| Title | : | A Soul for Trouble (Soulbearer, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1468158740 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781468158748 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 338 |
| Publication | : | First published February 7, 2012 |
| Awards | : | SPFBO Award Best Fantasy Book (2015) |
Arden Lesstymine (known to everyone as Trouble) likes attention as much as the next girl, but this is getting ridiculous. When an insane stranger is murdered at the inn where she works, Trouble becomes the next Soulbearer for the disembodied god of chaos, Loku. Yes, it comes with the ability to channel the god’s limitless power, but at the cost of her sanity — literally. Now she has a sexy but cynical knight claiming to be her protector, a prince trying to seduce her to his cause (and his bed), and a snarky chaos god who offers a play-by-play commentary on it all, whether she wants to hear it or not. To make matters worse, a necromancer wants to capture the soul of Loku for his own dark purposes, and the only way he can get it is by killing her first.
A Soul for Trouble (Soulbearer, #1) Reviews
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I haven't read this book (yet), but it is one of the 10 finalists in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. That's 10 out of 270+ hopefuls!
Read about the competition here
http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk...
See all the reviews and ratings of the finalists so far here:
http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk...
. -
3.5 stars
I really liked the story, the idea and how they were developed throughout the book. There were enough action, dark scenes and light hearted moments to make the whole book quite enjoyable. The only thing that left me wanting more and less at the same time was the romance side of it all.
I didn't really like the way the heroine seems lacking of common behaviour-reading skill and knowledge of her own feelings and how said feelings are swayed from Kell to Dev. This makes her look a bit flimsy to me, especially since most of the time there isn't a real and solid enough reason to provoke such a change of heart. I got to admit that this trait is (sadly, in my opinion) one of the very common characteristics among similar books and especially in the YA genre and therefore it must be liked by the target audience so it's not a real downside, I guess. In this way, though, the heroine seemed to me a bit younger than the 21 years old that, if I'm not mistaken, she mention being in the book.
Beside this, another side of the book which I found slightly disappointing, was the character development; it is there, I'm not saying in any way that the characters are flat, but the changes were sometimes expressed a bit too explicitly to be convincing, while a change which is expressed through facts instead of clear sentences and declarations can be at times seen as much more deep and noticeable positively by the reader.
Criticism aside, I liked the story, the characters, the setting, the magic and mostly the book in its whole and I'll be waiting for the next installements, hoping that they'll manage to fulfill and surpass the expectations this first part aroused. -
This review can also be found on my blog:
A Match Made in Heaven
This book was amazing, and I did not doubt that it would be. I have only read one other book by
Crista McHugh,
Tangled Web, but it was enough for me to know that I wanted to read everything by her. This wasnt quite as good imo, but that is just my personal preference. A Soul for Trouble was a bit more light-hearted than Tangled Web, and more of the typical epic fantasy, with wizards, princes, adventure, and romance. Tangled Web was an erotic court intrigue. But they are both extremely riveting, fast-paced stories with kick-ass heroines.
A Soul for Trouble has everything you could want in a fantasy, but its main focus is still the romance. There is a love-triangle between Arden, the barmaid who is suddenly the soulbearer for the exiled god of chaos; Dev, her sworn Elf protector; and Kell, the prince who is doing everything in his power to save her life from charges of witchcraft. I really loved Dev from the moment he appeared on the page, and I didnt understand why Arden took so long to warm up to him. She was mean to him and ungrateful for his protection. And I was like, "Bitch, he's amazing! Shut up!" Haha, I did love Arden too, though. But Kell? It took me pretty much the whole book to warm up to him. And in the end I was just agreeing with Dev--begrudgingly admitting that I would probably respect Kell if he wasnt trying to steal Arden. It reminded me a lot of the love-triangle in
Throne of Glass. Powerful girl is wooed by prince's charms, while brooding friend who gives her strength is obviously the better choice. All three have their own POVs, as well as occasional chapters from the villain.
There is no explicit content in this book, and is fairly clean, although I would still categorize it as adult. I cannot wait to read
A Soul For Chaos and hopefully see Arden and Dev's relationship develop further. I already bought book 2 and will be starting it immediately. :) -
This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit
The Romanceaholic
Expected Release Date: April 2, 2012
Publisher: Christa McHugh
Imprint: N/A
Author’s Website:
http://www.cristamchugh.com
My Source for This Book: Gift from the author
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Soulbearer Trilogy
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Chaste
With plenty of action, danger and interesting plot twists, I have to admit that despite the fact I don't normally care for love triangles, I read this book in a single sitting. Ms. McHugh has created a fascinating world full of magic, adventure, close calls, betrayals, and a fairly large mystery involving the heroine's own history. Throw in a sexy elf, a seductive prince, a snarky god of chaos, and even zombies, and how could I not like this?
While I'm not sure what the "technical" genre classification for this book would be, I personally would categorize it as Upper YA/New Adult Fantasy based on the low steam level and rather immature heroine. However, even as a reader of more "adult" romantic fantasy, I still thoroughly enjoyed this one, and am definitely looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.
A very solid 4/5 Stars -
Meh, I will just give up
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If I could, I would give this book 3,5 stars. But that is not possible and for me it was closer to 3 stars than to 4. But 3 very enjoyable stars.
What I liked about the book:
1) The relationship between Trouble (or, Arden, as she prefers to be called) and Dev. How they gradually grow to accept that Trouble is the new soul bearer of Loku, a chaos god, and that they are stuck with each other, because Dev is every soul bearer's sworn protector. I liked how they started out fighting and bickering, than moved to liking and trusting each other .
They both follow a well established set of rules from the fantasy and romance genre, but do not come across as cardboard characters.
Although still young, Trouble has learnt to look out for herself. She is innocent but not naive, and tough when she needs to be tough. Her character is mostly believable. Maybe her innocence in matters of the heart is a little too much, and her transformation into a skilled fighter too swift. But she is very likeable and felt real enough. I loved how she coaxed Dev's fire wolf into submission, turning him into a sort of fierce lap dog, much to Dev's annoyance, of course.
Dev is both strong and sensitive, quiet and resolute if he needs be - or if Trouble provokes him. Which she frequently does. ;) I loved his protective stance.
2) The way the love triangle is played out in the book.
If you do not like love triangles: Stay away from the book. Or maybe not. Because (although it's very clear from the beginning who the happy couple will be, eventually) the love triangle does not dominate the plot. Or rather: It is not the usual love triangle, in which the heroine first cannot decide who to choose, then obsesses about the one she chooses while the rejected one obsesses about her. For Trouble is determined not to fall in love at all.
She does not want not to make the same mistake as her mother - who fell in love, got pregnant without being married and as a consequence led a miserabe life in a society that looks down even on “honorable“ women, treating them as inferior to men, more like work slaves or business commodities than humans. So she fights against her growing feelings for Dev. And she is clever enough to see through prince Kell's intentions and is not the least bit impressed by his advances. (There were some nice quarrels between the three. Nevertheless, prince Kell is one of the reasons I did not give the book more stars.)
Dev, as in so many true love triangles, cannot give in for his feelings for Trouble. There are some hints as to why (he did some bad things in the past and tries to atone for them by protecting the soul bearer – and loving the soul bearer would only get in the way of protecting her), which will probably be detailed in the next book. But the struggle between his feelings, his duties as the soul protector and his resentment against prince Kell is balanced.
3) I liked the story and the world in which it played. The world building is not that detailed but detailed enough. You get all the information you need to follow the plot and it is not shoved into your face, either. Personally, I don't mind when authors do not spell out every aspect of the worlds they create, as long as the picture is coherent. And I also don't mind when they give me the bits and pieces of this world gradually. Although a little bit more backstory about the other kingdoms (this book focuses on Ranella) would have been nice.
What I did not like:
1) The writing is sometimes a little hurried, especially in the beginning. It felt like: Huh -? Why does the author end this paragraf so hurriedly, why doesn't she explain/describe this in more detail? It felt a bit rushed. But after a couple of chapters it either got better or I got used to this style of writing …
2) Prince Kell provides some nice, funny scenes with Trouble and Dev, but he is so very predictable and two-dimensional. This also gets better as the book progresses/when he falls in love with Trouble, but still ...
3) I liked the basic plot idea but felt like the author sort of lost interest in the fight against the necromancer (who feels more of a prop than a real threat) in favor of the love triangle. The final fight against the necromancer was quite an anti-climax.
4) And finally, I had difficulties with Loku, the chaos god. The basic idea is great but the way he was written I found him neither fish nor fowl: Although Dev repeatedly states that Trouble will very likely get mad and die prematurely because she shares her body and mind with Loku, and that Loku is dangerous, he did not come across as evil, threatening or dangerous. ... nor as that funny or ironic. (More bawdy and lewd. Then again, the constant sexual innuendos are probably fitting for a chaos god …)
Despite this, I am really looking forward to book 2 (coming soon!). -
A Soul for Trouble is a book I originally thought of as a Young Adult fantasy novel which seemingly touts a love triangle and a unqiue magical angle of a trapped god. I was definitely wrong on one account, this is not a Young Adult novel but instead one that could be classified as New Adult. Age difference aside A Soul for Trouble is a promising start to a highly interesting and unique fantasy series.
Arden, as we first meet her, is a rather tired and irritated barmaid in a small village where no one seems to respect her. She’s different from those around her with her fair hair and blue eyes, but she’s also hiding a magical secret which could get her killed. However that changes when she meets a rather insane man and his protector and she finds herself running away from the fiery ruins of her home with the god of chaos trapped in her mind. Arden had a sharp wit and a strong backbone to begin with but both become even more predominant as the story unfurls. In fact one of my favorite things about her is her willingness to set aside her fear and do what she feels is right, her own safety be damned. Of course when your nickname is Trouble you can sort of guess how often her safety is on the line. Dev is our elven fierce protector, duty bound to protect those who hold the soul of the god Loku. However his rather detached and stiff nature of the situation changes when he finds himself having to protect the beautiful and highly stubborn (if a little frustrating Arden. I love seeing him become flustered when Arden dug in her heels or rushed head first into danger, and even though I wanted to smack him I loved his trouble with finding a balance between duty and personal feelings. To be honest he’s absolutely terrible at finding that balance and I can’t say I blame him too much, he’s a bit out of practice and Arden does have a chaotic god bouncing around inside her mind. Loku is definitely my favorite though, and it should be no surprise. He’s a god of chaos and he’s name is suspiciously close to Loki…so of course I’m going to like him. He’s funny, highly inappropriate and surprisingly helpful. His silent conversations with Arden were definitely one of my favorite parts of the book as he dispensed both wisdom and lewd suggestions. Then of course there is Cinder, a fire wolf, and Prince Kell who, I’ll be completely honest, is a bit of a spoiled brat even though he’s intelligent and seems to have his heart in the right place.
The world in which Arden and Dev live is pretty interesting though this is mostly a character-driven narrative so we don’t get the lush detail I normally desire. However I was very interested in the social system of Ranello. They have strict laws against magic users and their customs regarding woman are a bit…stone age. I liked seeing how Arden and Dev had to navigate both restrictions and just how much strain it put on them. I am looking forward to seeing more of the world in the next book since it seems we might get to see where Dev and Cinder come from. The love triangle was so-so. We have the sturdy and trustworthy Dev against the well-bred and smooth talking Kell…and Arden sways between the both for different reasons. I wasn’t overly thrilled by it but I am more than a little curious as to who she will ultimately choose because I’m more than a little invested in Dev. Of course there is also the matter of the necromancer who leaves a bit a of a bad taste in my mouth. He’s driven by revenge and power, and his incredibly disgusting. We see him face off with our heroes a few times but I somehow don’t think we’ve seen the end of him.
So while a few things could have been a bit better I really enjoyed the character driven story and the unique touch of having a immature chaos god stuck in a woman’s mind. I look forward to seeing if the necromancer causes more issues and what happens as Arden grows more comfortable with her power and Loku’s ‘helpful’ residence of her mind. -
Synopsis:
When you're a witch named Trouble, chaos follows.
Arden Lesstymine (known to everyone as Trouble) likes attention as much as the next girl, but this is getting ridiculous. When an insane stranger is murdered at the inn where she works, Trouble becomes the next Soulbearer for the disembodied god of chaos, Loku. Yes, it comes with the ability to channel the god's limitless power, but at the cost of her sanity -- literally. Now she has a sexy but cynical knight claiming to be her protector, a prince trying to seduce her to his cause (and his bed), and a snarky chaos god who offers a play-by-play commentary on it all, whether she wants to hear it or not. To make matters worse, a necromancer wants to capture the soul of Loku for his own dark purposes, and the only way he can get it is by killing her first.
My Thoughts:
I found this to be quite enjoyable. Not sure if I want to rate it a three or a four, though.
The book starts things off right away which I appreciated. There was no long drawn out intro showing how Arden is mistreated, but we get to see enough of it to know that she is treated badly because of her looks and the magic she wields. In this kingdom, to use magic is to forfeit your life as using magic in Ranella is against the law. Everyone in the little village of Wallus thinks Arden is a witch and have nicknamed the girl Trouble, little do they realize just how well she lives up to that name and just what she is.
Too bad for Dev he gets to find out the hard way why the girl is called Trouble and he doesn't hesitate to call her that despite how many times she tells him she hates it. Unfortunately, they're stuck together and Trouble's life gets complicated from here on out. Turns out that the god of chaos, Loku has decided that Trouble is his new vessel. Weirdly, though, he seems rather protective of her even though he teases her like crazy. I liked him, though. He tells the truth and is pretty funny to boot. I like Dev despite his constant need to push Trouble away. Maybe if he explained, she wouldn't be so willing to fall into Prince Kell's arms.
Granted, even with the way Dev kept his distance, I still found Trouble to be quite fickle. True, you can care for two people in different ways, but she just kept going from one to the other swinging like a pendulum. It was driving me a bit nuts. It was worse because she knew who she really wanted. She knew the whole friggin' time. Maybe she was acting that way because her whole world basically got scraped and nothing would ever be the same again and she needed some kind of companionship. It was still annoying because she'd spent her whole life trying not to end up following her mother's path and she went down sooooo easily. At least she didn't give in completely. I'll give her that.
Prince Kell seems to be a nice enough guy, too. I believe he genuinely did fall for Trouble and wanted her for more than what he could get out of her. I just didn't want her with him, so his pursuit of her annoyed me. At least he isn't completely useless, but I could have done without him.
I would have liked for Sulaino to have been a bit more of a threat. He was creepy, yeah and he was obviously evil, but after the fight at the end, it felt to me that he wasn't really ever that much of a threat. I know why Dev was holding Trouble back from taking him on, but if he had just let her deal with it sooner, they may not have ended up stuck in Ranella for so long.
At least at the end of the book, Dev seems to have finally gotten it through his thick skull that he can't just push Trouble away and wait until they get to Gravaria to try to pursue something. He's basically tossing her into Kell's arms with the way he's acting. It seems like he's made his mind up to do something about it. Guess I'll find out what that is when I read book 2. -
This is the first of my SPFBO round 2 reads and this was a enjoyable one.
Overall rating = 3.75 stars
The story is a wild mix of epic fantasy and romance, Crista McHugh really kept me entertained with her spin on the farm-boy fantasy trope. We meet Arden who is aptly named Trouble, who serves as a barmaid and help in her uncle's tavern in the land of Ranella. She's a stranger in a strange land as her mother was disgraced by her father as he left her pregnant and she finds herself visibly different than the local populace. In the first chapter itself we find her getting into mortal trouble when the immortal soul of the chaos god Loku enters her body and makes her his next soulbearer.
Thrown into the mix is Loku's soul protector knight, Ser Devarian Tel’brien of Gravaria who is also an elf and quite many decades old. Hunting for Loku's soul and his choas magic is a necromancer called Sulanio. Faced with magic that's forbidden in Ranella, a mad god in her head and a knight-protector who confuses her, Arden (Trouble) does her best to face the struggles of her heart and her mind. Running away from Sulanio she will have to control Loku and his lascivious thoughts, get a grip on her new found magic and make the right choice between 2 men who torment her heart.
This story was a fun one to read and I knew in advance that this was a fantasy romance so certain elements of the story would be blown up. With that in mind, I didn't mind how the author portrayed Trouble and her hearty problems. There's a love triangle involved and while I'm not sure whom the author intends to have Arden end up with. The overall story enticed me enough to keep reading and grab the sequels too. The main thing I enjoyed about the story were the fantasy elements that were strewn throughout. The author also keeps the story fast-paced through two-thirds of the book and the book loses some steam in last one-third as the plot becomes entangled with certain courtly matters as well as the love triangle in question.
Overall this story was a fun read as Loku kept appearing at odd intervals and making the most inappropriate suggestions and commentary. I would have love to see more of him. This book is built for a certain audience and for those who love some romance in their stories, this story will do it nicely for you. As a fantasy reader primarily I was able to enjoy the story and not mind the romance as it's ensconced within the story neatly.
A Soul For Trouble was a fun read for me and I'll be interested to read the sequels to see where to the author takes the story.
Full review to come soon... -
DNF
I made it to 25% and finally just gave up. I know people really like this book. But I wasn't going to be able to make it through...or if I did I was going to end up writing a harshly critical review.
My rough NOTES page is already cluttered with things like...
'He keeps referring to her being irrational and her hysterics, but I thought she wasn't anywhere near as freaked out as she should have reasonably been. This felt very much like either the reader was being told her emotional state because it wasn't effectively being shown, we were being rushed through the adjustment, or he had a very poor opinion of women's intellect. Either way I thought seeing a man refer to surprisingly calm and rational woman as troublesome, irrational and hysterical was extremely condescending and cliche. Isn't that what's always being slung at women?
The use of gender inequality as a world-building device is so clumsy it's creating an anti-woman feel. Men are constantly talking about women's place, referring to them as whores or wenches, easily talking about selling them, etc. The rape scene was painfully blasé. I get what the author was trying to do, but it failed. This is exacerbated by the fact that whenever Trouble says anything that he disliked the narrator refers to her as having too much sass or some such. I definitely feel a 'women should be seen and not heard, or at least not voicing dissident opinions' vibe going on. Though I absolutely think it was unintended.
dialogue seems forced and names are used too often
fights develop, blow up and resolve in a mere paragraph. Whose emotions move so quickly? It didn't feel natural.
plotting is clumsy and rushed...after being together one day he is already referring to her in ways that infer long familiarity. "At least she's finally..." "She's more stubborn than..." "usual barage of questions..." These are things he can't have learned in 24 hours, half of which she was unconscious for.
There is a lot of sex and it feels largely out of place. First because random sex scenes are just shoe horned in, often disquised as dreams so that they don't have to fit the plot. You'll be reading along with nothing romantic going on and then turn a page and bam, sudden graphic sex scene. Second, everything else in the book feels very YA, so the sex feels jarringly out of place.'
If I have that many notes at 25% it's safe to assume me and the book are a poor match, so I'm giving up and not rating/reviewing it. -
Finalist of #SPFBO. Read the full list of finalists here:
http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk...
Summary: Arden (aka Trouble), a skinny, blonde heroine who wouldn’t be out of place in a YA romance, gets possessed by the fallen god of chaos, Loku. Along with the god in her head, she gets a moody elven bodyguard with a wolf, a cliché-cackle bad guy in the form of a necromancer, and later a prince to turn the romance between the Arden and bodyguard into a love triangle.
Thoughts: Despite being often cliché, the fantasy aspects of this book were entertaining. The sarcastic and inappropriate Loku was my favourite character, but I couldn’t say any of the characters were well developed. The book was also dragged down by sometimes clumsy writing, but on the flip side it's a light, easy read.
For my liking, there was too much focus on romance and sex, taking this book firmly into not-my-thing territory, but I might recommend for readers who are looking for a freebie and like their romance/erotica with some fantasy on the side.
3/10
Content Warning: -
Not really the book for me. I'm not a YA reader, and usually get easily bored by it.
I think A soul for trouble had a big potential, unfortunately a teen/"new adult" heroine was not the right character for such a story. Everything was banalized, from a God robbing you of a choice (and potentially driving you crazy) to being forced to follow a knight protector or battling for a country that despises you.
The God itself didn't read much better, again like a teen run away for the first time from a very strict family.
I may come back. But it's not the right book for now. Pity. -
What can I say? This book is addictive! I decided to start reading it before I went to bed. Big mistake!! I had to keep reading until I finished it, no matter I couldn't keep my eyes open! :) So excited for book 2 to come out!!
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After reading the blurb, I thought this would be right up my alley, but I tried and then I tried again and I just can't seem to finish this. I am so unable to produce any enthusiasm for this book that even the anticipation of writing a ranty review isn't enough to keep me reading.
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~4.5⭐️~
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4.5 review on blog
Witches, Mages, Elves, Knights, Princes, Fire Wolves <3, and an army of the undead? Yes, Please!
Loku, the god of chaos, was ripped from his body after he tried to “spice up the world” a little bit with his scheming. Now he is a soul that wanders from person to person. When his human host dies, he has to enter a new host body. The people he inhabits are referred to as the soulbearers. Devaious, or Dev, is the Knight charged with protecting the last two soulbearers. However, his job Is not an easy one, since the chaotic god is determined to make his life hell.
When the soulbearer enters Trouble’s little tavern, he turns her world upside down. When the host body is killed, Loku enters Trouble’s body. This is a major problem for her. You see, once Loku enters a body, he is there until the person dies- Which means she is stuck with a perverted, devious (albeit hilarious) voice in her head constantly providing commentary FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE. She is also stuck with a handsome knight to protect her as well. In order to teach her to control the newfound powers she possesses, Dev will have to take her away from the home she has always known and train her in how to use her magic.
But someone is after the god of chaos and wants his powers for himself. Plus, it is sort of illegal to use magic in the surrounding realms. So the duo (excuse me, trio) will have to get to the kingdom that allows magic, but along the way have to fight off a mage and his hoard of the undead (cool), villagers determined to burn Trouble at the stake, and the advances of a handsome prince. All while Trouble struggles to remain herself when her mind is being taken over. Because soulbearers always, ALWAYS, lose their minds to Loku long before their time is up.
Characters
Trouble. This 21 year old bar maid, who has never been too far out of her town, is suddenly sucked into a world magic and has a god inhabiting her body. I would say she handled it as well as any of us would have handled it… with extreme panic, some tears, and a lot of sarcasm. I must tell you now that sarcasm is my favorite form of communication and between her, Loku, and Dev, there was plenty to keep me entertained. It does not take her too long to come to terms with the perverted god residing in her head. I felt like having your sanity threatened and the reaction to that would be difficult for someone to write. I think the author wrote it rather well. I mean, she accepted it faster than I would have,but then I am not a character in a book= Much to my dismay ;). I like that her feelings for the 2 love interests are not selfish, like the girls being fought over in other books I have read. She does not immediately proclaim herself in love with everyone. She thinks her feeling through throughout the book- even discussing them with Loku. Hey, he’s there, why not use him? Her conflict between the knight and the prince was well- written. She was no fool. also, she is a bad ass character, who is sensitive to the needs of others.
Loku (god of Chaos)_First off, I want to say that although he was a troublemaker, Loku made me laugh so hard and so often. I mean, this book just would not be the same without his commentary on everything. I just do not know whether he is a good guy or a bad guy. He does some horrible things, but he seems to treat Trouble different than he has treated any of his previous soulbearers. He keeps hinting at having something special in store for her and having “plans”. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series and find out what he has up his sleeve. He is terrifying and intriguing at the same time. I love how his character is written. I cannot wait for more of him in the second book!
Dev, oh Dev, I have to admit, that I fell in love with Dev around seven pages into the book. I mean, Dark Hair + green eyes + muscles + fire wolf (read the book. hehe) + tortured knight + just overall sexiness + elf. I mean, jesus, woman, what are you trying to do dangling a fictional character in front of me as sexy as that? I mean, seriously. It’s just cruel. And another thing… how did you know I loved wolves, too? It’s scary. You picked all the characteristics I love in my fictional guys AND one of my favorite animals and added extreme awesomeness to said animal? The only thing that could have made him more appealing was if Dev had been an assassin, instead of a knight. Because let me tell you.. assassins.. moving on! plus, he is all shrouded in mystery (another sexy quality). I still don't know his story, but trust me I am dying to find out.
On to Kell. His character seemed a little easy to figure out at first, but a the story progressed, I got to know him better and he wasn't so one- sided. With him, I kind of felt his feelings for trouble were out of character from his womanizing background we are given in the story. However, His character experiences a transformation throughout the book and we see a deeper side to him than the “shallow, womanizing, spoiled prince” He is EXTREMELY open with his feelings. Extremely open. Extremely. He is also openly funny, teasing, and charming- as a prince should be. I feel like he was true to his character as prince what with all his princely loyalty and such. (:
I am sure that readers will be split between the two guys. (however, I want team buttons made so I can display them on our blog. okay, just the Dev one. :P Juuuust sayin’) ugh, I want to know who she picks NOW.
The conflict. The bad guys in this book were so hard core! I mean, whoah, they were messed up!. lol.. I liked it. :D. I love how the story flowed in the end to introduce, what I assume, will be the conflict in the next book. It is not something she just pulled out of thin air- it relates to the story and I am SUPER excited to learn more about it. And I am super excited to read more about my perverted, sarcastic, mushy, cynical (<3), and or bad- ass characters and find out what happens to them next!
so, all in all, I would say that this book is a 4.5
It had plenty of magic, mayhem, romance, and lots of sarcasm. Also, there was some steaminess in this book. :) (I hope there is more in the next one!) -
Estuvo entretenido, contiene bastante humor a pesar del tema, y la verdad que me gustó leerlo.
Es sencillo de leer, empieza lento, pero va mejorando en el camino. -
Book name: A Soul For Trouble (Soulbearer #1)
Author: Crista McHugh
Book Description: When you’re a witch named Trouble, chaos follows.
Arden Lesstymine (known to everyone as Trouble) likes attention as much as the next girl, but this is getting ridiculous. When an insane stranger is murdered at the inn where she works, Trouble becomes the next Soulbearer for the disembodied god of chaos, Loku. Yes, it comes with the ability to channel the god’s limitless power, but at the cost of her sanity — literally. Now she has a sexy but cynical knight claiming to be her protector, a prince trying to seduce her to his cause (and his bed), and a snarky chaos god who offers a play-by-play commentary on it all, whether she wants to hear it or not. To make matters worse, a necromancer wants to capture the soul of Loku for his own dark purposes, and the only way he can get it is by killing her first.
Published in: February 7th 2012 by Create Space.
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy, PNR
Book Review:
The heroine, Arden Lesstymine or Trouble, is a blonde haired, blue eyed barmaid that works for her uncle at his inn in a town that everyone is black haired and brown eyed. That and the fact that she is secretly a witch makes her receive unwanted attention from the town folks (witches are not allowed in the country and are burned when discovered).
Trouble follows the heroine everywhere, hence the nickname Trouble. She becomes the next "vessel" for the god of Chaos Loku without wanting it and meets Devarian Tel’brien, a Knight of Gravaria (short name Dev) who claims that he is her sworn protector and its his duty to take her to Gravaria to keep her safe and give her proper magical training. Becoming a "vessel" for the god of Chaos is no joke. Loku has unlimited power but it comes with a cost, her sanity.
Dev and Trouble begin their journey to Gravaria but soon they discover that a necromancer its hot on their tails and he wants Trouble. He wants to take her and use Loku to his advantage whatever that may cost.
When they see the necromancer in a city destroying everyone is his path, Trouble chooses to disobey Dev and save the people. There she meets Kell, a prince that is his duty to report witches to his father despite the fact that he is enthralled by Trouble. Kell soon realizes that he cares for Trouble and he wishes to save her. They soon set to meet his father so he can try and change his mind for this particular witch.
Dev and Kell both care for Trouble. Dev is tormented with the fact that he cares so much about her and Loku keeps playing games with him and teases him about that fact. Because its Devs duty to keep Trouble safe he pushes her away every time they come close to each other, confusing Trouble in the process.
Ms. McHugh did a wonderful job on this book! The writing is excellent and the book is fast paced and keeps the reader on edge the whole time! I found myself connecting with all the characters. Trouble is my kind of heroine despite the fact that she is so hard-headed some times. I adored Dev even though I wanted to smack him in the head when he was being so stubborn, Kell was annoyingly sweet some times and Loku, well, Loku is a fun, fun god of Chaos. Personally I can't wait for the next book of this series to come! -
A Soul For Trouble is the first book in the Soulbearer Trilogy by Crista McHugh, author of Tears of Elios.
When you’re a witch named Trouble, chaos follows.
Arden, known to everyone as Trouble, is an outcast in her realm. She's a blond haired, blue eyed witch trying to fit in in a sea of dark haired, brown eyed magic haters. In Ranello, magic of any kind has been banned and women "belong" to the elder male of their family. For this spunky young woman, feeling owned by anyone is bad enough but knowing that she would be put to death if anyone found out what she truly is makes for one unhappy Trouble. When two strangers show up in town, she find herself faced with a murder as well as her own possession and kidnapping. She becomes possessed by the god of chaos, Loku, after his current host is killed at the Inn where Trouble works. Loku certainly lives up to the title, causing chaos at every turn. One surprising benefit of her possession is her protector, Dev, who must guard Trouble since she is now the current soul-bearer. Dev also agrees to train her in using her magic. Good thing, because she's going to need it. It turns out that a necromancer wants Loku all to himself and has every intention of going through Dev and Trouble to get him. While Dev insists on keeping things strictly professional, they both find themselves battling their attraction to each other. Of course, Kell, one of the princes of the kingdom, has his eyes on Trouble too and is none to subtle about it. Will either men be able to win her affection? Will Chaos get his way and drive the soul-bearer to her own death in order to pick a new host?
This was a very unique story with some great characters. It's a fairly light read with plenty of suspense. I love that the author didn't make this one of those "love/lust at first site" stories. It's makes that connection between them feel so much more real when they have time to build it up. The world building was a great, unique set up. Her womanizing prince and honorable knight were funny, sexy and frustrating as hell. I totally shared in Trouble's frustration with these two. The prejudice of the people of Ranello is infuriating as well. Hello, if a witch saves your life with magic, you really want to burn her at the stake for that?!
I originally read this book because I was so impressed with Crista McHugh's book "The Tears of Elios." I thoroughly enjoyed this story as well and can't wait for the sequel. I say that so calmly now. I may possibly have had a slightly larger reaction to realizing I was at the end of the book and would now have to wait months to find out what happens next ;)
A Soul For Trouble is due to be released April 3rd. You can visit Crista McHugh's site for a list of all of her books as well as a chance to enter to win a great gift basket to celebrate the release.
http://underworldloveaddiction.blogsp... -
Wow! I just finished reading the entire Soulbearer trilogy and I'm sitting here dumbfounded. I'd only read two of Crista McHugh's novels before but I really enjoyed them so, when I saw a post on Goodreads asking for reviewers for her Soulbearer series, I thought, 'What the heck?' I signed up and received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did not know what I was getting myself into.
In this, the first book, we read of Arden, also known as, Trouble. An orphan with yellow hair and blue eyes, she's always stood out from the dark-haired people around her. She's the bastard of an unknown visiting Gravarian who cast her mother aside once he returned to his homeland. There are several clues as to his identity, such as, the Gravarians are elves that have pointed ears and possess magical powers. Arden's mom did her best to disguise these characteristics in Arden but she didn't earn her nickname for nothing!
Working as a serving girl in her stepfather's tavern, Arden holds back her magic and tries to keep herself from being noticed. She's two steps away from being burned at the stake as a witch, as Ranello, the kingdom where she lives, has banned the use of magic. In stumbles an old man who's muttering crazily to himself. Arden does her best to be nice to him but he kind of gives her the creeps. All Hell breaks loose when he grabs her hand and she spots a knife in his back. Green mist leaves his mouth and enters hers, as a handsome knight whisks her away to safety. The green mist turns out to be the soul of the God of Chaos, Loku, and Arden is now the Soulbearer. The knight, Sir Devarius of Gravaria, has held the job of Protector over the Soulbearer of Loku for centuries, and he's never seen anything the likes of Trouble.
Arden and Dev dance around their feelings for each other as Arden learns how to deal with the soul of a god within her. She becomes a force to be reckoned with but struggles to keep the chaos from taking over. With the introduction of Prince Kell, the playboy third son of the King of Ranello, we even get a love triangle. Kell is one hot prince and rivals Dev for a place in Arden's affections. Kell first lusts after the double-souled Arden, then gives her his heart, but her heart may already belong to another. Of course, Sir Dev has to put his duty as Protector first and cannot admit how he really feels about Trouble.
With lots of sexual tension, adventure, magic, and even an army of walking dead, Crista weaves a tale that will only leave you wanting more. Thank Loku, that the second book was already available because I couldn't wait. I bought it within two seconds of finishing this book and started reading it immediately.
Check out my review of the second book in the Soulbearer Trilogy, A Soul For Chaos, to find out more. -
I got Crista McHugh's A Soul For Trouble for cheap in a Amazon daily deal, and it was worth the sale price. Now, I did enjoy the book (even if it doesn't seem like it), and I will be getting the rest of the series at some point (I started, gotta know how it ends), though not immediately. It's apparently self-published, and... it shows.
There's a number of critical reviews of the book, and they're all right. Looking at McHugh's other books, it seems like romance is her normal genre, and it has carried over here. A lot of time is spent with the main character having the hots for both of the major male characters and worrying about what that says about her. And she gets to suffer through a mental hitchhiker trying to egg her on and saying 'you have a wanton woman buried in you'.
Not that there's anything wrong with those urges (or necessarily acting on them), but all three principles in this little triangle manage to spend a fair amount of time distracted by their sex drives while too tired and stressed for other concerns to not be crowding it out.
On the fantasy side of things, we have a country with a physically homogeneous population, that's outlawed magic, and forbidden worship of any gods other than one (and yes, the others do exist in this world). It's obvious there's a reason for this (the legal parts are relatively recent), though it hasn't been gone into yet. Our heroine is a native, but looks different from everyone else, giving her the Scorned Outsider background. (There's a good reason for this, which is obvious from early on, though the main male passes it over until the end of the book.)
The two mainsprings of the plot are a power-hungry necromancer (there is a very ew side of sadistic necromancy here), and the god of chaos, who tried to enter the mortal world at one point, got his body ripped from him, and now exists as an immortal spirit going from person to person. This last is where the 'soulbearer' title comes from, as the main character gets to be the current host for the god, who acts as magic mentor, horny teenage boy, and deus ex machina for her in turns.
When allowed to happen, the plot and action are fairly good, if nothing special, and not enough to seriously distract from the problems. I wouldn't avoid this, but there's little reason to seek it out either. -
4.5/5 stars
When you are the only blonde-haired, blue-eyed person in town you know you are going to draw attention to yourself, not always good attention, but attention none the less. Add the ability to use magic into the mix and you know why you have the nickname Trouble. Arden works for her uncle at his inn, not by choice but by honor to the family, unfortunately Arden gets to serve the riff-raff at the inn that no one else wants to deal with. Who knew helping one old man would change her life forever? Shortly after helping an insane old man he is killed and Arden becomes the new Soulbearer of the chaos god Loku. This information is given to Arden after she woken outside the village by Devarius Tel’brien, Knight of Gravaria (Dev for short). Dev informs Arden that he is the sworn protector of the Soulbearer.
While Dev is trying to get Arden to Gravaria to give her the proper magical training, they have a few run-ins with the Necromancer. Arden chooses to ignore Dev and fight back, which is not a good thing to so, since using magic is punishable by death. Instead Arden ends up saving the Third prince Kell, who wishes to save Arden. Kell tries his hardest to woo Arden into his bed, which doesn’t go exactly as he planned. Arden blows off almost every attempt Kell makes at her. During all of this Dev starts to show signs of jealousy, but he keeps shrugging off his feelings for Arden since he is her sworn protector.
I had a lot of fun reading this book, the characters are likable in their own ways but at times I wanted to reach in and smack Arden around a few times. I’ve wanted to yell at Dev for being such a stubborn jerk and Kell I wanted to give a good swift kick in the rear for just being Kell. Loku if it was possible I’d want to hang out with and talk to for a while, since he reminds me of a certain spirit that lives in a skull that hangs out with a wizard from Chicago. If you are looking for a fantasy book with a little romance, I suggest giving this one a chance and adding it to your library. I’m already looking forward to the next book A Soul for Chaos to come out at the end of the year. It will be interesting to see how life fairs for Arden and Dev once they are in Gravaria. -
A Soul for Trouble is a Paranormal Fantasy by award winning author Crista McHugh.
Before I begin this review, I want to state clearly in accordance with the FTC’s new rules that I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this directly from the author in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation or consideration has been given.
Trouble. Arden Lesstymine is a barmaid who unwittingly becomes the next “vessel” for a god set on chaos. Loku has limitless power as a god, but it comes at a cost to Trouble. It will cost her sanity.
Devarian Tel’brien is a Knight of the Gravaria and sworn protector of the soul-bearer. Regardless of the gender of the soul-bearer. The last soul-bearer was brutally murdered in the inn where Trouble worked.
This begins a story that takes twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat. There are some humorous moments, some moments that will have you turning the page as quick as possible to see what happens next, and moments that will have you wishing the story wasn’t going to end.
Along the way, Dev and Trouble meet up with a prince. One whose father has ruled magic is not allowed in his kingdom. Can Prince Kell convince his father to not put Dev and Arden to death, after they saved the lives of the youngest prince and his soldiers?
This fast paced story will keep you on your toes, turning pages, cheering the good guys, booing the bad guys and pondering which category Loku, the God of Chaos fits Wondering who will claim the love of Trouble.
I enjoyed this story immensely and it was my first reading of any of Ms. McHugh’s work, so knowing it was not yet released was a treat, in that I was allowed to preview it. I recommend this reading to anyone who loves great writing, a compelling story and an author who knows how to craft a story from a grain of an idea.
Wonderful job, Ms. McHugh’s. This is a total KEEPER for me. You show that independently published work can be of exceptional quality. (I found only one editing mistake in the book, with a word missing from a sentence. It took a moment to figure out the right word, but then I went on to finish reading.) I am looking forward to Book 2: A Soul for Chaos when it is finally published. -
This was a Goodreads Giveaway/First Reads, thank you.
Arden, known to all as Trouble, has long since earned her nickname. Born in Ranello, a land where women have little say in their future, she carries a gift in her blood that would get her burned at the stake if she was caught using it. But it's that self same gift that leads to her being the next Soulbearer.
When the last host of Loku, god of Chaos, dies in the Inn where Trouble lives and works, she becomes the next Soulbearer, and hunted by a Necromancer, Sulanio, who wants Loku for reasons of his own. Now she not only has to learn how to use her own gifts, but the power that comes with carrying Loku, and escape Sulanio, as well as leave Ranello and reach the 'safety' of Gravaria with the aid of her protector, the knight Devarius (Dev), before she's named a witch and burned alive.
Reading through A Soul For Trouble took some determination at first. There are layout and editing errors in the copy I have (which I presume are going to be fixed before the book is released for general sale) but those did cause quite a few problems for me. However, once I pushed through the first 60 pages, the story managed to overcome most of the errors I stumbled upon.
The world building is well done, the setting works, and the characters well rounded. There are a few places where the pacing is off, but nothing a little tightening wouldn't cure and those are small stumbling blocks.
I liked the idea of Trouble facing not only the problems of carrying Loku within her, but the prejudice of the people in Ranello. I could understand both her frustration as well as Dev's at the backward attitude's of the people they meet. A problem that is heightened when they meet Kell... but as I don't like including major spoilers I'll leave it there where he's concerned.
All in all a good book, but a caveat. If this is the final copy, I'd drop the review down to a three star from a four due to the editing and layout fixes that are sorely needed. -
A Soul for Trouble is the first book in the Soulbearer series by Crista McHugh. Ms. McHugh is a new author to me so I didn’t know what to expect when a friend recommended this book. I had been living in the world of urban/contemporary fantasy the past few months so it was a welcome change to go back to my first love of straight-up fantasy.
What can I say… this book was well written and a lot of fun! The story weaves together many archetypes such as Greek gods, Elves, Mages, a Necromancer, a fire wolf and, it’s all set against a medieval backdrop. Now doesn’t that sound fun? Ms. McHugh very creatively pulled all of these elements together and made one heck of a story that’s full of honor, duty, action, chivalry, compassion and betrayal.
The main protagonists are very well written and developed. I’ve said this in past reviews and I’ll say it again. I know the author is well written when I actually care about the characters. When I cheer for them, want them to find happiness or when I want to see the antagonist destroyed means you’ve got me sold. Yes, that is what makes a character driven novel go from meh to Great! My only lament with this book was there could have been little more development in regards to the necromancer antagonist. Just a little more would have rounded it out nicely for me.
There is a bit of a love triangle in this book. It’s pretty subdued and didn’t detract or distract from the main trust of the novel. I appreciate that. With all of the other elements involved in the story it would have felt forced to add any more romance to an already great book.
Crista McHugh is a fantastic descriptive writer. One can definitely visualize all that is going on in the Soulbearer world she created. There is a nice flow to her writing, almost like she is an old pro that has been writing for decades.
If you love a good fantasy novel with a touch of romance then give this a read. It will not disappoint.
I give A Soul for Trouble 4.5 stars -
I won this in a GoodReads First Read contest, so first of all thanks!
General plot: Barmaid Arden, aka Trouble, is avoided by her neighbors for being odd and magical and generally doesn't have many prospects until a chaos god possesses her, zombies attack and she's rescued/kidnapped by an elf from an neighboring kingdom and her life starts to pick up a bit. While trying to safely reach the neighboring kingdom where she can receive instruction and protection (or so says Dev, her rescuer/kidnapper), Arden lives up to her nickname and gets entangled with a prince and court politics. Things get complicated and all the while Arden is dealing with a running commentary from the uninvited guest inside her head.
There is also a magic wolf that can catch on fire, kind of like a phoenix, and it's pretty awesome, if you are into those things, which I totally am.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this book, more than I thought I would originally. The characters are interesting and complex and Arden, while definitely a damsel in distress, is not completely helpless and genuinely like-able because she really just wants to do the right thing. The other two sides of the love triangle (rescuer and prince) are given believable motivations and behave realistically and you actually kind of root for both in a way.
I do wish a bit more had been done with the villain of the piece, the necromancer after the chaos god in Arden's head. He just kind of pops in and out as needed and vanquishing him actually doesn't seem to take that long...
Loku, the chaos god, is hilarious but I hope he gets a bit more depth as the series continues as well.
The pacing was very good, I did not feel it drag often and it definitely pushed me to want to know what was going to happen to these characters. I'm actually really looking forward to more in this series, I am not done with these characters yet! -
Well, I expected something different when I took up this book. I thought it would be a fantasy story with a little romance in it, but it turned out to be 80 % romance and 20 % fantasy. I'm not usually reading romance, so I'm probably not the right person to judge this book. I was just getting rather impatient and more and more annoyed by the frequent breaks in the narrative when the characters did nothing but think about how to get into each other's respective bodice or pants every 2. page.
The idea of the story was so promising! A chaos god inside an unwilling vessel and a slightly overworked protector, if the story had been more in the foreground, this could have been such a great read! The way it is now, the chaos god is not much more than a teller of naughty quips and the occasional Deus ex machina. I was constantly wondering how the main characters could stop and think about each other naked in the face of grave danger. Accordingly, there are loose ends that don't get picked up... e.g. the villain has some magical power over the heroine by stealing something personal from her. In the final battle this suddenly doesn't matter anymore. This final battle feels rushed, anyway: the heroine doesn't really have to face her enemy - her 3 protectors do it for her. And the villain's demise comes really quickly, which astonished me, since he was built up to be a really dangerous enemy. Mhm.
That leads me to a point that's maybe just personal opinion: I didn't like the treatment of the heroine as some kind of treasured, helpless trophy to win over by one or another of the men. The few moments when she shows some self-reliance usually lead to disaster and the male heroes have to save the day.
Or it might just be that I'm really not a romance reader. :-) -
Arden, aka Trouble, is different. She’s blonde and blue-eyed in a country of dark haired, brown-eyed people. She’s a witch and witchcraft is banned. She’s an orphaned bastard who knows nothing of her father where women “belong” to a father or husband. Somehow, despite all of this, or perhaps because of it, she is able to accept her possession by the god of chaos, Loku with surprisingly little problem. She quickly learns to use her magic which is good because, of course, there’s an evil sorcerer on her tail. Her strong sense of honor has her saving her countrymen at her own expense more than once. Her growing attachment to her protector, Dev is unrequited because Dev refuses to betray his solemn oath even as his attraction to her deepens. She’s also attracted to Kell, the third prince of the kingdom, who falls hard for Arden and vows to do everything to win her.
A SOUL FOR TROUBLE is a fun book and an easy read. Arden, Dev, Kell and Loku are all well written characters. Their story is imaginative and fun. I shared Trouble’s frustration with her too honorable, sexy knight; knew her confusion about the prince’s intentions and affections; and felt her fear over facing an unbelievably strong foe with an army of undead soldiers. The book left me anxious to see what happens next!
Heat Rating: Sweet
Rating: 4
Reviewed By: Jeanne Stone-Hunter,My Book Addiction and More -
A Soul for Trouble is a truly amazing book filled with magic, mythology, suspense and a bit of humor thrown in. Trouble (Arden Lesstymine) really lives up to her nickname in this book. She is always finding herself in trouble with or without the help of Loku the God of Chaos.
Trouble is a blonde haired, blue eyed barmaid that works for her uncle at his inn in a town that everyone is black haired and brown eyed and to top it all off she is a witch in a kingdom where using magic will get you killed.
One night she meets these men while working at the inn and ends up becoming the next “Vessel” for the God of Chaos. This is really serious because it comes with an increasable amount of power but the price for that power maybe her sanity.
the knight Devarius (Dev) is the protector of the “Vessel” and they both must reach the 'safety' of Gravaria before trouble is named a witch and is burned alive.
I could not pick a favorite character in this book because I just loved Trouble, Dev and Loku their banter back a fourth had me laughing so hard I was crying at times. The book really kept you into it between the mystery of unwinding troubles past and her always getting into trouble really keeps you on your toes. This is one of the best Fantasy books I’ve read this year!
* This book was given to me by the author for an honest review.* -
I adored this story from beginning to end (which came far too quickly for my tastes). Arden is a pleasant mix of awkwardness, trying to figure her way through things when her life has suddenly grown overly complicated from a lewd chaos god whispering rude comments to her, to the idea that she will eventually go insane from the chaos god being inside her, to a necromancer with his zombie army hunting her, to her already uncontrollable magic getting a sudden boost by the chaos god, to her growing feelings for her surly elf protector, and to her growing feelings for the young prince. I found myself rooting for her protector Dev quite a bit of the time, who you could palpably feel his frustration in that his duty was to manage and protect the Soulbearer, while Arden obviously hated being controlled and told what to do and tried to undermine him so often. While it was hard not to warm to the prince, too, since he did grow as a character from spoiled Prince who got whatever he wanted, to actually falling in love, and wanting to help his country, and willing to see laws repealed it helped his country. And, of course, loved the romantic triangle between the three of them.
Yes, I am recomending this book to all of my friends!
