- Author: Lori M. Lee
- Genre: Fantasy
- Publisher: Page Street Kids
- Page Count: 400
- Date Started: June 21st
- Date Finished: June 25th
- Spoilers? No
A Brief Description
Sirscha Ashwyn comes from nothing, but she’s intent on becoming something. After years of training to become the queen’s next royal spy, her plans are derailed when shamans attack and kill her best friend Saengo.
And then Sirscha, somehow, restores Saengo to life.
Unveiled as the first soulguide in living memory, Sirscha is summoned to the domain of the Spider King. For centuries, he has used his influence over the Dead Wood—an ancient forest possessed by souls—to enforce peace between the kingdoms. Now, with the trees growing wild and untamed, only a soulguide can restrain them. As war looms, Sirscha must master her newly awakened abilities before the trees shatter the brittle peace, or worse, claim Saengo, the friend she would die for.
Danger lurks within the roots of Forest of Souls, an epic, unrelenting tale of destiny and sisterhood, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Susan Dennard.
Find it: Goodreads || Amazon || Kindle || Audible || B&N || iBooks|| Kobo|| TBD || Bookshop.org
MY REVIEW
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the FOREST OF SOULS by Lori M. Lee Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post below and make sure to enter the giveaway!
This was a book that was on my raider way before it was released. I remember being drawn to the beautiful cover and when I read the synopsis, I knew I was going to need to read it as soon as possible.
When I saw that Rockstar Book Tours accepted me to have a tour stop on the tour for FOS I got SUPER excited. I was lucky enough to get an eARC of this and I started reading it right away, and this book did not disappoint.
I loved this book from the beginning to the end. The pacing on it was phenomenal. There were the valleys of world building and set up along with the high peaks of action at all the right times. Speaking of, the action scenes in this book were AMAZING. They flowed just right and were awesome to read and imagine.
The world of Thiy was so well constructed, and felt real. I felt like I was reading about a real place. There was a lot of show and not much tell here. The Dead Wood, which gives me major Uprooted by Naomi Novik vibes, was spooky! It was certainly a new and different idea that was perfect executed. Every single kingdom and city had their own traditions, customs and beliefs that made them feel all the more real and fleshed out. Like I said, I felt like I was reading a story that took place somewhere real.
The characters were AMAZING. They all felt multidimensional, each with their own voices and personalities. They felt fleshed out, and real. You can tell that the author put a TON of work into character backgrounds. The internal dialogue of our main character, Sirscha was wonderful to read from. The dialogue that occurs between characters is also funny. There were moments where I would laugh out loud because Sirscha made a sarcastic remark that put the other character in their place. The friendship between Sirscha and Saengo was so pure and wonderful.
Next, the plot was great. Like I said before, the pacing here was great. There were a lot of unexpected turns but they came at the right time. The political intrigue was so cool and the motivations of the antagonists were not anticlimactic in any way and the villain felt like a real villain, not a caricature. I would HIGHLY recommend reading this book if you love fantasy, tales of friendship and standing for what is right. You can buy it at the links included above at your chosen retailer.
Oh, and the ending? How could the author do this to me? It was explosive and I cannot wait for the next entry to the series. I highly recommend it. Go read it now if you can!
Thank you Lori M. Lee, Page Street Publishing and Rockstar Book Tour for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book! If you want to support local bookstores use the bookshop.org link
Thanks for reading my review! Check out more info about the author of this amazing book, Lori M. Lee below, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
PS: Check out the other tour stops too! Give some fellow book bloggers some love!
~Cam
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lori M. Lee is the author of FOREST OF SOULS, first in the Shamanborn duology, as well as GATES OF THREAD AND STONE and THE INFINITE. She’s also a contributor to the anthologies A THOUSAND BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS and COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES. She considers herself a unicorn aficionado, enjoys marathoning TV shows, and loves to write about magic, manipulation, and family.
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Giveaway!
Link to Giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21112/?
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
| 6/22/2020 | BookHounds ya | Excerpt |
| 6/22/2020 | A Dream Within A Dream | Excerpt |
| 6/23/2020 | Confessions of a YA Reader | Excerpt |
| 6/23/2020 | Lifestyle Of Me | Review |
| 6/24/2020 | Kait Plus Books | Excerpt |
| 6/24/2020 | Discover Elysian | Review |
| 6/25/2020 | Sifa Elizabeth Reads | Review |
| 6/25/2020 | History from a Woman’s Perspective | Review |
| 6/26/2020 | The Layaway Dragon | Review |
| 6/26/2020 | cosmiclattesandbooks | Review |
Week Two:
| 6/29/2020 | Locks, Hooks and Books | Review |
| 6/29/2020 | Smada’s Book Smack | Review |
| 6/30/2020 | Wonder Struck | Review |
| 6/30/2020 | A Bookish Dream | Review |
| 7/1/2020 | Bookwyrming Thoughts | Review |
| 7/1/2020 | The Book Dutchesses | Review |
| 7/2/2020 | Descendant of Poseidon Reads | Review |
| 7/2/2020 | Careful_of_books | Review |
| 7/3/2020 | Rajiv’s Reviews | Review |
| 7/3/2020 | The Try Everything | Review |
~Cam
Cosmic Lattes and Books 
I’ve been seeing a lot more about this book lately and all of it has been extremely positive! I’m a little surprised there hasn’t been more hype around it. Sounds like a fantastic story full of great characters. I love when all the elements in a story feel so rich and vibrant and alive! Great review 😀 Will definitely be reading this soon!
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I hope you love it! 🙂
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