Soul Speaker

Soul Speaker is a perfect quick read for the Halloween season! The main character, Elara, has the gift to speak with and control the dead. This book gave me vibes of the Jennifer Love Hewitt show, THE GHOST WHISPERER, mixed with a Medieval setting in a fantasy world. This was a great mixture that made it hard to put down until the end.
Princess Elara is kept overprotected in the castle while a war rages between her country and the Elkanians. However, she knows that as Soul Speaker she is the only one with the power to end the war if she can just get past her father’s protections. This is a great premise and it was engaging to see her branch out and use her position to start to gain an understanding of the people’s troubles.
I enjoyed the love interest she has for the captain of the guard, Eon. He has taught her to fight and supported her for years. They were just starting to kiss and explore that they might want a relationship when she makes a deal with the enemy prince, Harland, to go with him back to enemy territory. There is no resolution to her feelings for Eon and a quick changeover to a fated mate's trope with Harland that I wish had been expanded and slowed down a bit to maximize the yearning, confusion, and resolution of her feelings before going to team Harland.
I was a bit surprised by how much of the story took place in the enemy country. The events unfolded quickly. I enjoyed the main events but would have loved to have taken the time to explore the castle, Harland’s life, and confrontations with the king more before she moved on to other people with a stake in the war.
Overall, the setting and premise were fascinating. The length and quick pace moved the story along so that it was easy to read within a day or two. I do wish the characters and events had a bit more build-up.

Soul Speaker has a well thought out plot!

Elara had been locked up, for her own safety, by her father.. the king. Not having any real world experience and essentially being kept in the dark, her escape from her kingdom isn't what she dreamed it might be. With the help of her Deathmate (which is actually a pretty cool thing to have, in my opinion), will she be able to be the Peace Keeper she so desperately wants to be?

Elara is a well written, relatable character, with real flaws. She is passionate about what she believes is right, she's kind, and much more. She suffers from anxiety & panic attacks, while trying to learn/control her powers of Soul Speaking - her inner dialogue reflects this growth fantastically.

I love the idea behind Elara and her Deathmate, aka the Lightning Prince, aka Harland. Its a beautiful thing, having another half that helps keep you grounded and in the real world. That being said, I feel for Eon. Their relationship didn't even get started before Elara was taken prisoner. To make is worse, he's barely brought up again, and never in a romantic sense. I have such strong feelings of dislike that Elara pretty much forgot she had feelings for this man that not only protected her, but taught her how to defend her self and would do just about everything for her - including helping her sneak out. Eon seems like such a great guy!
Another thing I wasn't a fan of, is that everyone Elara loves, or starts to trust, or builds a friendship with, get taken away from her in some way almost instantly. It's like she is cursed to be the Princess of Death, with souls (spirits) as her only companions, forever.

The turmoil and emotions are on point, they really hook you. However, the battle scenes could be drawn out more, and more detailed. It just seemed like they were "resolved" too quickly.

I enjoyed the use of modern slag/language in the story, i.e. "you need to chill." To me, it makes the characters more relatable.

All in all, Soul Speaker is a well thought out story that is most definitely worth the read. I cannot wait to see the conclusion of this war.

What I loved:
A princess of death, an egotistical prince, and a war that they are struggling to end is the landscape that this story expands on. Soul speakers are either peacemakers or destroyers of the world; Elara wants to be a peacemaker but knows nothing of the world as she has been kept as a prisoner by her father. When she sneaks out on her own, she soon discovers what a soul speaker is all about, and the price may be higher than she ever dreamed. Elara is easy to identify with as she battles anxiety, panic attacks, and struggles with her power. I liked that she did not know how to save the world right away and happen over more than one book.

What Left Me Wanting More:
Elara spends most of this book with the lightning prince and, on most levels, becomes a prisoner again, but this time she is in the company of souls. With a war raging between two kingdoms, I expected a lot more battle scenes to play out. The emotional turmoil was on point and gripping throughout the book.

The Final Verdict:
Soul Speaker is a well-thought-out story with characters that face heavy emotional turmoil as they battle it out for peace between the kingdoms. Worth a read, and I am excited to see how Elara and her deathmate bring peace to the land.