixed with the perfect ingredients to be a classic
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The story of the Nubian gods of Egypt and their houses told within a love story of intertwined souls
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Onia has just lost her father and while trying to return to normality, she is surprised by a strange mysterious young man whom she cannot stop looking at. From that moment her life begins to be in danger and it is that same young man who comes to her rescue, becoming in a huge Jackal
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Ra has just made a mistake that could cost him the existence of the house of Anubis and jeopardize the bottom line. His only option is to find the descendant of ma at and take her to her place on the bridge of souls, she is the only one who can restore the order
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But Ra is not the only one who is looking for her and on the way to return Onia to her true place they will find many dangers and an impossible connection in their souls
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This is a fantasy romance on the reimagined history of the Nubian gods, with a great slow burn pace and many details of Egyptian culture that leaves me wanting to see the movie Gods of Egypt. I can't wait to read her next books
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Thanks to R A Moreau and the publisher for give me a copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest opinion

There’s a lot here that has the potential to be really good. The story is original, the worldbuilding is pretty good (but like much of this book, it was rushed and would have benefitted from some more detail) and I always love a mythology retelling, but the characters weren’t developed enough for me and sometimes the things they did left me thinking, “Why would they do that? Why would any adult act/react like that?”

I also had to go back and re-read several times throughout to figure out if I had missed something or if the writing/editing was just not careful enough. It was a little too clunky for me. The pacing was also too rushed. If more time had been spent developing characters personalities and emotions rather than jumping from scene to scene and from one perspective to another, I think I would have enjoyed this more. Switching so often and so quickly between characters and their voices kind of gave me whiplash.

I could not put this down. From the very first chapter I had to see where Onia and Ra's story would take them and me. And I was satisfied and left anticipating what is to come.

Moreau's reimagining and interpretation of the Nubian echelon of gods and their existence was addictive and utterly enjoyable. It flows with such ease from character to scene and is easily read. There are characters to root for, empathize with, admire, and abhor. The swxual tension and sensual energy between Onia and Ra was delicious and needing to see how both would grow and claim their power had me flying through the pages. I cannot wait to see what comes next as I am an anticipatory mess.

Thank you NetGalley and Pleasure & Power Publishing for giving me this ARC! Here, I leave my honest review.

Actual rating 3.5 ⭐!

What attracted me to read this book was the Egyptian Myth reimagining. I always love to read book with the influence of some myth, and actually I have high expectation from this book.

I love how the author done greatly in world building of this book. It's easy for me to follow the world and the God & Goddess. I can easily imagine how the world works, it's not hard to knowing the other characters despite them being a God or Goddess because the author stay true to the myth.

The story is slow, super slow. With the development of character, plot, relationship between Ra and Onia and all of them. It feels like a long journey, just to make Onia arrive at the Hall and meet her fate. Of course we saw some of conflicts but I think most of them is the tension between Ra and Onia. Well, the tension always there until half the book. After arrive at Ma'at, I don't think I saw Onia's struggle to become an Empress, we are only shown a glimpse of it, we are not told much about this Ma'at, the story behind it but suddenly we investigate the death of Onia's mother. Even then there really isn't any clue except at the end of the story which suddenly reaches a very clear conclusion. I think this book focuses too much on Ra and Onia's special relationship. Endless tension arises, they struggle not to be attracted to each other. The romance story takes too much portion in this book.

I actually like the relationship that Onia and Ra have. The tension that is created between them and how they struggle to hide their feelings. Well, it's also very slow burn. You've been warned! But, I like the soulmate concept that is alluded to in this book, the story of Onia and Ra is also very sweet. I like Ra who really fights for Onia's life here. Well, he's my favorite character. Onia had too high self-esteem at the beginning which annoyed me with her character.

In my opinion, the story is good, but it's too heavy on the romance side, the other stories are like a complement that are not thoroughly developed.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was thrled at this completely new territory for me. I love reading about gods and goddesses mythology and this is one I've never delved into! Give it a try!

The Fall of Souls by R.A. Moreau is a standalone fantasy romance that draws its inspiration from Nubian mythology to create a breathtaking love story that will capture the hearts of readers. It focuses on Onia, the secret daughter of the Goddess Ma’at, and Ra, the son of Anubis who is her guardian as she transitions from a mortal life to one among the gods.

There is a lot to love about this book. The characters are captivating, and when Onia and Ra are together their chemistry is electrifying. Their relationship starts rather quickly as they travel from Onia’s home towards the entrance to the Hall, but once they arrive in the realm of the gods it becomes a slow burn. When they finally do let go and give into their desires it makes the wait worth it.

Onia is a strong, independent woman who’s backstory and personality make her an instant favorite. Ra is loyal, brave, and his devotion to Onia is swoon worthy. He is the perfect example of a leading man in a fantasy romance.

The plot is extremely interesting, and the gods that are shared between the Nubian and Egyptian cultures give some familiarity to anyone not familiar with Nubian mythology. It does slow down a bit in the middle as Onia tries to find her way in her new life, but the first half and final quarter of the book had me binge reading. It also makes the steamy moments in the second half of the book that much more satisfying for the reader.

Moreau’s writing is also spot on. Everything is written from the first person, but both Onia and Ra serve as narrators. Each character’s voice felt unique and yet the overall writing was consistent throughout the book so it wasn’t jarring when the characters changed. I also loved the attention to detail, like the use of cubits as a measurement.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. I would give 4 stars and a level 3 for a spice rating.

a dash of mythology
a dash of enemies to lovers
a dash of spice
world building
and BOOM!
You have an amazing read- this book hooked me on chapter one and it held me all the way through!
I def recommend; ESP if you like myth retellings. The author put in the work to make sure it lined up pretty well but also kept their own spin on it

rating: ★★★★
spice: 🌶️🌶️½

ohmygod this was so good. soo soo good, let’s start with that. i dived into this purely based off of that synopsis cuz it gave me thriller/dirty politics vibe along with the soulmate element in play? yes please.

Okay so there is a lot to unpack here. Starting with the whole concept of Nubian gods and goddesses retelling that was also mentioned in the blurb, it totally did it justice. I’m not very familiar with the culture, but what I do know is that i’m a HUGE fan of anything mythological. From the spooky medieval setting to the characters in every color, it had it all. Great plot with the correct amount of suspense and also, AN HANDSOME AND GRUMPY GUARDIAN WHO MIGHT BE THE POTENTIAL
SOULMATE???

Absolutely yes.

I love how Onia and Ra’s relationship kinda sat in the forbidden romance area for 30-40% of the book. It really gave off the slow burn enough space to drive u crazy.(which it did) As we neared the 50% mark, things turned out to progress slowly and it began to tire & drain me of the flow to keep reading. This is probably the reason why it took me almost a week extra to finish this book, I just couldn't find the encouragement. But as the story caught up the tension & weight of the situation, it really started to stir my attention. I enjoyed it thoroughly cuz it constantly kept me on my toes and as the secrets began to reveal themselves, it kept getting better and better.

Since this is the first book, i assumed it might end on a cliffhanger. I’m kinda mad that it didn’t, but also relieved because i don’t think i would have handled it well.

I’m so happy that I came across this book there’s NO WAY i could have missed it!! PLEASE I REQUEST I NEED THE SECOND BOOK SOON😭

Thankyou so much netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

[ THE FALL OF SOULS COMES DEC 19, 2022]

4.5⭐ It was a close 5⭐, not gonna lie.

This book had my heart from the start. I am a sucker for mythology. I don't care where it comes from, I don't even care if I've never heard of it or if you twist the lore to mesh it better to the story.

In this case it was Nubian myths come to life with a dash of enemies to lovers, a healthy amount of slow burn with fated soul mates and chosen one trope. All of this tied by Ra's sexiest thoughts about the woman of her life. Like come on, it's *chef's kiss*.

The world building was beautifully described and I actually loved the fight scenes. Specially the one between Onia and Nejeri. That scene will live rent free in my mind for the rest of my days.

The fact that it didn't make it to 5⭐ is, because as the story starts developing itself at the Hall (the main location), the feeling of emotion, surprise and adventure kinda fell through. I'm not gonna lie, I was expecting a big ass cliffhanger at the end, but unfortunately my wishes didn't come true 🥲.

But, let us talk a bit about our MCs, shall we?
Onia was such a fearless and strong character from the first moment she appeared on the page. We LOVE a determined woman in this household, and the fact that we also see that even when she appears strong, she also has a vulnerable side to her... had me in pieces and crying of happiness. I feel it is rarely shown in fiction that the strongest characters can also break down. That weight on someone's shoulders has to tear you apart at some point.

And Ra, my love, my life. I was pinning for him with Onia throughout all the damned book. Compared to Onia, I feel we got to see so little of his story, despite the most important bits, which were heart-wrenching. He is protective of what he loves, a born leader to their house and a lover. Because as Keanu Reeves said once, to be a lover you have to fight for what you love. And I feel that describes Ra perfectly.
Still, it's worth mentioning his protective demeanour never came across as alphahole to me. He was respectful, sweet, and knew exactly what Onia needed at her side. Which is what made their relationship so wholesome. (I'm gonna turn a blind eye to the fact that he lied by omission to her... but it was for the sake of the story, so I won't complain 👀)

The chemistry between them both was awesome. Basically what a good slow burn needs to be: endless pinning and a bunch of "I want to touch you, but I can't"s.

To narrow it down, this book got me out of a reading slump that was killing me. And I feel like, books that can get you out of that headspace, are the ones worth giving a chance! Now I'm gonna go back to meddling my friends with this book so that they read it too 😂

I want to thank RA Moreau for opening the ARC up to everyone who wanted to give it a go! As a first timer in NetGalley, getting ARCs is hard enough and the fact that I could start with this awesome book has been priceless 🙈

Loads of things about this book's prose were wonderful! The environmental/geographic descriptions are delicious and musical, and indicators of age and appearance are clear but not overt. The voices of the characters have unique maturities that match each person's perspective which is really refreshing.

It's so wonderful to read a book in the fantasy genre that romanticizes Black individuals and highlights them in celebratory/revelatory ways. For those into spicy fantasy--keep an eye out for Chapters 22, 23, 44, 49, 51, 52, 60!! Or, if you're not into that, keep an eye out beforehand. Personally I prefer a little less overt sexual gaze in terms of narrating a character's body but other than that, the slow burn/mutual denial bit is a well executed trope here.

Let's talk about the primary character Onia. She begins as introspective and artistic yet not pretentious, and I love how her sentimental talks about grief, dementia and loss result in a touching maternal scene at the very end. Onia is a reader, educated, and very headstrong and willing to stand up for herself which is so empowering to see in any heroine. It struck me as a little odd, however, that she didn't question certain revelations more thoroughly, and some of her emotional reactions were narrated in such a way that didn't blend so well with the rest of her dialogue. Another example is her near hyper-independence gives almost immediate way to a lovestruck crush-type demeanor. However, her strength in dangerous and manipulative situations is always astounding! The scenes where Onia reflects on dementia and poverty are some of the best in the book.

For someone into City of Brass by Chakraborty, this is giving those vibes! It's less dense and a bit more lighthearted with more focus on the romance aspect of the plot. The romance dialogue can get a little redundant and I found myself wishing for the plot to move ahead a little bit. However, I ended up enjoying many of the sentimental discussions between the main couple because Moreau's soulmate terminology of "tethering" was so moving in a way that reminded me of my own partnership.

Re: fantasy tropes! I LOVE how most of them seemed really fresh and new in a book that highlighted an Egyptian setting, mythology, and pantheon. The characterization and visualization potential of different locations is great, with each locale being narrated really distinctly. Made it super easy to create mind-scenes in my head! Moreau has a pattern of using a musician's terminology to describe atmosphere, which lent a really nice textural element to reading the story. Moreau took the voyage novel and developed it very pleasantly; I also really enjoyed getting read Onia start physical training. Like many other fantasy heroines though, they pretty much immediately shove her into hand-to-hand solo combat training which is wild to me.

The Fall of Souls explores many different kinds of love, even though the mythology could have been laid out a bit more in depth. Everything surrounding Ma'at (lore, her very sus death, relationship with the Hestia-like Nephthys) was first rate; in addition, Anubis was a profoundly disturbing villain who brought necessary discussions of autonomy and bodily/spiritual independence to this book!

Overall, 3.5/5- I love this contribution to Black lit especially fantasy! It's definitely necessary to write books that celebrate POC and Black bodies and hopefully if there is another installment to the series (if it is one?) more mythology will be added in!

This was so darn good. I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely love mythological retellings and for this to be Egyptian mythology instead of the usual Greek retellings made it even better because it was so different. I loved that there was instant attraction, but it was still a slower burn. I need the next book immediately and don’t want to wait.

Stars: 5
POV: dual
HEA?: yes
Cheating: no
Cliffhanger?: no
Tropes: mythology, retelling, slow burn, close proximity, instant attraction

Fall of Souls by R.A. Moreau started off strong by introducing the two main characters Onia and Ra. Onia has just lost her father and is struggling to take care of herself. She is gifted with the ability to read people’s energies in order to decide whether they will be deemed worthy of ascending to Heaven. I know nothing about Egyptian mythology so this is all new and out of context for me. Ra has been sent by his father to guard Onia because she is the daughter of the goddess Ma’at.

Ra is responsible for bringing her to the great Hall (a part of the divine world). The chemistry between them is instantaneous, however, they both are restrained. She doesn’t trust him entirely, and he is bound to his mission above all else. He will not allow his budding attraction to her to jeopardize his mission.

Their relationship progress rather quickly, at almost 30% through the book the sexual tension between Ra and Onia was palpable. I think this is a very realistic depiction of how most relationships start. First, we focus on physical attraction to the other person, then become attracted to them emotionally before finally falling in love with them. The moments of sexual tension in the desert scenes kept me engaged enough to keep reading but they weren’t long enough for me to be bored.

The second half of the book focuses on Onia adapting to the world of the Gods and learning her destiny. Without giving too much away, her heritage makes her a powerful political pawn in a game between Gods. Onia’s only able to trust Ra and they build into a healthy, loving relationship built on the foundation of respect. At this time we meet many other well developed characters. Though some were not as memorable, many of the characters' personalities are sufficiently written. My only complaint is that the characters' histories weren’t explored in further detail, leaving them to be a bit surface level. It was hard to get attached to any other character when there wasn’t enough character development to feel attached to any of them.

I found Onia to be relatable in some aspects but a bit hard to connect to for myself personally. She was not an annoying character by any means but sometimes she seemed like a helpless damsel in distress instead of the strong warrior that Ra saw her as. Her strength often came out in her strong will and stubbornness .By the end, it seemed as though even her magic wasn’t fully strengthened. It will be interesting to see where her stories goes, how she becomes a stronger character, and how she tends to the Hall. Overall, I thought the story was incredibly well written, engaging, and fun. The characters were adequately fleshed out and the world building was enticing.

Thank you to Netgalley, publishers, and R.A. Moreau for the ARC read of Fall of Souls. I have given my completed honest review in exchange for the opportunity to read this fascinating tale by R.A. Moreau. I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.

This was a very entertaining read. Egyptian mythology and fantasy all rolled up in a steamy love story.
Onia a young woman has no idea who she really is and she is in danger. The gods have sent her a guardian to protect and bring her home to the Halls. Where the dead stand by the scales of justice and are judged. Her guardian is Ra and is able to change into a jackal to protect his beautiful charge. This their sorry of how they travel from this world to the world of the Gods. Egyptian mythology has always been a passion of mine and this book definitely ticked all my boxes. Loved it!!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

This book had me invested from the first chapter. It starts with laying a loved one to rest and learning to continue on alone. During this time of self-reflection and self-reliance, a fascinating (and handsome) stranger comes along. Once these two paths cross an epic journey awaits.

I have been loving the fantasy-romance genre lately because it gives me the gasps and giggles of reading a love story and the awe and intrigue of learning a new world - it’s magic and politics, and there are a lot more characters, twists, and turns. This book does it all soo well, I am shocked this is R.A. Mareau’s debut novel. The writing is beautiful and the story is incredible. I am already ready for the second book in the series!

The way Onia and Ra interacted felt so real. I loved the dialogue and banter not only between the main characters, but also the side characters. Each character has their own personality and even if they’re only in a tiny part of the book, they felt whole and I could imagine their own backgrounds, pasts, and futures. There is a lot of room for this story to play out many ways and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

The story touches on topics like loss, loneliness, and not knowing one parent without getting too heavy or traumatic.

✅ easy read
✅ fantasy romance
✅ Black cast
✅ dimensional characters
✅ forbidden love, slow burn
✅ a handful of spice

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review

As an avid fantasy-romance reader, I had an absolute blast reading 'The Fall of Souls'. I could not let go of this book from the first chapter and I grew more invested with the story as I continued reading. I highly recommend this book for those looking for a unique and fast paced fantasy read.

Onia and Ra were well fleshed out and endearing characters. I loved their dynamic and their slow burn romance was executed well. The romance didn't take away from the captivating plot and it was very swoon worthy.

One of my favourite aspects of this book was the incorporation of Nubian mythology. I didn't know much about Nubian mythology beforehand but I was still able to follow along with the story easily.

This book really took me by surprise and I'll be keeping my eyes out for the upcoming sequels.

Thank you for trusting me with this ARC! Here's my review.

After Onia loses the only family she had left, she gives up on trying to find out why her mother abandoned her and why her kan can read the spirits of others. But when a handsome man, whose wild spirit calls to her, rescues her from the demons, Onia must leave her mortal life behind to uncover the truth of her heavenly heritage.

Ra was born to be the perfect guardian - disciplined, composed, obedient. That is until one ill-fated night caused him to falter. Now he is tasked with the security of the only living heir to the Hall, the judgement place of all souls. But when he meets Onia, the one who is meant to become the next Empress, his spirit decides she's more than just his duty.

The first things that attracted me to this book was the cover and the description of the book. However I had no idea that it would be about Nubian Gods. It was a little bit difficult for me to get into the story, since I know nothing about Nubian Gods at all.. But nevertheless, it was a very good book. The world-building was amazing and the surroundings were described to the details. Onia seems to be a very interesting character but her personality is very unpredictable. Not only her kan but also she herself seems to be a big mystery. Can't really say if I like or hate that about her. Sometimes her decision was not really logical to me, it was more irritating because there was not much background to it.
Ra was on the other hand very well described. His decisions and actions always made sense to me and I supported him. He definitely knows what he wants and he always puts Onia first, whether as an Empress or as his love interest.
Their relationship was more based on intimacy rather than on romance in my opinion. Yes, I know their kans react to each other but that isn't reason enough for me full on jump on someone. There's not really much to say to it.
Overall the book was good and I enjoyed reading it.

3.75 ⭐️ Egyptian Myths Reimagining for the win!

As a person who’s been obsessed with Greek myths re-imaginings and retellings in the books that have been coming out the last few years, this was right up my alley - and at the same time completely separate from anything I'd read before. But this book when above what I already expected would be a solid read.

Onia is a young woman steeped in grieve when the story begins. She’s just lost her father after long years of him slowly forgetting everything around him, including his own daughter. Onia never knew her mother, and now she has to continue her life trying to make enough out of her soul readings in the market square to afford a decent dinner. It’s her kan, a soul-deep power that has always been part of her, that aids her in her pursuit. But when strange monsters come to take her life one night, it’s a stranger she’s met that day who helps her survive. He later introduces himself as Ra, son of Anubis, and lets Onia know that she’s the daughter of Ma’at. After informing her of the Goddess’ passing, Ra tells her she’s needed to return to take her rightful place within the Halls, to help guide the souls once their time comes. Thus begins their story and their journey together.

My obsession with old myths and old gods could not have prepared me for the number of names and designations this book would unleash upon me, and yet there was very little confusion. The author does a great job at explaining every character and takes care of representing them separately from one another. Some names were a tad too similar to another, and that did admittedly make it a bit confusing, but that’s hardly the author’s doing.

This is, first and foremost, a soulmates romance, of course, which is why I picked up this book, but there is so much more. There’s intrigue while looking for Ma’at murderer (although after the 50% or so, the answer was easy), there’s angst, including difficult and abusive family relationships… There really is a little bit of everything here. It was truly a great read, even if the writing style was a bit odd at first to me and it took me until the 10% mark to really get into it.

The plot is a bit instalove-y, after all it is a soulmates romance, but this book's very much a slow burn. Soooo slow. As in, I wanted a hundred and ten more scenes with just Ra and Onia being their cute, silly, little selves, denying that there is a literal hole in their chest made for each other’s presence. I wanted the angsty wait, but more than anything, I needed more of them together at the end. There’s not even a little epilogue - Nothing. It’s the only reason why this book didn’t completely knock it out of the park for me – even if the wait did make the eventual spice so, so much worth it! But I wanted more of the easy romance, and I feel like there’s only painful, convoluted feelings until the very end.

This book's intense, heart-breaking, sweet, and beautiful.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 / 5
🌶️🌶️ / 5

*Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the eARC*

I needed a palette cleanser from heavier books I’ve been reading, and this romance was perfect for that! It still had everything I love - engaging characters, rich mythology (hello, why don’t we have more Egyptian-based re-telling/fantasy books??), and a fast paced plot! Oh and some spicy moments too.

A binge worthy new adult fantasy debut. I always love mythology but Moreau did a wonderful job personifying the deities in a way that is comprehensive no matter your familiarity level with the mythology. This book does have dual perspectives but it was done well and I did not have one perspective that I felt dragged more than the other. I enjoyed the strong female lead but found the male lead to be flat at times. Overall, a fun read for anyone who loves romance or a good mythology based book.

I did download an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for review.