SOULSWIFT

An examination of faith, doubt, and trust wrapped inside a stirring fantasy plot.

Gelya is meant to serve the Father, an all-powerful deity, until she dies. When she does pass away, she will transform into a soulswift, an immortal bird tasked with carrying worthy souls to the afterlife. These beliefs have been instilled in her at the patriarchal Ovinist convent ever since leader Goodson Anskar rescued her as a child from her supposedly uncivilized place of birth. But when pale-skinned Gelya witnesses a knight of the faith murder her mentor in cold blood to cover up an ugly truth, she must run from the religion she holds most dear. Through her escape, she unwittingly becomes a vessel of an entity she’s been made to believe is a wrathful, apocalyptic demon. Now, she must team up with Tavik, a light-brown–skinned enemy soldier (and, in her world, a heathen), in order to survive. During Gelya and Tavik’s journey to find answers, a touching romance blossoms. Lilting prose carries along the story as both main characters examine the biases, truths, and complications present in their respective faiths and seek to return balance to a broken world. Though a little heavy on exposition in the beginning, thrilling plot developments quickly speed up the pace until the story reaches a heart-rending conclusion.

This deeply moving and thought-provoking adventure enthralls on multiple levels.