I came for the vibes, and vibes I was seeeerved ✨🌊🏴‍☠️🤎 Imagine the threads of Pirates of the Caribbean, Serpent and Dove, and the first Outlander book but woven into something new!

Sea salt and the crash of waves. Pebbled beaches and coarse sand. Sunburned hands and freckled skin. A soft Irish brogue. Loud, boisterous laughter. Danger flashing in deep blue eyes. The flash of a grin. A soft touch and dark hair. Eyes that change like the ocean. A magpie feather, a fine green coat. Abalone shells and silvery moonlight. White sails unfurling. A pounding heart, a skipped beat. The faintest hint of fangs, a woad ink tattoo. Maps of the world spread across a heavy wooden desk. Treasures and trinkets weighing down the corners. Myths and legends. Gods long forgotten. An endless horizon, an adventure in the making.

A yearning. A hunger.

Riddled with guilt, aching with loneliness. Cursed with power no one understands, and everyone fears. Saoirse has survived this long by making herself smaller.

A storyteller. A dreamer. Someone determined to blaze his own path across the stars. Faolan has made a name for himself as the Wolf of the Wild.

Both desperate for a way out, and for the freedom it offers.

The world will know their names.

✨ Every legend has a beginning ✨

"Let me make a legend of you.”
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For transparency’s sake I will inform you that I am a part of Maggie’s street team tasked with promoting this book. That being said, this is my honest review of her work.
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This story is so beautifully written and lyrical! Maggie has a talent for storytelling and I can’t wait to read every single story she publishes.

Saoirse will be a beloved character that lives on my heart until my final day. Her struggle to find herself and her happiness while carrying such a heavy burden is inspiring… but I do envy her for finding a sexy pirate on her travels.

The girls aren’t ready for Faolan. He is going to be on all the book boyfriend lists 😂 and the fan-art is going to go crazy!

I can’t wait to get my hand on my physical copy, I’m itching to annotate every page. July 2025 can’t come soon enough!

3/5

Soulgazer is an example of a fantasy novel that had all the components of something I was set to love but was slightly bogged down in its execution and the framing of the narrative. It's safe to say I've been waiting ages for more fantasy involving pirates and adventure on the high seas. I have complained loudly and often that what we need is more pirates and we need them now. Maggie Rapier's Soulgazer has pirates, a search for a mythical island, a marriage of convenience, and one woman's journey for control over her deadly powers interwound in one romantic fantasy debut. There's a lot brought into this first installment, some of which were executed more strongly than others. What immediately impressed me about Soulgazer was its glittering prose which mesmerized me right from the very beginning. The waves crashing against the shore, the group of women arrayed like swans, and the hungry energy of the Damsha Babhdóir appeared so vividly in my mind. I was immediately intrigued by Saoirse's perspective and ready to see where this gripping story would take me. In the same way, there were issues such as the exposition via flashbacks at odd intervals and the initial setup which left little room for the narrative to breathe. I would have loved more chapters at the beginning to surmount the worldbuilding needed for the story to really flourish instead of dragging that out for longer than was needed. The romance between Saoirse and Faolan didn't grab me until the last quarter of the book but I enjoyed their reluctant alliance which blossomed into something deeper. Soulgazer sticks the landing with its final act and its inquiry into legends and power. Certainly, a novel that will enchant and delight many and I'm interested to see where it's headed!

Soulgazer is a beautiful debut novel by Maggie Rapier. We're pulled into a world that feels both familiar, yet a folk tale with all its lure and danger unsure quite who to trust. Saoirse and Faolan are lovable, flawed characters along with the rest of the cast. I was wrapped up in their bond and relationship, the secrets they shared and the secrets they keep, and the banter! Faolan will be the new favorite book boyfriend, I swear it. I love that Saoirse is a soft girl trying to find her voice and her way in the world and stumbling as she does, like we all do. Her humanity, weaknesses, softness, and strength are refreshing. Rapier has created a wonderful tale, lyrical and magic. I can't wait to read book two!

I am a fanciful girl, and this book tore my heart out and put it back gently.

It’s not often that a fantasy story has prose written like poetry, and yet Maggie somehow managed not only a beautifully written tale, but an entertaining story that leaves you truly wondering what comes next for our sea-faring friends.

Make no mistake, Saoirse and Faolan aren’t your average soft girl and cocky pirate. They’re dynamic, sometimes frustrating, emotionally real characters that you can’t help but love and root for.

I’ve just finished reading this story and I can still taste the ocean on my tongue (or is that my drying tears to that feckin’ ending??)

A five star read for me!

An absolutely BRILLIANT debut, I cannot stop gushing about this story!!! The characters, the world, the stakes, THE ENDING!!! I mean, every single page of SOULGAZER is just dripping with lush prose & lyrical language that is just jaw droppingly beautiful. I cannot wait to see where Maggie takes this story next.

Soulgazer is an excellent example of how words on paper, spun carefully under the magic of storytelling can mend a wounded heart, rip a new gap in the tissues of a soul and make you feral for a fictional world and its characters.

Soulgazer is so much more than just a pirate romantasy. Labels and tropes do not catch the true essence of this beautifully written story, where we follow Saoirse who learns to spread her wings, accept herself and grow. Her magic is unbelievably clever, the world building is fascinating and the twists of fate and history are so well-layered in the core of the book that when you get to one of the reveals you feel it was evident, yet you didn't expect.
The character growth of both Saoirse and Faolan are so well-developed, the emotional stakes of the plot bringing them closer and closer. I screamed over the swoony scenes, the arguments, the sassy endeavors and banter of theirs! Through and through obsessed with them and I am so glad there will be another book following these two flawed, messy but utterly human souls.

Maggie Rapier's writing is like the box of Pandora: you never know what secret, beauty or magic it will release when you open it, but you can be sure it will captivate you, enchant you and move you in the deepest particles of your soul. Lyrical prose blended with carefully spun metaphors, SOULGAZER will stick long after the last page.

Thank you so much Maggie and Berkley Publishing for the e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Gorgeous, immersive prose that makes you savor every word while getting so swept into the narrative, you forget you're reading at all, Soulgazer is the perfect romantasy escape.

I fell in love with Saoirse immediately; her vulnerability, her longing for more tamped down by fear of her own power—which made her eventual character arc so achingly satisfying, I couldn't hold back my tears.

As love stories go, Saoirse and Faolan are IT. The banter, the steam, the lengths they'll go to make each other feel seen and loved, were so moving and tender, my heart soared for them.

Soulgazer's high seas adventure, magic and mythos, found family, and beautiful descriptions have made this one a fast favorite, even more special than I knew it would be. I can't wait to return for more in Book 2!

Huge thank you to Maggie and Ace Berkley for the ARC.

Saoirse is a girl who has been cursed her entire life and feels deep responsibility for a tragedy that occurred. Faolan is legendary, a well-known pirate who is intent on finding the girl with ocean eyes to lead him in a quest. When Saoirse is trapped in an unwanted betrothal, escaping with Faolan and his crew is her only hope. Yet Saoirse needs a guarantee of safety, so a marriage of convenience is struck. Faolan and Saoirse explore the connection between them as they adventure across the seas.

I feel incredibly lucky to be on the street team for Soulgazer! Soulgazer is the type of book that captivates your soul while reading it. Maggie Rapier has crafted an atmospheric and transportive tale. Maggie’s writing style is excellent. I was particularly in awe of each opening chapter line and ending line. It made it very hard to put the book down, because I had to find out what happened next! Saoirse goes through intense character growth as she faces the power that she has always believed was a curse. I particularly loved Saoirse’s journey of learning to express anger and gain agency in her own life. Maggie also includes beautiful sensory details that paint a vivid scene. Readers will feel the caress of the wind and the spray of the sea as they read.

Maggie Rapier understands the power of stories and legends, especially what makes a good one. In her adventures with Faolan, Saorise learns what it means to be a legend and must decide whether she wants that for herself. The crew that surrounds Faolan are a delightful crew of found family. I loved when Saoirse became one of their wolf pack! Faolan and Saoirse are crafted with interesting flaws and secrets that slowly unfurl to reveal the desperate bargains they’ve struck. They experience intense chemistry and every touch is filled with tension. Faolan is book boyfriend material, especially for the Captain Hook girlies.

Saoirse and Faolan are characters that will live in your mind long after the final page. The ending is chillingly good, as Saoirse’s choices will absolutely come back to haunt her newfound love with Faolan. I can't wait to see how the story continues!

Readers who enjoy Adrienne Young, Rebecca Ross, and Isabel Ibañez will love Soulgazer.

Thank you to Maggie Rapier, Ace, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.