Great potential but it quickly fell short due to writing. Lots of mistakes and typos and the plot was verse sparse. I wasn’t engaged and had trouble finishing the book. Thank you for the eARC opportunity.

1.5 ⭐️

This book had such an interesting premise, but sadly the execution just didn't do it for me.

One thing I did really like was the magic system. The different powers were cool, and I wish we got more of them in action.

The setting of Venice should be beautiful, but we don't really get any descriptions of it. The star-crossed soulmates trope usually comes as a slow burn, but here it's instant love and that makes it difficult to believe.

I really think the book would have benefitted from another POV, specifically Ninas. The group separates several times with Nina and Leo going off on their own, so we miss huge sections of the plot. But also, how did her and Leo learn to like each other? No one knows because we don't see it.

Sadly, I found myself having to really push through it, and I wouldn't be continuing with the series.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

DNF at 30%. Katya is a Draski - some sort of eil frost giant (except she's not evil it's just her race) and the mortal enemy of the draski are Salamanders, bare this in mind. TWO whole percent into the book LO and behold Matteo turns up looking all cute and Italian and a spark fires that basically tattoos a "soulbond" onto Katya because Matteo is her soulmate. They talked for about 3 minutes but that's it now, soulmates. The next day they meet up for a date and the actual devil appears and demands that Venice (the city the book is set in - sort of explaining all the random Italian phrases that are sprinkled throughout with no translation) offer up seven souls OR ELSE. Well Katya and her hot new soulmate, her roommate and Matteo's brother (who is probably the roommates soulmate because sure why not) have to try and figure out a way to trick the devil and stop him claiming these innocent lives. Well remember the part about Salamanders being the mortal enemy of the draskis? Yep turns out Matteo is one! OMG you guys!! In a tussle Katy'as magical necklace (that somehow hides the fact she is a draski) gets lost and apparently this is bad. I stopped reading at this point. Everything happens too fast with no build up or explanation whatsoever. The characters have no personality because you don't spend anytime with them except for SOULMATE DEVIL FIGHT and there's no time/effort spent on making them 3 dimensional. Not for me I'm afraid.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. The story takes place in Venice where Kayta finally feels like she belongs and she living with her friend Nina. She belongs to the lowest class of the Vaettir society. There are things she believed to be true but one little mark on her wrist changes that. Her and her soulmate seems to be so different. She does the best she can to stay away from him thinking that love is a bad idea, but they most band together when trouble come to the city and they need to change a deal/contract that was believe to have been broken. Hell is on its way and will they come out one top? This is only the first book in the trilogy. I can't wait to see what happens next.

The only thing I really enjoyed about this book was the magic system... This was a DNF and rough read for me.

Was an interesting read, fast paced and thrilling at times but fell short of connection. There was no connection with the characters, no in depth of a story. Fantasy romance. With some polishing and good editing this book could of been more then it was. Ok read

Thank you Netgalley & Atmosphere Press

Our story follows Katya Anders who is supposed to be a cursed monster based on her bloodline and past. However, her soulmark suddenly appears during a chance encounter in Venice. Her partner, Matteo is from a superior bloodline. Although Katya knows she should stay away, she learns to accept herself with Matteo’s support while trying to save the city from the forces of Hell.

This story has a lot of potential, however I felt it fell quite flat at times. The characters don’t grow through the experiences and events they encounter but instead grow through the written narration. As a reader, we’re given descriptive statements on their experiences, emotions and personalities; it starts to feel like we’re given everything without experiencing anything and forming an opinion of them ourselves. The magic system and world building is creative, however it unfortunately doesn’t add much to the story. I wish more time was spent on the magic and how it came to be and the different bloodlines and abilities.

The romance is rushed and sometimes feels too overwhelming and other times underwhelming. There wasn’t much growth or trust building because there was a soulmark. The soulmark or bond between our two main characters is confusing and is told instead of letting the reader experience and define it through the characters’ interaction in the story. This makes the romance feel quite awkward at times. The romance doesn’t seem to want to be the sole focal point, but without a strong plot it was inevitable.

The story is quite fast paced, yet there’s not much substance. Honestly, sometimes when I think about this story it feels more like a show. A show where there’s a main plot point to be revealed in the end, sprinkled with fillers and unexplained happenings or developments in between. There are quite a few brief time skips but there’s nothing to be missed in each.

The cast of characters are interesting. There’s a lot to learn about them possibly in future installments. I liked how all of them each embodied a key characteristic that seemed to mirror their magical abilities. They weren’t all the same personalities but they were all kind with their own insecurities.

Overall, this was a good story but the soulmark and romance made it slightly unpleasant for me. I would have loved for the romance and the relationship between Katya and Matteo to develop in a paced manner, instead of just being thrown at me. I like the plot point regarding the forces of Hell but I wish it was executed with a bit more action as we are in a fantasy world where the bloodline denotes the abilities.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This story held a lot of promise in terms of concept and world building, but the writing fell flat.

Couldn’t get past the bad writing- needs a better editing job to do the concept justice.

Very promising start, the story line itself has such potential to be great but the writing fell short. There were lots of mistakes and typos, the story line felt like just the bare bones and wasn’t fleshy enough. I found it difficult to remain interested and connect with the characters. The artwork for the cover of the book is stunning and captivating.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC

Wow, this was so good! Incredibly heartfelt and with two endearing leads that I just didn't want the story to end. Ruhl's worldbuilding was such a treat and I felt like I was right there in the action and in the sweetness because this was just a good read.

I want to thank Emily Ruhl, Atmosphere Press and netgalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

I have very mixed feelings about this book.

The author takes us on an urban fantasy journey to Venice, where the myths and stories may not be all that false.
I liked the magic and social class system imagined by the author, which is unique and a bit different from what you can read traditionally.

Unfortunately, I would have liked to have had a real explanation of this universe and magic right from the start, rather than having it after the story had already begun.

The biggest negative point for me about this book is that the author wrote an interesting story, but didn't go deep enough into the characters and the universe.
The characters aren't developed enough, the romance moves far too quickly when there's huge potential, and the friendships aren't believable enough, for example in two days they're already having very heavy conversations even though they don't know each other.

I intend to read volume 2 when it comes out to see if the author's writing has evolved, but volume 1 is far from being a favorite, unfortunately.

The magic system in this book was good, but I had a hard time getting through it. There were a lot of monologues I could have done without. The relationship seemed rushed, and the character development was very minimal

This book was very entertaining and deeply atmospheric. I enjoyed the book and was drawn in by the writing and the story.
I just reviewed The Bonds Between Us by Emily Ruhl. #TheBondsBetweenUs #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

1.5/5

The Bonds Between Us follows history-loving, introverted Katya who has been taught all her life that she is a monster. Part of a race that has always been seen as evil, Katya has hidden her powers for 15 years. Living in Venice, she spends her days quietly until she literally bumps in to her soulmate, a circumstance she never thought possible since her kind are never granted soulmates. Can they get over their differences and accept their bond? Or is Katya destined to be alone forever, like she thought.

This book and author have potential. But for me this fell flat for me. I wish characters were more fleshed out. Perhaps more perspectives since there’s a lot of plot that happens outside of Katya’s perspective that just aren’t explained or touched upon.
I’m also really confused about the magic system/world building in this book. At the very beginning Ruhl goes into detail about the magic society(?) but there seems to be a mix between real mythology mixed with religious elements. It just left me confused. I wish there was more sprinkling of the magic system throughout and deeper world building. Maybe there’s more in the second and third books.
Last thing I’ll talk about were the back-to-back monologues that lasted far too long. (A character had a non-stop monologue for 4 pages, I kid you not.)

Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be picking up the other books on the trilogy. I do hope for future success for Emily Ruhl though. This story was creative with the mix of magic and history so I’m sure with a little more intention and better execution, she can create some great stories.

I feel like this book is better suited for a younger reader, the writing was simple and very descriptive. There was an abundance of characters right off the bat that slightly confused me. I enjoyed the setting in Venice and the magic system because it was different from anything I had ever read. It’s a short, light, easy read to check out if you want a romantic fantasy quick read. Thank you to Netgalley and Atmosphere Press for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a DNF for me. I only got to about 25% before I had to give up on it. The book starts with the main character doing research into Venice folklore, then she meets a man that she has an instant connection to, then its an information dump about a race of creatures and how she's a monster. THEN on their first date, the devil appears on a bridge demanding the soul of 7 children. All of this happened at the very beginning of the book. I was honestly staring at my screen baffled by everything that was going on. There was no build up, nothing to make any of the characters likable and the strangest plot choice ever. I usually try to push through on books and read the whole thing but I refuse to put myself through any more of this.

this book had a good premise and thought behind it but I couldn't get round to finishing it due to the overabundance of tropes and clichés within the first 30 pages. This book would be more suited to a younger audience I think, maybe 10-15 or someone wanting to break into reading!

Things I loved- Kat. I love her and after I got into the book I really felt connected to her and hearing her inner thoughts & struggles. Those aspects makes you resonate with her and feel as though she’s just a normal person. The action parts of this book were really great. The added romance was perfect because it wasn’t too much for me. Just the right amount of sappy romance without it getting boring and it felt authentic. I enjoyed the “mystery” aspect of the book overall because it kept you wanting to know more and more.

When I started this book I wasn’t initially impressed. It seemed as there was an overload of information without any authentic exposure. Almost like a detail vomit without anything to connect it to so the reader is either left confused or just missing (probably) super important details. I believe a lot of the details would have been better exposed throughout the book in small increments. I was discouraged at the beginning. I pushed through though because the premise of this book gave me hope and got me excited.

I think this has the makings of being a good series. There are some areas for growth in the book but maybe these can be expanded upon in the later books of the series. The ending of this book left it at a good point to be a standalone book so I don’t feel like I have to continue the series. I think ending on more of a cliffhanger would push readers to want to read the rest of the series. Overall it left me feeling happy and content for the characters!

I loved the gorgeous cover but the didn't keep my attention and fell flat
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

oh my, disaster of a book.

Great elements, premise, unique magic system, etc. All the things are there, the plot is good too. The writing was bad, sadly so.