Review: Soul Weaver by Hailey Edwards (Wicked Kin #1)

Soul Weaver (Wicked Kin #1)
Hailey Edwards
Published: August 7, 2012 (Grand Central)
Purchase: Amazon

Reviewed by: Jo

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Nathaniel is the Soul Weaver, the primary Harvester (a band of fallen angels), charged by hell to collect the souls of humanity’s worst. He walks the earth for thousands of years, reliving the twisted memories of the damned souls he collects, Nathaniel is on the verge of losing all hope and compassion. But when he witnesses a car accident, he breaks all the rules and gives a dying soul a part of his own to keep her alive long enough for help to arrive.

Broken and dying, Chloe’s soul is destined to wander the earth alone forever as she has no close bond with another living human being. After making a seemingly miraculous recovery, she is plagued by nightmares and a lifelong anxiety disorder that has spiraled into full-blown agoraphobia. But the spark of a new friendship and the appearance of a beautiful stranger begin to give her hope that her small corner of the world can have some happiness in it.

But by helping her, Nate has set into motion events that leave him battling against not only his own demons but also a brother hellbent on destroying him and hellish politics that don’t take kindly to rule breakers.

Soul Weaver isn’t so much an action-filled fight for life, but a race against time for two damaged souls. The chapters following Nate (and at times, his brother) provide much of the tension and mythology. A large cast of characters and the world building are introduced in these chapters and while it was dense at times, I found it fascinating.

Chloe’s chapters provided the lighter elements to the story and I really enjoyed the normalcy of her working in a bookstore and her growing friendship with Neve, the store assistant. I felt for her during the times her anxiety was overwhelming and I liked that her struggles weren’t supernaturally fixed.

The romance between Nate and Chloe builds slowly, leading to tender and sweet moments. I seriously can’t remember the last paranormal romance book I read where the characters go on normal date, but they do in Soul Weaver — kitchen disaster and slow dance included!

While the romance is clearly central, I thought it was great how important other relationships were in this book. These connections, particularly the complex one among Nate, his brother Saul and his Nephilim nephew Bran, drive the plot forward and will be something I can see continuing into future books.

On its own Soul Weaver is a great read with a poignant romance and plot that kept me guessing until the very end. As a series opener it introduces many characters, particularly the other Harvesters, and an interesting take on angel mythology that gives great scope for future books.

Fans of Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld and J.R. Ward’s Fallen Angels series should give this one a look.

Sexual content: Graphic sex