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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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