Review: Soulbound by Heather Brewer

Soulbound
(Legacy of Tril #1)
by Heather Brewer
Published: June 19, 2012




Tril is a world where Barrons and Healers are Bound to each other: Barrons fight and Healers cure their Barrons' wounds in the ongoing war with the evil Graplar King. Seventeen-year-old Kaya was born a Healer, but she wants to fight. In Tril, and at Shadow Academy, where she is sent to learn to heal, it is against Protocol for Healers to fight. So Kaya must learn in secret. Enter two young men: One charming, rule-following Barron who becomes Bound to Kaya and whose life she must protect at all costs. And one with a mysterious past who seems bent on making Kaya's life as difficult as possible. Kaya asks both to train her, but only one will, and the consequences will change their lives forever.

 I really thought the title of this book was Legacy of Tril. Well, I was wrong because it's Soulbound and you can find that that little thing at the bottom of the cover where the phrase 'A Novel' is usually put. It's even almost the same in size.

Anyway, Soulbound is one of the earliest books I have on my Goodreads TBR shelf. It currently has exactly 800 books in it and Soulbound was number 43 which meant I added it almost two years ago! What really made me interested in it first was the cover. It's wicked cool and I'm always up for anything with a lot of action. Last month when I attended an author signing I was really excited when I saw this in the bookstore and thought, "Hey, I've wanted to read this for a long time!"

While overall I liked Soulbound, the whole thing explaining the duties of Barrons and Healers etched a big frown line on my face. In Tril, their existence is a secret and it is only because of her parents breaking the law that Kaya was able to spend her life with normal humans, hiding. She knows what is at stake when they're found but when she was sent to Shadow Academy as the only way to protect her parents, she was determined not to let anyone put her down because of where she grew up. Barrons are warriors - born to fight, and Healers heal. Every Barron is Soulbound to a Healer from birth but when one dies, they must find another partner. But a new bound doesn't guarantee a full healing mojo from Healers unlike Soulbounds that's why Healers must learn how to heal in the traditional sense as an alternative.

You follow me so far? See, Healers are forbidden to fight. It's against the law. But their duty is to protect and heal their Barrons during war so they're dragged with them on the battlefield. And aside from protecting their own against the enemy, a Barron also has to make sure their Healers are safe because they can't fight back. It's all SO. FREAKING. INCONVENIENT! That is why I love Kaya for voicing it out to the higher-ups and when it felt like she'll be in danger because she doesn't agree with a law that will most likely get her killed anyway, she took the initiative to learn to fight secretly because HOLY HECK, WHO WANTS TO DIE BECAUSE OF A LAW THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE?

Applause to you, Kaya. I actually have no problem with any of the characters. I love them all, except that one mean girl who is always present in such situations. Don't worry! It might sound like this book has a love triangle but there isn't. I just wish I could stop my mind from guessing at the early parts of the book. I've been doing this a lot lately - spoiling myself. A thought is dropped and immediately I'm like, 'Wait, let me guess..' blah, blah, blah.. Eventhough there are supporting scenes that makes my guesses farther from the truth, my brain is an annoying, persistent thing that's why the twist lost some surprise for me. But it was still a great one because I was giddy reading those parts.

By the end of this book I was left with no more questions but a lot of HOWs. HOWHOWHOWHOW did that happen!? So of course, the most reasonable thing to do first and foremost is check the details of the second book. What I found almost made me wish a Graplar is near so I could cut its head off. There is a sequel but the author said it will not be released. WHAT?! Thank the gods for HarperTeen because they bought it from the previous publisher and it'll be released 2015! More than one year of waiting is better than no book to wait for. So yeah, I'm glad. I'm really, really glad because Soulbound is a great book and it deserves a sequel.