Forest of Souls was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020. I was so excited when I finally got my hands on it that I had to force myself to slow down a bit. I’m trying to spend a longer time in books like this because I want to really take my time to contemplate and savour the story. While the story was fast-paced, throwing you into the action immediately, I managed to slow my reading pace comfortably. Lee does a fantastic job of showing rather than telling, so whenever I set the book down I had plenty to think about. Regardless of the fact that I came to the same conclusions as our protagonist as quickly as she did, it allowed me to explore aspects of the story that the author set aside. This only adds to my excitement for the upcoming sequel Spider’s Web, because I want to see how these concepts are brought to fruition. 

The magic system gave me similar vibes to Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse, and this world’s aesthetic felt influenced by series like The Untamed. The lore of this world felt well-developed, and even though we only view the world through a single character’s eyes, I definitely felt like we were provided with more than sufficient world-building. 

My favourite part of this book was the characters. Forest of Souls includes a beautiful sisterly friendship between the protagonist Sirscha and her familiar Saengo. Lee does a fantastic job portraying the platonic love between the two girls and how their situation affects them as individuals and partners. The lack of romance in this book is refreshing but not entirely not existent, as there is definitely a foundation laid down for it. Whatever the author ultimately decides, I can only imagine it being executed well, as her ability to set up characters and their relationships is above average.