Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee is the first book in a new fantasy series, swirling with shamans, mystery and battle.
Sirscha Ashwyn, orphan born, came from nothing but is determined to make something of herself in the Queen’s army–in fact, her most precious goal is to become the Queen’s next Shadow, the royal spy. But things don’t go according to plan and Sirscha’s best friend, Saengo, gets killed… that is, until Sirscha brings her back to life.
Now Sirscha and Saengo are bonded together in a way neither of them understand and both are being hunted and summoned by authority figures neither ever expected to meet.
As war looms, Sirscha must use all of her training to uncover the truth about her countries history and in doing so, must decide what path to forge forward.
There was a lot to like about Forest of Souls. The world building was great. I am really drawn to this idea of shamans and familiars and basically the controversy of their place in society. But I did have a bit of a problem with the plot.
I felt like we were given pieces of a story that didn’t really come together until the very, very end of the novel. I guess when I read a first book in a series, I am looking to be introduced to the characters to build investment in their plights and then get an idea of the main “problem” that they will be facing. I didn’t entirely feel like we got that here. There was a lot of build up to who Sirscha is but not so much about the conflict happening around her. Again, until the very end. So we see where things are going but I just needed a little more.
If you are listening to the audio book for this one, be warned the narrator is very soft spoken. I don’t know if it was meant to be this way, but you’ve been warned.
Overall, I want to see where this book is heading but I am not yet invested in it as a series. Which is why, I am giving it 3 stars.
That’s all for now!
-M-
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