A Soul to Keep

A Soul to Keep engages with a number of different folklore traditions. Reyne borrows the term Mavka from Ukrainian folklore and mythology: Mavkas are female spirits, typically depicted naked with long flowing hair, who died tragically and often are said to lure men to their deaths. Nyavka are a type of Mavka that have no back, meaning their spinal column and internal organs are visible from behind. Like Nyavka, Mavka/Duskwalkers have their rib cages and spines visible outside of their skin. However, Reyne’s Mavka/Duskwalkers are primarily male and, while human-shaped, made of various animal elements. The Witch Owl connects to another folklore tradition from Mexico. The lechuza is a witch that takes the form of a giant owl that is seven feet tall and has a wingspan of 15 feet. The lechuza is either a woman whose child was killed or a woman killed for being a witch who seeks revenge for what she has lost. The Witch Owl is not a vengeful creature in Reyne’s novel, however. She simply seeks to guide and protect her children. 

Reyne said in a Goodreads Q&A that she based the physical description of the Duskwalkers on the anime The Ancient Magus’ Bride (Reyne, Opal. “What was your inspiration for the Duskwalkers as a monster species?” Goodreads.) The anime, based on a manga of the same name, follows an orphaned high school student who sells herself at an auction to find a new home. She is purchased by a seven-foot-tall man with an animal skull for a head. While Reia does not auction herself off, she is too taken by a seven-foot-tall man-shaped creature with a skull for a head who offers her a new place to call home. Reyne also said she based some of her worldbuilding on the anime DemonSlayer, which inspired the demons that terrorize the humans and the demonslayers who hunt them.

The narrative arc reflects a “medium burn” romance (or medium-paced romance, as opposed to “slow burn” romances that take longer to spark) inspired by Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast is a story that can trace its lineage back to ancient tales, like the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, but is most popularly associated with the French fairy tale La Belle et la Bête by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, which was published in 1740. Villeneuve’s tale has served as the inspiration for numerous literary, theatrical, television, and film adaptations, including two successful Disney films. Reyne includes a metatextual reflection on Beauty and the Beast, as it is one of the books the Witch Owl guides Reia to find in the bookshop. Reyne, however, turns the typical narrative on its head. Instead of the power of love turning the Beast into a human man, when Orpheus remains a Duskwalker, a form that could be considered beastly, even after Reia falls in love with him.