Forest of Souls (Shamanborn Series, 1)

Before I give my review, I just want to say that this year, I started to pick up reading in order to expand my mind and creativity. I don’t know what makes a book great or amazing, I only speak on what the book made ‘me’ feel. I picked up this book for two main reasons: it is of my favorite genre which is fantasy and the author is Hmong which resonates well with me. This is also the first book I completed in some years and I am really glad that it was. Anyways, here goes my review, take it as you will. Sirscha Ashwyn is a young woman who has very little, almost practically nothing, who tries to find her place in the world of ‘Thiy’. Throughout the book, she makes many mistakes and as she overcomes one problem, another one comes up. I find that Lori does an amazing job with building the world of ‘Thiy’. There is a lot of information to take in so all the terms can be a little overwhelming, especially in the first few chapters, but it gets easier over the course of the book plus there is a glossary which helps you with some of the terms in case you forget (this can be a con to some people, but I actually love the idea of being able to reflect back to the glossary). Reading it blindly, I was taken aback at all the Hmong inspirations in the book. I genuinely smiled when I came across words like ‘tshauv ntaws’ and ‘sab hlee’. Lori’s writing is amazing and while reading, I was able to visualize every town, every dialogue and every fight scene in my head. There were very few times, if any, where I had to go back and re-read a line. The magic system is very neat, similar to that of ‘Avatar’ and RPG video games. Hopefully, in the next two books, it gets explored more. The best thing about the book though, is definitely the characters. Sirscha is a great main character who makes for an amazing role model for young girls, especially Hmong girls who are often told that they can’t do something just because of who they are. Seeing her become vulnerable throughout the book and still finding a way to stand up makes her such a badass. Then there’s Saengo, her best friend and probably my favorite character. There’s just a charm about Saengo that really draws me to her. She is pretty much the polar opposite of Sirscha, a noble who has everything but something happens and she loses all of that. She pretty much ends up becoming Sirscha and although the book doesn’t cover her struggles much, it really makes me want to read book 2 to see how she develops. The friendship and interactions between the two are heartwarming as they each encourage one another. There are so many other characters who I enjoyed as well such as Theyen and Phaut. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the first book of the Shamanborn series. There are some tropes but Forest of Souls did a great job introducing the world, characters, and all the systems, setting up for book 2. I really do recommend this book for those who enjoys the fantasy genre. Through this book, I was inspired creatively so thank you Lori Lee! Now onto the next.

It's been a long time since I read a YA fantasy that's truly blown me away. Lori M. Lee took everything I love about fantasy and put it into the masterpiece that is Forest of Souls. It's got the complex politics and world state, a painstakingly beautiful magic system, and characters that readers will fall in love with. The entire time I read this book, I was constantly thinking about how this was a book I wished I had during middle schoolOne of the best parts of this book was how relationship-driven it was. From the start, Sirscha and Saengo's bond captivates you; it's clear that the two of them would do anything to protect the other one. As a reader, I really enjoy books that focus on sisterly bonds and let the girls protect each other and kick butt. There was no romance at all and I found it incredibly refreshing! I loved that Sirscha's priorities were saving Saengo and then maybe saving the world. Now don't get me wrong, there are two male characters that are interesting in their own ways, but narratively they serve as Sirscha's allies and I greatly enjoyed seeing those friendships develop over the book as well. For once in my life I can't choose a favorite either; Meilek and Theyen both had fun personalities. It's a crime I have to wait so long before I get more content about them.In terms of world-building, no one, absolutely NO ONE is doing world-building like Lori M. Lee. She put so much thought into how she wanted the politics of her world to play out. Each of the kingdoms have these unique features and political motivations that make them stand out, making it easy for readers to follow along as politics are discussed throughout the book. Plus as the book nears the end, a lot of unexpected political moves come into play and as suddenly all the history discussed in the books starts to make the political motivations more clear.Another strength of this book was the magic system. Lee does a great job of creating this huge world with different kingdoms and then giving each kingdom unique magic types to set them apart. While we don't get scenes with ALL the magic systems in play, there's lot of discussion about how the magic ties into the politics of each realm. Which then influences how the different realms interact with each other. I enjoyed that the magic and the politics of the world were so closely intertwined throughout the story an it made the setting more interesting.Finally, it's a recurring theme throughout the novel that Sirscha desperately wants to belong somewhere. She constantly assessing her decisions to see if they would help her get credibility from her mentor, even when said mentor is nowhere to be seen. Since the target audience of this book is teenagers, I thought it was incredibly fitting that its main themes are ones of being accepted and finding a place to belong. While many teenagers aren't dealing with problems on the same level as Sirscha, it's easy to relate to her struggle of feeling left out. The book doesn't end with specific answer either, since its a trilogy, it leaves a lot more room to explore this specific theme in the next novels. However, Sirscha is constantly coming back to Saengo and doing things to help her survive, so I'd argue that the bonds of friendship are what truly helps Sirscha find belonging. Finding someone, even just one person who understands your soul, is worth risking your life for. That's what makes this book so powerful. That is why I am ordering multiple copies of this book to sit on my classroom shelf.Overall, this was a PHENOMENAL debut story. I enjoyed every aspect of it and I cannot wait to see what will happen next.

Read through this so fast and fell so in love with the characters (aside from the main characters, Theyen is a fave!). I love that the focuses on friendship and sisterhood. The action was fast paced and I couldn't peel my eyes away towards the end of the book. The world building is just sooo decadent. Can't wait for the sequel!

Absolutely stunning.This book got me hooked from the first line. The characters are all good written and the plot is mind blowing. It’s a dark magical tale with a wonderful friendship. I don’t want to spoil anything but this is absolutely a must read. The author has become one of my favorites and I will be anxiously waiting for the sequel! This is your sign to go read forest of souls. I assure you, you won’t regret

This book was just amazing really, I read it so fast. Sirscha is just an amazing character, so is Saengo an their beautiful sisterhood. Also I am so in love with Theyen and Meilik and hope we get to see more of them in the next book! I loved everything about this and cannot wait to see how it will desenvolve in Broken Web. Super recommendation for 2021!