DNF at 20%.

The protagonist is such and unlikable selfish b@#ch that I feel no desire to follow her story any further. She deserves all the hardship she gets and then some.

It also feels like this author (male judging by the name, but I can be wrong) doesn't know that female friendships actually exist. All of his female characters are shallow, self-absorbed, and hell-bent on undermining other females around them. I mean the way the protagonist treats her childhood friend and roommate is beyond toxic. Nothing infuriates me more than reading depictions like that.

I am a woman and I have several very good female friends, as well as good female coworkers, and I can assure you that they don't spend their time thinking about how to undermine "the competition" or fight over the attention of attractive men. Yes, women can be supportive of each other.

Anyway, this is a huge miss for me and I won't be continuing with this series.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off...DISCLAIMER: this book was up for grabs on NetGalley (in the Read Now section). Thanks to Michael Karolewski for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

CORPORATE SOUL

This book fell through the cracks for me when it first came out, so I'm glad the author decided to revamp it and put it on NetGalley to build some series awareness, since Book 2 is due in a few days! (on October 31st, to be precise).
Anything with an afterlife setting or dealing with the subject never fails to pique my interest, but it's not an automatic win for me. Exactly because I love the genre, I'm very picky about it - and I'm pleased to say, The Soul Sector hit a lot of right notes for me. For one, it brings a fresh concept to the table (as far as I know - what I can say is that I've never come across a similar one before): Purgatory (here called Valcara) as a very Earth-like stock market trading in souls instead of shares, often with a complete disregard of morality issues. In addition to serving as a clearinghouse for Heaven and Hell, Valcara is also a world between worlds, where - besides Earthlings - a number of non-human creatures (well, souls) end up as well, while waiting for (more like, earning) their forever placement. Lots of colourful characters populate this imaginative setting, that nevertheless is only the tip of the iceberg, since Karolewski hints at a much larger universe - not to mention, he's got no less than six books planned for the series. At any rate, Valcara is only partially the backdrop for this installment's events: the story has one foot firmly planted on Earth, and no, that doesn't make it (half) boring (not only because there's a generous amount of interdimensional chaos in the end 😂. Not saying more because...SPOILERS).

REDEMPTION SONG

If the premise and the afterlife setting are a blast, they couldn't work so well without a strong main character - damaged and emotionally stunted, but able to elicit empathy and, ultimately, to take the route toward redemption. Rose is a 25 y.o. data analyst for an insurance company, with an alcohol problem, a couldn't-care-less attitude and a 17 y.o dead sister. Consumed by grief and guilt over Lizzie's death, at odds with her mother and unable to return the affection of her few friends, after a supernatural incident Rose becomes a pawn in a cosmic game spanning morality, free will and a soul's worth. With Lizzie's ultimate destination (and the world's fate) at stake, she slowly grows into an unlikely, yet indomitable heroine, all while battling her own demons and trying to amend her mistakes (if hitting some roadblocks in the process).

SPARSE REFLECTIONS

As much as I enjoyed The Soul Sector, I have a few quibbles about it that I feel like incorporating in my review (though I'm sure that the author meant well, and in one case, maybe I'm the one at fault for not understanding the main character's mental process)...
- While the story is gay-friendly (one of the deuteragonists is Black and gay, and Rose is always ready to counter any instance of casual homophobia - racism too - whether he's the target of that or not), the gay characters seem to have a guilt complex and/or a sadness about them caused by their sexual orientation (that's especially true of a young man that Rose meets in Valcara). I understand that Karolewski wants to make a point about the unfair treatment queer people still receive, but they deserve to be represented as happy AND proud, not miserable and self-doubting because part of the world is very vocal in its hostility towards them.
- Rose performs an act of heroism at the end of the book, and there's a perfectly valid reason for her to think she can be the best suited person to do such a thing; but the author doesn't explain what her original plan was, since she only succeeds thanks to an unexpected ally that helps her doing her deed.
- As a rule, I'm not one to question an author's choice of words, but I didn't like that a certain clothing article was described as "a wifebeater" - I know the word exists, but I think it should be damned to oblivion, for obvious reasons.
Regardless of those minor annoyances, the story is fresh and entertaining, the characters fleshed out (and funny when they have a reason to be), the writing solid, and I'm very much looking forward to the next installment in the series. (Pssst...friendly reminder...indie books are good!).

Rose Ryker, is a skeptic on religion and the afterlife, is struggling with her sisters death and her own bad habits that hold her back from getting what she wants in life. She ends up falling into a situation where she saw it firsthand the afterlife and is now questioning everything. Velcara, purgatory where souls are bought, sold, and judged on their worth, Rose is sent back to manipulate others worth but whether that’s good or bad is the question.

“The Soul Sector” by Michael Karolewski reminded me a lot of the Loki show. It reminds me of it because the afterlife is more of a company that plays with people’s lives, but this book has weird monsters doing the afterlife work. I thought the book was okay but it was not really my thing. I didn’t really like Rose too much, she seemed a responsible person but I didn’t really understand how she even kept her position in her company with the amount of self-destructive behaviors she showed in the book. I would say it’s a 3 out of 5 stars for me, interesting but I wasn’t invested in the characters or story much.

3.5 stars

I really wanted to love this book. The premise is what pulled me in – I was so intrigued by the tying of two words – the living and the dead. Like, doesn’t that sound absolutely fabulous? And to some degrees, this story did check the boxes for me! Dry humor, a really unique setting that explores corporate greed and corruption – that mix of magic and realism is something I will always be fond of.

It was really our protagonist, Rose, who didn’t do it for me. I saw little sparks of intrigue in her that, really, would’ve made her a super compelling character. She had pockets of depth, and at first, I sympathized with her and her grief after losing her sister. I wanted to see where the story would take her. But there is only so much dismal wallowing I can manage. That energy drained me – I would’ve loved to see more movement within the story – see the full shape of Rose’s arc realized past the loop-de-loop of her constant ‘drowning her sorrows in alcohol and moping.’ Being said – this isn’t a bad book. Curious to see more from Karolewski!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4,5 stars, rounded up to 5.

If I had to choose only three words (+ an "an") to describe this book, I'd describe it as "an amusingly bizarre onion". It's not haha-funny, it was more of this dry, weirdness that just had me reading with an amused smile a lot of the time. I found the twists and turns and leaps of fancy to be just down my alley of enjoyment. Bizarre because really, this book should be included in definitions of that word! And lastly onion because of the many layers it conceals and if you read it at all with care, you'll be amazed - and some might even make you cry a bit.

Who would I recommend this book to? Fans of the Netflix-show "The Russian Doll" comes first to mind. The atmosphere of that show and this book share a lot of similarities, even if the topics differ. Others who I would think are likely to enjoy this one are people who likes books that aren't too straightforward - books that make you think and actually put in an effort when you read. Those who like bizarre tales and analogies and doesn't lean too far to the right politically - or take their religion too seriously. Don't understand me wrong, this is not an anti-religion book - it is actually has some quite brilliant and intriguing thoughts on the subject - but if you take your own specific brand of faith very seriously, you just might get a bit offended.

As I already wrote, this book is like an onion in the way that what seems to be a bizarre tale about how the MC dies and ends up in the afterlife and then a string of random events follow and you try to hang on somehow as to not loose the red thread of it all, has quite a few analogies within it. Capitalism and all its controversies and inhumane practices sure gets more than one hit to it, highlighting its faults and just why it is not sustainable - or should not be anywhere else but in the depths of hellish nightmares. Morality is the other main topic - what is moral, what is not? Who decides? Is there One Big Truth that defines it? Can morality change with time? Can we, from our time, judge people from another era as morally corrupt or not based on our values, or should we judge them on the values from their era even if we think their era really was quite screwed up on that account? Same thing would go for different cultures, but that is a subject that is not as clearly evident in this book - even if it is touched upon as well, if ever so slightly.

Other topics that come up are such as afterlife and the existence of (a) god(s), and more subtly, but quite masterfully, the subject of the loss of a loved one and the guild that might follow and different grieving processes. Alcoholism and its effects on families, how not talking and avoiding pain just leads to more pain are other minor topics that this book touches upon.

Characters: I quite like Rose, the mc. She's quite the antihero, with her brokenness and backward way of doing things. I loved how she tried to figure out what is moral and what is not and her self-doubts and struggles to open up and connect with those around her made her feel quite real and relatable. Her growing friendship with Jade was quite beautiful and I adored Harold who in his awkward kindness was the heart of the story.

Lauren was quite invisible for someone who was described as Rose's best friend though. Cynthia and Bobbo were amusing, at times aggravating in there ignorance, but also perfect for the story just as they were. Chase were kinda bland, the only thing that made him interesting was his relationship to Victoria who were the Queen-Bitch of the story. James, the mysterious guy who kinda started it all, was the one I liked the least though. He did come through in the end, but mostly he was just unlikable and felt that he was quite unneeded after he had been there as the catalyst in the start. He could just have stayed hidden and mysterious and it would have been so much better!

All in all, I did greatly enjoy this book. Before I read this one, I read a few fast-paced thrillers. This one was quite a change from that as it was not a book that just pulled you along with it. Instead you had to work for it, to really stretch your brain to keep with it. It was so worth it though, and I can hardly wait for the next book in the series!

While I was really excited to follow Rose through this wild journey of travelling to and dealing with the afterlife, I was left pretty disappointed.

I've heard that reading this book has left readers feeling like they are in a fever dream. After experiencing it myself, I find no better way to describe 'The Soul Sector'.
This book is filled with details regarding different places, names, and theories - but it became too much for me to take in all at once! I am used to rich world-building in books, but the delivery of all this information had left me confused throughout the book.

One of my main issues with 'The Soul Sector' had to do with the protagonist, Rose. She had a lot of potential to be this likeable character with wit, perseverance, and generally a whole lot of depth. But, continuing to read through her narrative was a struggle for me. I found her to be too morose and got tired of hearing her wishes to continue drinking her woes away and her rude behavior towards others.
While this may be something some readers think is superficial, strongly disliking the main character is something I can't get behind!

​I received a copy of The Soul Sector for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rating: 2.8/5

Review: I really wanted to like this novel but the MC made it real hard to like her. Constantly whining and crying while drinking herself into oblivion WHILE being aware of why she does it, does not a broken character make. How about being emotionally reckless without a clue, then grow into the realization of a failed persona. The whole "I miss my sister so I drink and treat people like shit while listening to my own commentary" shtick just doesn't pass the float test.

There is so much filler in this novel, where you ruminate along with dipshjt, that you get impatient for the movement. The idle time is scripted to make you feel something for the MC, but since you gave up giving a shjt about her early on, the relentless page turning becomes agony.

The parts that should have been expanded upon, were not. Rose is funny in a sarcastic way. She is ascerbic and morose, which endears her to the reader. These moments are brief, yet shine a light on the dismal self-punishment. While the novel never gets off the pot, it could have been saved with more movement and perhaps a twist on the plot where Rose is more than just a human traipsing through her grief.