soulmated

Two souls. One Fate.

Eighteen-year-old Liam Whelan, an Irish royal empath, has been searching for his elusive soulmate. The rare union will cement his family’s standing in empath politics and afford the couple legendary powers, while also making them targets of those seeking to oust them.

Laxshmi Kapadia, an Indian-American high school student from a traditional family, faces her mother’s ultimatum: Graduate early and go to medical school, or commit to an arranged marriage.

When Liam moves next door to Laxshmi, he’s immediately and inexplicably drawn to her. In Liam, Laxshmi envisions a future with the freedom to follow her heart.

Liam’s father isn’t convinced Laxshmi is “The One” and Laxshmi’s mother won’t even let her talk to their handsome new neighbor. Will Liam and Laxshmi defy expectations and embrace a shared destiny? Or is the risk of choosing one’s own fate too great a price for the soulmated?

I received an eARC of this book from the author but that does not affect my views in any way. All my opinions and thoughts are completely my own.

Where do I begin with this book? There were so many unique and different aspects to this book that made it a step apart from all the other urban fantasies that I’ve read.
The first thing I loved about this book was the different cultures it portrayed. One of the main characters Laxshmi is an Indian American that is trying to balance her Indian identity with her American one. Whilst the other main character is Liam, an Irish boy who has spent almost half his life in America, looking for The One. They both come from such different backgrounds which I thought were portrayed wonderfully in Patel’s writing. I personally found it so interesting to be immersed in a culture so different from mine and see how Lucky combined both cultures to make her who she is. Both of these teens face pressure from their parents in different ways and for different reasons. Lucky’s Mum wants her to either get married or go to Medical School, whilst she dreams of becoming a dancer. Liam’s parents move him from city to city in hope of him finding The One when he just wants to give up. These pressures both stem from the cultures they come from yet together they are able to escape these stresses whilst also embracing the people they are. I felt like Patel wrote Lucky’s POV better than Liam’s though that is probably due to the fact she knows more about her culture and can relate more to her, however both points of view were entertaining and a good read.

Aside from the main two characters, there was a wonderful cast of supporting characters such as Lucky’s Mum, a hardworking and traditional Indian parent who only wants the best for her daughter, Liam’s Dad an Irishman who wants the best for his son in a world of complex empath politics and Liam’s Mum a woman who is so keen to hear about her son’s love life and meet her future daughter in law. The only character I found a little lacking was Jack, Lucky’s best friend who got annoyed when the new boy arrives. He just seemed like a bit a stereotype and didn’t really get that much character development other than being jealous of Liam.

Another aspect of this book which I really enjoyed the idea of being an empath and the powers that came with that. In urban fantasies you so often see the same paranormal creatures again and again but this is something I’ve never seen before. These people aren’t great fighters or strong warriors but instead they’re in touch with their emotions and those of the people around them. It does contain the classic trope of the heroine not knowing of her powers until she meets the hero but it is refreshingly different when combined with the other elements of the story.

The only thing I wish this story did contain was more information about the society of empaths and how it works. I’m someone who always wants to know more and hear the whole backstory. You get lots of hints and subtle references throughout the book but you never get to know the full story which bugs me a little however I suspect you will get to know more in the next book so I am eagerly awaiting that!

Overall it was a entertaining blend of diversity, originality, romance and the supernatural resulting in a great read for any YA fan!


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