*3.5

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have contrasted feelings about this book, I was actually surprised in a good way by it but at the same time I felt confused about other things.

Let's go with the pros first: It was extremely innovative and unlike any other books.
The magical system is not the most complex I ever read but I really liked the 'shaman' component and their division, it reminded me a little bit of the grisha orders. Also the connection between Shamans and their familiars was fashinating.
So was the entire Dead Wood concept and its connection with the souls.
Another thing I really appreciated is that despite having some typical tropes of the YA books not everything went as I was expecting and for that I want to give the author a huge applause.

On the other hand I found the world building a little bit confusing, there are so many reigns and royals and I just couldn't place all of the them. I don't know if it was me but for this I had some difficulty to follow all the political part, which is already complex by itself, there's a lot going on!
Another 'problem' I found is that the plot suggested the presence of a strong friendship and there is indeed, the protagonist obviously care about her but friend but at the same time I feel like it could have been developed better.
I wanted a focus on Sirscha and Saengo but instead we get only Sirscha with a few appearances of the second one.

To conclude, I recommend you to try to read it! It certainly has his flaws but I like where this story is going, the end definitely made me want to read the sequel especially because I feel the story will become more spicy and dark!

So I will start off by saying that it appears one chapter was cut off in the middle, so I assume I got the full story, but I'm not so sure. Based on what I read, I really liked the story. It gave me Wicked Saints vibes, except instead of Gods in your head, you are the God? Or at least close enough. I thought the plot and the storytelling was great. The characters were interesting, but I wanted more development of Ronin and Saengo - two major/minor (not totally sure) characters who felt one dimensional. Saengo served the role of faithful best friend while Ronin served the role of mysterious master, who could be friend or foe.

Either way, besides those two characters, I thought the book was awesome. The storytelling was great and the plot lived up to my expectations. We end in a place where book 2 can occur and I would be happy to read it when it comes out. If you like chosen one stories, magic, dark fantasy, and morally grey characters - you will love Forest of Souls!

After spending nearly a month trying to get into this one and fighting with myself over picking it back up, I’ve decided it’s time to let go. Which makes me SUPER bummed, because it was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases!! I wanted so badly to love this one, but I made it 200 pages in and I was still struggling hardcore and feeling really apathetic toward it.

It started off really strong – I was enjoying the writing, and super intrigued by the world. I felt for what Sirscha was going through, too. But somewhere along the line, that interest just…stopped.

I started to get annoyed by little things. To be honest, most of it could have been solved by just reading the synopsis. But I like to go in blind! I was shocked when Saengo, the best friend, died. And I liked that! I love when an author doesn’t spare their characters. However, shortly after, Saengo was brought back to life. (This is all in the synopsis, which I clearly didn’t remember lmao!) And that really bugged me!! I hate that fantasy always brings its dead back to life, so you can never trust when someone does die because they’re more than likely not going to stay dead. And that robs me of feeling, because I don’t believe it. This is such a pet peeve for me in fantasy, as much as I love the genre.

So, I was already annoyed that she came back to life in the first place. There was all this talk of familiars – a spirit in the form of an animal, bonded to the shaman, that connects them to their magic – and I was SUPER excited for this aspect! I love the idea so much! BUT, View Spoiler » Whomp whomp.

THEN, as if I wasn’t annoyed enough, we get the Chosen One trope. (Again, this is basically all in the synopsis.) As soon as they mentioned that soulguides were super rare and there’s only ever been one in history, I was like, Welp, she’s going to be one of those. And her golden eyes on the cover were kind of spoilery to that aspect, if you prefer to NOT read the synopsis and go in and be surprised. I also guessed as soon as she mentioned she had scars on her ear that she was actually Highborn as well and had her ears cut (they have pointy ears). I found that reveal kind of cliche.

Actually, the whole rest of the story felt pretty generic. I was interested in the drakonys (basically bipedal dragons used as horses), but I had trouble picturing them, and they weren’t that prominent in the story anyway. The magic system was interesting, but overall I didn’t feel like the story added anything to the fantasy genre. It didn’t feel unique to me, and doesn’t have anything super special enough to stand out in the sea of high fantasy that I’ve already read before. Nobody is more disappointed than I am.

I might still continue, eventually. I don’t want to not like it, and I’m intrigued about Ronin the Spider King, so I may try again at a later time, just for him. Who knows.

I like when I get sucked into the story and this book absolutely lured me in. The world was nicely introduced. It didn’t confused me or made me feel over loaded with information. You learn the world as you go. It has a lot of action and if you like a badass female protagonist this book is for you. Sirscha kind of reminded me of Lada from And I Darken.
Thank you to Lauren Cepere and Lori M. Lee from sending me an e-ARC of Forest of Souls, I really enjoyed it.

Forest of Souls is everything I love in fantasy books:
- a great main character
- the sweetest friendship between two amazing girls
- another snarky friendship full of "first of all I don't like you and I don't trust you"
- elemental magic
- sword fights
- dragons (well a sort of dragon)
- a nice wolrd building that leaves you wanting to know more about all the provinces and kingdoms and deities
- an awesome cliffhanger that makes you die to get the second book!

It's an amazing book that I highly recommend to anyone who likes fantasy and magic. I am so excited for the next book!

*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy, all the opinions are my own.*

I am confused as to how I felt about this book. There were things I enjoyed about it but there were also many things which I think could be improved.

Let’s start with the characters. I thought that Sirscha had potential to be compelling but in the end I feel like she didn’t connect with me and it felt like things just kept happening and she said it had a great emotional impact on her but I did not feel it myself. Saengo, again, had a potential to be a truly powerful character as she goes through something life changing but I felt like we never really got to know her, or her thoughts, she was extremely passive and despite the deep friendship there supposedly is between them we never get to see it. The other characters like Prince Meilik or Theyen were likeable and could be great but only ever showed up for plot convenience.

As for worldbuilding I thought that putting a glossary at the beginning and expecting people to read it and therefore underexplain everything in the actual book was a big mistake. I skimmed the glossary so whenever a new concept was introduced but not explained I had to just roll with it. An author is supposed to build a world inside the pages and a reader should not have to do memorisation exercises before getting into the book, it is boring and a glossary will not suck me into the story. The thing that really annoyed me was how characters, despite having a huge library right there, just guessed everything? Like they assume that ‘this’ is happening despite having no information to collaborate it, and the only time that a book actually gives them information is when a secondary character magically shows up with it and the main character first kind of assumes it must be what’s happening, despite no proof, and then kind of forgets and dismisses it.

The plot was a bit messy which I saw other reviewers mention as well. The beginning and ending feel cohesive but there is a whole detour in the middle that has very little purpose, logical sense and even less consequences.

The thing I enjoyed the most was the climax of the book. It was written to keep the reader engaged and interested for prolonged time, although some of it did feel a bit ‘easy’. I feel like it sets up for a better sequel so I am still looking forward to continuing with the series.

OMG! One of my highly-anticipated read completely blow me away with THAT ENDING.

I need the book two now.

Sirscha Ashwyn is a complete female badass and I can't wait to have a hardcover of this book in my shelf because the cover is also gorgeous.

Thank you to Page Street Publishing for sending a digital copy my way to review.

Decent post coming (via IG/theengineerisreading) on book birthday.

I really enjoyed the world building in Forest of Souls, and the fast paced plot. Sirscha is a strong MC, as an orphan, her desire to belong to the kingdom that saw her grow is so strong that it puts her in a situation that pushes her powers to the surface, and suddenly she becomes something her kingdom despises, a shaman. This kind of reminded me slightly of Shadow & Bone but Forest of souls was an adventure of its own and a magic system that was unique.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. I will write a full review in my blog.

Good overall. Felt the characters were a little under developed but overall an entertaining debut. I would recommend to fans of Shadow and Bone.

To quote another favorite book of mine, "Why spiders? Why couldn't it be follow the butterflies?"

Sirscha, despite being an orphan, is proud of her ability to be a skilled fighter in the Queen's Company and in an apprenticeship to be the next Shadow, the queen's spy. She's worked hard every day of her life to become so close to earning the title of Shadow, even with people like Jonyah tearing her down every chance they get. When the rest of the wyverns, or the fourth years close to graduating from the Queen's Company, are tacked on with the hatchlings, or first years, from the Prince's Company, to travel to the Valley of Crones, they all begrudgingly go. During the journey, Jonyah antagonizes her yet again, but she manages to steal a piece of paper from his pockets, discovering Jonyah is also an apprentice to be a shadow and the message is from their mentor, for him to meet in a special spot. Sirscha is determined to beat him there, and sneaks out, her best friend Saengo following her. Little does she know that it's an elaborate trap that brings her into a revelation she doesn't expect and a future she's unsure how to handle.

Without revealing too much more, we hear about a major character named Ronin the Spider King and just...spiders??? So many spiders. And dead people. And the creepiness of both spiders and dead people kept me reading this book for larger periods of time until I got through the dead people and the spiders. Just imagine a place covered walled off in webs, and where people wear dresses made of spiderspilk. And somewhere, just somewhere, maybe in the spider web smothered dark maze, is Ronin's familiar, a spinner. I'm shuddering just recalling it.

There's a lot of lore built into this novel, meaning you don't necessarily need to read the author's glossary, but I can see all the places where worldbuilding was established for a much larger series. There is so much the author took time to plan to give us ease of reading, but also establish everything we need established for the pieces to flow and connect intricately. I'm excited for the continuation of the series and to see where she takes it. I loved LOVED Sirscha and Saengo's friendship. I've been loving this trend in YA of such powerful and passionate female friendships. It reminds me a lot of my best friend and I and it's such a joy to read about. I felt the all the other characters were well rounded and added much to the story and it's many layers. The magic system was well built and solidly introduced within this novel. I felt the difference between shaman and shadowblessed could have been a little more established, but there wasn't much need to do so within this novel. I do feel it will be explained further as the shadowblessed take on a much bigger role.

Finally, I really did enjoy this book and felt it is a nice addition to the fantasy book world. I've read some lackluster new books and this is definitely not one of them. I look forward to reading more of Sirscha and Saengo's story as it comes out.

When I first opened Forest of Souls, I was a little taken aback by the size of the glossary. My initial thoughts were that this book would be too complex and overwhelming. That I wouldn't be able to understand what was going on without the glossary glued to my side. However, that was not the case at all. Lori M. Lee does a wonderful job of introducing and getting readers comfortable with the world of Thiy. The author has created a rich and vibrant world. There was never a moment while reading this book, where I felt too much information was thrown on me. Instead, information is introduced at various stages and flows nicely with the story. The world-building doesn't only come alive in the places and their food but, also through their political hierarchy. I felt a deeper connection and understanding of the Evewynian people by understanding the role of the Queen and Prince Company. It is a society built on respect for hierarchies (age, year in school and status in society).

I enjoyed the strong friendship between Sirscha (the main character) and Saengo in the Forest of Souls. Their friendship and love for one another, really stood out throughout the novel. Sirscha is a strong female character with a determine personality. Once she has set her mind onto something there is no stopping her. She is especially motivated if it means protecting the ones she loves or making things right. For that, I find her a very admirable character. However, she isn't a black and white character. She has flaws just like any normal human being. She strives to be the best and prove herself to others, instead of accepting herself. We see this through Sirscha's character development which I won't lie felt a bit rushed towards the end.

I love how Saengo is a very loyal best friend. My favourite character is probably Theyen. I love his personality and how it clashes with Sirscha's personality. I enjoyed reading any scenes that involved Theyen. Whereas, I felt differently when it came to Prince Meilek. I did not hate Prince Meilek but, at first, I felt kind of "meh" about him. I felt his and Sirscha's connection was lacking, in the beginning, despite them both knowing each other before the book events. This gets better as the novel progresses and I'm curious to see more of Prince Meilek in the sequel.

I won't say much about the antagonists, but I wish the readers could have seen more of them. The one antagonist places such a figurative role in this book. We never get to meet them (which I hope changes in book #2) but, we hear about them all the time. The second, main, antagonist isn't given as much screen time as I hoped. I feel this person's role, as an antagonist, isn't that shocking when you find out but I wish the main character interacted with this person more.

The magic system in this world gives off the vibes of Avatar the Last Airbender mixed with Harry Potter (minus the wizards and the magical school). Some of the Shaman's abilities reminded me of the Avatar the Last Airbender. Whereas, the dark feel of the Dead Wood, and the idea of creepy crawlies, reminded me of Harry Potter.

The Dead Wood, by the way, is terrifying!! I would never want to visit there!! The horrors of Dead Wood are described beautifully. Readers can easily imagine this haunting place. For some odd reason, I kept thinking about The Haunted Forest (from The Wizard of Oz) whenever I read about the Dead Wood in Forest of Souls. The two places have nothing in common but being scary places.

The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I definitely consider it to be a cover buy. It is designed by Charlie Bowater.

I really enjoyed this story. I will certainly be reading book 2 when it comes out. The plot kept me entertained with its action and curiosity about what was going to happen next in the story. The first book will definitely leave readers with some unanswered questions.

It's been a long time since I read a YA fantasy that's truly blown me away. Lori M. Lee took everything I love about fantasy and put it into the masterpiece that is Forest of Souls. It's got the complex politics and world state, a painstakingly beautiful magic system, and characters that readers will fall in love with. The entire time I read this book, I was constantly thinking that this was the type of book I needed in middle school.

One of the best parts of this book was how relationship-driven it was. From the start, Sirscha and Saengo's bond captivates you; it's clear that the two of them would do anything to protect the other one. As a reader, I really enjoy books that focus on sisterly bonds and let the girls protect each other and kick butt. There was no romance at all and I found it incredibly refreshing! I loved that Sirscha's priorities were saving Saengo and then maybe saving the world. Now don't get me wrong, there are two male characters that are interesting in their own ways, but narratively they serve as Sirscha's allies. She calls both of them her friends by the end of it and I loved watching the friendships develop over the book. I'm hoping we don't have any love triangles because for once in my life I can't choose a favorite. Meilek and Theyen both had engaging personalities, it's a crime I have to wait so long before I get more content about them.

Next, I want to say that no one, absolutely NO ONE is doing world-building like Lori M. Lee. She put so much thought into how she wanted the politics of her world to play out. Each of the kingdoms has unique features and political motivations that make them stand out, making it easy for readers to follow along as politics are discussed throughout the book. Plus as the book nears the end, a lot of unexpected political moves come into play, and as suddenly all the history discussed in the books starts to make the political motivations more clear.

Another strength of this book was the magic system. Lee does a great job of creating this huge world with different kingdoms and then giving each kingdom unique magic types to set them apart. While we don't get scenes with ALL the magic systems in play, there's a lot of discussion about how the magic ties into the politics of each realm. Which then influences how the different realms interact with each other. I enjoyed that the magic and the politics of the world were so closely intertwined throughout the story, it made the setting more interesting.

Finally, (and this is my favorite part of the story) it's a recurring theme throughout the novel that Sirscha wants to belong somewhere. She desperately wants to be accepted for who she is and is constantly assessing her decisions to see if they would help her get credibility from her mentor and the other people around her. Since the target audience of this book is teenagers, I thought it was incredibly fitting that its main themes are ones of being accepted and finding a place to belong. While many teenagers aren't dealing with problems on the same level as Sirscha, it's easy to relate to her struggle of feeling left out or unwanted. The book doesn't end with a specific answer either; since its a trilogy, it leaves a lot more room to explore this specific theme in the next novels. However, Sirscha is constantly coming back to Saengo and doing things to help her survive, so I'd argue that the bonds of friendship are what truly helps Sirscha find belonging, wherever she's at. Finding someone, even just one person who understands your soul, is worth risking your life for. That's what makes this book so powerful. That is why I am ordering multiple copies of this book to sit on my classroom shelf.

I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review! Thank you, Page Street Publishing, for this earc!

Sircha Ashwyn has no family, no name, abandoned in an orphanage when she was very little, but she's determined to find her own place in the world. Trained by the mysterious Kendara, hoping to become the queen's next Shadow, a royal spy, and training as a soldier, all Sircha's plan are ruined when she got involved into a shamans' attack and her best friend Saengo is killed. But, without even knowing how, Sircha manages to bring her soul back, discovering an ability and a power she knew nothing about.
Unveiled as soulguide, a rare and powerful kind of shaman, Sircha and Saengo are summoned to the Spider King, Ronin, whose power is vital in maintaining the peace between kingdoms and in controlling the dangerous Dead Wood, a forest possessed by trapped souls. But his powers seem to be weakening, since the trees are becoming more and more wild and spreading. Sircha finds herself involving into the dangerous task of taming the Dead wood, before the trees claim her friend's life and welcom a war between kingdoms.

Forest of souls is a lush, evocative and magical fantasy first book of the Shamanborn series, set in a world of political conflicts, mysterious powers, magic, intrigue, sisterhood and friendship. The world-building is spectacular and the author has the ability of grabbing's the reader's attention right away, thrusting her/him/them into a world skillfully written, with magic, drakes, plot twists, secrets, murders, giant spiders, ambigous and complex characters. The writing style is absolutely evocative and the characterization is brilliant.

Told by Sircha's POV, the main character, Sircha is determined, stubborn, loyal and strong. She came from nothing, in a world, a place where family's name can be very important, but she's determined to prove to everyone and to herself her worth, her abilities and her loyalty. When she discovers a new truth about hersef, changing her whole life and future and those of Saengo's, Sircha proves herself to be even more adaptable, strong and skilled, relying on her training and bond with Saengo, looking for answers, eager to do something to save her friend and her country, fighting for beliefs she believes in, her loyalties tested when she discovers the cruelty and intrigues of her queen.
Forest of souls is full of wonderful and intense characters. Besides Sircha, Saengo is brilliant, loyal, a true friend and their relationship and sisterhood is one of the things I loved the most in this book. How both of them would do anything for the other, how they are bonded, how they love and trust one other implicitly.
Theyen is another complex figure and I really liked his sarcasm and the way he and Sircha bicker and prince Meilik is a wonderful written character, whose loyalties and beliefs are constantly tested throughout the whole book, pushing him to chose and I liked his relationship with Sircha, how it changes from prince and subject, to commander and soldier to become allies and friends.
Intense and ambigous are the characters of Kendara and Ronin and I really need to know more about them and what will happen in the next book to this wonderful and skilled characters.

Overall, I really loved Forest of souls, the story was thrilling and captivating and the characters are impossible not to love and cheer on. I can't wait to have this book in my hands and I will wait devoutly for the sequel!

4.5 stars

I first heard about Forest of Souls when the first chapter and cover was revealed (and what a cover it is!), since then I’ve been eager to read it in its entirety so I was elated when I was sent an eARC. However, I ultimately ended up being on the fence about it. Because even though I loved more than a few elements of the story, after the first half I kind of slogged through it. So I think I’ll start by listing things I enjoyed about Forest of Souls, because I read some 2 and 3-star reviews that really get into where this books falls short and explained it better than I can. Here we go:

Saengo and Sirscha become close friends at school and Saengo is beside Sirscha’s side in whatever trouble she finds herself in. Later on, they form a much different bond in the form of shaman-familiar when Sirscha accidentally restores Saengo to life using her dormant shaman abilities. I always enjoy meaningful female friendships in books and Forest of Souls carries it to the forefront. However, I did wish Saengo played a more active role as the plot progressed and not just stay in the sidelines.

There is no romance in Forest of Souls, although it sets the groundwork for a possible romantic arc in the coming books since it was announced that it will be a trilogy. I think, on top of all the strings the plot was trying to hold together, it would be hard to keep track of a fast-moving romantic subplot so I thought that worked well.

I think it would be more compelling if it didn’t attempt to cramp in all the world-building and go into the whole world and focused more on the Dead Wood and Spinner’s End, which I enjoyed much more. I found the section that takes place in Spinner’s End and the Dead Wood really interesting, with the Dead Wood’s restless souls appearing as sinister rotting trees that can coil all over around you.

Sirscha as a main character fell sort of flat, which is not a good sign for the secondary characters who were at times also similarly dull, except maybe Theyen who provided some very good one-liners with his dry humor.

All in all, I really wish I enjoyed this more. I felt reluctant to write this review because it incorporates all the things I love in a fantasy and in different circumstances it could really succeed in being, but whether it’s because it didn’t deliver on some personal expectations that I didn’t even realize or because I wasn’t in the right mood for it, ultimately it didn’t work.

Thank you to Page Street for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a wonderful book! I really enjoyed this and think it's the perfect book to help you escape with all the craziness going on. I can't wait to buy a copy when it's out!

3.5 Stars
This was fun, but wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t like how there were no clearly marked chapters (at least in my e-arc), and it got pretty confusing at times during some of the action scenes. I liked Sircha and everyone else well enough, but I wasn’t drawn in enough to fully care, or want to read the next book anytime soon. The story was strong, and if it had been developed a little better, I probably would have loved it, but it was tough to feel too engaged when I couldn’t always tell what was happening during action scenes.

Forest of Souls is the story about a girl named Sirscha, who has been secretly training to become the Queen's next spy. When her best friend Saengo is killed, Sirscha manages to bring her back to life and discovers that she is a soulguide.

The story has a well-developed world, but I found the magic system to be a little confusing. I enjoyed the plot, and cared about the characters, but when it came to the twists--especially those twists involving magic---I found myself confused despite re-reading the sections. At some point I lost interest and I feel that it didn't quite help my understanding of what was happening. Hopefully a re-read of this book and immediate follow-up with the sequel will change my opinion because I really wanted to like this book,.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fantastic first half of what promises to be an exceptional duology! Lee captured me with her awesome world, characters, and lore. I loved the intrigue, and the twists interspersed throughout were fun to discover! Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to what is sure to be an action packed sequel as well!

Great for fans of Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse novels, as well as Naomi Novik's Uprooted.

This book takes place in Thiy, a continent with 3 different races and kingdoms - the humans, the shaman, and the shadowblessed. Sirscha is a human orphan, who has dealt with a lot of hardships and is training to become the next Queen's Shadow (trusted spy and assassin). After tragic and unforeseen events, Sirscha discovers her powers after reviving her best friend Saengo. With the new label of being a shaman and new amber eyes, she is sent to the Dead Wood, where restless souls reside and is the Spider King’s domain. Sirscha as a newly minted “soulguide” is tasked to help maintain the tenuous peace between increasingly powerful kingdoms. The Dead Wood is growing wild and only a soulguide can help tame it.

Sirscha is a character that is a bit brash and hot-headed, but also has a deep love for her best friend Saengo. The platontic female friendship was a huge focal point in the book and I thought their relationship grew and changed, given certain events that happened. Other characters we’re introduced to are Kendara (the current Queen’s Shadow & mentor to Sirscha) and 2 potential love interests (?): the human Prince Meilek of Evewyn and Hlau Theyen - Prince of Kazahyn (also a shadowblessed). I loved seeing how each of these characters had a role in impacting Sirscha’s character growth.

The setting of the Dead Wood was so atmospheric and creepy! The descriptions of the twisted and gnarled forest full of undead souls with people being trapped in the trees were super terrifying. The different cultures as well of the kingdoms were fun to learn about and Thiy as a continent is a tough place to live. I enjoyed the pacing of the book as well, it kept me reading and wanting to find out more why the Dead Wood was growing and why Sirscha was a hidden shaman. I recommend you to pick this one up!

I have complicated feelings for this book and not all them are the books fault. Here we go: the premise and idea of this book is so interesting and sounds so cool. I love the mythos for it. Sirscha is a strong heroine who suffers from discrimination yet is still humble and good. Her story is heartfelt and she's so brave and good. The story itself is something I feel I got lost in. The first half was promising , but either I just lost interest or focus once Sirscha ends up in Spider's End. The book tries to weave a spider's web in terms of story--since it has to give the feel of finding out who is the real villain and find out the truth about Sirscha. I felt the story go flat in trying to be complex and reveal more in the story. Some characters still shine throughout the story but I felt the story be too boring in the second half before the ending.