An Echo in the Sorrow

Tags

Adult Fiction, Fiction, Gay, LGBTQ, M/M, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Queer, series: soulbound, Urban Fantasy

Great setup for the series finale, bringing in new complications and hurts and finally closing up my favourite subplot!

Forgiveness is a hollow prayer you only hear in your dreams.
 
Patrick Collins has spent years handling cases as a special agent for the Supernatural Operations Agency, even as his secret standing in the preternatural community has changed. He should have confessed to his role as co-leader of the New York City god pack when he and Jonothon de Vere took up the mantle months ago, but he didn’t. Now that split loyalty will cost him at a time when he can least afford it.
 Outmaneuvered, framed for murder, and targeted by the Dominion Sect, Patrick has to face a past full of lies to regain his freedom. Revealing the truth means he’ll need to give up the life that has defined him. Everything he’s fought to build with his pack is at stake, and losing them isn’t a price Patrick is willing to pay, but some choices aren’t his to make.
Jono knows they can’t cede any more territory if they want to win the god pack civil war spilling into the streets of New York City. But the souls of werecreatures are free for the taking when demons come to town and angels sing a warning no one can ignore. When Jono’s worst fear comes to life, and he loses the one person he can’t live without, the only option left is to fight.
Facing down the demons of their past and the ones in their present, Patrick and Jono will learn the hard way that some sins never wash away clean.

An Echo in the Sorrow is the sixth book in the Soulbound series. The series cannot standalone and has to be read in order. My reviews of the previous books can be found here.

I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily

Content warnings include: violence, unnamed character death, demonic possession, court proceedings, protagonist is charged with murder, torture, graphic injury, abduction, sex on-page, alcohol and food consumption on-page,

As second to last for the series, An Echo in the Sorrow worked well. It wasn’t as big on the chapter long battles as previous books, but that was still far from mellow – tension was created by other means, mainly court room proceedings and very personal hits, mainly against Patrick.

There’s a lot more focus on how the characters’ actions look to the public, as well as what it means for their reputations. I say there was more focus on it – meaning it was at least mentioned, and there was some mention of PR strategy, though it didn’t take up much plot at all. I think that angle would have been interesting to explore more in depth, but the characters have so many other things to do, it didn’t feel like anything was missing either.

As usual, the amazing cast of characters was expanded once more, both on the mortal and immortal scale.
For mortals, I liked the addition of Danai, a lawyer, and I hope she will return at some point (I also really want to meet her married partner, because I want to congratulate them on their taste.)
On the immortal side, despite a lot of gods appearing and a couple new ones showing up, in this (and the previous book already) there is less focus on specific pantheons and myths. There was barely any background about the new deities, what they represent or what role they play in their pantheons, other than brief “god of fertility”, “god of war” stuff. I missed that a little bit, but only in retrospect.
That said, the gods still play huge roles in the plot, both on the grand overarching plot and the person scale in regards to Patrick’s souldebt.

I guess you could objectively say that this book acts solely as a filler, tying up some subplots before the big series finale and setting the groudwork for it. Fillers often get a bad reputation that way, but I genuinely enjoyed An Echo in the Sorrow. It didn’t feel uneccessary or squeezed in. Its plot was solid and introduced some new dynamics that I already know will be important in the future. I can’t wait to see how stuff pans out in the final book!!!

I was also happy that the book finally, finally, finally focussed on the subplot I’v been waiting for since the beginning of the series! It made sense to come at this time, and tied up perfectly.

The series keeps being entertaining and a pleasure to read. The writing is superb, always holding my attention and making me want to keep reading. Despite the high tension throughout, there were lovely domestic moments, and I adore that the found family aspect isn’t second to the (equally lovely) romance between the protagonists.

Check the book out on Goodreads and buy it here. It is available via Kindle Unlimited.

~iam