Review of Asher - The Souls’ species

[Kutloano Makhuvhela]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Asher - The Souls’ species" by Rei.T.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Asher – The Souls’ species by Rei.T is a fantasy novel that follows a young boy by the name of Asher as he comes to discover that there is more to life than what he knows. A strange thing happens: he learns that there might be more going on, and he is involved in it and cannot just get out of it when he likes. The author is described as someone who likes making fantastical worlds that see the characters journeying across treacherous parts in adventure.

Asher lives with his mother in Australia. Their life can be described as quiet and normal, as not much is happening. Asher is best friends with his neighbour’s daughter, Jessi, and they both like doing stuff together. Jessi is extraordinary in such a way that she does not like seeing animals suffer. She will go out of her way to make sure they are safe and well taken care of. It happens one day, while Asher is in the storeroom, and a peculiar thing happens. He learns of souls. Yes, souls that live in humans. But this time it can come out and talk to him directly. From then on, his world changes.

There is a war happening, and Asher and his mother are involved, whether they like it or not. There are sinister people out there who are hell-bent on causing havoc. Asher and Jessi nearly die after trusting someone they shouldn’t. Now he has to part with Jessi and run with his mother. While on the road, they are pursued by bad actors. There is somewhere Asher has to go. Where is that place? Who should he trust? What are these souls that can communicate with humans? What role do they play in these great conflicts?

I enjoyed reading this novel. It took a route I never thought possible with such a simple yet complicated concept of human souls. Some people can say souls do not exist because they can never be proven so, while others will insist on their existence. The author took all of this and put it in this book but with great storytelling. The result is this book with captivating world-building, bubbling characters, and a plot that is a rollercoaster.

The character of Asher was well developed. The author introduced him in style, and I could know what kind of person he was before the book could go any further. I liked that the author did not waste time introducing Asher to the soul that was living inside him. This happened early on in the first chapters. His personality was more helped by the inclusion of Jessi. This brought another side that was unexpected from Asher.

The world-building was convincing because I found myself reading on and invested in the story. The heroes and villains were well-defined. I could tell who was on which side without any problem. But they weren’t that easily trusted because there was betrayal from both sides. The mystery of some characters’ backstories made it more interesting because I couldn’t tell what motivated them until more information was given about them.

The writing relied heavily on narration. The sentences were short and made the pacing steadily quick. The descriptions were good, but I thought they could be better because some action sequences weren’t that revealing. I found the dialogue not that impressive because it sounded unnatural. When characters were speaking, they spoke in such a long form that it became quite unrealistic. Sometimes I felt like they were information-dumping in their speech.

The conclusion made it clear that there will be a sequel. The conflicts of this instalment were properly solved, so nothing was left unanswered. Everything was wrapped up well. Asher made it to this new place where he would get to learn more about souls. The villains’ resolve was very breath-taking. They went to great length to make sure that they got what they wanted.

The book gave me the impression that it was exceptionally edited because I came across errors that were minor and did not, in any way, dilute the book’s quality. With that, I think it’s fair to rate this book four out of five stars. I knocked off one star because of the bad exposition. I recommend the book to people who love fantasy books. It had some sense of sci-fi, so even readers who are into that genre should pick this book. The book would be appealing to teenagers, as they would see themselves in Asher.

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Asher - The Souls’ species
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[NetMassimo]

I'm probably too old for this novel but with a better management of exposition and more natural dialogues, it might be a must-read for teenagers who like fantasy and science fiction. Thank you for your great review!

[Elsa Davis]

The book titled "Asher – The Souls’ Species" by Rei.T weaves a fascinating tale of souls interacting with humans, blending adventure with deep character exploration. The novel's imaginative world-building and dynamic plot make it a compelling read. I recommend this book to fans of fantasy and adventure genres, as well as to readers who enjoy stories with intricate world-building and a touch of sci-fi.

[Ray Thompson]

The twists in this book were pretty unexpected, which kept me on my toes. I wish the middle hadn’t dragged as much, but the ending made up for it. Definitely worth a read.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

This is such a thoughtful and insightful review! I really appreciate how you've highlighted both the strengths of the novel and the areas where the dialogue felt a bit unnatural. Your balanced perspective gives a clear picture of what readers can expect, and I love how you captured the essence of Asher's journey. Great job!