I am confused, but perhaps I read the synopsis of SOUL while half-asleep, and that is my own fault. This is meant to be a collection of short stories that weave fairy tales and spirituality together, sharing lessons on life and the paths we walk. But I didn't really get that.

The real worry overcame me when I read the unedited PROLOGUE. A prologue provides background information, sets the stage for the main narrative, introduces key themes or characters, or offers a glimpse into events that precede the main story. It helps a reader understand the context or significance of the story that follows. The problem is that this is a collection of short stories with differing characters, themes, and lessons; this should have been an INTRODUCTION. What was I getting myself into?

This is a writer who is clearly passionate about many themes and, with this passion, wishes to shove them all into every single story, every single time. The problem is that this didn't serve any of the short stories. It doesn't work. There was no consistency to any of them, no wrapping up of a beginning with a sensible middle and a logical end. One short story begins with a girl who talks to animals and wants to explain how she got this gift, and then it's never mentioned again - and the lesson was completely unrelated.

It was a chaos of fantasies and spirituality woven together with cellophane tape instead of silken thread. It was an attempt at Grimms' Fairy Tales, with stories that did not connect with the final lesson. This collection needs a professional proofreader. In addition, it has not gone through a Native English editor, and it shows.

In the end, while V. Love's enthusiasm for storytelling is evident, it unfortunately can't compensate for their short stories' disjointed narratives and lack of cohesion. The potential for something special is there because it has heart, but it's buried beneath a tangled mess of ideas that never quite come together in any of the stories. With professional editing and a clearer focus for each piece, SOUL could become the cohesive and engaging collection it aspires to be. As it stands, however, it remains an ambitious but ultimately frustrating mess to read.