Review: Good start for first in series
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 7, 2012
Nathaniel fell from Heaven for covering up his brother's romantic involvement with a human woman. As his punishment, he not only lost his wings, but he was forced to work for Delphi (ruler of Hell), and he's known as the Weaver of Souls. He collects corrupted souls, which he then weaves into cloth to make wings for the other harvesters. Nice way to recycle. Nathaniel knows better than to break the rules, but when he witnesses a car accident, he's pulled to the scene by a soul so pure, he can't ignore it. When his counterparts, angels, fail to heed the call and collect the dying woman's soul, it's because her soul has no (loving) ties. With no tether and no angels to escort her, her soul would linger or just be lost. He makes the split decision to save her by bonding a piece of his soul to hers, thus giving her a second chance to find love and build those ties. He doesn't realize that his seemingly selfless act will have far-reaching consequences for the both of them.Chloe McCrea was supposed to die, but by a miracle, she lived. You'd think a near death experience would make anyone live the rest of their lives to the fullest. Not Chloe. Before her accident, she had always had social anxiety. Her accident only made her condition worse. Suffering from agoraphobia, she's holed herself up in the only place she feels safe - her apartment and her bookstore. And she's plagued by nightmares about a man she doesn't know. When Nathaniel shows up at her store nearly a year later offering his services as a handyman, she senses there's something a bit dangerous about him, but that doesn't stop her from succumbing to his charms. Just when she begins to live a little, death stares her down one more time. Will she be strong enough to escape fate one last time?Soul Weaver is Book #1 in the Wicked Kin series, and my first read by author Hailey Edwards. The story got off to a good start, introducing Nathaniel and his struggle to do a job that he doesn't enjoy. The method of soul collecting was interesting and different from anything I've read thus far. We also get a good glimpse into his character - his devotion to his family and his tendency to play the martyr. Chloe was a mess. Not just because of her issues, but because she couldn't/wouldn't leave her home. I could only take so much about the running of a bookstore. I suppose it made a nice getaway for some Nathaniel/Chloe/Neve bonding, but I had hopes for a little bit more. I think I liked the secondary characters more than the hero and heroine. Neve was the yin to Chloe's yang. For a woman, who suffered at the hands of an abusive ex-husband, I thought Neve was surprisingly perky and forthcoming in her attempts to help Chloe with her love life. I liked Bran as well and often felt sorry for him and the way he was treated for being a Nephilim (half human, half angel). The villain of the story was so misguided, he was really creepy.I can't say that I believed the falling in love part between Nathaniel and Chloe. When Nathaniel first encounters Chloe, he's drawn by her pure spirit, and finds her pretty (?). But there was no build-up to his growing attraction to her. What attracted a person like her to him? Was the soul bonding responsible or was it merely a catalyst to make him really "see" her? Then there were the changes in Chloe that just happened too quickly to be believable (considering she stayed a frightened woman for almost 80% of the book). But my most pressing question would have to be: The reason that angels didn't appear to take her soul at the very beginning was because she had no personal ties to loved ones. It begs the question "what about her deceased parents?" Do they not count?All in all, I did like the story, and the story line has a lot of potential for an interesting and sensual series. Perhaps a few things weren't clear enough in this first in a series, but I would read the next book.Thank you Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley for the ARC.Disclaimer: A review in exchange for the ARC was not promised. The views and opinions expressed in this review are my own, and in no way represent the views or opinions of the publisher/distributor.