“A murky past. A forbidden love. A deathly power.
When the river spits Umbra onto its bank, naked and shivering, the only clue to her identity is the arcane brand seared into her skin. A brand hunted by both a murderous necromancer and a handsome stranger. A brand that thrusts Umbra into a simmering conflict between the ascendant Clans and the nomadic Gherza. A brand that may make her the key to averting all-out war.
The Tree of Souls weaves an intimate tale of dark sorcery, doomed love, and implacable revenge, amid an age-old clash of nations, with all the souls of the living hanging in the balance.”
The Tree of Souls is two stories, cleverly interwoven. One follows Umbra as she struggles to discover who she is, and the other tells the story of Jezarel and Kairiya, one the daughter of the tribe’s leader and due to be married off, and the other an outcast-turned-swordswoman. The moves between the two is excellently done, and I didn’t guess the connection between them until at least halfway through the book – and even at the point it is revealed, I still wasn’t sure! The plot’s fairly complex, but it’s laid out with enough pointers to keep it easy to follow. I liked some of the reveals and the flashbacks are a nice touch that add to the drama. The logic behind the choices was nice, too – I liked that the reasoning for not revealing things (or actually revealing things) all made sense.
The cultures are interesting, with the clans reminding me a little of the Viking culture, and the Gherza echoing the Arabian nomadic tribes. Each thread is done from the view of one culture at the height of its power, seeing the other as the enemy and alien; the contrasts between them lend an extra aspect to the story as it comes together. I liked that the characters were placed within their tribes, their boundaries – their cultures affected them as much as their own desires, and the social and political problems of each decision were given as much thought as the actual personal choices. It made the stakes higher and made the worldbuilding much more immediate.
The characters were also well-done. Jezarel is a spoiled, rebellious girl but it’s never off-putting, and her motives are always clear. Kairiya is interesting with her divided loyalties and constant tear between two cultures; I found that I was rooting for her! She’s a very different personality to Jezarel, and the dynamic between them is one of the things that drives the book. Umbra is likewise interesting; waking up with no memories could have been a cliché, but actually it’s done extremely well. The reveal is slow but keeps enough hooks in to maintain tension and I liked that in the end, it mattered (it’s ok, no spoilers!) The supporting characters and the baddies were excellent; again, I can’t spoil, but there’s some nice double-crossing.
Flaws? I’m not sure there were any. All I can really say is that I wouldn’t re-read it; I liked the world and the characters but I now know the ending, and there isn’t enough depth for me to want to go back. I do get bored with emotions and resolutions hinging on the love of a man, but I can’t really argue – it works, and in this case it’s done very well. So overall? A well-told and interesting story with some nice plot twists and characters. Worth a read.
© Kate Coe, June 2016
The Tree of Souls by Katrina Archer
Published May 1st 2016 by Ganache Media
http://www.katrinaarcher.com/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher
402 pages
