Hello Audience who have chosen to read this novel.
Sadly, I have decided to put this novel on indefinite hiatus. During my short time writing this novel, I have learned much more about writing and have recognized that this novel is not going down the path I had hoped for. It feels rushed, confusing, and is not at a standard at which I would wish to continue. In the near future, I may return to this novel and completely restart it, or I may continue from where I left off. But for now, I am putting a pause on this novel, so I can work on other projects that feel more fresh and original. I do not wish to leave behind the characters, the world, and the ideas of this novel behind, but I feel it must be done for the time being.
To explain, let me start off with the characters. I really like the characters in this novel, especially Alec and Lex, for I feel they have a great story behind them and have great potential. Even so, I still feel as if some characters could have been done better. Both Kiara and Quinn both feel bland and without personality in my mind. Writing an MC that feels bland is not a very enjoyable experience and is very hard to work with. Golden Quinn is also a character who I felt was taken in the wrong direction. Originally, I wanted him to be more mysterious, but during the regression arc, he became less mysterious and more like a boring teacher figure. This was never the direction I wished for him to be taken in, and it has greatly disappointed me.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Next, we need to talk about the story arcs and world building. In my opinion, the first 11 chapters were very repetitive and boring. This was to do with the fact that I had to introduce characters, a power system, and world building all in a short time, and also because each layer felt like a reflection of the last. If I had given more thought to each layer and gave more time to work on each one, I am sure it could have been better. Alas, this didn't happen, and they feel like poor reflections of what I had imagined. The regression arc didn't feel too bad to me, but it still felt like it was missing something and that it could have been developed better. I also believe it could have been way more complex, but it is much more shallow than what I intended. Still, I am proud of how the tattered puppet was created and the mystery/fear it could instill into the minds of readers, along with the growth of Quinn and how each death affects his mind.
Overall, this novel has great potential and is definitely something I would like to put more thought into in the future. I need to reconsider my options and fully flesh out the details of this novel before I can continue any further. In doing so, I hope to make a story that is more enjoyable and that everyone will come to like. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in my discord. It is linked in the description of SoulBound. I thank everyone who has read SoulBound and hope you will read and enjoy my next project.