All in all, The Soul of Power was a solid, well-written novel—maybe not as magical or imposing as The Waking Land, but definitely a step up from The Memory of Fire for me. It was also inspiring in its own way, starring a genuinely sympathetic heroine who is introspective and kind-hearted. It was a satisfying, uplifting conclusion to Callie Bates’ debut trilogy, and I look forward to what she does next after this!

I *loved* the first book in this trilogy - unfortunately, book 2 didn't have the same resonance with me. It felt a little more...lost. Like book 1 had been in the works for so long, and book 2 was deadline-based. Which, yes - all published books are. However, some feel like they just don't have the details and lushness of their predecessor - and this was one. I have chosen not to read book 3 because I didn't want to be disappointed again.

This third and last book of Callie Bates’ Waking Land Trilogy comes to a full circle as Sohpy Dunbarron takes the stage. This book is in her POV as she takes responsibility for the kingdom, she never wanted to start with. To make matters worse, she is on her own. Elena and Johan, who freed and united the kingdoms are nowhere to be found. Not to mention her enemies and subjects have turned against her. This time, Sophy will have to deal with all the political issues, as well as her personal hardships all on her own.

I love that Bates gave Sophy a chance to prove herself without the full support of Elena and Johan and their magic. She gave Sophy a voice and the chance to prove she deserves to rule and making her own choices. And she did that in her own terms despite the pressures of being a woman in the throne, as well as being pregnant and unwed. I feel this last book was more about the politics of the kingdom then the magic that revolved around it. Rightly so since the story leads us to Sophy as the ruler, but I missed the magic that came with the story which we saw a lot of in The Waking Land and The Memory of Fire. Out of the three books, this is my least favorite. It had a slow start and it lacked the magic that the series in the beginning. I’m rating this book a 2.5-3 stars. Overall, the series as a whole is an okay read.

First we had Elanna, and then Jahan. Now we see Sophys story and her struggle to keep a throne shes been raised for but never really wanted. As her greatest ally is captured can she navigate the throne while keeping a great secret that threatens to take that very throne away?

This novel is a good one that I’ve read this year! The characters are so dynamic yet relatable. I loved the flow of the story. It held my attention the whole time.

Was so excited to see this on NetGalley as I had read the first two books in the trilogy. This final book focused more on Sophy's story and gives us another point of view to the story and to what is happening. Sophy is a very strong and determined female character who fights for what she believes in.

"The Soul of Power" eBook was published in 2019 and was written by Callie Bates (https://calliebates.com). This is Ms. Bates' third novel and the third book in her "The Waking Land" series. 

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in another universe and place, one that allows magic. 

The primary character of this book is Sophy Dunbarron. Dunbarron is the illegitimate daughter of the king. Now, since she joined the rebellion led by Elanna Valtai’, she has assumed the throne of a once divided country at the age of 21. Her position is far from secure as there are many who oppose her and she must respond to an open rebellion. 

She fears she has lost her close friend Valtai forever when Dunbarron learns that Valtai has been captured. She also discovers a secret about herself that could cost her the throne. Will she and her forces be able to qualm the unrest at home and hold off the forces that want to take her country. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the 13 hours I spent reading this 464-page fantasy. While the lead in this novel is 21, it still has a Young Adult feel to it.I have read and enjoyed both of the earlier books in this series ("The Waking Land" and "The Memory of Fire"). I think that Ms. Bates has created a very engaging fantasy universe. I liked that this book in the series took a different point of view than the earlier volumes. It is also written in the first-person view of Dunbarron. While this could be read on its own, it would be best to read the prior two books of the series first. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/. 

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Sophie Dunbarrow comes to the Soul of Power as she discovers that becoming queen does not ensure peace inside or outside the kingdom. Her allies melt away and she has to discover her own internal magic to save herself, her unborn child and her kingdom. High fantasy in the best tradition.

The Soul of Power runs almost parallel to The Memory of Fire. This is Sophy's book and picks up right after Jahan has left for Paladis. This book has lots of politics in it as Sophy struggles to unite her kingdom, protect the refugees and keep the empire from invading. On top of that tall order Sophy becomes aware of a faction that wants her off the throne in whatever way necessary, even if it results in her death.

This book started off slow for me. Having already read Memory of Fire I know what is going on with El and Jahan. So the pick up while necessary was a bit slow. I liked Sophy in The Waking Land and it was nice to get to see her in her element, struggling to be who she thought she ought to be instead of who she wanted to be. I also liked that she isn't a warrior but will fight for what she thinks is right and not at the expense of lives. I was happy to see a growth of the relationship between El and Sophy because they would be awesome together.

This was a good ending to the trilogy and I appreciated the epilogue because I wasn't left hanging.

This book is the conclusion of a fantasy trilogy. I enjoyed the first two books, The Walking Land and The Memory of Fire.

I didn’t like this book quite as much as the other two. The book began with an almost romance novel feel. After reading the first couple of chapters, I commented on it to my husband and he agreed, saying that it picks up more in the middle and goes back to the usual upheaval between the lands and the people.

It does indeed go back to the classic battles between the people and their land, but still several points through the story it again went back to Sophy fretting over her relationship with Alistair and who should she marry.

I did enjoy the book. There were plenty of twists and turns and the book followed the growth of Queen Sophy. Lots of conflict, lots of magic, similar feel to the other stories.

A good fantasy novel with a strong female protagonist. Actually there are a lot of strong female characters, which is one of the things I liked about this series in general.

I received an ARC of the book.

In this conclusion to Bates’ trilogy, the author does not return to either Elanna or Jahan, the protagonists of the first two books, but shifts to a third—Sophy, who was crowned queen at the end of The Waking Land.

I didn’t even remember Sophy, who was greatly overshadowed by Jahan’s traumatized complexity, and Elanna’s tremendous powers. At the beginning of the book, she’s trying to become the queen in reality, not just in title, with nobles and mages and outlanders all arrayed against her.

She also has a secret that is easily guessed very early on, and soon revealed, which adds to her difficulties. But on her side she has Alastair, her lover, and Rhia, her guard (one of my favorite characters).

She also deals with the enigmatic Philippe, whose loyalties seem to be diffuse, at best. And finally, she will face the father she never knew—which is totally unexpected, both in encounter, and in result.

There is a lot of politics going on in this third volume, mixed with violence and revolution, plus the awakening magic. Sophy doubts herself for a lot of the beginning, but in spite of everything that gets thrown at her (and there are a lot of setbacks) she starts coming into her own, which is a pleasure to watch.

Her goal is to not only to bring peace to splintered countries, but to find a way to accommodate the magic burgeoning in the land. Things are tense right up until the end.

The writing is vivid, with colorful characters and fascinating magic. The first person tense, so popular in YA these days, tended to get in the way at times, especially when so much of the book was backtracking to the timeline of the first book. I kept having to adjust to it each time I picked up the book after a break. But that’s a small quibble—the story overall was fast paced, especially the endgame, and I loved the ending.

Callie Bates' Waking Land trilogy has been an unusual one in that each volume has explored a different POV character in the triumvirate that promises peace and security for the future of Eren and Caeris. In the first book, The Waking Land we meet Elana Valtai, the Caveadear (Steward of the Land) who will wake the land in the strained nations of Eren and Caeris. Elanna comes to terms with her power, a theme that is central to this trilogy. In the second novel, The Memory of Fire we see Elanna's lover Jahan facing the trauma of his childhood and teen years at the hands of a brutal witch who seeks to make him resistant to the anti-magical methods of the powerful kingdom of Paladis. Jahan, too, must embrace his power and forge a path for what he believes in and the woman he loves. The third person in this trilogy is Sophy Dunbarron, a young woman raised by Elanna's family, who ascends to the throne though she is not legitimately born, is young, unmarried, pregnant, and not too sure that she can do what she's been raised to do. The challenges facing Sophy are real and are only worsened when Elanna (in events covered in The Memory of Fire) is kidnapped by witch hunters and taken to Paladis. How is she to make peace in Eren and Caeris and how can she lead when so many of her subjects doubt her right or her ability to do so?

The Soul of Power is mostly devoted to Sophy finding a way to make peace and progress in her two countries, and how to help her people as magic seems to be sprouting up everywhere now that Elanna has awakened the land (before she was snatched). Once again, as with Elanna and Jahan, Sophy struggles until she fully embraces her role and her right to a partner of her choosing.

Bates' writing has grown in depth and complexity over the course of the three books. This third novel is the most polished of the three novels. Also, I enjoyed Sophy's story, in part because of how relatable she is. She's not bestowed with amazing magical abilities like Elanna and Jahan, but she recognizes her power and her responsibility to her people.

Emily Woo Zeller, an excellent voice talent, narrates the audiobook.

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book, along with a Digital Review Copy, from DelRey in exchange for an honest review.

*4.5 stars* The Soul of Power is the final installment of the enjoyable Waking Lands series, and switches perspective yet again. Having experienced events through first Elanna's eyes and then Jahan's, we next have Sophy Dunbarron's viewpoint. Sophy is the bastard daughter of the exiled king of Caeris, and has been raised since the age of eight by Elanna's parents to potentially rule one day. Now that her half-brother Finn is dead and her father remains in exile, Sophy has assumed the throne of Eren and Caeris in the wake of Elanna's revolution. However, uniting a once-divided country proves more difficult than she anticipated. She must battle her detractors and those who work to depose her along with her own self-doubts in order to bring peace to a fractured land.

I have enjoyed this trilogy, which improved as it progressed. This last book is action-packed and keeps you turning the pages. It wraps everything up nicely and brings the series to a satisfying conclusion. The underlying foundation of female empowerment throughout is refreshing in the current times. I recommend this trilogy for fantasy fans who enjoy fierce female characters!

The Soul of Power is the third in Callie Bates’ “The Waking Land” series and brings the saga to an end with Sophy Dunbarron, the daughter of the exiled king who has never held the throne of Eren or Caeris. She is the chosen Queen of the united countries, but the crown feels like a bad fit as there is much resistance to her rule among the nobles in Eren. She is also pregnant and not married to Alistar, the man she loves, and someone she believes the nobles of Eren will oppose.

Meanwhile, there is the imminent threat of invasion, the need to find allies, the awakening of magic in the people, the fear that awakening magic causes, the shortages caused trade routs being shut down, and gathering rebellion. Add to that a huge portion of self-doubt and we’ve got trouble in the waking land.



In The Soul of Power Bates reprises the theme that unites all three books in her series, the need to conquer your own fears and find your own power. Sophy’s weakness is deferring to others and not trusting her own judgment. When she comes into her own, when she is decisive and recognizes her own power, she is so much more successful.

This final book in the series is a satisfying end. Sophy struggles with how to show her love for the people, how to unite two countries equitably, and how to encourage self-rule and a form of democracy in a kingdom. These aren’t easy problems in real life, add magic to the mix and it’s even trickier.

I enjoyed this book and the others in the series. They are thoughtful books that struggle with real questions in a fantasy world. They are fast-paced and full of action, adventure, romance, and intrigue. What more could you ask for?

The Soul of Power will be released June 4th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Soul of Power at Del Rey | Penguin Random House
Callie Bates author site
The Waking Land review
The Memory of Fire review

Callie Bates knows how to reel you in. I was (at first) ruffled by the fact that the narrator is a new character, not the one I fell in love with in the last book. But I learned from series like Robin LeFevers' His Fair Assassin trilogy that new narrators can still be great -- and Callie Bates delivered.

The story was compelling, while the story flowed with ease. The pacing was well put together that wasn’t too fast or slow and had urgency that moved the story along. The world building was beautifully written and I could picture everything that was happening. The interaction between the characters were believable and I could feel the emotions coming off the pages.

The conclusion to the The Waking Land trilogy lived up to every expectation I had for it. This book changes to Sophy's POV. As the first followed Elanna (El) & the second Jahan, this gives a satisfying conclusion to the series. Right away I want to say the only shortcoming I found was that the time line in this book somewhat overlaps with that of The Memory of Fire. While that in itself is not anything bad, I wasn't expecting it considering it didn't happen with the first two books. I would say you definitely need to read the first two books before this one, otherwise much of the beginning will not make sense

I'm normally not a fan of the fantasy genre, but this series completely sucked me in! I loved reading Sophy's story. Bates' writing really takes you into the world she has very solidly built. Her storytelling has improved with each book. It only seems right that the final book is about Sophy and her new reign. Sophy's story may be more political than the previous books, but that is only to be expected since she is the Queen of Eren and Caeris. The driving factor of the book isn't politics, its Sophy & how she feels. It follows Sophy as she struggles to cement her reign & bring together the people she now governs at the same time she is juggling her love for Alistair, who she knows the nobles will not accept.

While magic has been a focal point in the other two books, specifically the forbidden aspect of it, this one takes it to a different level. I loved learning about how it affects even the minor characters now that magic and sorcery are semi-accepted. Bates makes you understand the minor characters as well as the major ones. While the major characters in the other books take a backseat to Sophy, & in some ways Alistair, for the first part of the book, you don't notice, especially since The Memory of Fire covers much of it. I found I wasn't wondering about El and Jahan, I just needed to know what happened to Sophy next!

The book wraps up El, Jahan, and Sophy's storylines nicely. When I finished I found I was sad that this was the last I will be reading about them. While the ending was satisfying & I certainly don't hope for more turmoil for the characters, I would love to read more in the world of Ida, Eren and Caeris.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House-Ballantine/Del Ray and Callie Bates for the electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was the book that I was most excited to receive an ARC of out of all I have received from NetGalley. I'm glad to say that the excitement was well worth it & I will most definitely read more of Bates future work.

This is the third and final book in the Waking Land series. This was by far my least favorite book in this series. I really didn't enjoy Sophy as a character and liked the politics she was enmeshed in even less. Things got better about 70-80% of the way into the book, but I still didn't enjoy it all that much.

I never like reading books that are solely about politics and that is what this one was. I also felt like Sophy didn’t treat the characters that were trying to help and support her very well; I just didn’t like her character much. To be fair she pretty much never gets a break and is constantly having people criticize and pick at her; it was an uncomfortable and depressing read for me.

Elanna and Jance joined late in the story and this improved things some. The series wrap up decently and it ended okay.

This book took a long time to read and I almost stopped reading it a couple times. I pushed ahead because it's the final book in the series. I kind of wish I hadn't read it at all...although it does tie up things at the end.

Overall this was my least favorite book in the series. I didn’t enjoy Sophy or the situation she was in and found the whole read to be slow and depressing. It does tie up the story though which was nice.

I have really loved The Waking Land series, by Callie Bates. It has been so imaginative and fun. Plus, this series had the most unusual narrative structure! Each of the three books focuses on one particular character in the story. I have never seen a series organized in this way. The Soul of Power, the final book, is a fine ending to this series.

What I Liked:
Setting:

With the third book, the setting is pretty familiar to the reader by now. But the world-building continues with even more types of magical abilities being shown. I love that many more people have magic, some even as powerful as Elanna.

There is also much more about the treatment of women and refugees in this society. I couldn't help but see the parallels between this book and real life. I love that!

Characters:

Sophy is the main focus in The Soul of Power, and she is a far more complex character than I originally thought.

But Sophy also has personal issues to resolve. Will she marry Allister, her lover, or use a marriage to seal a political alliance? Or does she even need to marry? The issue of marriage illustrates how women are treated in this world's society. Misogyny is alive and well in this world. Seeing women have magic, or any sort of power, is a threat to many of the men.

Sophy also must confront her parentage. As her parents were not married, and her mother seemed more interested in leading a rebellion than in being a parent, Sophy felt like a cast-off. But can she understand that her self-worth should not be tied to anything her parents did?

Story:

While the other books focused on Elanna (The Waking Lands), and Jahan (The Memory of Fire), The Soul of Power is Sophy's story. This is definitely a case of "be careful what you wish for"! Now that she is finally the queen, Sophy realizes governing is harder than it seems. Navigating the various factions vying for power is no easy task, no matter how prepared one seems. For anyone who has started a new job, you will be able to relate to Sophy's frustration and anxiety.

Sophy's story runs parallel to the action in book two, The Memory of Fire. So it would be important for the reader to have read The Memory of Fire just before starting book three.

I also love all the political intrigue and betrayals in this book. Although she knows that she is unpopular as the new queen, Sophy is not prepared for how much opposition there is to her reign. Noblemen who are used to getting kickbacks find ways to force Sophy to appoint their allies to key positions. There are several plots to her life, putting her friends in danger, as well.

Series Ending:

After all the buildup of Sophy's story, the real fun begins when she is finally reunited with Elanna and Jahan. You'd think it would all be smooth sailing once these characters finally find each other. But the jealousy between Elanna and Sophy finally comes to a head.

There is plenty of action as the final battle for the crown gets underway. I loved how each character's strengths are highlighted in the ending. Of course, there are also sacrifices that must be made. No good story is without them. I liked that some of Sophy's choices come with a price. This makes the ending more complex and satisfying.

What I Was Mixed About:

While I love all the plots and close calls Sophy has, I think this went on a few times too many. What's that saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"? Were there three, or four, attempts on her life? I lost count after a while. I know this serves the plot by creating confrontations between Sophy and certain characters, but this device became tiresome after a while. Don't you think Sophy would be more wary of isolated meetings after the first ambush?

Reading Note: This isn't a criticism of the series, but you really need to read the other two books, The Waking Land, and The Memory of Fire, fairly soon before you read the final book. The stories are so closely tied together, that it would be difficult to follow the action if you haven't recently read those books first.

Love this series and look forward to further work from this author. This conclusion was well done. I would recommend this to others.

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