. This ebook was provided to me by NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Adam, King of the GIM (Ghosts In the Machine) has been searching for his soul mate for 700 years. She is the only one who can lift the curse placed on him and his “children”. Eliza May is the one he’s been waiting for, but unfortunately their first meeting is literally over her dead body. Using his powers, Adam is able to bring her back, but then he panics and keeps her chained to him for the next several months. Having escaped, an extremely angry Eliza now lives with her grandmother Mab and the rest of the Fae, but she is quickly growing disenchanted with their selfishness and cruelty. While in Mab’s house, she discovers a chained and tortured Adam in the basement. Now the balance of power has shifted and Eliza finds herself in the position of having to rescue Adam and to lift the curse that has been placed on him and his GIM. First she’ll have to let go of her anger and learn to trust him which given their complicated relationship is no easy matter.
Soulbound is the 6th book in the Darkest London series and is my favorite so far which is really saying something given how much I enjoyed the previous books. Because of the way he first treats Eliza, I didn’t expect to like Adam as much as I did. He actually turns out to be a surprisingly sympathetic character. While there is no excuse for his behavior toward Eliza when he first discovers her, there is a reason, and he spends the rest of the book making amends. He has that whole tormented yet ultimately chivalrous hero vibe going for him. Eliza is, well, perfect. Despite her suffering at the hands of others, she’s smart and strong and becomes an equal and worthy partner for Adam. There’s also the mystery of what sort of supernatural being she is, and when it’s revealed, it’s done brilliantly! Speaking of revelations there are plenty. Not just regarding Adam and Eliza, but also secondary characters, some which have headlined previous books, and others who will hopefully star in future ones. I really cannot recommend this series enough! If you want to try it though, you should definitely read them in order. This is a London populated by GIM, Werewolves, Demons, Fae, and with this book, at least one Angel. The worldbuilding is complicated so it’ll make more sense that way.
