For an outlaw spellslinger, the only way to survive is to hide. 

Kellen’s curse is growing stronger, promising a future of madness and murder. And now that the bounty hunter sworn to kill ever last shadow black have caught his trail, he knows his days are numbered.

Desperate, Kellen braves a barren desert to find a mysterious order of monks rumored to posses a cure. But there are secrets darker and more dangerous than Kellen expected, and the price of his salvation may be more than he’s willing to pay. 

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So, I’ve kinda stopped giving out spoiler warnings when it comes to reviewing books in a series. I figure anyone reading my blog is savvy enough to know that if I’m reviewing book two or three (or four, in this instance) of a series, and they want to read the series… then my review is likely to spoil something for them.

ALL THAT SAID. If you haven’t read the first three books in Sebastien de Castell’s SPELLSLINGER series and you plan to, this review is probably not the place for you.

Goodbye.

So, at the end of CHARMCASTER, we see Kellen & Reichis kinda ride off into the sunset together, leaving Ferius & Nephenia behind. Which seemed like a really dumb idea, Kellen.

I mean, what the fuck.

But off they go in search of the perhaps-mythical Ebony Abbey, where Kellen hopes to find a cure for the Shadowblack. But, as ever, things don’t go as planned, and Kellen finds himself separated from Reichis. Truly on his own, Kellen has to use everything he’s learned from Ferius (and Reichis) to survive, as the monks from Ebony Abbey may not necessarily have Kellen’s best interests at heart.

We meet a handful of new characters here, some more memorable than others. Butelios was the standout new character for me…there was just something really unique about the relationship that develops between he & Kellen, and I’m hoping to see him again before the series ends.

This is a pretty radical entry in the series. Sebastien de Castell takes some big chances in this one to make it stand out from the rest, and I think the end result is mostly successful. There are aspects of this story that while necessary, certainly frustrated me from a fan’s perspective. But I think that when taken as a part of a whole, SOULBINDER is going to be a pretty significant part of the story.

As with the other books, SOULBINDER is a really quick read. The pace of these books is always brisk, and the chapters are generally short. The magic system in these books is incredibly simple, which I’m realizing is one of the reasons I’m so drawn to this series. Between that & how goddamn funny these books are (not me cracking up every single time Reichis threatens to eat someone’s eyeballs) , all while still being a really impactful & emotional coming-of-age story, the SPELLSLINGER series is always going to have a really special place in my heart.