3 ⭐ CW: forced medical procedure

"Love is a choice. Whether it is chosen with ease subconsciously, or consciously chosen day by day, it's always a choice. It's the most empowering choice you can ever make, and its effect has no bounds." 

The Mirror Souls by Julia Scott is book one in the Mirror Souls trilogy. I got this YA scifi/dystopian book in a book box subscription I had that no longer exists, so it's a special edition with sprayed edges, a signed bookplate, and came with an art print of the characters, a bookmark, a make up bag with manalas and a quote on it, and an enamel pin of the cabin and Northern Lights in Nordlys. 

We follow Alana, who lives with her mom and brother in a "home dome" and required to live under strict rules from an alien race that took over Earth in order to save it from the destruction humans did. The aliens, called Avalons, have renamed Earth and the humans there Gaia and Gaians respectively. If people don't follow the rules, even just getting home slightly after curfew, the consequences are a procedure called "Processing." Alana's best friend is half Alvalon and related to one of the most powerful Avalons on the planet. 

When Alana's friend Gen gets assigned her Profession early, things start to get weird for Alana. She is also assigned her Profession early and given the most grueling job in the Region. Alana discovers a translocation device in her pocket with a note, and finds out she has a Mirror Soul, or soul mate in another region, named Aiden. Mirror Souls aren't just a myth about soul mates, Mirror Souls feel a pull toward each other they can't control, and produce an electric charge when they are together for too long. 

As much as I wanted to love this book based on the premise, it just fell flat for me. I didn't particularly connect with Alana, there was a pointless love triangle that really didn't need to be in there, and I felt we didn't learn enough about Gen and Dray to actually care about them. The insta love was a bit much for me even with the Mirror Soul thing. It was nice to see that not all Mirror Soul pairs are heterosexual and romantic, but we never see this. I wanted a lot more world-building and I think the scifi needed to be more center to the story than the bland romance. 

I don't think I'll continue the series since there are way too many books I'd rather be reading. If you like scifi and romance, and looking for a twist on soul mates, this is your series.