Forest of Souls, is a brand new release and the very first installment in the Shamanborn series by Lori M. Lee.
And, what a great beginning it is. Captivating, suspenseful, with a healthy dash of historical background.
Forest of Souls Review
Forest of Souls is a beautifully written and riveting novel, which started with a bang and kept me on the edge of my seat in its entirety.
There were lots of plot twists, enemies and newly found allies, throughout our protagonist’s journey.
The Plot
In the beginning, we meet Sirscha, our heroine, training and aspiring to be the Queen’s next royal spy, her Shadow. Her life changes forever when she goes off in a mission which gets her best friend, Saengo, killed. Somehow, she manages to restore Saengo to life, discovering that she is a Shamanborn.
However, her power is so strong she is considered to be the second known Soulguide in the history of the kingdom.
The Characters
Sirscha, our main character, was amazing. Strong, powerful, skillful, modest and ambitious are just some of the adjectives which could be used in describing her. It was a delight following her along in her adventure.
Saengo, her best friend was exceptional, sweet, loyal, extremely supportive, although a little timid. She is the kind of person who would make an amazing best friend, even if it meant that she would end up sacrificing herself for the main heroine.
There was an abundance of more great characters, both evil and kind, but since their relationship with Sirscha was tumultuous and critical for the story, I wouldn’t want to spoil any details. I will only mention that the lack of romantic relationships only managed to transform this plot into a more epic story.
The World Building
The world building in Forest of Souls was exceptional. The author provided a glossary right in the beginning of the book and lots of historical details were gradually revealed, sometimes at the same time as the protagonist was finding out about them. The magic system was impeccable, extremely unique and detailed.
Plot twists left and right
Admittedly, one more reason that Forest of Souls swept me away was the fact that it kept surprising me. Right from the beginning our heroine would constantly discover new truths about her mysterious past, erasing past assumptions.
In addition, her friends and enemies were almost constantly changing, making us question everyone in her life and the role they were really playing. Except for the sweet and loyal Saengo. I sincerely hope the next books in the series will feature her more essentially.
Overall thoughts
This novel was an amazing reading experience and the series already seem highly promising. Forest of Souls ended on a major cliffhanger, which only managed to amplify my excitement for the sequel.