Princess of Souls

Book: Princess of Souls Author: Alexandra Christo Genre: Fantasy Number of Pages: 352 Published: October 11th 2022 Main Characters: Selestra and Nox I loved the fantasy novel Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo. It was a great read. I decided to read it because it sounded intresting. I also chose to read this novel because I love retellings. I really love the cover too it's what caught my attention and pulled me in. The book starts off slow but slowly starts to get intresting a couple chapters in. Three important characters in this book are the heir Selestra Somniatis, Seryth king of the Six Isles, sand Officer Nox Laederic of Thánatos regiment. Officer Nox Laederic is the king's favorite. Also King Serth had been trying to conquer Southerisle Polemistes is the only one left not bowing down to king after he killed their king. When Officer Nox goes to make the bargain with the king his prediction shows his and Selestra Somniatis death. I hope you enjoy reading this book I sure did. Now here's some important quotes from the start of the book so I don't spoil the rest of the book for y'all: 1. "I can tell someone when they're going to die. All I need is a lock of hair and their soul."..."That's the job of a Somiatis Witch." Thoughts on the quote: This job seems interesting but must be hard 2. "At sixteen, I'm still just an heir to my true power, waiting for the day I inherit my family's magic." Thoughts on this quote: It must be really hard to wait for your true self to kick in. 3. "Somniatis witches are like siphons. We draw in energy and let it pass through us. Energy like death that we call into our veins and let wet our lips. It's what gives us our visions and allows us to take the soulsof the doomed and pour them into the king. It's cursed magic but it's the only magic left in the six Isles. My family saw to that." This quote is important. 4. "Heirs to magic are useless until they reach their eighteenth birthday and are bound to the king by the blood oath, ready to be taught the true essence of magic and trained to take over once the old witch dies. Until then I am Irrelevant." Thoughts: It must be hard. 5. "Each year only two hundred are allowed to enter into the bargain and risk their souls."

I really enjoyed reading Princess of Souls, a dark YA fantasy very loosely based on the Rapunzel story. The story follows Selestra, a teenage witch, the descendant of a line of witches in thrall to the tyrannical, immortal king Seryth. Her mother foretells deaths and feeds souls to the evil Seryth, so that he can maintain his immortality. The story starts with Selestra imprisoned in her castle tower, timid and resigned to her fate forced to serve Seryth, once her mother dies. Then she meets Nox, a soldier in the King's army who is driven to avenge his father, who was killed by Seryth. Together Selestra and Nox embark on a journey to destroy the king they despise. The story was fast paced and full of adventure. I was hooked the entire time and couldn't put the book down. The world building was vivid and immersive. I was intrigued by the dark, horrifying magic system. Selestra and Nox begin their journey as hostile adversaries but, united in their dangerous quest, grow to care for one another. I enjoyed following Selestra as she grows fierce and powerful. The side characters Micah and Irenya are also well developed. The witty banter among the foursome is a lot of fun. Princess of Souls is an imaginative and beautifully written adventurous fantasy.

I would say this is very loosely based off the story of Rapunzel. Instead of a fragile princess locked away in a tower and sporting an extremely long hairdo, Selestra is tough, taught by a soldier in the Last Army (though she doesn't get to try that out till after she leaves the castle) with green hair that though is long, isn't long enough to climb down (no matter what Nox says). She is also a witch and heir to the only magic left in the Six Isles. This was a fun book to read and I do like that Selestra is capable, though when she and Nox work together, they are unstoppable. And that is definitely what is needed to end the reign of the immortal king Seryth (a completely awful guy who sucks the souls out of his victims to keep that immortality) and his all powerful witch by his side (Selestra's mother). There are lots of fun side characters like Micah, and Selestra's dressmaking friend, Irenya and sometimes I liked them better than Nox and Selestra. I liked also that it started with the festival but sadly it pretty quickly veered away from that. This is a good standalone book and I enjoyed reading it. Still not a fan of that cover though.

Princess of Souls is a Rapunzel retelling following the main character Selestra. She is a witch awaiting her fate to stay by the king's side as his witch after her mother passes away. Nox, another main character, blinded with revenge attempts to take down the king, planning to use the annual Festival of Predictions. Selestra and Nox's fates become intertwined through the Festival of Predictions. We follow them on their adventure in the book and get to see both of their thoughts throughout. I really liked this book. I connected with all of the characters in the book and enjoyed reading not only Selestra's point of view but also Nox's. I wanted to keep reading and didn't want to put the book down. I was hooked the entire time. There was never a point in the book where I was bored. It was fun to see how the relationship between Selestra and Nox developed and deepened. I was satisfied with the ending and would recommend this book.