Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee | ARC Review

A YA Fantasy That Reminds Me Why I Love the Genre

The Highlights:

• Best example of “Tropes aren’t bad!”
• No romance, and it’s done well
• The writing is SO good
• Sticks the landing with a cliffhanger I could swoon over

I’ve been struggling with YA fantasy a lot lately. So many of the books I’ve read in the genre in the last couple years have just fallen flat for me. Forest of Souls reminded me why I fell in love with the genre in the first place. I could feel it pretty much immediately when I started reading, I just knew this was a book I was going to love, and I so did.

There are constantly comments online picking at tropes. They’re overused, they’re just not good, on and on to the point that it seems as though a lot of tropes are viewed as a bad thing. That’s just not true though, and Forest of Souls is the perfect example of why. Tropes can be so good, when they’re done right. When they have a fresh spin on them. From the headstrong female protagonist who’s training to be an assassin to the hints at a ‘chosen one’, there are aspects of this book that we’ve all seen before. But they’re done in such a unique way, giving this story it’s own life. I never felt like I was reading a different version of the same story I’ve read countless times. I felt like I was reading a new story that played on things that have made me love so many other stories, and that made the whole reading experience so delightful.

One thing that really surprised me in Forest of Souls is the lack of a romance subplot. It’s actually pretty unusual for me to like a book with little to no romance, because I’m all about a good love story. But this book didn’t even make me blink in that regard. The story was so good, the characters so compelling on their own, that it didn’t need romance. And I think this is something that will recommend it to a lot of readers who are tired of reading those sorts of stories. And don’t let the lack of romance hold you back, like I said, this story is strong on its own without it (and that’s coming from someone who has disliked other books for the same reason).

The writing here is fantastic. I feel like I’ve been missing out because this is the first book I’ve read by Lori M. Lee. The characters are dynamic, unique personalities. The plot is at once familiar and surprising, settling the reader into a sense of security before ripping the rug out with a twist. I was never bored while reading, instead I found myself more and more excited to continue all the way through to the end. And that end! Look, I’ve had some cliffhanger issues lately, and all I can say is THAT is how you do a good cliffhanger.

I absolutely loved Forest of Souls. It was everything I want in a YA fantasy book, with a few extra things I didn’t even know I wanted. Perfect for fans of the Grishaverse books or There Will Come A Darkness, this is a book that I’ll definitely be pushing into the hands of my fantasy-loving friends. I can’t give it high enough praise or recommend it enough, and I’ll be counting down the days til the sequel is released.