Souls in Ruin

Melissa Nunes

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"I was on the fence with how to rate this. And I can honestly say without these narrators there’s audio I probably would have dnfd this book. There were so many times where the story just dragged. The same scenes over and over. I still don’t understand the exact timeline of the story. One minute it sounds like she’s describing weeks or months but then they are discussing things that happened the day before. And the relationships here were confusing as heck. Usually by the time we get to the end there’s a clear cut bad guy but I actually felt sorry for the “bad guy.” I can see why this has such a high rating. The plot twist at the end was very well done and set up the next book very well. I just wish it hadn’t taken trudging through the mud to get to the end. The audio made up for any and all of these faults. I would listen to all the slow books if these were the narrators. I absolutely love it when they aren’t just reading they are performing and these three did a fantastic performance! ["

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April 29, 2026 Verified Purchase

marginsbymoonlite

A devastating, beautiful dark romance

"The first word that comes to mind after reading this book is: art. Jacqueline didn’t just explore strength through ruin, she made you feel it. Was it uncomfy? At times, but isn’t that what books are supposed to do? Make you feel. This book will devastate you, make you question your own morals and limits, and probably traumatize you a little. But I promise it’s in the best way, and can honestly say I’ll never forget reading this book. It’s forever imprinted on my heart. What I liked: 🫥 Mireille’s captive musings. The retrospection while being held in the dungeons was so tragic. You really felt her lifetime of isolation and desperation for true human connection. I thought it was such a creative way to provide backstory. I can’t say I’ve read a fantasy romance organized in this way before - more a collective of short stories right in the middle - but it aligns with the author’s poetic rhetoric, so it felt more like a soul-felt, purposeful intermission. Loved it. ⛓️ Daddy Death! Not one, but TWO redemption arcs that revived my deceased ass. The coronaries I went through with this book. GUYS. Unhinged and devoted seems to be a favorite combo of mine, and Mireille’s harbinger does not disappoint. There is so much more to unpack in the next book. I’m equal parts excited and wary bc I KNOW she’s gonna give him h*ll. 💔 Finding the beauty in devastation. This book ripped me apart a lá Feathers so Vicious/Lies of Lena. It's just total upheaval and destruction of everything the FMC holds dear, and you’re forced to watch as she’s put through the ringer over and over again after each attempt to persevere. That Mireille continues to fight for her autonomy with every scrap of her being is beautiful, and you can’t help but rally with her every step of the way. ["

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January 30, 2026 Verified Purchase

Christina Ward

Neat concept.. Poor delivery

"Meh… I’m not sure I’d even call this a dark romance, because there really wasn’t much romance to speak of. It felt more like a revenge-driven, power-hungry god imprisoning and torturing the FMC for most of the book—while her only real interaction is with a neighboring cellmate who also happens to be a god. That said, I do think the concept has some potential… maybe. But the execution didn’t quite land for me. A lot of the story felt repetitive, and at times, confusing. I kept wanting more—more backstory on Mireille’s lineage, more world-building (since we spend the majority of the book in a dungeon), and just more overall momentum. There’s a moment where Mireille seems like she’s about to take control and reclaim her power, which I was really excited about—but it ends up backfiring, and we’re right back where we started. That pattern made it hard to stay invested. By the end, her cellmate steps in, rescues her, and everything sort of unravels quickly—the mortal world, the castle, all of it—without much buildup. Overall, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I’m honestly still not sure where I land with this one. ["

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March 31, 2026 Verified Purchase

Natalie

Lived up to the hype

"Great, unique characters and story. Writing was good. I’d recommend to dark romantasy fans. It felt unique and I can’t wait to see what happens next. ["

January 14, 2026 Verified Purchase

Kayla

Obsessed With This Dark Fantasy Book!

"If you’re looking for an incredibly dark, traumatic, fantasy book with an arranged marriage, captor x captive, and a love triangle done to perfection (coming from someone who isn’t always a fan of love triangles), and what I deem to be a female villain origin story, then you need to read Souls In Ruin by Jacqueline White. This isn’t a clear good and bad. These are incredibly rich, complex, and complicated characters who will extract complex, complicated, and often conflicting emotions out of you. What I love most about this book is that Jacqueline White doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable. She lets me sit in the discomfort, which is what I want. We’re not summing things up and brushing by the agony of the MCs experience bc that would minimize their suffering as well as the emotional impact and realness to me as the reader. I’m a reader who loves details. I want to understand every part of our MC’s lives down to the minutia, and I’ll sit in discomfort with them, even when it hurts, even when I hate what’s happening and wish for it to end, bc THAT is what’s going to connect me deeper to the characters and situation. There are some books I read for pure entertainment, or for vibes, and there are some I read for deep emotional impact, and Souls In Ruin falls into the last category. I think this should be the next book to really get big with lovers of dark fantasy, traumantasy as Jacqueline White has called it. And I cannot wait to continue this series. Immediately a new fantasy favorite. Pls check the TWs and be a responsible reader. ["

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January 10, 2026 Verified Purchase