New Release Review ~ Soulfire ~ Juliette Cross

*I received a free copy of Soulfire from Selfpublished via Author. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *

In a world divided by prejudice and hatred, only love can bridge the chasm.

Tensions are rising in the Gladium Province. The boundary between humans and Morgons has begun to blur. While the human aristocracy strives to maintain distance between their daughters and the dragon-hybrid race, fate has other plans.

As the daughter of the corporate king, Jessen Cade is duty-bound to honor her arranged marriage to a man she detests. Feeling trapped by family duty and a loveless future, she longs for more, straying to the Morgon side of the city.

Lucius Nightwing is the eldest son of the powerful Morgon clan, and the greatest enemy of Jessen’s father. When a bar-room brawl thrusts Jessen into his arms, his dragon roars to the surface, craving to sate his carnal hunger in the brown-eyed beauty. The beast in Lucius recognizes her as his own, even if the man refuses to admit the truth.

The Vampire Blood series kicked off my fangirling for JCross’ writing. That series was unique and refreshing and Soulfire – equally unique and refreshing – served to intensify my affection for JCross’ story telling talent. I didn’t write this review right away because I just didn’t have the time but I have to admit that this story and my feelings about it have only improved up reflection. Soulfire has action, romance, suspense, and a message all wrapped up in a Romeo and Juliet-style love story…only with a better ending. 😉

Highlights:

• Premise and Execution of Plot
  A myth about the creation of the Morgons – a hybrid dragon/human species – is how the story begins. I appreciated how JCross used this to set up the story – the animosity between the races, especially between Lucius’ and Jessen’s families, the forbidden element to their romance, and the message regarding racism.
• Characters
  JCross not only delivers MCs to be invested in but also provides a secondary cast I’m equally intrigued with. And both Lucius and Jessen show growth over the course of the story, particularly Jessen. She opens her eyes more fully to what’s been going on between Morgons and humans for generations and wants to be a spark to incite change.
• Romance
  The romance really did have a Romeo and Juliet feel. I don’t know if that was intentional but I loved it anyway. JCross seems to have a gift with using and/or referencing classic literature in her writing which only deepens my appreciation of it.
• World Building
  Set in the Gladium Province, the world JCross created felt realistic. I could picture it because it’s similar to our world but with modifications for the Morgons’ wings. Also, there was segregation – the Morgon area of town and the human area. This also felt genuine and strengthened the feelings of tension between the races.

JCross continues to impress me with her story telling. Soulfire is the first in her Vale of Stars series and I’ve already procured the next installment. I have to know what happens with the other characters and whether or not these two races can ever peacefully coexist.

About Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Brandee is a mom of 3 and a soon-to-be empty nester. She is also an avid reader, a genre omnivore, and a compulsive one-clicker - but she's in recovery. Besides being a reader, she's also a writer and hopes to divide the vast quantities of spare time she'll soon have between reading and finally publishing her first book.

Subscribe to Blog via Email