Bid My Soul Farewell by Beth Revis science fiction and fantasy book and audiobook reviewsBid My Soul Farewell by Beth Revis science fiction and fantasy book and audiobook reviewsBid My Soul Farewell by Beth Revis

Bid My Soul Farewell (2019) is the sequel to Beth Revis’ novel Give the Dark My Love. You need to read Give the Dark My Love first. There will be some spoilers for that novel here.

When we left Nedra and Grey in Give the Dark My Love, they had uncovered the treachery in their government and exterminated the culprit. Now Grey is working for the emperor as a diplomat. Nedra, meanwhile, has become a necromancer, which is illegal and punishable by death. She has created an army of zombies (one is her sister) and she refuses to give them up.

As Grey is sent on a mission for the emperor, Nedra agrees to accompany him. As they travel, they attempt to find information about necromancy and to reconcile their significant differences.

In my review of Give the Dark My Love, I mentioned three things that gave me trouble with that book: (1) I didn’t believe in the romance between Nedra and Grey, (2) I didn’t believe in Nedra’s abrupt personality change, and (3) the story was relentlessly dark and I couldn’t find anything to enjoy about it. All of these problems are magnified in Bid My Soul Farewell.

Bid My Soul Farewell by Beth Revis science fiction and fantasy book and audiobook reviewsNedra and Grey never had much in common and I never felt their chemistry, so now that Nedra is living in a castle with an illegal (and vicious) zombie horde, it’s hard to understand why Grey is still pursuing her. We’re supposed to feel sorry for Nedra — she’s mourning the loss of her sister — but it’s hard to do that when she’s made her sister into a zombie.

Bid My Soul Farewell is darker than its predecessor. Even though I didn’t believe in Nedra’s turn to the dark side (it doesn’t fit what we know of her), it was still agonizing to spend time with her. But readers who loved the deep dark depression of Give the Dark My Love will probably enjoy wallowing in even more misery here. It was just too unpleasant for me.

I listened to the audiobook version of this duology which was produced by Listening Library. Mhairi Morrison reads Nedra’s chapters and Bruce Mann reads Grey’s. I still think this was not the best casting. Bruce Mann’s voice sounds a little too old and Mhairi Morrison’s voice is too sweet to make a believable necromancer.

Published in September 2019. The stunning finale of the epic fantasy duology from New York Times best-selling author Beth Revis. Alchemy student turned necromancer Nedra Brysstain has made a life-changing decision to embrace the darkness – but can the boy who loves her bring her back to the light before she pays the ultimate price? Lunar Island is trying to heal. The necromantic plague that ravaged the land has been eradicated, and Emperor Auguste, the young and charming leader of the Allyrian Empire, has a plan: rid the island of necromancy once and for all. Though Greggori “Grey” Astor wants what’s best for his people, he knows that allying himself with Auguste threatens the one person he loves most: necromancer Nedra Brysstain. Feeling like he already failed to save Nedra once, Grey becomes determined to help the Emperor rebuild Lunar Island while still keeping Nedra safe from harm. Back at the quarantine hospital, Nedra’s army of revenants are growing increasingly inhuman by the day. Wracked with guilt for imprisoning their souls, Nedra vows to discover a way to free the dead while still keeping her sister by her side. But still reeling from the trauma of the plague, the people of Lunar Island are looking for someone to blame, and Grey can only protect Nedra for so long. And when Nedra and Grey are thrust into a battle with an even more terrifying adversary, Nedra will be pushed to the darkest depths of her necromantic powers. But can Grey let her go that far?

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  • Kat Hooper

    KAT HOOPER, who started this site in June 2007, earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology at Indiana University (Bloomington) and now teaches and conducts brain research at the University of North Florida. When she reads fiction, she wants to encounter new ideas and lots of imagination. She wants to view the world in a different way. She wants to have her mind blown. She loves beautiful language and has no patience for dull prose, vapid romance, or cheesy dialogue. She prefers complex characterization, intriguing plots, and plenty of action. Favorite authors are Jack Vance, Robin Hobb, Kage Baker, William Gibson, Gene Wolfe, Richard Matheson, and C.S. Lewis.

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