I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Two hundred years after World War III, the world is at peace, all thanks to the soul-identification system. Every eighteen-year-old must report to the government to learn about their past lives, a terrifying process known as kirling. Good souls leave the institute with their inheritance, a career path, and if they’re lucky, a soulmate. Bad souls leave in handcuffs.

It’s a nerve-wracking ordeal for Sivon, who, given her uncanny ability to win every chess match, already suspects her soul isn’t normal. Turns out, she was right to worry. Sivon’s results stun not only her, but the entire world, making her the object of public scrutiny and anonymous threats.

Saddled with an infuriating and off-limits bodyguard, Sivon is thrust into a high-stakes game where souls are pawns and rules don’t exist. As deaths mount, Sivon must decipher friend from foe while protecting her heart against impossible odds. One wrong move could destroy the future lives of everyone Sivon loves, and she can’t let that happen, even if they’ll never love her back.

Short and Sweet Review

Soulmatch follows our main character Sivon an eighteen year old who is about to learn about her past lives. After World War 3 the soul identification process was instilled and because of that the world is at peace. Sivon is hopeful that she’s going to have a good soul and maybe figure out what she’s supposed to do in life. When Sivon arrives for her kirling she ends up getting a new soul. There hasn’t been a new soul in a few decades. Sivon is shocked but so is the whole world, because Sivon is now a big deal she ends up getting a bodyguard who she finds interesting and also infuriating. We follow Sivon while she tries to navigate her new life, avoid assassination attempts, and figure out if there’s more information about her soul.

Soulmatch was a dystopian novel that takes place in the future. The idea is that when people turn 18 they go through a kirling and learn about their past lives, if you have a good soul you’re probably set for your new life, if you have a bad soul you’ll probably be handcuffed and serve time. The world is at peace because all of the bad souls are usually caught before they can cause trouble. Our main character Sivon is hoping for a good soul and one that can give her some guidance on what she’s supposed to do with her life. Sivon ends up getting a new soul which is like a clean slate and she can choose whatever path she wants in life. New souls are rare and this puts Sivon’s life in danger which is why she’s given a bodyguard. Sivon and Donovan have a tumultuous relationship as he doesn’t give her the benefit of the doubt when things happen but chooses to believe things are usually her fault. Although Sivon finds Donovan to be irritating she doesn’t want to part ways. I did find Sivon to be a character I liked and disliked at the same time, her behavior at times was very childish and she came across as weak. We see a few assassination attempts on Sivon’s life and there’s also a bit of politics at play. I found the middle section of the book to be slow but the end is where it really picked up and I enjoyed all of the things that were revealed.

Overall, Soulmatch had an interesting premise that’ll draw you in. The pacing is a bit slow but once things begin to be revealed you’ll want to keep reading to see how everything will turn out.