When Niann's mother died during child birth, he was taken
in and raised by the Kehani tribe, but he has always felt
like the tribe outcast. Jennar takes it upon himself to
look after and protect the boy, and his feelings grow as
Niann becomes a young man. After incurring a serious
injury, Niann takes on the spirit guide, the kala deer,
whose powers are gained through sex. The tribe's shaman
Heyka sees a way to use Niann to leave his mortal body and
ascend to the spirit plane. Niann is too weak to fight the
shaman, and Jennar has been sent away to study carving with
another tribe. Jennar returns to try to save Niann from
Heyka's cruelty, but first he must discover who he is and
accept his love for the younger man.
Nica Berry's HART AND SOUL is a moving and at times
heartbreaking story of lore, love, and greed. It is firmly
based in Native American mythology. Although I don't know
enough about folklore to say if it's an accurate portrayal
of certain Native American beliefs, I did find it intriguing
and a solid foundation for the plot. Be forewarned however
that much of the story focuses on the sexual nature of
Niann's spirit guide. There is lots of sex throughout the
book, most of it same-sex and some of it non-consensual.
The sex is an integral part of the story and not
gratuitous, but those who do not like graphic scenes should
probably steer clear.
Berry does an outstanding job of showing both the good and
evil within people. Niann and Jennar are not perfect, and
each has his own flaws that impede their happiness.
The "villains" in the book are not completely evil. Heyka
has become greedy for power, but ultimately he is a healer
at heart. The tribe's leader has lost his way, but it is
ignorance that keeps him from doing what is most beneficial
to the tribe, not malice. There is a dichotomy within each
character and even the tribe as a whole that is seldom seen
in traditional romance stories.
The story of Niann and Jennar is beautiful and pain-
filled. Jennar has grown to love the young man he helped
raised, but when Niann's life is in danger he is unable to
help. His past lies prevent him from obtaining the help of
the tribe, and he forced to watch Niann suffer. Niann's
plight is worst of all, losing his mother at birth, being
raised by people who never truly wanted him, becoming
seriously injured, and then gaining a powerful spirit guide
only to become a sexual object and have the power used
against him. One can't help but wish for Niann to finally
be able to live a life of freedom and happiness. I found
it is the inner strength of these two characters that make
this a book worth reading.
Orphaned Niann has one wish, to go up the mountain to seek a
spirit guide like the rest of his peers. Instead, he's
forced to wait until frustration drives him to go without
permission on his eighteenth birthday. There, he meets his
guide--the kala deer, the tribe's patron animal and one that
grants its disciples the ability to heighten the power of
others's animal spirits. Unbeknownst to him, the tribe's
shaman, Heyka, plans to use Niann to harvest enough
spiritual energy to transcend into the spirit world.
Jennar, a talented carver and hunter who's cared for Niann
since Niann's infancy, has a secret of his own; he went up
the mountain to seek his spirit guide, but none came, and
he's been lying about his spirit animal ever since. Jennar
leaves to find the reason for his lack of a spirit guide,
but returns to find Niann under the sway of Heyka and living
as a woman, as those with the deer totem usually do.
Jennar's focus turns from saving himself into saving the man
he loves, but all his love and determination may not be
enough to stop the relentless ambition of Heyka and his
snake patron.
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