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eviethebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? N/A
4.0
Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC!
Calling of Light is the third and final book in the Shamanborn Trilogy. It follows Sirscha who is now the new king’s Shadow. But she’s got more pressing concerns than the rumours that she killed the queen. Namely, the Soulless and the danger Saengo faces from the rot afflicting her.
So I dove into this audiobook without having consumed the previous two. I made sure to get familiar with the main story points of the predecessors of Calling of Light, but it’s not the same as taking the journey alongside the characters. Even so, I was able to comfortably join Sirscha in her battles against conflicting nations, dangerous magic, and seemingly insurmountable foes.
The dynamic between Sirscha and the Soulless is reminiscent of Elspeth and The Nightmare in One Dark Window. He’s an ancient, vengeful being with immense power. She’s connected to the Soulless and struggles to keep his control from overwhelming her.
Sirscha herself reminds me of Fie in The Merciful Crow duology – she’s got a gritty robustness and a fierce loyalty to those she holds in high esteem. Her abilities are almost singular (in that no one else has them), and regarded with suspicion and wariness by most others. But she’s also the key to changing the world. Whether she wants the burden or not.
My favourite aspect of this novel is the way the characters interact with each other. There’s plenty of reference to histories shared and complexities informing their actions, which brings a realness to them. Lee has also done marvellous work with world building. I felt immersed in the landscape from the first minute despite never having stepped foot in the narrative before.
This is the perfect trilogy for those who enjoy fantasy that has undercurrents of politics and dark lore that have kernels of truth in them. Readers of Margaret Owen, Rachel Gillig, and Susan Dennard will all likely find pleasure in the pages of Sirscha’s story.
Calling of Light is the third and final book in the Shamanborn Trilogy. It follows Sirscha who is now the new king’s Shadow. But she’s got more pressing concerns than the rumours that she killed the queen. Namely, the Soulless and the danger Saengo faces from the rot afflicting her.
So I dove into this audiobook without having consumed the previous two. I made sure to get familiar with the main story points of the predecessors of Calling of Light, but it’s not the same as taking the journey alongside the characters. Even so, I was able to comfortably join Sirscha in her battles against conflicting nations, dangerous magic, and seemingly insurmountable foes.
The dynamic between Sirscha and the Soulless is reminiscent of Elspeth and The Nightmare in One Dark Window. He’s an ancient, vengeful being with immense power. She’s connected to the Soulless and struggles to keep his control from overwhelming her.
Sirscha herself reminds me of Fie in The Merciful Crow duology – she’s got a gritty robustness and a fierce loyalty to those she holds in high esteem. Her abilities are almost singular (in that no one else has them), and regarded with suspicion and wariness by most others. But she’s also the key to changing the world. Whether she wants the burden or not.
My favourite aspect of this novel is the way the characters interact with each other. There’s plenty of reference to histories shared and complexities informing their actions, which brings a realness to them. Lee has also done marvellous work with world building. I felt immersed in the landscape from the first minute despite never having stepped foot in the narrative before.
This is the perfect trilogy for those who enjoy fantasy that has undercurrents of politics and dark lore that have kernels of truth in them. Readers of Margaret Owen, Rachel Gillig, and Susan Dennard will all likely find pleasure in the pages of Sirscha’s story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Minor: War and Body horror
bookishmillennial's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Thank you to Hear Our Voices tour, the publisher & the author for a physical ARC!
I loved this ending to the Shamanborn series! Sirscha starts out as being in service to the new King, but then annswers a call from Princess Kyrshia to act as bait for the Soulless to come out of hiding. This is so that the royal shamans can finally take him down. However, Sirscha finds herself teaming up with the Soulless a bit as she uncovers more context which reveals the royals to not be as benevolent as they seem! We learn about the Mountain Spirit, return to the Dead Wood, and Sirscha builds up so much self-regard 😭
Look, I was indeed disappointed that there was zero romance between Sircha and Saengo, because I really thought they would have a friends-to-lovers arc. However, Sirscha’s fierce protection and care for her friends is truly what kept her rooted to making choices she was proud of. I loved that ultimately, though everyone kept trying to define Sirscha or convince her of certain choices, she reminded herself of her humble roots, and the people who were counting on her.
The Soulless continues to be such an intriguing character to me, and I was really happy with how his arc played out in this final installment. I genuinely do adore an adventurous fantasy with a villain that is so layered! I appreciate that every single character (except for maybe Saengo) wasn’t painted in either “good” or “bad” light; they all had shades of grey to them, especially the Soulless.
I am sad to say goodbye to this series, but I am again asking the powers that be to adapt this onscreen for a tv series or a movie trilogy. It would translate so well on screen and would be so much fun to watch!
Thank you to Hear Our Voices tour, the publisher & the author for a physical ARC!
I loved this ending to the Shamanborn series! Sirscha starts out as being in service to the new King, but then annswers a call from Princess Kyrshia to act as bait for the Soulless to come out of hiding. This is so that the royal shamans can finally take him down. However, Sirscha finds herself teaming up with the Soulless a bit as she uncovers more context which reveals the royals to not be as benevolent as they seem! We learn about the Mountain Spirit, return to the Dead Wood, and Sirscha builds up so much self-regard 😭
Look, I was indeed disappointed that there was zero romance between Sircha and Saengo, because I really thought they would have a friends-to-lovers arc. However, Sirscha’s fierce protection and care for her friends is truly what kept her rooted to making choices she was proud of. I loved that ultimately, though everyone kept trying to define Sirscha or convince her of certain choices, she reminded herself of her humble roots, and the people who were counting on her.
The Soulless continues to be such an intriguing character to me, and I was really happy with how his arc played out in this final installment. I genuinely do adore an adventurous fantasy with a villain that is so layered! I appreciate that every single character (except for maybe Saengo) wasn’t painted in either “good” or “bad” light; they all had shades of grey to them, especially the Soulless.
I am sad to say goodbye to this series, but I am again asking the powers that be to adapt this onscreen for a tv series or a movie trilogy. It would translate so well on screen and would be so much fun to watch!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
queer_bookwyrm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: violence, death
Calling of Light by Lori M. Lee is the final book in the Shamanborn trilogy. I loved this one so much 😭! It's definitely my favorite of the three books in the series. There is so much growth from Sirscha, so much heartfelt friendship between all the characters, and it's confirmed that Sirscha and Saengo (probably) is bisexual. Potential spoilers for previous books ahead.
We pick up with Sirscha after the events of the last book, and she is now the King's Shadow. There is a lot of social strife to be dealt with now that King Meilek has freed the Shamanborn. The Shamanborn are naturally angry and distrustful of the soldiers who imprisoned them, and the rest of the non-shamans are wary due to years of prejudice from Queen Meilyr. This is also a time of great political upheaval with a new reign, plus the threat of the Soulless to the Nuvali Empire.
So much happens in this book! We get to learn more about the Mountain Spirit and how it is alive and has a will of its own. We see the return of Kendara, who is seemingly betraying Sirscha, and the continued conflict between the Kazan clans and the Nuvali. The Soulless is such a great villain, because in a lot of ways, he isn't wrong, but his methods are. Lee had me so stressed about Saengo! The ending was so epic and perfect, it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
This was such a wonderful series that had zero romance and focused solely on the friendships between Sirscha, Saengo, Theyen, and Meilek. Wonderful world-building, with beautiful prose, morally gray characters, and political intrigue. I'm sad to see this world go. I'm so glad my friend Kaitee convinced me to read these books!
Calling of Light releases April 16th!
Calling of Light by Lori M. Lee is the final book in the Shamanborn trilogy. I loved this one so much 😭! It's definitely my favorite of the three books in the series. There is so much growth from Sirscha, so much heartfelt friendship between all the characters, and it's confirmed that Sirscha and Saengo (probably) is bisexual. Potential spoilers for previous books ahead.
We pick up with Sirscha after the events of the last book, and she is now the King's Shadow. There is a lot of social strife to be dealt with now that King Meilek has freed the Shamanborn. The Shamanborn are naturally angry and distrustful of the soldiers who imprisoned them, and the rest of the non-shamans are wary due to years of prejudice from Queen Meilyr. This is also a time of great political upheaval with a new reign, plus the threat of the Soulless to the Nuvali Empire.
So much happens in this book! We get to learn more about the Mountain Spirit and how it is alive and has a will of its own. We see the return of Kendara, who is seemingly betraying Sirscha, and the continued conflict between the Kazan clans and the Nuvali. The Soulless is such a great villain, because in a lot of ways, he isn't wrong, but his methods are. Lee had me so stressed about Saengo! The ending was so epic and perfect, it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
This was such a wonderful series that had zero romance and focused solely on the friendships between Sirscha, Saengo, Theyen, and Meilek. Wonderful world-building, with beautiful prose, morally gray characters, and political intrigue. I'm sad to see this world go. I'm so glad my friend Kaitee convinced me to read these books!
Calling of Light releases April 16th!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
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