A Soul for Atonement by Crista McHugh – a Review

A Soul for Atonement
The Soulbearer series – Book #4
by Crista McHugh
Release Date: December 10, 2014

Amazon / Kobo

Description:
Arden Soulbearer has fought a god, defeated a necromancer, and driven enemy invaders out of her homeland. Now, the only reward she desires is to marry the man who’s been by her side through it all–her knight protector, Dev. But with her happy ending almost in reach, an ancient crime returns to haunt them… and the punishment is Dev’s death.

A century ago, a Soulbearer stole a sacred relic from the Ornathians, and now their king demands a sacrifice of Dev’s blood to lift the blight cursing his people. Arden’s only hope to free Dev from the king’s prison is to find the relic. But first, she must outwit the one person who knows where the relic is—-Loku, the God of Chaos whose soul resides within her.

Review:

A Soul for Atonement begins with Arden and Dev sparring. Dev has been training Arden to defend herself, and he’s done a good job! They are also only a couple of weeks away from their wedding. Things couldn’t be better, until the king of the Ornathians decides that his people must offer up a sacrifice to their goddess to try and make amends for the theft of a relic that the last Soulbearer had stolen…..and Loku had hidden. But the Ornathians didn’t want Arden as their sacrifice, they wanted Dev. Arden manages to make a deal, of sorts, with the Ornathians’s king that gives her two weeks to find the relic. Two whole weeks to find something that others have searched for for a century…..Dev warns her not to give too much power to Loku, but when it comes to the man she loves, she’s willing to risk everything, and Loku knows it.

Arden sets out seeking help from various family members and finally, thankfully, finds the help she so desperately needs. She has a trusted ally, a family trusted friend, and of course, Loku, the god of Chaos. And, once she realizes where the relic is hidden, she knows that her task will not be easy. She’s already wasted a few precious days, and Dev’s life hangs in the balance. Will Arden be able to traverse the tricky realm where the relic is hidden and save Dev? Or will the Ornathians sacrifice a soul for atonement? Well, my friends, you’ll just have to read and find out. And, what a read it is!

Crista McHugh has once again blown me away. I was so danged excited that we got to hear more from these characters that I devoured this book in one sitting. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…..No one, and I mean no one, can build a world seemingly as effortlessly as Crista McHugh can. Arden is so relatable that you feel that you know her from the beginning. And, the same can be said for Dev and the rest of the characters. I know it may sound cliché, but when I read a story by Crista McHugh, I can “see” it. I don’t mean just vague things in my mind, I mean SEE it. And, most definitely feel it as well. If you aren’t reading Crista McHugh’s work, you are seriously missing out. Well done, Crista McHugh, very very very well done!!

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Author

Crista McHugh is an award-winning author of fantasy and romance who writes heroines who are smart, sexy and anything but ordinary. She currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends.

She is an active member of the Romance Writers of America (including the Greater Seattle Chapter and the Seattle Eastside Chapters), and Romance Divas.

Just for laughs, here are some of the jobs she’s had in the past to pay the bills: barista, bartender, sommelier, stagehand, actress, morgue attendant, and autopsy assistant.

And she’s also a recovering LARPer. (She blames it on her crazy college days)

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