Soulgazer by Maggie Rapier is a full blow Pirate Romantasy that I ate up with no regrets!
I found the book on NetGalley and decided to give it a go to see if I would enjoy it. I love pirates and I like romance but I've been reading some disappointing romantasy lately so I didn't have high hopes.
I honestly have no idea why Book Tok hasn't discovered this gem as it is EVERYTHING that Book Tok loves. I LOVED it too!
If you are a reader who really enjoyed Fable and Namesake by Adrienne Young, you are going to love Soulgazer! There are a lot of similar themes, as well as boats and pirates and passion, but the two stories aren't copy/paste at all.
Soulgazer falls out of the YA area and is solidly for adult romance readers, allowing a lot more "romance" to occur on page. Magic and old celtic traditions inspire Soulgazer giving it a distinctly different feel than that of Fable's rough and ready "The Narrows".
That said, I enjoyed both immensely.
As a synopsis, Saoirse's been raised to believe she was cursed with a difficult to control magic that causes more harm than good. Isolated from the world, she dreams of legends- like "the wolf of the wild". Saoirse longs for acceptance and to contribute to her family and society. She knows she going to have to follow her father's wishes and wed a cruel stone king, but, on the eve of her marriage she seeks out the Wolf, Faolan, and takes matters into her own hands. Faolan recognizes her magic for the power it is and desperately needs her to help him navigate to an Island of lost souls. Saoirse knows this is madness, and thus exerts the only power she has by forcing Faolan into a handfasting. The two- now linked- pursue the isle. Saoirse learns that she's not the only one with a secret blessing or curse and comes into her own to wield her power. By the end of the book I knew I had a new "Book Boyfriend" in Faolan.
Readers are left with a Happy for Now ending with clearly more story left for book two. I can't wait for it to come out in August!
STATS
First Published: 7/8/2025
Pages: 480
Available as an Audio Book : YES ~ 12 hrs
Trigger Warnings: violence, death of sibling, death of child, magic, pirates, on page sexy times, almost forced marriage, almost patricide
(this is not a full list, read responsibly)
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