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mxsallybend's review against another edition
5.0
My head hurts almost as much as my heart after turning the final pages of The Memory of Souls, but knowing that Jenn Lyons is currently writing book 4, The House of Always, has me healing . . . and smiling.
This was insane, chaotic, and often confusing – but wonderfully so. It’s a beautiful mess of characters and relationships that defies either convention or description. I’ve read plenty of fantasy dealing with reincarnation and past lives, but never like this . . . never to this degree. This is a story where past lives are just that – plural – and where longevity plus reincarnation combine to make for complex, cross-generational, sometimes incestuous family dynamics. Nobody is just one person, one life, one memory, and sometimes the whole of one’s soul is very different than the sum of their lives.
Whereas so much of epic fantasy is about saving the world, this series (and this volume in particular) is more about not destroying the world. It’s been saved more than once already, but each respite is shorter than the last, while the price grows higher each time – and yet everyone seems determined to save it again, in the exact same way, expecting a different result. The very definition of insanity. It’s Kihrin who refuses to accept that, who questions the motives of gods, guardians, and immortals, and who is prepared to give up everything to make it work this time. We trust him because he’s supposed to be the hero, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to changing my mind on that multiple times before this volume was through.
Getting back to those characters and their relationships, how Lyons not only validates the emotional triangle between Kihrin, Janel, and Teraeth but explores the complex romance dynamic of a potentially polyamorous triad – one with reincarnation issues and a question of gender fluidity – is perhaps the most satisfying aspect of the novel. After so much will-they-won’t-they in The Name of All Things, we get pivotal moments of coming out, confession, and (yes) copulation. I really hope that relationship gets a chance to continue evolving because it’s fantastic. The other relationship we’re granted insights and revelations into is that of the Kihrin, Relos Var, and Vol Karoth, and it sets up that final scene that broke my heart.
As for that gender-fluidity, I love what Lyons has done here with the possibilities of gender. There’s simple reincarnation into different genders; races such as the voramer and morgage who are born male but become female later in life; the magically gifted vane who can alter their gender and appearance over time; and the treacherous mimics who can become anyone at will. There’s a whole question of romance, inheritance, and bloodlines that hinges upon gender, not because same-sex marriage is an issue, but because childbearing is far more problematic.
As for saving or not destroying the world, this is a book that builds to what seems impossible heights, making you wonder how Lyons will ever pull off a climax, but she absolutely nails it. The finale here is big, bold, violent, and full of magic. It involves dragons and demons, mortals and immortals, gods and guardians, and for a book about reincarnation, there are some ‘final’ deaths that threaten to change everything going forward.
As has been the case all along, The Memory of Souls is a book you really must read closely to enjoy. The different narrative voices have nuances and perspectives that alter the story, there are questions of who actually wrote what, and the footnotes are a reading experience in and of themselves. I freely admit, I was getting lost and frustrated reading this as an e-ARC, but once the hardcover landed on my doorstep I sat down, curled up by the window, and devoured the second half over a weekend.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2020/08/18/book-review-the-memory-of-souls-by-jenn-lyons/
This was insane, chaotic, and often confusing – but wonderfully so. It’s a beautiful mess of characters and relationships that defies either convention or description. I’ve read plenty of fantasy dealing with reincarnation and past lives, but never like this . . . never to this degree. This is a story where past lives are just that – plural – and where longevity plus reincarnation combine to make for complex, cross-generational, sometimes incestuous family dynamics. Nobody is just one person, one life, one memory, and sometimes the whole of one’s soul is very different than the sum of their lives.
Whereas so much of epic fantasy is about saving the world, this series (and this volume in particular) is more about not destroying the world. It’s been saved more than once already, but each respite is shorter than the last, while the price grows higher each time – and yet everyone seems determined to save it again, in the exact same way, expecting a different result. The very definition of insanity. It’s Kihrin who refuses to accept that, who questions the motives of gods, guardians, and immortals, and who is prepared to give up everything to make it work this time. We trust him because he’s supposed to be the hero, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to changing my mind on that multiple times before this volume was through.
Getting back to those characters and their relationships, how Lyons not only validates the emotional triangle between Kihrin, Janel, and Teraeth but explores the complex romance dynamic of a potentially polyamorous triad – one with reincarnation issues and a question of gender fluidity – is perhaps the most satisfying aspect of the novel. After so much will-they-won’t-they in The Name of All Things, we get pivotal moments of coming out, confession, and (yes) copulation. I really hope that relationship gets a chance to continue evolving because it’s fantastic. The other relationship we’re granted insights and revelations into is that of the Kihrin, Relos Var, and Vol Karoth, and it sets up that final scene that broke my heart.
As for that gender-fluidity, I love what Lyons has done here with the possibilities of gender. There’s simple reincarnation into different genders; races such as the voramer and morgage who are born male but become female later in life; the magically gifted vane who can alter their gender and appearance over time; and the treacherous mimics who can become anyone at will. There’s a whole question of romance, inheritance, and bloodlines that hinges upon gender, not because same-sex marriage is an issue, but because childbearing is far more problematic.
As for saving or not destroying the world, this is a book that builds to what seems impossible heights, making you wonder how Lyons will ever pull off a climax, but she absolutely nails it. The finale here is big, bold, violent, and full of magic. It involves dragons and demons, mortals and immortals, gods and guardians, and for a book about reincarnation, there are some ‘final’ deaths that threaten to change everything going forward.
As has been the case all along, The Memory of Souls is a book you really must read closely to enjoy. The different narrative voices have nuances and perspectives that alter the story, there are questions of who actually wrote what, and the footnotes are a reading experience in and of themselves. I freely admit, I was getting lost and frustrated reading this as an e-ARC, but once the hardcover landed on my doorstep I sat down, curled up by the window, and devoured the second half over a weekend.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2020/08/18/book-review-the-memory-of-souls-by-jenn-lyons/
magicalmysmalin's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent third installment. Kept me gasping in horror, or from laughing too much. So many plots revealed! Also, EVEN MORE QUESTIONS! Will we ever find out what Relos Var’s true intentions are? Will he ever stop being a giant, secretive twatwaffle? Probably not, but WHO KNOWS! Excited to read the next one.
nela's review against another edition
5.0
"This isn’t about love," Therin continued. "This is about being adult enough to own our mistakes. Admit to me you made one, and maybe we can still have a future together."
I don't take back anything bad I have said about this series, but I'm also very invested and will cry if one of my favorites dies
I don't take back anything bad I have said about this series, but I'm also very invested and will cry if one of my favorites dies
indigosummers's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
twowhoodles's review against another edition
5.0
Just phenomenal pacing, excellent job keeping it clear what everyone’s relationship is to everyone else. Loving the divided loyalties, occasional alliances, and figuring out if the end game is what everyone wants then why fight about the methods?
The touches of humor are very funny and help make the characters feel real and not just fantasy stereotypes. I’m excited to see what happens next.
The touches of humor are very funny and help make the characters feel real and not just fantasy stereotypes. I’m excited to see what happens next.
ash_tidke's review against another edition
5.0
I feel like I’m too much of an emotional mess after that ending (WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL) to review TMoS but here we go anyways.
We’re back to Kihrin and his friends after the end of TNoAT, and everything starts going deeper and darker and unfortunately sadder too. As with the previous two books, the characters are beautifully drawn, and we so much dismantling of toxic masculinity and homophobia. A particular section where Kihrin thinks about his views on sexuality and utterly destroys them OWNS me. More than that, Jenn Lyons opens up a lot of possibility for polyamory and we see so much diversity as with her other books. And, an ACTUAL LOVE TRIANGLE. Not a love hate or whatever thing you normally see, but an actual TRIANGLE.
Anyways, the plot was so much fun and we see much more of this world and get a variety of so many POV’s—ranging from Grizzst to Talea to Kihrin to Janel to even Teraeth! None of it ever went too fast, and I love the moral
complexity of this novel as the main character question whether what the Eight Immortals tell them to do is actually the right decision. We see so much more of this world, and gain a lot of insight to vanè society, and as always, there’s a multitude of weird and wonderful creatures—as well as dragons because who doesn’t love dragons??!!!!
I’d write more but I’m still so ruined by what Jenn did to Kihrin and co. I don’t think I can write anymore. Anyways, I’m super excited for The House of Always and can’t wait to see what happens next!!
We’re back to Kihrin and his friends after the end of TNoAT, and everything starts going deeper and darker and unfortunately sadder too. As with the previous two books, the characters are beautifully drawn, and we so much dismantling of toxic masculinity and homophobia. A particular section where Kihrin thinks about his views on sexuality and utterly destroys them OWNS me. More than that, Jenn Lyons opens up a lot of possibility for polyamory and we see so much diversity as with her other books. And, an ACTUAL LOVE TRIANGLE. Not a love hate or whatever thing you normally see, but an actual TRIANGLE.
Anyways, the plot was so much fun and we see much more of this world and get a variety of so many POV’s—ranging from Grizzst to Talea to Kihrin to Janel to even Teraeth! None of it ever went too fast, and I love the moral
complexity of this novel as the main character question whether what the Eight Immortals tell them to do is actually the right decision. We see so much more of this world, and gain a lot of insight to vanè society, and as always, there’s a multitude of weird and wonderful creatures—as well as dragons because who doesn’t love dragons??!!!!
I’d write more but I’m still so ruined by what Jenn did to Kihrin and co. I don’t think I can write anymore. Anyways, I’m super excited for The House of Always and can’t wait to see what happens next!!
eastofthesunwestofthemoon's review against another edition
4.0
I did enjoy this third book in the series, but in the middle of reading it I had an eye problem and had to put it on hold for several weeks before finally finishing. This was not necessarily a bad thing, as I tend to get over-saturated with these really long books which are parts of big, epic series.
peppermint0il's review against another edition
5.0
this entire book made me lose my mind i cld not stop reading it omg
bethany_thornton's review against another edition
Received an ARC from netgalley for an honest review.
I have loved this series from when I received the very first arc. This book is definitely my favourite in the series. The second felt a bit jumbled, I had to get past it and was a shock compared to the first book.
I love the characters. They are black and white and they have their own purpose, their own agenda. I like how they interact with each other and its worth the slow burn.
The world building is intricate and delightful. Its enough to make you reread and find something new everytime. It also enough to keep the pacing alive. Sometimes authors get too caught up in world building and they start flagging.
We get new POV, new cliffhangers, new plots and me certainly wishing for more new books. Every book is better than the last and I think it can't be topped. I cannot wait for the next one.
I have loved this series from when I received the very first arc. This book is definitely my favourite in the series. The second felt a bit jumbled, I had to get past it and was a shock compared to the first book.
I love the characters. They are black and white and they have their own purpose, their own agenda. I like how they interact with each other and its worth the slow burn.
The world building is intricate and delightful. Its enough to make you reread and find something new everytime. It also enough to keep the pacing alive. Sometimes authors get too caught up in world building and they start flagging.
We get new POV, new cliffhangers, new plots and me certainly wishing for more new books. Every book is better than the last and I think it can't be topped. I cannot wait for the next one.