If you're wanting your heart ripped out, set on fire, and then put back in then this is the book for you!! I can't even begin to explain how emotionally attached I was to Anula, the FMC, Reeri, the MMC, and all the side characters.

All of the characters in Her Soul for the Crown are extremely well fleshed out but the raw rage and emotions Anula shows are so very relatable, and in a world ruled by men she is the only one that wants to protect her people, her kingdom. Even if that means poisoning a few unworthy enemies.

The world building and presence of the Cosmos, Divinities and Yakkas (good and bad) is beautifully written and I absolutely love the mythological aspects of the story. Showing that nothing is as simple as black and white, everything requires balance and that's a big part of the story.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys feisty FMC’s, a soul dead connection, and a bash of poison in your reading!

I DNFd. Books with elevated writing are always a plus in my eyes however this felt overdone. Despite being overly descriptive, I felt lost right away as to what was happening. The book jumped right into the action which I loved but that made the book fall flat in execution. Further development of the plot/world/etc would have been nice.

I really wanted to love Her Soul for a Crown. Enemies-to-lovers, a strong FMC, and a story rooted in mythology—on paper, it should’ve been a perfect read for me. Unfortunately I ended up DNFing it around 35%.

The story starts off strong, but the pacing quickly begins to falter, and I found it hard to stay engaged. While the characters weren’t bad, I didn’t feel a strong connection to them, and I struggled to care about the direction of the plot. There were moments that piqued my interest, but they weren’t enough to keep me invested in the long run.

That being said, I don’t want to give the impression that I thought the book was bad. The world-building was intriguing and had a lot of promise, and the writing itself wasn’t the issue—it just didn’t resonate with me. I’m sure there are readers who will connect with it more than I did.

A big thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this arc.

Her Soul for a Crown delivers a rich and ambitious tale steeped in myth and political intrigue, with a morally complex heroine and a vividly imagined Sri Lankan-inspired world. Anula's ruthless determination and the volatile bond with Reeri, the Blood Yakka, form the emotional and narrative core of the book, offering plenty of tension and high stakes. However, while the premise is gripping and the worldbuilding evocative, the pacing stumbles in places, and some character dynamics feel underdeveloped compared to the novel's epic scope. Still, it’s an intriguing read for those drawn to dark bargains, divine conflict, and morally gray queens-in-the-making.

This is an epic romantasy inspired by Sri Lankan (Sinhalese) mythology, with plenty of political machinations and questioning the role of gods and demons alike. I was immediately sold on the beautifully immersive world Alysha Rameera builds. The romance between a demon and a human? I have thoughts on that.

Reeri is a Yakka (demon) doomed to eternal purgatory and the torture of his fellow Yakkas as long as he is unable to find the bone blade his tormentor seeks. Enter Anula, whose plan to seduce and marry the king and seek her revenge goes awry when said king is killed in a coup. Desperate, she makes a bargain... a deal with the devil, so to speak: she wants to be queen in exchange for her soul. Her soul is enough to tether Reeri to the Earth so he can complete his search for the bone blade.

What does this mean in practical terms? Reeri is inhibiting the new king's body, and Anula is his queen. And because her soul tethers him, Reeri conveniently can't be too far from Anula at all times! Whatever will they do....

The answer is a lot more attempted murder and actual murder than you think. Truly, Anula is "fight God in a Denny's parking lot" level trigger-happy in her quest for vengeance, and it's pretty funny when that extends to her poisoning Reeri. TWICE. Still, this isn't quite an enemies-to-lovers romance; Reeri and Anula are more reluctant allies and even then, a lot of their missions are accomplished solo (or in Reeri's case with his fellow Yakkas). Because of this, I don't... know how sold I was by the time the first "I love you" came at around the 70% mark. At that point, it feels like the most routine interaction they've had is when they're sharing one bed, and there is some physical attraction on Reeri's side. Despite having shared one or two kisses, Anula seems more sympathetic to Reeri and his plight than actually attracted to him— and a part of that is because Reeri doesn't actually inhabit his own body for most of the book, but I didn't feel her attraction to his soul or the parts of him he was able to reveal either.

And that's the thing about romantasies for me— I'm never quite sure the level of romance I should expect from a subgenre that has heavy world-building and is very mission-centric, and in this case, there are also multiple enemies to contend with.

The sex:

There are a handful of sex scenes near the end of the story— they are on-page, quite tender, and a little more euphemistic than explicit. And surprise, Reeri is... a virgin demon??

Overall:

On a romance level, while the "deal with the devil" romance had some bite, the payoff wasn't what I personally expected in this book. However, if you lean into the fantasy side of things, this is a fantastic mythology-inspired story that also has roots in Sri Lankan history.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the advanced copy.

Rating: 3.75/5
Heat Level: 3.25/5
Pub Date: August 12th

Thank you to Net Galley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC. I was super excited to read this. The first few chapters were super interesting, and I found it so funny how Anula was accidentally killing rather than paralyzing people with her poison. Alas, I found Reeri's chapters super boring, they really made the pace so slow that I just got so bored.

I enjoyed this book and felt like it was so unique because of the Sri Lankan mythology implanted in this book. There's ton's of female rage and it does happen to be a dual POV, which I wasn't expecting since I went into this book blind.
Anula, is now one of my favourite FMC's she was strong, and had a stubborn desire to have the crown which I loved. But at times she did get sucked into things I wasn't necessarily expecting her to be involved in, but even when she did she didn't falter in doing anything she believed was aligned with her views.
Now on the other hand Reeri who is the Blood Yakka, I found myself dreading reading his POV's. I mean, he kinda put himself in so many bad situations, and he was honestly boring. I didn't enjoy reading his POV and honestly thought he needed more.
Otherwise, the world building was immensely enjoyable and I found myself hoping that maybe this becomes a series!
Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

solid, well done, interesting romantasy with a great setting and themed about a very interesting historical figure. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 βօօҟͲąցʂ 𓍯𓂃

➸ He falls first
➸ Slowburn
➸ Female rage
➸ Forced proximity
➸ Dual POV

Well… this isn’t the first time a book betrayed me, so I should be used to the sting by now.

My expectations were high.
South Asian representation?
Fantasy rooted in Sri Lankan mythology?
A furious FMC, skilled in poisoncraft, bent on avenging her murdered family?
Her plan? Marry the Raja. Poison him. Take the throne. Become the first Raejina.

I was so here for it.

And yet, the worldbuilding and fantasy elements were so vague and confusing, they flew right over my head. I got lost in the writing—but not in the way I wanted to be.

I wanted to see Anula get the throne.
I wanted her to scheme, to kill, to rule.
I wanted her to laugh with wicked satisfaction as she crossed names off her list one by one.

But halfway through, she changed her mind.

Suddenly, she didn’t want the throne anymore.
Suddenly, vengeance wasn’t it—justice was.
(Which, yes, justice is great and all. But I signed up for vengeance.)

Instead of poison and power plays, we got romance. Distraction. Doubt.
And she lost the one thing that made her electric: her rage.

The romance, ironically, had all the elements I usually love—slowburn with the whole prickly-girl-meets-soft-boy dynamic.
But here? It got in the way.

She had one job. Just one.
Get your revenge first, fall in love later.
Priorities, Anula.

I don’t like it when characters forget what they came for.

There’s a time and place. This was not it.
And I just wish she knew that.

I loved the premise of the book, I loved what it was based on, everything about this is a perfect read for me. However, I struggled to get through the story. which I felt could have used some more editorial passes. Everything felt very shallow--there wasn't enough information given for me to care about the characters and their overall journeys.

This was an okay read and i liked some aspects of it especially the diverse world, the Sri Lanka South Asian mythology and the feminine range/revenge plot. I liked the representation and cultural aspects that were in the book and the richness it brings to the fantasy genre especially with the romance. I do think at times that things happened very fast and plots weren't delved into properly. The romance also didn't feel very fleshed and happened very fast. Overall it was an okay read, thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for this arc for an honest review.

I really wanted to connect with this book, but I found the beginning a bit difficult to get through. The writing style felt dense at times, which made it hard to stay engaged. With a bit more refinement or tightening in the early chapters, I think the story could really shine.

ARC Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A female lead out for revenge with a jewel studded necklace as her weapon of choice. Making bargains with supernatural beings with lingering regret and manipulation. Tragic backstories and hidden agendas are right up my alley. However the pacing was off, slow at points with heavy info dumps.

The lore was incredibly intriguing and political maneuvering in the very beginning was fun, but some of the reactions by others to the events playing out felt anticlimactic. A lot of the decision making was confusing for someone trained to take over and rule.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC!

This is perfect for fantasy fans craving a non-western setting. The characters are flawed, complex, and perfectly human in their choices and emotions, and the worldbuilding is expertly crafted. Reminiscent of Sabaa Tahir's gorgeous prose, this story will be sure to satisfy any reader's desire to be entirely immersed in an all-consuming story.

DNF @ 34%

I just can't seem to finish this.

I really wanted to love this, because the premise sounds so good! I mean: a poison-weilding girl boss selling her soul to a demon god to get revenge? Sign me the fuck up fam!

Unfortunately, the writing wasn't working for me: descriptions were too vague, making me have a hard time with the world building and picturing what was happening. The dialogue felt stilted. Anula has quite a distinct voice, but Reeri is an absolute mystery. (Not a mystery in a dark-and-mysterious way. a mystery in a I-know-nothing-about-him way.) I couldn't connect to the main characters. The author wasn't able to make me care enough about any of their motives or goals. And when the "slow-burn romance" started a third of the way through, I was done. Can we please call lust-at-first-sight by it's proper name when we see it?

Is it all bad? No, it's not. I was particularly excited about the Sri Lankan mythology aspect of it. And what I've seen of that I was loving. And I was loving our heroine. Unfortunately, the execution didn't quite work for me, but I'm sure this book will be a new favourite for a lot of readers.

i wanted to love this because i adored the sri lankan mythology and culture woven into this story, however this was not great. not bad, but not great.

the writing was choppy throughout the entire book which caused the pacing to be off. there was so much happening yet nothing happening at the same time? individually, the characters were going through their own journies but the overall plot wasn't moving at the same pace as theirs was. there were certain moments that i was confused as to what was happening as the world building was a bit lacking. however, the way the culture was depicted in the imagery flourished. it was my favorite part of the book!

the characters had no chemistry with each other, and thus, i didn't connect to either of them. not as individuals and DEFINITELY not as a couple. anula had such rage and personality in her, but her actions felt awkward and stunted for someone that was supposed to be skilled in her field. reeri had a lot of brooding and personal trauma going on and yet was somehow extremely boring. then the spicy scenes? girlllll lol. it totally ruined the book for me. it felt like the author was forcing themselves to write these scenes and you could TELL.

overall, i didn't hate this book but there was very little i liked about it. however, if you are interested in romantasy with great culture and mythology, this is definitely for you!

This was not only my first Alysha Rameera book, but also the first book that explored and was based off Sri Lankan mythology and I absolutely devoured it. Outside of work and sleep, this book occupied so much of my time and mind that I might have to go back and read it again. I love novels that blend romance, mythology and fantasy *cough* Hades x Persephone by Scarlett St. Clair *cough* and knowing that Alysha and Scarlett are friends solidified the need to read this ARC as soon as possible.

If you like romance with mythology with fantasy with bad ass FMCs, I cannot recommend this enough. I am gnawing the bars of my enclosure to get my hands on more b0oks but I will instead be patient because I know it will be worth the wait.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcesbooks Casablanca for the ARC!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunately, this is a DNF at 80% for me. I loved the lush Sri Lankan culture and atmosphere, the descriptions of the food, clothing and jewelry were very vivid, and the book had a promising start, but afterwards, I struggled to connect with the plot and any of the characters and I found myself skimming large portions. On paper, Anula's desire for revenge and Reeri's desire to protect his loved ones should be compelling but in practice, they just didn't click for me. I felt like some of their thoughts about their motivations were a bit repetitive, and Anula in particular I didn't find very cunning despite her skill in poisoncraft? It just seemed like she brute-forced most of her problems, which was strange for someone trained to become the raejina. Speaking of the raejina, the politics in this book felt severely lacking, almost claustrophobic because of how small the cast was and how narrow the main characters' considerations were. When Polonnaruwa invades the palace, it feels like it comes out of nowhere because none of the characters really do anything or think of ways to prevent Polonnaruwa from making their way to them in the first place with the political power they have, which is especially glaring with Reeri as the raja. It all feels so remote and isolated that it was hard to feel any urgency. I also didn't really enjoy the romance; it felt too lust-focused for me, even if the two of them don't hook up until the end, but that's personal preference. Additionally, the author's usage of "bee-stung lips" was consistently a mood-killer and deeply unsexy to me. All in all, I'm sure other people will enjoy this more but it wasn't for me.

I went into Her Soul for a Crown excited… I’m a huge fan of Scarlett St. Clair and Sarah J. Maas, so a slow-burn romantasy said to be for their readers and inspired by Sri Lankan mythology sounded like everything I’d love.

But unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this one. The concept was incredible, but the pacing felt too fast, and I struggled to connect with the characters or the world. I wanted more depth, more emotion. .

It has great potential, but sadly, it wasn’t a fit for me.

Amazing story, the pacing was not too slow, which makes this genre usually drag for me. I enjoyed learning the historical and religious figures that inspired the book, and I loved the way the author created this very rich world with it. Anula and Reeri’s evolution through the book was probably my favorite part. They both had their own struggles and motivations, and that made their dynamic really enjoyable. At first I thought this would be the start of a series because of the amount of world building (with all the deities and the long history that is told) but I still think it was very well done. And all the side characters—Premala, Calu, Sohon, Kama, Bithul— also were a great part of the story.