Fantasy

Forest of Souls

Forest of Souls

  • Downloads：8471
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-15 09:50:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lori M. Lee
  • ISBN：1645673375
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Danger lurks within the roots of Forest of Souls， an epic， unrelenting tale of destiny and sisterhood， perfect for fans of Naomi Novik， Susan Dennard， and Netflix's The Witcher！

"A tantalizing beginning to a rich new fantasy series。” —Traci Chee， NYT bestselling author of The Reader trilogy
"Absolutely enchanting。” – Natalie C。 Parker， author of Seafire
"You won’t want to escape。” – Sarah Henning， author of the Sea Witch
"Will leave you shouting sisters unite！” – Mindee Arnett， author of Onyx & Ivory and Avalon

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。

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Reviews

Malak ，

Not bad but I wish there was more character development and background。 The lack of it made me unable to connect with any of the characters。 Like if they all died tragically i would not care。 Otherwise interesting world and beautiful cover！

Katie Schaaf ，

This was so stinking good。 10/10 can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel。 P。S。 LOVED the chapter header illustration！！！

Leila P。 ，

4。5

Lois ，

Possibly either 3。5 or 3。75 stars I'm not sure。It was a good enough and entertaining read。 Possibly either 3。5 or 3。75 stars I'm not sure。It was a good enough and entertaining read。 。。。more

Elly Gaskell ，

this book took me on a ride。。。 assassins， magic， corrupt empires， and reviving dead people？ all i could ask for in a book。----Forest of Souls follows Sirscha Ashwyn， an orphaned girl training to become the Queen's Shadow/personal assassin。 However， her aspirations come to a halt when shamans attack， killing her best friend， Saengo， in the process。 But in the heat of the moment， Sirscha somehow revives Saengo and wakes up to find her friend alive with only a scar as a reminder of her fatal injury this book took me on a ride。。。 assassins， magic， corrupt empires， and reviving dead people？ all i could ask for in a book。----Forest of Souls follows Sirscha Ashwyn， an orphaned girl training to become the Queen's Shadow/personal assassin。 However， her aspirations come to a halt when shamans attack， killing her best friend， Saengo， in the process。 But in the heat of the moment， Sirscha somehow revives Saengo and wakes up to find her friend alive with only a scar as a reminder of her fatal injury。 Revealed as a soulguide， a rare type of shaman able to guide souls to the afterlife and back to life， Sirscha is called to help the Spider King contain the soul-possessed forest and prevent all-out war between the kingdoms。 Peace and the life of Saengo hang in the balance and mastering her abilities is all that can save them。The whole concept of this book was super compelling and kept me on my toes。 This book does have a mystery element as Sirscha uncovers secrets behind her powers， upbringing， and the people around her。 You truly feel like you're figuring things out with the characters and it makes the ending even more satisfying when your multiple theories throughout the book are finally tested。 I also really enjoyed how self-aware the MC was。 She was aware of her faults and the inner fears that caused her to take action in this book。 Unlike many fantasy MCs， she didn't think she was "special" or "not like other girls"。 She was working to live up to expectations and to accept that she didn't need others' praise to feel worth something。 Sirscha was also constantly driven to protect those she cares about - even if it put her in danger。 I think all of these things made Sirscha a very admirable MC and thus enjoyable to read about。One thing I wish we would've seen more of is a personal account of Sirscha's assassin training to really see how her upbringing influenced her actions in the plot of this book。 I would've also loved to see more moments between Sirscha and Saengo because it almost seemed like the urgency of the plot never gave them a chance to talk and share memorable moments。 It felt as if their friendship was presented to the audience and we had to accept it to move on with the plot。 I'm interested to see if there will be more moments between them in the sequel。 I definitely recommend giving this a read。 It has amazing witty banter （I LOVE Sirscha and Theyen's dialogue omg） and a fascinating magic system。 AND LOOK AT THE COVER！！！ IT'S GORGEOUS *heart eyes* 。。。more

Jess ，

2。5 stars

BeeLovingQueen ，

This was all I imagined and more！ I love the little glossary at the beginning so not everything has to be explained in detail during the events in the book， even tho I scimmed them more than once just to look up something to remind myself what it was ^^' - apart from that， I loved this book and definetly want to know what gonna happen in the next one。 Unfortunatly I already knew the ending to the first book （I accidently read the summary of the second installment） but that didnt make the ending This was all I imagined and more！ I love the little glossary at the beginning so not everything has to be explained in detail during the events in the book， even tho I scimmed them more than once just to look up something to remind myself what it was ^^' - apart from that， I loved this book and definetly want to know what gonna happen in the next one。 Unfortunatly I already knew the ending to the first book （I accidently read the summary of the second installment） but that didnt make the ending any different or bad - on the contrary， it got me even more excited to read the end and see how everything lead up to it。 I went in， thinking there might be romance （unlucky me） but it made every encounter even better！ The concept of the book was something else and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a really well executed fantasy！！ 。。。more

Alice ，

A great beginning， with strong characters and visually rich worldbuilding。 I'm so glad I picked this up！ A great beginning， with strong characters and visually rich worldbuilding。 I'm so glad I picked this up！ 。。。more

sarah ，

wtfffff

Sabrina Rivera ，

3。5For the most part， I enjoyed reading this book and I think I may read the second one in the future。 I loved the cover art and after reading the premise I had to pick it up。 I read the first half of the book at a solid pace， but towards the end， I found myself only wanting to read a few pages every few days。 The main part of this was that I was having trouble with the plot。 I felt that too many variables were going on in the story， making it difficult to understand Sirscha。 I enjoyed the relat 3。5For the most part， I enjoyed reading this book and I think I may read the second one in the future。 I loved the cover art and after reading the premise I had to pick it up。 I read the first half of the book at a solid pace， but towards the end， I found myself only wanting to read a few pages every few days。 The main part of this was that I was having trouble with the plot。 I felt that too many variables were going on in the story， making it difficult to understand Sirscha。 I enjoyed the relationship with Sirscha and Saengo。 I felt that there were some sweet moments between them， but I also wish there were more。 There could have been some flashbacks to when they were young， just so it can solidify their friendship。 With the characters themselves， they could do with a little more personality。 We only know Saengo as Sirscha’s best friend and Sirscha as an excellent， well-trained fighter （ There was a ridiculous number of times she referred to herself as Kendara’s pupil）。 The only characters that I felt had very promising personalities were Ronin and Theyan。 。。。more

Antonio Campos ，

En general estuvo bastante bien esta historia。Creo que la insatisfacción de muchos es que la historia peca de sencilla en un universo que tiene todo el potencial de ser altamente compleja; lo cual no está mal， tomando en consideración que es un primer libro de trilogía， aún la autora tiene la oportunidad de hacer que la historia despegue más。 Sin embargo， a mi me gustó bastante， la historia tiene un ritmo bastante bonito， los personajes son bastante memorables e interesantes。La trama en un inici En general estuvo bastante bien esta historia。Creo que la insatisfacción de muchos es que la historia peca de sencilla en un universo que tiene todo el potencial de ser altamente compleja; lo cual no está mal， tomando en consideración que es un primer libro de trilogía， aún la autora tiene la oportunidad de hacer que la historia despegue más。 Sin embargo， a mi me gustó bastante， la historia tiene un ritmo bastante bonito， los personajes son bastante memorables e interesantes。La trama en un inicio es bastante sencilla， aunque hacia el final se va volviendo bastante compleja。 El sistema y elementos mágicos van volviéndose más complejos conforme avanza la historia; hay un par de elementos que a simple vista no tienen mayor relevancia o impacto en la historia， hacia el final calzan de forma perfecta。Si me hubiera gustado ver más del sistema y elementos mágicos。 Siento que la historia giró en el tema de resolver el problema principal pero no en explicar o descubrir hacia dónde o que con la historia en ese ámbito。 Los personajes， fueron muy bien pensados， todos le aportan valor y complejidad a la historia; hubo un par de personajes en particular que me sobresalen， no solo por su relevancia y poder mágico sino por sus personalidades que vienen a relajar bastante el ambiente。 Encontré bastante refrescante que en una novela que es juvenil en su máxima expresión no hubiera un elemento romántico， sino que ve elementos de amistad y lealtad。 Si claro， deja una puerta abierta para un futuro elemento amoroso， pero no es tan relevante en este momento de la historia。En general como mencioné， me gustó la historia bastante， pero peca de sencillez en un universo que tiene toda la pinta de ser altamente complejo y rico en elementos mágicos。 。。。more

Megan ，

Amazing amazing amazing。 The audiobook added to the deliciously dark atmosphere。 That cliffhanger ahhh！！！

JoAnne ，

An orphane girl raised as a fighter trying to serve for her kingdom。 In the process she descovers abilities that she didn't know she had as well as the truth about herself and the ruler of her land。 Dark world， asian based with forest full of spirits。 An orphane girl raised as a fighter trying to serve for her kingdom。 In the process she descovers abilities that she didn't know she had as well as the truth about herself and the ruler of her land。 Dark world， asian based with forest full of spirits。 。。。more

Ann ，

I have two immediate takeaways from Forest of Souls， the first being that emotionally cathartic moments in this book are very spelled out for readers， which I'm not really a fan of。 There's nothing to pick apart in those moments。 We can take them at face value because Lee tells us exactly what that scene was for without the bother of metaphor or subtlety。 Second， the end of this book felt very rushed， with a lot of material crammed into the last few chapters， presumably so the cliffhanger could I have two immediate takeaways from Forest of Souls， the first being that emotionally cathartic moments in this book are very spelled out for readers， which I'm not really a fan of。 There's nothing to pick apart in those moments。 We can take them at face value because Lee tells us exactly what that scene was for without the bother of metaphor or subtlety。 Second， the end of this book felt very rushed， with a lot of material crammed into the last few chapters， presumably so the cliffhanger could make it in。 The progress of the plot seemed very straightforward。 With limited exceptions， Sirscha met all the little goals of the plot with token resistance， and moved right along。 I did appreciate how active Sirscha is as a character。 She has clear goals and is constantly making plans and decisions to reach those。 The story is driven by her actions， instead of the other way around。 。。。more

Lily ，

3。5 stars rounded up。 Fun and easy read。 Loved the imagery。 I found myself googling descriptions sometimes to better imagine the cut or style of the attire the characters were wearing。 I also enjoyed the fact that there was no romance in the plot。 Sometimes， you just need a break， ya know？Is it okay for me to say I never saw that twist at the end coming？ Here I thought it was going to be so linear。 Smh。 Thanks for the ride！ Onto book two！

Tarah Mason ，

It was entertaining， but not my favorite。

Amber Faucher ，

This book took a little more to get into。 It started out a little bit confusing and then slowly began to make more and more sense as it unfolded。 The main character took a little to get invested in but it was well worth it。 A very interesting universe。

Dewi ，

2。5 starsI’m not really sure how to feel about this book， the premise is interesting and overall it was okay， but I definitely feel that a lot could have been better。 I liked the world and the magic was interesting， but it just didn’t click for me。 I didn’t care about the characters and I feel like there needs to be a lot more character development in the sequel。It also lacks development for me in the plot and world building and I feel like some parts were perhaps cut out that could’ve made me f 2。5 starsI’m not really sure how to feel about this book， the premise is interesting and overall it was okay， but I definitely feel that a lot could have been better。 I liked the world and the magic was interesting， but it just didn’t click for me。 I didn’t care about the characters and I feel like there needs to be a lot more character development in the sequel。It also lacks development for me in the plot and world building and I feel like some parts were perhaps cut out that could’ve made me feel more connected to the characters and the story。I don’t really know how to explain it properly， but it just felt like something was missing， that spark that makes you want to know what happens and keeps your attention。Overall it was okay， and I definitely see a lot of potential for the sequel and it was also a pretty quick read！ 。。。more

Amy ，

I hate spiders but this has an interesting take on magic

Katie ，

2。5/5Teenage murder hobo murders indiscriminately， insist on participating in politics she has no background in， makes life worse for everyone

Haley ，

I feel so bad giving this a 2， but I just did not care about this story at all。 I couldn’t connect with the characters or pay attention to what was happening to them。 Loved the idea of this， but it fell flat for me。

Victoria ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 All I have to say is give my girl Saengo a break！SPOILERS:All the bad stuff that happened to my girl Saengo:1。 she dies because Sirscha is selfish2。 she gets her hair cut off short （long hair is meaningful to them） bc Sirscha decides to fight3。She realized she is a familiar and can't stay away from Sirscha for long since she will literally disappear4。Now that she is a familiar she has to forget her dreams and goals。 Can't even return to her normal life （Thanks Sirscha）。 5。she gets the rot。。。like All I have to say is give my girl Saengo a break！SPOILERS:All the bad stuff that happened to my girl Saengo:1。 she dies because Sirscha is selfish2。 she gets her hair cut off short （long hair is meaningful to them） bc Sirscha decides to fight3。She realized she is a familiar and can't stay away from Sirscha for long since she will literally disappear4。Now that she is a familiar she has to forget her dreams and goals。 Can't even return to her normal life （Thanks Sirscha）。 5。she gets the rot。。。like does she really need to die twice？！6。ALSO if she dies like Sirscha will be fine because she can get another familiar so my girl Saengo really doesn't matterHonestly Saengo is a good friend and if I was her I would have gotten tired of Sirscha already。 Sirscha sucked as a characterLori M。 LeeForest of Souls for me， she always wanted to prove herself， thought she was better than anyone else， and always I mean ALWAYS talked about how saengo was rich and bhla bhla bhla。 Girl get over it。 The story was interested to me and it was something new。 I truly enjoyed the fighting scenes but the side characters needed more development。 I liked the concept of the dark/horror aspect of the forest。 I liked the friendship aspect but Sirscha is so self absorbed that she ain't that good of a friend。 If you are looking for romance though， this is not the book for you。 At one point I thought Sirscha and Saengo would be romantic and give some spice to the book but that didn't happen。 I get it though it's just friendship but a girl can wish！ Also this book definitely needed a map so I hope the second book has one。 Thanks for the glossary though！ 。。。more

Linn ，

Very alike to shadow and bone in a good way。 Amazing characters

Briana Lynn ，

PLAIN BORING BASIC YA FANTASY BOOK。 The main character was winy， annoying and plain。

Chris ，

Did not finish， stopped at about 62%。The book was 。。。 too disjointed。 Physical locations in the book were too attenuated。 Trips that took long periods of time were glossed over in a sentence or two。 Whereas short walks that only took a few minutes could go on for an entire chapter。 That's not to say that the story wasn't moving forward while the more extended scenes were occurring， but it still gave the book a choppy feeling and left the reader with no sense of how the world fit together。 Additi Did not finish， stopped at about 62%。The book was 。。。 too disjointed。 Physical locations in the book were too attenuated。 Trips that took long periods of time were glossed over in a sentence or two。 Whereas short walks that only took a few minutes could go on for an entire chapter。 That's not to say that the story wasn't moving forward while the more extended scenes were occurring， but it still gave the book a choppy feeling and left the reader with no sense of how the world fit together。 Additionally， the author layered open ended， tense conditionals on top of each other。 By the time I stopped reading there were easily 。。。 7 to 8 major plot lines （possibly more）， all of which could have been the main focus of a story all resting on the main character's shoulders。 Establishing dynamic tension is fine， but you have to relieve some of it occasionally too， and the author just kept piling it on。 （view spoiler）[At the time I stopped reading the main character had just become responsible for the lives of a group of refugees， who are illegal， escaped slaves， who's presence might cause a civil war， who's presence might precipitate internecine war between the surrounding kingdoms， who can't stay where they are， can't leave， have no where to go。 Oh， and there's a forest that eats souls about 20 feet outside the camp。 And the main character has about 24 hours to solve the problem。 Did I mention that the refugees all think of her as the great， prophesied savior they've been waiting for？ （hide spoiler）]So 。。。 I'm sorry to say， I can't recommend this。 。。。more

Madison DeVeer ，

I’ll start by saying that I did enjoy this book。 I started with the audiobook last summer， but never finished it and then when I saw it at B&N I picked it up and read the entire thing in 2 days。 I’ve read other reviews saying that nothing really happens， but I disagree。 For a first book in a series it’s good enough to keep me interested for the next one。 One thing I will say though， is that it is really really similar to Shadow & Bone。 So similar that it almost feels like a slightly tweaked knoc I’ll start by saying that I did enjoy this book。 I started with the audiobook last summer， but never finished it and then when I saw it at B&N I picked it up and read the entire thing in 2 days。 I’ve read other reviews saying that nothing really happens， but I disagree。 For a first book in a series it’s good enough to keep me interested for the next one。 One thing I will say though， is that it is really really similar to Shadow & Bone。 So similar that it almost feels like a slightly tweaked knockoff 🤔 。。。more

Trisha Tomy ，

I liked the book。 I didn't love it。It was just， the story just seemed to be going on， without much depth to it。 I mean， half of the time， I was getting confused about the setting， how the characters were looking， what they were wearing， etc。， etc。 That is not to say I didn't enjoy it。 I loved how there were so many conflicting motives for everyone， and you didn't find out the motives of everyone exactly， till the end。（view spoiler）[I theorised maybe Kendara was the villain， and the Queen might b I liked the book。 I didn't love it。It was just， the story just seemed to be going on， without much depth to it。 I mean， half of the time， I was getting confused about the setting， how the characters were looking， what they were wearing， etc。， etc。 That is not to say I didn't enjoy it。 I loved how there were so many conflicting motives for everyone， and you didn't find out the motives of everyone exactly， till the end。（view spoiler）[I theorised maybe Kendara was the villain， and the Queen might be the real hero。 Then I thought that Kendara might be the mother of Sirscha。 I was also confused as to who might be the future love interest， I was liking Meilek， and Theyen， and Saengo， and I just couldn't decide who I wanted it to be。 （hide spoiler）] I will for sure be reading the future books in this series， and I recommend this book to anyone who wants a fantasy read to fill their day。Edit: I forgot to include this， she was really possessive（？） about her hair， the braid， but the cover still has her with her loose？ I really thought she should have a braid in the cover。 。。。more

Brittney ，

*2。25 stars*I went into Forest of Souls with average expectations， and was still let down。 This is a beautiful cover and a cool concept， but unfortunately， there's no point to this book。 There is no exciting journey， no incredible world， no relationships created， blech。 Sirscha and her best friend are on this journey， but there is zero character growth between them and zero fleshing out。I just ended up not caring at all and skimming to finish。 There is some info dumping， but other than that， lit *2。25 stars*I went into Forest of Souls with average expectations， and was still let down。 This is a beautiful cover and a cool concept， but unfortunately， there's no point to this book。 There is no exciting journey， no incredible world， no relationships created， blech。 Sirscha and her best friend are on this journey， but there is zero character growth between them and zero fleshing out。I just ended up not caring at all and skimming to finish。 There is some info dumping， but other than that， little world building。 I barely knew I was in a fantasy book。 I love a good plot focused novel， but when the pacing is off and the world is confusing， there’s nothing left to really enjoy。 I can honestly say I barely remember this book and I just read it。 I think it was originally a cool concept， but if I can’t even remember it， was it really that good？2021 Asian Readathon: https://youtu。be/MdcbHWB4Rrc 。。。more

LizC ，

Ok I like it and need more

Jessica ，

Three stars。 There is a lot of info-dumping in the beginning， and I didn’t really feel entranced by the writing。 The writing style is more “tell” than “show” for most of the book， and even though I liked the main character， I didn’t really feel a strong emotional connection to her。 I wish the author went more in depth with Sirscha’s inner emotional state and personality。However， I enjoyed the Asian representation in a fantasy setting！ I really liked that the author included Asian culture and des Three stars。 There is a lot of info-dumping in the beginning， and I didn’t really feel entranced by the writing。 The writing style is more “tell” than “show” for most of the book， and even though I liked the main character， I didn’t really feel a strong emotional connection to her。 I wish the author went more in depth with Sirscha’s inner emotional state and personality。However， I enjoyed the Asian representation in a fantasy setting！ I really liked that the author included Asian culture and descriptions of Asian food。 I also appreciate that this book is about a platonic female friendship， with no romance involved。 The concept of the magic system is really cool， but I think it should have been fleshed out more along with the world-building。 The plot twist at the end was also pretty neat and one that I wasn’t expecting。 I thought the author did a good job with keeping the reader in the dark， so you don’t really know which characters to trust or what their motives really are。 All in all， it was a decent read and I will be reading the next book to see what happens next。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Forest of Souls

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Forest of Souls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Forest of Souls&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0