I did not finish this book: Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee. I liked the premise of the story, but did not mesh with the writing style.

Do you ever meet a book that you’ve heard great things about, has an amazing premise, but you ultimately didn’t enjoy? That’s "Forest of Souls" for me.

Let’s start with what I did enjoy. The world was amazing, and so interesting. I loved learning about the shamans, their different abilities and history. The story really shines when with the world building and magic system. Sirscha is a great protagonist, and her and Saengo not only contrast nicely but also play well off of one another. Their dynamic was interesting and added complexity to the story. Other minor characters also added a lot to the story, and I loved that.

I think where I really struggled with the story is the plot and the pacing. After the first 25% or so, the story kind of tapers off and slows down. And then I kept waiting…and waiting…and waiting for the momentum to return. By the time it did, I wasn’t invested in the story anymore and that’s truly sad. I think the mystery we’re meant to unravel shouldn’t have taken centre stage as much as it did because that seems to be the reason why the story really slows down. It detracts from the compelling characters and world of the book, so much so that I felt we missed out on the depth the story hinted at. I also feel like the story drags out scenes or plotlines that don’t need that much page time while fading-to-black or being to brief with others that seem much vital.

The twist at the end wasn’t really surprising to me, but I am intrigued about where the story could go in the next book since it ends on a cliff-hanger. Sadly, I struggled with the pacing of this book despite enjoying the world and the characters. But if you love slower-paced fantasies, this one will be your cup of tea.

Wow! This book was such a great read. Firstly, I think it goes without saying that the world-building Lori M. Lee put into this story is absolutely phenomenal. As someone who flips back to a map or a glossary constantly while I read to give me a better picture of what characters are experiencing, I have to say Forest of Souls did a brilliant job. I loved the concept from the outset--diversifying the typical epic European fantasy stories we all grew up with, and Sirscha quickly became one of my favorite female characters I've read in YA. Her friendship with her best friend, Saengo, warmed my heart and kept me turning the pages, and I loved that there was generally an absence of romance in the book as a whole. It's such a common trope in young adult books, and I particularly enjoyed how many stereotypes this book tried to break. I have to say that the one thing I think I was missing was more detail and emotions from the characters, because this book is heavily driven by its plot. Don't get me wrong, I love fast-paced action and twists as much as anyone else, but there was so much potential for character development that it was difficult for me to make it through the first third of the book. It picked up significantly afterwards, but I believe that Sirscha really kept me wanting to continue to read the story. I'm truly excited to see where her character-arc will take her, until then, I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel. The cliffhanger was gripping!

Ultimately I was a bit disappointed with this book. It was fast paced, which I did like however it was way too slow to start and I had a really hard time connecting with the story or any of the characters. I felt like there wasn't enough world building for a fantast novel and it honestly just left me with wanting more...but not in a good way.

I highly enjoyed this book. It had the right amount of action and betrayal. It flowed real nice. I did have an issue with the glossary detailing everything being at the very beginning. While reading the glossary, none of it was sticking and I was confused and a little bored. I think that should have been at the back especially when it is being read as an ebook. There were some things that I thought would happen and sometimes it did and didn't. There was no romance but I think that will change in the rest of the series and it may our main girl Sirscha and Prince Meilek.

I was expecting a betrayal and I was pleasantly surprised. I was confused on if she was a soulbender or soulrender. The trees were creepy as fuck and it did have some Avatar the Last Airbender vibes. It also made me think of the first book I finished this year that I haven't really thought of at all and that book is Circle of Shadows.

I was really excited to read this book long before its release. The summary is intriguing, the main character's powers sound so cool and the cover of the book is amazing.

And I do like the book, but it didn't get me really invested in the story. It took me a very long time to finish it and that kind of dimmed the fun of reading it.

I don't have any major critic on it, but it was dragging a lot inbetween and just didn't keep me interested throughout. I think the problem for me was mostly that this is a very long book, but looking back at it, the plot doesn't seem like it should need 400 pages, and still I only feel connected to the characters on a surface level, not as deep as I wanted to.

I have to say tho, that the ending makes me interested in the second book nonetheless.
While Sirscha undeniably messed a lot up at the final showdown here, this setup for what might be the conflict for the second book seems way more interesting to me than the plot of book one.

I did enjoy this story but I feel like there was something missing. More in depth information was missing. There are all these different creatures and worlds and such, but no real explanation on how they came to be and how these worlds and creatures connect with each other.

It was also very slow in the beginning. It really dragged for me. I felt like the MC had a lot of potential that we never got to really see.

Overall it was enjoyable. Those who like a slow burn would like this book.

I did enjoy this but felt like it took a long time to really get going. The characters were good though and I'm hoping book 2 will be a bit faster paced.

3.5 stars

Forest of Souls is the firsts book in a trilogy by Lori M. Lee that is inspired by Hmong fantasy/folklore. Sirscha is a soldier in training with dreams of becoming the next shadow to the Queen - an elite spy/bodyguard that is held in high regard in her kingdom. Before Sirscha can find out whether or not her mentor has chosen her, Sirscha decides to take matters in to her own hands and sets off to intercept a message meant for someone also competing to be the Queen's Shadow. This sets off a series of events that ends up with the death of her best friend quickly followed by Sirscha somehow restoring her back to life as her magic is awakened. Sirscha must then try and learn her magic while also figuring out what is happening in the Forest of Souls and worrying about impending war between the other nearby kingdoms.

This book was a very exciting start to the series and I really enjoyed learning about the unique magic system and world building in the book. Some parts were a little information heavy and the magic system is a bit complicated to understand at times. The author includes a glossary in the beginning of the book that I found myself having to flip back to many times throughout the book. I liked the characters and their development in the book even though Sirscha could've used a little more development as she is so laser focused on becoming the Queen's Shadow that her personality doesn't come out as much as I would have liked. As this is only the first book, I imagine we'll be understanding more about Sirscha and her development as a character and I look forward to understanding her motives and inner thoughts a bit more. This book is different from other fantasy books in that there is not a romantic plot line (at least in this first book) which is a nice change of pace. I also enjoy reading fantasies inspired by other cultures so that made this book stand out in my opinion. I also like horror books so I really enjoyed her travels in to the Forest of Souls and the scary atmosphere that was created. I would recommend this book to those who like unique magic systems and feature other cultures or any fantasy fan.

I have been looking forward to reading this book for the longest time. As soon as my friends were giving this story rave reviews I knew I had to read it. Thank you so much for my review copy. I loved the spooky atmosphere setting at the beginning of the book, the plot had me hooked within the first chapter.
I have not read a book for the longest time that had me wanting to read this all in one day! There were so many amazing twists and turns that I could not stop thinking about after I had read this. I adore spooky wood settings and this just fulfilled everything I wanted and more!

I really enjoyed this book! It was a bit confusing at first but the mystery kept me flipping through the pages. I liked how this has some spooky and awesome scenes. Also, the characters were likeable so the captivating story seemed more interesting. The world-building was intriguing, I wish to see more of it in the sequel! Overall, Forest of Souls is a unique and well-written fantasy. Totally recommended!

I had decided not to review this book because there was something about it that wasn't drawing me in. However, I decided to give it a try once some friends read it and highlighted all its potential. NetGalley gave me the opportunity to change my mind, so I "re-picked" up the eARC I was sent.

Unfortunately, I found myself DNFing this book again, this time at around 50%. The worldbuilding has a lot of potential, but the characters fall flat and while the plot seemed interesting, nothing particularly sparked my interest. I do think this is the kind of book that could interest a lof of readers, but it continues not to be the read for me.

I won't be giving any feedback on Goodreads, as I prefer not to do that for DNFs, but I will be sending it through NetGalley this second time around.

Forest of Souls was absolutely incredible! It was so unique, the world building was incredibly immersive and I just wanted to explore the whole world! There was everything, magic, swordfights, politics and betrayal!
I don't want to say too much in terms of plot because spoilers, but it was perfect paced, I read Forest of Souls in two days and I could not put it down. I just needed to know what happened next! And wow! I did not see that ending coming at all!
I adored reading about Sirscha and her best friend Saengo - they have such a wonderful bond and it's so refreshing to read about girls who are building each other up, and would, truly do anything for each other. It was one of the highlights of the book for me.
Sirscha is such a fun character to follow, we get her snarky banter with Theyen, her wonderful friendship with Saengo and her loyalty and determination.
Another of the highlights of Forest of Souls was the magic system, which I just loved. It is so unique yet it felt so intuitive and made so much sense. From the shadowblessed to the different type of shamans - I hope we get to explore more of the magic system in the later books in this series.
I will definitely be reread Forest of Souls and I cannot wait to read the next book.

Loved, loved, loved this novel! Huge thanks to the publisher for letting me read a galley! Full review to come!

I was actually a bit disappointed. Even though it was a lovely fantasy, it was nothing special to me. It all felt a bit flat, and I'm not sure whether it was because I'm a little out of fantasy, or whether I just didn't enjoy it as much.

Unfortunately this one did not work for me. I struggled with the writing and story telling style from the very beginning. I found it a little heavy on the internal monologue and I found the world building a bit lacking. On top of that I struggled to connect with the characters and thought that plot was a bit meandering. I decided to DNF this book at the 25% mark because I knew it wasn't a good match for me.

"It is not from the world that I need acknowledgement of my worth."

Forest of Souls is a YA fantasy full of magic and myths inspired by Hmong shamanism. I loved Sirscha, the main character, and her growth throughout the book. Although I'd have loved to read more about her apprenticeship with Kendara, I really enjoyed her voice and how she slowly discovers herself and her magic. It's pretty rare these days, but there is no romance in this book — and I loved it. Sometimes it does feel a bit forced and doesn't add anything to the story - here, the main relationship is the one between Sirscha and Saengo, a fierce friendship that transcends even family bonds.

Overall, I really loved Forest of Souls, and highly recommend it if you're looking for a plot-driven book with an immersive world building, full of magic, mystery, and incredible main characters !

The plot was very unique. I really liked the magic system especially with the familiars. There were lot of climaxes which I predicted, lot being most of them, and I predicted all of them correctly. So on one hand I was happy i was understanding the book but on the other I wanted so much more. The writing was flat from the beginning to chapter 10, then in the middle it was pretty good but the ending was not upto the mark again. The characters were the only thing keeping me engaged but sometimes that is not enough. The narration could have been much more juicy. The danger in the situations were not reaching me. I was feeling detached. I hope the second book is better which I am looking forward to. I want to know what happens. I had predicted the antagonists properly and the way it tied up was very satisfactory. Theyen , if he continues to be the way he is might end up in my fictional crushes list.
Rating: 2.5

This book was one that was so very interesting. I had a fun time with this story. It felt like the start of an epic tale that I will need to know how it ends. I would totally recommend this book those those who love story’s like ; the throne of glass, the kiss of deception. It has political issues, identity issues and a plot that will keep your guessing.

I 10/10 recommend.

I liked how the main character Sirscha took initiative to fix problems and how she came to realize her worth. Having come from an orphanage Sirshas had to fight for everything shes ever had. Her fierce determination to accomplish her goals had me cheering her on. I didnt understand why she kept feeling bad for saving her best friends life. It just didnt make sense to me, especially compared to the alternative, but I did love their strong and thoughtful female friendship. The book doesnt have any romance so we get to focus on Sirshas character development and her friendship with her fellow soldier Saengo. She got major respect from me for joining the military to gain some independence from her noble family.

Sirschas mentors grumpy attitude had an endearing charm to it. I really hope we get to find out what's going on with her in the sequel. Even though we dont get to see much of her I still got a good sense of her complexe relationship with Sirscha. We also meet Prince Meilek who has always been kind to Sirsha. I really felt for him as he struggled between his loyalty to his sister the queen and helping those in need. The Spider Kings motivation weren't totally believable, but I still thought he was an intriguing character. I really enjoyed the banter between his guest Theyen and Sirsha. I also loved the older female guard Sirsha was assigned once she arrived at the Spider Kings home.

I loved the worlds intricate magic system and the precarious kingdom politics, but my favorite parts were probably the forest filled with vengeful souls and the dinosaur looking creatures the soliders ride. The shamans and shadowblessed have wide variety of amazing powers. I liked how their eye color matched the type of magic they could do. I also think it's awesome how they have animal familiars to channel their power. The religion with the sister deities was a nice little addition to the setting. I really enjoyed visiting the port city of Birth with its stacked houses connected by high bridges and winding canals. I can't wait to get to explore even more of this world.

The plot starts with Sirsha trying to win the spot of the Queens shadow to work as her spy and assassin, but after a shaman attack she's sent to work for the Spider King instead. On top of having to prevent a war and stop the spread of the forest of souls Sirscha must also find a way to save her best friend. Despite those high stakes some parts of the story werent as gripping as I wanted them to be. I'm guessing that's because I found a lot of the reveals predictable and the antagonist didnt feel like an immediate danger until the very end. That aside the ending seriously elevated the stakes and Im excited for the sequel. I think this series has the potential to get better and better.