Castor’s Kiss (Soul Bonded in the Stars Book 2) by Tai James – Review by Wendy Wary

Castor’s Kiss by Tai James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I often find fantasy/sci-fi books more difficult to get into while trying to learn other-worldly creatures and scenery, but the author did a great job of seamlessly introducing different species into the story line without taking away from the gist of it. Having not read the first book in this series, I was still able to easily assimilate the characters and worlds depicted.

Mia, having been tortured and sold into slavery as a fighter, struggles to hold onto any hope of escape from a world that’s become kill or be killed. When Castor shows up and says he’s come to rescue her on behalf of her old crew, who were presumed dead, she’s lost and out of trust for others. When he’s tossed into the fighting scene, as well, in hopes of helping Mia find a safe escape, the two learn it’s going to take them both to get out of the mess they’re in.

As a big Hunger Games fan, I found a few themes that were definitely very similar: Mia is forced into fighting for her life and excels at it and then becomes a “favorite” among spectators who can watch live or via feeds from cameras buzzing around; the planet on which she’s held captive is populated by creatures who are known for “enhancements” to their appearance; Mia and Castor are forced into a “contest” on a different planet with rumored beastly creatures that they must survive along with fighting the other competitors to the death. Despite those obvious similarities to the Hunger Games, Castor’s Kiss has a lot more to the story than those themes.

I found the book to be engaging, more action-packed than expected, and quite thrilling to read. Both Mia and Castor are unaware of a soul bond between them until they meet, and all of the fears, insecurities, and trying to decide how they feel about the bond and what it means for them individually and as a couple in the future felt very realistic for anyone experiencing a strong romantic connection with another. The entire book, although obviously fictitious, had a realness to it that speaks volumes for the author’s ability to weave a story that’s believable in completely unbelievable circumstances and situations.

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