Selestra, her fingers look messed up on the cover, but back to the prose...
Star-crossed (ill-fitting) enemies to loves, an evil duo, king and mother, and the will to be free from their stations and constraints of destiny.

Overall, I may not have loved this book. Still, I did appreciate the beauty in the quotes about destiny and family ties/ history. Overall it was 3.50-star read. I made the mistake of imagining it on the same level of wow as her To Kill A Kingdom book. It is in the same world, but I would not think it is because it is self-contained in its own world due to a curse the entire book, so keep those siren expectations low. I wish the enemies to lovers were fleshed out more before becoming friends. More fighting would have been nice since they always imagined fighting each other before crossing from the enemies to the lovers' side.
The side characters were pretty low in emotions for me. I had more sympathy for the caged bird *no closure :( than the side characters' lack of plot (besides one scene when she was needed).
The whole rewrite of your destiny, your family's bad history doesn't define you, was definitely the book's high point. I hope Alexandra does another 'standalone,' though I feel we'll hopefully get a crossover next time.

A Rapunzel-inspired story with witches, stealing souls, killing kings, and romance? Absolutely. The story follows Selestra, the heir groomed to be the King’s Witch after her mother is gone. All her life she has been trapped in a castle, forced to watch death all around her. Her mother and her are bond to serve the King, a king who consumes souls to maintain his immortality and power. Selestra’s family powers enable her to see people’s deaths with just a touch. During the annual Festival of Predictions people all around come to get their deaths foretold, if they can beat it they are granted a wish of their choosing... if they die, their souls are fed to the King. Selestra has been yearning for escape, she doesn’t want to be the King’s witch, she wants to explore the world and see more rather than being trapped in her tower with her paintings. When a soldier comes to get his death foretold everything changes for her.

Nox is a soldier in the King’s army, in fact he is the best and favorite of the King... but he is hiding a dark secret. He is planning to kill the King in revenge for the murder of his father, a former soldier for the King. Nox is a schemer, charmer, and has only revenge to keep him going. Nox wants to steal the King’s immortality and kill his entire court... including the witches that serve him... starting with Selestra. Yet when she touches him and he is her very first prediction, their fates become entwined as when he dies she dies... so she saves him... yet every time she continues to predict his death her death is also foretold. Now they both must work together if they want to achieve their goals. Yet with so many secrets and desires between them, can they truly trust one another or will their fates be sealed in death?

This was such a fun take on the Rapunzel story, and the chemistry between Nox and Selestra was cute. Overall, I had a fun time reading this and if you are looking for a fun fantasy romance with prophecies and witches or a unique fairytale reimagining this is definitely for you!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I liked this YA fantasy book that was filled with magic and adventure. The author created a really awesome magic system that was quite fascinating. I wish we had seen more of what Selestra could do. Nox and Selestra had a good relationship journey that wasn't filled with too many miscommunications along the way. It also felt like they had room and time to grow into their feelings and get to know one another which I always prefer to insta love. Overall, it was good book.

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 13/14+
Over All: 4.25 stars
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5

Special thanks to FierceReads and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

A Rapunzel-inspired dark fantasy set in the world of Alexandra Christo’s bestselling To Kill a Kingdom. Um, yes please!
I adored TKaK, but was unable to get through Christo’s sophomore novel (I believe I DNFed it at about 20%), so I was a little apprehensive about this one, but I was excited to see that it was in first person. I think that’s where her strengths lie.

This book started off so strong. It had a phenomenal hook, and the first quarter of the book was fast paced, twisted and dark, and so unique. Those things together made it un-put-down-able. Though I continued to enjoy the book, and never felt the desire to DNF, after that 25% mark, the book started to slow down. There were always moments of tension, and I adored the characters throughout, but the thread of the plot started to feel a little lost. In the end (let’s say the last 10%), the pace picked up again and I started to get wholly invested again, however, with the shift in the plot and the weaker middle section, the beginning to the ending didn’t quite feel cohesive.

I think the “Rapunzel” comparison did the book a disservice. The book has basically none of the requisite Rapunzel plotlines. The main character is a pseudo prisoner who has long hair (but not that long. Like, waistlength), who leaves her “tower” with a guy. There is no Rapunzel flower/herb, there is no kidnappping (Selestra’s mom is evil, but she’s her actual mom), there’s no tall secluded tower. Selestra isn’t allowed to leave the castle, true, but she is able to interact with anyone who lives in or visits the palace.
The only part of the books that ever made me think about Rapunzel were the far too numerous “tongue in cheek” jokes from the love interest. I’m pretty sure he made the “If your hair was just a little longer, we could use it to climb down!” joke a half dozen times. No, I’m not exaggerating.

The main selling point of this novel was, in my opinion, the characters. I was expecting Selestra to be very morally gray FMC with dark powers, and I was almost apprehensive when she wasn’t. I feel like, most of the time when you have a character (especially a girl) with dark, evil powers, there are only two personality options: badass morally gray girl who will do whatever it takes with no remorse (a la Jude Duarte) or someone who is so afraid of their own power that they spend all their time whining about it and refusing to use it. I like the first one (so long as she is more than just that 2-D archetype); I hate the second one.
Selestra is more the second girl, but I really liked Alexandra Christo’s take on it. Selestra hates her powers, the innate evil that is stealing someone’s soul to give someone immortality. However, she is willing to do what it takes when necessary. Her internal conflict surrounding her powers felt so 3 dimensional and realistic. I think it is probably the most relatable take on “what if I had sorta evil powers” in comparison to how I, personally, think I would react to that scenario.
Nox, conversely, is a man with a mission. Yes, it’s a noble one, but he’s a little more morally gray in terms of the lengths he’d go to accomplish it. And also I loved him (except for his horrid Rapunzel jokes).
The side characters were fun and loveable, though I wish they’d had a little more development.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. Much better than the author’s sophomore novel and it’s sequel, though not quite as amazing as her debut. I highly highly recommend this one if you liked To Kill a Kingdom, or even if you didn’t, since the story and characters are unique.

Firstly, Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an eARC of this book.

My first thoughts going into this book, is that I have read other fairytale retelling by this author, and loved the way she turned them on their heads. This one is no exception. However, I would say it’s extremely LOOSELY based on a Rapunzel tale. And what I mean by that is the MC has long (waist length) hair, and is trapped in a castle (not tower/room). There are allusions/comments to if she let her hair grow longer they’d be able to use it as a rope and do some climbing to escape. Otherwise, that’s about the extent of the retelling that happens here. As well as using bits of hair for spells. So if retelling are not your thing, but this book sounded interesting, definitely pick it up!

That being said, things I loved about this book: I loved how imaginative the world is. I almost would’ve loved a deeper dive into the actual lay out of the world and the history, customs, and cultures of each Island. It’s very quickly brushed over, which I understand is not part of the main story, but it was fascinating all the same. The story itself was intriguing—an immortal king and a Festival of Souls every year for a chance at one wish. It was so interesting. I think readers really got to see where Selestra comes from and what shaped her. Overall, the journey was imaginative, and the characters were likable.

Things I didn’t love: What sticks out most to me is the “betrayal” in this book, and more specifically, it’s uncovering. One minute everything is fine, and then somebody looks at someone the wrong way and poof? They know their deepest darkest secret? To me, there was no context for that happening, and it felt forced. Like, potentially the book was too long, so they chopped it down and there had actually been more lead up or indications to go off of, I was so perplexed, and that’s a big reason why I am rating the way I am. Moving forward from this point, nothing feels quite natural about how the story unfolds. It seems like the last 40% of the book was relatively forced, which I then disconnected with the story because the flow felt so different from the beginning 60%.

At the end of the day, it’s still a likable book. It just fell a little flat for me towards it’s end. However, would recommend to friends and family if they wanted a quick, easy, imaginative read.

This was a really fun quick read! I loved To Kill A Kingdom so I appreciate that it’s set in the same world. It follows Selestra, a teenage witch helping her mother serve the King by stealing souls for him to eat and maintain his immortality. She’s supposed to take her mother’s place by his side one day, but she feels trapped and wants out. In comes Nox, a soldier looking to overthrow the King by winning his competition and stealing his immortality. Although Nox plans to kill Selestra as well, their fates become entwined and they must work together to restore peace to the kingdoms.

This book has an enemies to lovers romance, an adventure across the sea in a balloon, Rapunzel references, and magical trials. The romance is very sweet and so are the friendships, not to mention lots of good banter. There’s a happy ending sprinkled with some heartbreaking moments, all around a great standalone.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group & NetGalley for the ARC!

I really loved Christo's first work but this one fell a little flat for me. The magic of To Kill A Kingdom was lost on me in this story. It was a good story, but it just didn't pull me the way I had hoped it would. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a fun read! Though the author might have ventured a little too far into trope-ville - which made the characters feel a bit flat sometimes, I still couldn’t put it down. The worldbuilding here was super interesting, especially the soul-eating aspect. I’d recommend this to fans of Throne of Glass (especially the first few books in the series) and Kingdom of the Wicked!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To quote (or possible misquote) everyone's favorite Dance Moms coach, Abby Lee Miller, this book was good, but I was waiting for it to be great.

Now, I liked the magic system, the main characters were well-written and relatable, and the settings seemed lovely. The side characters could have used a little more fleshing out, though, and the book really stressed its morals, to the point I was like "Ok, I get it."

All in all, though, I did enjoy this book and managed to finish it in a little under two days. Would definitely recommend to students looking for a quick, stand-alone fantasy, especially fans of the author's previous work.

This was a fun and adventurous YA fantasy, enemies to lovers romance. It has a really intriguing premise, I was interested right from the beginning. I was definitely hooked within the first few chapters.
I really appreciate authors who can write fantasy stand alones well. I love the fantasy genre but I don’t always want to commit myself to a long series so I love that this author now has multiple fantasy books that are stand alones. This one didn’t feel like it was trying to do too much or too little. It felt like the right length, but I did end up enjoying the first half more than the second half.
The world building was done really well. I know this is set in the same world as one of the author’s other books so that helps with already having a world established but this book felt like it really expanded upon that world.
I liked this overall, it was a good mix of fantasy, romance and action. I think this would be a great book for anyone wanting to start reading from the fantasy genre!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion!

4.5/5 stars
Calling all fans of Tangled and witches ( yes you heard me right ), do I have the book for you.
From the beginning of Princess of Souls, I was, to say it plainly, - hooked. This Rapunzel retelling is like no other because in this book, she is the villain. Morally gray Rapunzel anyone? Not only this but our Flynn Rider character is a soldier in the kingdoms army who has sworn to kill her (hot I know).
Summary (ish):
We pick up with Selestra, a witch destined to proceed her mother as the villainous King's right hand. She is able to foretell people's deaths and enters her first Festival of Predictions, where participants must outrun their fate in an attempt to steal the King's immortality, or die trying- Nox. Can you guess who decides to participate this year? Oh yes, the boy with a grudge against not only the King but the witches by his side. He enters the contest with one idea in mind- kill them all, starting with Selestra. But these two unlikely foes end up with their fates tied together as every time Selestra foresees Nox's death, she foresees her own. And the fun takes off from here.
Interesting, yes? I know I was on the edge of my seat the whole book. This story held all of the nostalgic parts of Rapunzel's tale while completely spinning it on its head, as all good retellings do. You will have a blast with these new characters and fall in love with them for better or for worse.
Lets start with my LOVES:
- the banter! next level, I actually laughed out loud at points.
- same world as To Kill a Kingdom- it retained that same whimsical feeling while setting up a whole new side of the world we had yet to see.
- the pacing was incredible. I never felt bored or tired of the plot. I wanted to keep reading forever!
Now a few dislike (there aren't many):
- the ending wasn't as impactful as I wanted it to be, but it was still a solid ending. I was just hoping for a bit more of a twist.
- I was hoping there would be a super villanous Selestra moment but she stays more in the morally grey range, which is not a bad thing but I kind of wanted her to snap (what does that say about me?)
- that it wasn't longer? (is that cliche?)
but seriously, I love this book and it is becoming a comfort read of mine real quick. Please add this to your TBRS, it releases October 11th! You won't be dissappointed.
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Childrens for this eARC!

A rapunzel retelling with a dark twist! The magical setting was really fun, but what really drew me in was the characters! The witty banter between the two MC was perfection! I found myself laughing and falling in love with these characters! The story was quick paced and fun and I highly recommend!

3.5 stars. Absolutely loved the cover, the synopsis, the idea, but the story fell a bit flat when it came to the romance, which felt a bit forced for me, though that's usually an issue for me so it isn't just this author, but an issue I have with YA tropes.

Super grateful for the ARC of this book from NetGalley. I requested this because I loved To Kill A Kingdom and this book sounded interesting.

We have a dual POV between Nox and a witch, S, who’s fates are intertwined as he’s on a mission for vengeance which involves killing the King. S has basically been trapped in the castle with the King who eats souls with the help of her witch mother. Her mother had kept her at a distance ever since S mentor died in front of her.

The book is interesting and unique. I really liked the background of how the King and the kingdom came to be. I do wish we had more info about magic and in what ways it’s still lingered. Like more hidden witches and creatures. The writing is descriptive and really sets the scene and makes you feel for the characters.

More spoilers follow:
s foresees Nox and his death which means her death too. She freaks out and tries to prevent it from happening. She is also facing confidence issues because the King is manipulative and her mother essentially stopped loving her and she can’t touch anyone because of her death visions. Nox takes her away from the castle to help him find a sword to kill the King. They slowly develop feelings for each other as nox realizes that she’s more than just a witch and that she’s a good person.

When they make it it the island she finds out she’s been lied to by her mom and king. No shock. Her ancestor is still alive and basically makes her take this trial with Nox, which introduces her to their goddess and teaches her to use her powers. This was all very rushed and we should have spent more time because realistically no way could she have gained that much power and control in like two days to defeat the King and her mom. We should have gotten to the island at the halfway point of the book.

Also S mentor was Nox dad. Anyway her ancestor basically has to sacrifice her life for S to get all of her powers, this isn’t fully explained why. And then she somehow kills her mom (the book had really been showing us so many signs that her mom wasn’t cool with the King or what she was doing so it was disappointing that we undo all that and it means nothing and her mom really was a villain) and the King does and the souls he has consumed are set free. Also S realizes she can see more than death visions so she
Feels comfortable touching people.

Anyway she is named queen. And it’s clear she will rule with Nox. My BIGGEST QUESTION is if she released the magical bird that was chained to the tower/castle so it could be free because she spots another like it on the island and we see these birds so much it’s such a shame that we don’t get that line.

Anyway I think some editing could improve this but I did enjoy the book.

This was a fun read! I'd enjoyed To Kill A Kingdom, so I was super excited when I heard this took place in the same world. Other than maybe one reference, they didn't cross, but it was still fun to spend time there. Like in To Kill A Kingdom, I wanted more power in the romance. I liked it in both books, but I wanted more. I wanted to feel the connection between the characters, not just be told that it existed.

Despite that, I really enjoyed the magic system in this one. While not super different than the systems in other YA fantasies, it was still fun. It was neat to see Selestra being different than the normal people, it made her "evil" characterization so much easier to believe.

I also liked the side characters. They didn't get a ton of page time, but they were sweet. I'm hoping that if Christo keeps writing in this world, she hints at these characters, they have so much more potential. I really liked this one!

If you’re looking some fast paced fantasy set in a gorgeous world, then this is the book for you. The Rapunzel inspiration was evident throughout the book yet the plot was entirely original. Because so much happened so quickly, it was hard to put this book down. If definitely maintained my interest. So much so that I may have procrastinated on schoolwork, but it was worth it.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Princess of Souls" by Alexandra Christo is a Rapunzel retelling YA Fantasy novel that takes place in "To Kill The Kingdom" universe follows Selestra a witch bound to steal for an abominable king.

I would give "Princess of Souls" by Alexandra Christo a 2-star review because, 1; I love that this is, a Rapunzel retelling and I could definitely see it while reading but 2; I was severely disappointed by everything about this book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was solidly fine. Fine plot, fine characters, fine writing and worldbuilding, but I'm disappointed because I wanted so much MORE. I mean, when you cross Rapunzel with snake-girl-magic there is just so much room for dark, twisted fun and I just felt like this was kind of a safe YA Fantasy story. Maybe if I was less familiar with the genre I would've enjoyed this more.

Princess of Souls is the story of Selestra, a witch bound to steal should for a wicked king. When a young soldier named Nox seeks vengeance against the king for his father’s death, Selestra begins to rethink her duty to the king.

While I found this story interesting, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a Rapunzel retelling—rather, it was a story with elements from Rapunzel. The similarities ended with the hair and the tower.

I was somewhat disappointed by Princess of Souls. The story was interesting, and the fast-paced prose kept the action moving. Between the quest, the partially developed side characters, and the romance, it felt sort of formulaic. In fact, it felt incredibly similar to To Kill a Kingdom. The magic and world building was all pretty standard YA Fantasy.

This would be a good book for a new fantasy reader - the cheeky banter is sweet. But those who are long time fantasy readers may find this book boring and redundant.

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was thrilling to read. I found myself cheering on the main character throughout. Selestra and nox quickly became a couple I was dying to ship. The companions also really added to the story. I haven’t had a book excited me like this in a long time and look forward to more from this author.