Soul of Salvation by Ali Stuebbe

"You stole my heart from the moment those beautiful lips cursed me with a dagger to my throat in the alley." - Draven to Emma

Soul of Salvation by Ali Stuebbe

Book #2 of The Divide
Review of book one - Blood of Desiderium
Rating -
Genre - Fantasy Romance
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - explicit
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 400 pages

In the aftermath of the battle at the Court of Ashes, Emma’s sacrifice for salvation thrusts her into a dark realm where the God of Darkness demands a grim price for her newfound power.

The fate of the world hangs in the balance,
A God is harboring dark secrets,
And a mate refuses to lose again.

The darkness’ hold on her makes her hunger for death, until a predestined bond beckons her and conflicts the monster she has become. Emma must follow through with a world-altering task, or decide if she wants to break free from the vice of her powers, for the sake of all she loves.

Then, a profound truth changes everything, testing her strength to bring light to a dark reality. Will Emma endure the burdens of her task or will she sacrifice her heart to protect those she holds dear?

MILD SPOILER, but Blood of Desiderium ended with Emma making a sacrifice—to stop her father from killing everyone, she went with him. Draven watched the life be snuffed from her eyes and the darkness take a firm hold of the woman he loved. It was devastating and waiting for the conclusion to THAT... lawd, the wait was excruciating.

But here I am and it was well worth it.

In Soul of Salvation, Emma is in the dark world inhabited by her father, Whiro, the god of darkness. He keeps giving her tests, the worst of which is taking the lives of random fae males. While in the realm, Emma feels nothing. She does what she's supposed to do, waiting for her next task. When her father commands her to betray Draven and bring him as the next soul to be sacrificed, it's her first time going back to her world. Will she remain cold and unfeeling or will Draven be the key to giving her her heart back?

On the flip side, Draven's a wreck. He drowns himself in drink to soothe the pain of Emma's absence and their friends aren't able to reach him. They understand, but there's really nothing they can do to help. When word reaches them of Emma's arrival, Draven can't stay away. And then it's a fight to save his mate and his kingdom from the worst being they've ever seen.

I loved the build up to battle and how these characters were able to still find time to renew their bonds. Emma was done fighting Draven and it was so freaking sweet to see them so in tune with each other. Draven would do absolutely anything to save, protect and keep her and she would do the same.

This duology ended so perfectly and I'm excited to see what's next from this author.

Ali Stuebbe grew up in the state of Ohio, near the city of Cleveland. At the age of 21, she married, becoming a military spouse, and has called three other states home. She studied English Literature at Cleveland State University and American Public University. She began writing her debut novel when she grew confident in her writing and felt ready to bring this story to life. When she’s not writing, she can be found at the gym or sitting on the couch with her nose in a book and a large coffee in her hand. Ali is the author of Blood of Desiderium, and currently lives in Texas with her loving husband and two beautiful children.

Visit https://www.alimariestuebbe.co for more information.