ARC Review: Soul in Darkness by Wendy Higgins

Soul in Darkness

By Wendy Higgins

Standalone

YA Mythology Retelling

February 12, 2019 by Wendy Higgins

Blurb:

People travel from afar to the small isle in the Aegean Sea hoping for a single glimpse of Princess Psyche. Their adoration for the mortal woman is so all-consuming that citizens begin to shower her with the very gifts and offerings they once left at the alter of Venus, goddess of love and beauty.

But gods are known for their jealousy.

Cupid, the god of love, takes pleasure in causing strife and mischief in the lives of humans. He uses love as a weapon, humoring in the weakness of people at the whims of their feelings. When his mother Venus approaches him about punishing the human girl who dares to steal her offerings and affections from the people, Cupid gladly accepts.

Psyche's punishment is to be given to a mysterious creature who only comes to her in the dark of night under the pact that she will never lay eyes on him. She is terrified of this stranger, who the oracle described as a serpent. Her mate, however, is masterful in his dealings with his bride. He takes his time, morphing her fears into different sensations completely.

Based on the Roman/Greek mythology of Cupid and Psyche by Lucius Apuleius, New York Times bestseller Wendy Higgins brings the tale to life, weaving layers that show exactly how a sacrificial lamb can be enchanted by an unseen monster.

Adult Historical Fantasy. Standalone.

My Review:

I feel conflicted about this one. I usually love this author's books, even going so far as to say I'd read and love anything she wrote. Then I read Soul in Darkness.

I'll start off by saying that even though I love mythology, I'm not familiar with the Cupid and Psyche myth. When I first heard about this book I was excited about the premise and I still think it's kind of a cool idea and I liked the setting, I just was not fond of Psyche. I found her really immature and annoying at times. In the beginning of the novel it gets old real quick that Psyche's thought wave is basically "everyone thinks I'm beautiful so I can get away with anything" and even though she claims to hate being treated that way she uses it to her advantage.

Despite this being by my favorite author I nearly DNF'd it a couple time, finally forcing myself to get to the halfway point before deciding to keep going or stop.

At times the story dragged and was a bit predictable but it does get better (more exciting) toward the end of the book which redeemed it enough for me to give it 3 stars.

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟

3 of 5 Stars!