Book Title: Soulbinder
Author: Sebastian de Castell
Series: Spellslinger #4
Date Started: February 1st 2021
Date Completed: February 20th 2021
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Action
Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Three Star
Final Rating: Three Stars
Review:
Whenever I need something to just pass the time, the Spellslinger books are one of the go-to options; they're definitely sold more on the exploration of the world and some witty dialogue more than their individual stories, which makes them perfect to dip into every now and then. The thing is, at this point in the series, it feels like it's trying to begin to wrap up a story that was always episodic, and doesn't necessarily need fully wrapping up.
Soulbinder is perfectly entertaining while you're reading it, but plateaus early and never shifts tension again. In this instalment, things are a little different, with Kellen having separated himself from his companions at the end of the last book. It's interesting to mix it up a bit, but honestly I come more for the banter than the plotline, which is then a bit stumped. This book was significantly less enjoyable without Ferius (and Reichis, who is also absent for most of the book).
Ultimately, the series has accumulated a lot of cast and worldbuilding over the last three adventures, and with things trying to become more streamlined for what I expect will be a final climax, it feels like maybe there's too many recurring ensemble characters and clans and cultures to keep this sort of white-knuckle action-adventure in place. Part of me wonders if a more Sherlockian-style ending would suit, in that there almost isn't an ending, we just perhaps stop hearing about them.
There aren't many books left in the series, and as I say they are definitely enjoyable while reading, so I will hopefully finish the whole series. I am curious to see just how de Castell ends the whole thing as he clearly is trying to lay the foundations for some sort of concrete finale. I just hope we still get to have the fun of Kellen and the gang until we get there.
