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.

Forest of Souls is a unique fantasy novel set in a mythical world which is divided and complex. The story follows Sirscha as she trains at the rigorous academy, her biggest goal in life to become the Queen’s shadow, the chief spy and protector against any threats. However, after an unexpected altercation and a botched mission, Sirscha discovers she has abilities beyond her imagining which alters her course irrevocably…

The most enjoyable element of this novel for me was undoubtedly the focus on female friendship. I loved that the bond between Sirscha and Saengo was the central point and was such a huge motivator for the main character as well as furthering the plot. The whole reason why Sirscha discovers her abilities is tied to her intense grief at the prospect of losing Saengo and throughout the novel it’s made clear how far she is willing to go for her best friend. In a society where romantic love is highlighted so much and often deemed to be the most important, I really appreciate books which also emphasise the value of loving platonic relationships as well.

I also liked the whole concept of the Dead Wood and Ronin as the Spider king. Given that I’m not the biggest fan of spiders anyway, this just added to the creepiness factor for me! I thought the parts where Sirscha and her companions have to navigate the malevolent forest were so fraught with tension and I definitely felt the fear and unease the characters were experiencing in such a visceral way.

There were some secondary characters introduced, but the only one that really stood out to me was Theyen, a member of the aristocracy from another land who unexpectedly becomes an ally. I thought he was intriguing and I have some theories on how he’ll fit into the plot in the next two books for sure.

My biggest issue with this novel was the lack of connection I felt to the characters and the story itself. While there were elements I appreciated and could see were well done, it was like I was reading from a distance, and not really immersed or emotionally affected by what was happening, other than the dread in the forest sections. I feel like there needed to be way more work done on the characters themselves to give them more of a draw or something deeper than their surface level motivations. The saving grace like I mentioned before, was the friendship element and the lore to some extent. I believe this is going to be a trilogy and it definitely felt like this was just the periphery introduction and set up rather than a first instalment which hooks you in to the series and makes you want to read further.

Overall, this was a book which I was very excited for and while I don’t think it completely lived up to my expectations, I would consider reading the sequel to see where things go from here as I think and hope (!) that the characters and world building is more firmly established.

I really wanted to like this book; the premise sounded interesting and I was excited about the idea of the magic system. Ultimately, this book was pretty flat and after 30% I found myself not caring to continue reading. The characters all seemed pretty flat. After 30% I know hardly anything about the main character besides she was an orphan and wants to become the next Shadow (which is very poorly explained or elaborated on outside of being some sort of spy). I also was pretty disappointed in the stated cause of the execution and outlawing of the shamans. Apparently one magic user accidentally started a fire that killed some people and himself and the newly queened teenage daughter decided that shamans were all dangerous and executes them? This just didn't sit very well with me.  There was also a lot of info-dumping and telling the reader things instead of letting the reader experience what was actually happening. The world building and magic system felt very vague and not fleshed out. I wish there was more development in the story because it has potential, but wasn't all that enjoyable for me.

What can I say about this book?! I give it a solid 6/5 ⭐️. The characters, plot, flow, and ending were AMAZING!!!!! Lori Lee did an amazing job!!!! I was sad when the novel ended. I need more of this world. Where’s book 2??? I can’t wait!

Sirscha wasn’t a heroine who became REAL to me. I learned nothing about HER as a person. Her personality was so shallow and surface-level that the only think she thought about was the plot and her friend Saengo. I wanted her to have a sense of presence, I wanted her to exist. I craved the moment when she would feel real to me, but she didn’t. That kept me very detached from novel, and I found myself just reading the words rather than actually soaking in the story.

The secondary characters didn’t really aid in this issue. Theyen was the only redeeming entity of this book besides the conclusion—which we will get to. Continuing on though, love a sassy boy wit pointed ears, and Theyen was that boy in every way. Unfortunately Lori didn’t utilize him time the best of her ability, because I think he could have been much more involved in the story, and he could have lent a hand to the rest of bland characters with his wit. Meilik and Saengo were also just mediocre. I felt nothing towards them.

Saengo is supposed to be this best friend we mourn for, but Lori doesn’t make me care about her death. And she doesn’t paint the necromantic moment that occurs right after that exciting enough to where I was intrigued by it.

The magical system fell flat to me. Sirscha barely even tapped into her powers. All but three times with no training or growth to show for it when she used them at the end. There was no struggle, no fight for her strength, it was just there when it needed to be. It was convenient.

I wished I understood the plot. I really do. I read some reviews where they said that it was messy and all over the place, sadly I’m inclined to agree. There were about three different things—whether that be goals or events—that were happening and none of them felt like they connected. They were all separate entities and it felt like Lori was trying to messily balance them all, but never weave them together.

It’s really sad to have to say I didn’t very much enjoy this book. Not until those last 2 pages when things FINALLY started to click. Finally. And even then I was still confused.

Needless to say Lori hooked me enough to read the next book because I need to know more about the thing that occurs at the end.

Other than that, Forest of Souls sadly wasn’t enjoyable.

It is so hard to write something completely new and original, and yet Lori M. Lee has done it.
In an incredibly written world that feels completely real, the soldier Sirscha Ashwyn trains to become the Queen's Shadow, hoping to be chosen by her bristly master. But before she can claim her spot, her best friend Saengo dies in an ambush meant to kill Sirscha. Only somehow, Sirscha brings her back to life. In a country that hunts and ostracises shamans, she is unveiled as the first soulguide in living memory and summoned to the illusive and dangerous Spider King who is struggling to keep the peace between the rivaling countries in the midst of the dangerous Dead Forest. But when Sirscha and Saengo arrive, they discover that everything is much more complex as it seems, and even the ones they trust the most may come to betray them in the end.

Wonderfully written and full of twists and turns, this book introduces strong and multi-layered characters and a fascinating magic system, in a world that feels as real as ours. If you liked Naomi Novak's "Uprooted", R.F. Kuang's "Poppy War" or are looking for a completely original fantasy novel to lose yourself in, I can really recommend picking up this book!

DNF

I'm really struggling with the writing style and some plotholes/quibbles with the worldbuilding. I may come back to this closer to the release date, but the beginning did now wow me enough to continue for now.

I am surprised by how much I liked this book. The atmosphere was such a cool setting. It was very visual and enticing. It was full of action and adventure. It was magical and the type of fantasy I really enjoy. I enjoyed most of the characters which is usually a tough thing for me. Really recommend it.

This exciting new YA fantasy by Lori M. Lee will ensnare your mind and keep you reading. Put this book in the hands of fans of Cashore's Graceling and Lu's Young Elites. They will love the new world, kick-butt female protagonist, excellent characters, and blur between good and evil. Two thumbs up for Forest of Souls, and I can't wait for the next book.

I'VE LOST MY SLEEP over this book. 😭

“Once, I’d been convinced that to be anything of worth, I needed to be the Queen’s Shadow.”
“I’m only a girl with no true name, and I have once lived up to anyone’s expectations, except in dissapointments.”

For the past four years Sirscha trains to be the Queens Shadow. It’s all she dreams about, since she is an orphan, with no heritage and no name. Trying to overcome her competitor she sneaks in the secretly arranged meeting, that turns her world upside down and destroys all her dreams and things she was looking for. She gets involved with Shamans that she was trained to hate and that were meant to be her enemies...
This book is brilliant from all the aspects of YA fantasy. The world is so beautiful, complex, based on old tales, and we all know, each tribe, nation, sees things only from their perspective. Sirscha makes friends, enemies, encounters loses, encounters challenges that she has to overcome. Discovers her powers, discovers that everything she knows, everything she was told is not like it seems.

This book is full of secrets, beautiful characters. Troll bones that contain magic power? Oh, and prince Theyen... He’s definitely my favourite character of this story.

People that loved “The cruel Prince” trilogy by Holly Black, and Sarah J Maas trilogy “The court of thorns and roses” will definitely fall in love with this story. Oh, by the way, author has announced that it will be trilogy...

I really enjoyed this book! I read it in one sitting. I liked the setting and magic system, and I really liked the mc. I was happy that things didn’t get tied up too neatly in the end. Looking forward to the next one!

*Spoiler free, 4.75 stars*

As someone who's not the biggest fan of spiders (I would say I don't like them but I want to respect them), I was very excited for a book with a spider plot in it. Ever since I saw the cover, I've wanted to read this book. I mostly knew that there was a Spider King and that's basically it. But that was enough to make me want to read it! Trigger warnings: gore, body horror

I don't know why, but I was surprised when I fell in love with this book. But it's SO GOOD. A lot about it surprised me and most of those things I was surprised that I was surprised. The point is, this book is incredible.

This book was so much more horrifying than I thought it was going to be. It was horror elements and wow, does it seriously lean into them. Lee's writing digs it's claws into your gut and twists. There were multiple times where I was just horrified at what happening, but in the best ways. There's a lot of gore and body horror sometimes, but I can't help but be in awe in how it was executed.

It's dark and it's  She's also a genius at creating a quiet air of uneasiness. The quite parts were some of the best. The parts where you know something is inherently wrong, the parts where something is right off in the corner of your eye, where something is scuttling past you. It was amazing. Seriously, there's a scene towards the end that leans on the quiet tension. The whispers and the tiredness. It doesn't have to be explosive to land an impact. It was just so incredibly well done.

I also really, really loved Sirscha. She's stubborn and she's proud and she wants to be seen. But she's also scared and doesn't quite know where she fits. She made for an incredible narrator.

Her emotional development kind of snuck up on me. It wasn't bad at all. Sure, I would have liked for it me to woven in more throughout, but it kind of works in how this book is laid out. There is so much happening that the little seeds being planted and blossoming later works well. Plus, it lands close to home for me and it was just something that made my heart glow a little bit.

There's also a top notch female friendship! Saengo might be kind of a minor character, but I sure did love her a whole lot. I also loved every single other character. They added so much depth and they were all incredibly unique.

This book doesn't hold back any punches. There's tons of sword fighting and it's brutal. Sometimes the things that happen feel like you yourself got punched. There were multiple times where my eyes just shot open and I had to just stare at the page for a bit.

The writing felt a bit weird at times. I had to fall into the rhythm to it before it stopped feeling a bit off. But once I did, everything flowed really well!

This book also doesn't have a romance, which is something I really liked. There were multiple times I thought something might come up, but it really did focus on the plot and everything that was happening.

I also really liked the world. I couldn't quite get my head around the politics and the makeup sometimes, but I feel like that's because Sirscha was kind of removed from it. This world was incredible, but Sirscha has her own things to worry about. I really liked how she couldn't do absolutely everything. She was fighting for what she could control and left the other things to other people. It allowed the world to grow in a really cool way.

The magic system, along with the Dead Wood, were seriously amazing. Just, I feel like this book just scratched the surface and I can't wait to know more. The Dead Wood is terrifying. The magic system holds tons of secrets related to the Dead Wood. AND IT'S JUST REALLY REALLY GOOD.

Just, this book surprised me. I love Sirscha and I love the magic and I love the world and darkness to it. It's a book that leaves you craving more. It's really, really good!

Forest of Souls is a magical fantasy story about female friendships and finding the power within yourself. I especially enjoyed the rich world-building and strong characters.

The story is enchanting and beautifully written with a pretty intriguing magical system inspired by shamanism.

Sirscha is an amazing and powerful lead who becomes a royal spy despite her odds.

If you have a sweet spot for medieval times and Asia inspired fantasy worlds than this book will be your new favorite read in 2020.

I DNFed at 34%, approximately page 136.

This book reads like a rough draft. I really wanted to like it. The premise was promising and sounded like it would be a darker ya fantasy with some political intrigue and interesting magic, but it’s just bad.

The world building is sloppy. Politics are handled clumsily and situations broken down into simplistic reasons. It’s explained in the beginning of the story that the shamanborn suddenly became oppressed because one accidentally killed the previous king, queen, and others while also killing himself, unless it’s revealed later on to be different, this was said to be a complete mistake with the shamanborn losing control of their magic. And because of this, the princess who ascends the throne decides to enslave and execute an entire people group. There’s no explanation given as to why this happened or how other than “thus sayeth the Queen.” There’s no talk of riots or people standing up against this injustice. It just happens and everyone is OK with it for some reason.

There are dragon-like creatures in this story and they are described—and I wish I was kidding when I say this—by their scale color and the fact that they wear saddles. Are they winged or ground-dwellin? Bipedal or not? No explanation is given for at least 50 more pages where it is casually hinted that they are bipedal. Up until this point, all you know is that the main character’s dragon-beast is green and has a saddle on its back.

Travel time is a joke. There’s no sense of a grand world or land mass. Characters travel across cities and through whole areas in seemingly hours where I would assume the trip actually takes a few days.

The magic system has no rules. There are no explanations given as to how anything works or why. It’s simply is, and it has the feeling of a Sarah J Maas or DragonBall Z power level—the main character is special and will somehow get stronger and stronger to defeat whatever villain is the big bad. I’m all for the Chosen one and having overpowered main characters, but the power creep needs to be realistic and subtle, not all at once.

There’s also this bizarre habit where the main character continues to get out in situations where she interacts with people waaaaaaaay above her station, and the other person acts like it’s the most normal thing to casually chat about state secrets and political powers to a mere foot soldier in training.

Things are constantly being told to us. Conversations the main character has with others are simply summarized to us without us getting to see the conversation happen, but yet immediately after this little summary, the characters restate the entire conversation and add nothing more to it. It’s repetitive and pointless, feeling more like a waste of space than anything else.

Again, I really wanted to like this. It sounded really cool and like a fun read, but this is so poorly executed that I cannot continue reading this without getting angrier at the writing and poor plot.

This hits somewhere between a 3 and 4 stars.
I think the world building was very solid, but the magic system was a bit too similar to other things I’ve read to be very captivating to me.
The plot and conflict was engaging and I was interested enough to WANT to know what happens, I liked the protagonist and her friend and their struggles but those seemed to be the only characters of note that didn’t go missing, leave, or get killed off. There wasn’t any romance in the book which was refreshing.
It was a solid, entertaining fantasy read but not amazing or show-stopping to me and there’s not really anything else that’s coming to mind for me to even say about it and I’m not sure if I’ll continue reading the next books.

<i>*This book was given to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review*</i>

So I really had to fight for this one, every time I downloaded it, it was scrambled. I emailed Netgalley and they just sent me instructions on how to download books, then I emailed the publisher (I really wanted this book) and after a few back and forth's, I got my hands on this gem. All of it was worth it, action, intrigue, complicated magic system, but my favorite was the friendship between Sirscha and Saengo. So great that the emphasis was on their friendship and not a romance! Can't wait to read the next installment!

I unfortunately can’t write a review on this book because I was not able to open it anywhere. When I tried to download to my kindle the file was messed up and it was almost like a tiny picture. Either way I’m still really excited about this book and can’t wait for its publishing dat so I can get my hands on it.

Intro is slow, worldbuilding is very good, but unfortunately I didn't find it captivating enough. I belive that also there should be some warning for arachnophobes at the beginning of the book or at the back cover.