This review does contain spoilers.
Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo is a loosely-inspired YA fantasy retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale. It follows Selestra Somniatis, a witch heir stuck in her tower in the castle, and Nox Laederic, a soldier in the First Army, as their fates become tied through the Festival of Predictions. Selestra is groomed by the King of the Six Isles, Seryth, and her mother, Theola, to foretell death and steal souls that feeds the king's immortality. Nox is a soldier in King Seryth's army, but he goes into the Festival with no plans of dying or receiving a wish; he is there to kill the king, his witch, and his heir. When Selestra gives Nox his death prediction, she also sees her own, and the two become tied together by fate.
I do understand the Rapunzel comparison for this story, but it is only very loosely inspired by the fairy tale. I found that the only comparisons to the original fairy tale were of the girl stuck in a tower and her long hair. I could see more comparisons to the Disney movie Tangled, with Selestra as Rapunzel and Nox as Flynn Rider. Selestra was rescued from her tower, but only because Selestra asked for help to escape. The novel departs from the original tale after that, and that's not a bad thing because then we get an original story with plot points we don’t already know about.
The main protagonists are Selestra and Nox, whose fates become tied as they work together to take down the evil king. The antagonists are King Seryth and Theola, his witch, the leaders of the Six Isles who rule with fear and need to keep the witch heir at their sides. I didn't find anything wrong with these characters' developments and roles in the story. Micah and Irenya were supporting characters that kind of felt unnecessary. Initially, Irenya was important because she was Selestra's only friend in the castle, the only person she could talk to about pretty much anything, but she doesn't hold that same importance once the four set off on their journey. Micah didn't initially hold that same importance, and he was mainly there to comment on how reckless Nox is any chance he got. In the end, he felt more like a character written to be killed off and make the final battle seem more realistic. Eldara, a relative of Selestra's and the magic weapon Nox and his father had sought to kill the king, also died, but she didn't feel like a character included just to be killed off; she instead sacrificed herself to give Selestra the power she needed to succeed in her mission, so her death had more of a purpose.
Overall, I did enjoy this story and its message of feeling stuck in your destiny but overcoming it to choose your own destiny. I haven't read any of Christo's other works, and I look forward to picking up To Kill a Kingdom in the near future.
Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo is a loosely-inspired YA fantasy retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale. It follows Selestra Somniatis, a witch heir stuck in her tower in the castle, and Nox Laederic, a soldier in the First Army, as their fates become tied through the Festival of Predictions. Selestra is groomed by the King of the Six Isles, Seryth, and her mother, Theola, to foretell death and steal souls that feeds the king's immortality. Nox is a soldier in King Seryth's army, but he goes into the Festival with no plans of dying or receiving a wish; he is there to kill the king, his witch, and his heir. When Selestra gives Nox his death prediction, she also sees her own, and the two become tied together by fate.
I do understand the Rapunzel comparison for this story, but it is only very loosely inspired by the fairy tale. I found that the only comparisons to the original fairy tale were of the girl stuck in a tower and her long hair. I could see more comparisons to the Disney movie Tangled, with Selestra as Rapunzel and Nox as Flynn Rider. Selestra was rescued from her tower, but only because Selestra asked for help to escape. The novel departs from the original tale after that, and that's not a bad thing because then we get an original story with plot points we don’t already know about.
The main protagonists are Selestra and Nox, whose fates become tied as they work together to take down the evil king. The antagonists are King Seryth and Theola, his witch, the leaders of the Six Isles who rule with fear and need to keep the witch heir at their sides. I didn't find anything wrong with these characters' developments and roles in the story. Micah and Irenya were supporting characters that kind of felt unnecessary. Initially, Irenya was important because she was Selestra's only friend in the castle, the only person she could talk to about pretty much anything, but she doesn't hold that same importance once the four set off on their journey. Micah didn't initially hold that same importance, and he was mainly there to comment on how reckless Nox is any chance he got. In the end, he felt more like a character written to be killed off and make the final battle seem more realistic. Eldara, a relative of Selestra's and the magic weapon Nox and his father had sought to kill the king, also died, but she didn't feel like a character included just to be killed off; she instead sacrificed herself to give Selestra the power she needed to succeed in her mission, so her death had more of a purpose.
Overall, I did enjoy this story and its message of feeling stuck in your destiny but overcoming it to choose your own destiny. I haven't read any of Christo's other works, and I look forward to picking up To Kill a Kingdom in the near future.