Filled with the fantasy tropes we all know and love, expect nothing less than star crossed lovers, foretold destinies, evil Kings and misunderstood witches, Princess Of Souls is a light hearted YA adventure across The Six Isles originally introduced in Christo's previous To Kill A Kingdom.

The synopsis may refer to Rapunzel but aside from a girl with long hair in a tower and a few jokes about climbing her braid there really are no other similarities. If you're drawn in specifically by the idea of a retelling, this is not it- though not to its detriment, I still loved it.

For those who enjoyed To Kill A Kingdom, this latest novel is very much in the same vein. The relationships, setting, motives and obstacles are cookie cut but nevertheless a fun read.

Told from the perspectives of Selestra the misled Witch heir and cocky soldier Nox we follow their quest to relieve the Kingdom of its immortal ruler Seryth. Each has their own loveable loyal sidekick and weight of burden to carry.
I didn't find much character development, all end with the same values and personality they started out with. At times I found myself scanning the monologue of the main characters as they slowly and repetitively succumb to the obvious.

The discovery was in the world building and fun in the chase and history of the witches power. The writing and pace flows perfectly and is very easy to read. In particular the battle scenes were some of the best I've read; not overlong and very well choreographed.

If you're looking for a simple escape for a few hours Princess Of Souls is an adventure worth reading.

This book was so much better than I expected. I'm a sucker for books that are retellings and this book did not dissapoint! I absolutely flew through it!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Bonnier Books UK and the author, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was another case of me not really enjoying the first book by the author to absolutely enjoying the second. With To Kill a Kingdom, I couldn't really get into the story. However this book was a blast. Selestra and Nox had proper chemistry and banter. The 2 things you need in a story. Also the magic sytem was relly cool.

Selestra has never seen the world outside the castle fort where she lives. She is beimng groomed to take the place of her mother and become the King's witch whose prime function is to make sure that the king remains immortal by consuming the souls of the subjects who forfeit their souls in the festival of predictions. Nox has only one thought on his mind, revenge and revenge can only come in one form, death to the cruel king who took his father from him. So he decides to participate in the festival. But what he didn't know was that his future is intrincically linked to Selestra'a and they are about to take a journey, which will either save the world and themselves or doom everything.

This book was pretty much the retelling of Rapunzel/ Tangled and the story telling was brilliant comedic points. The danger was palpable in the narration and it switched between POVs of Selestra and Nox.

TW: Blood, Death, Murder, Grief, Loss, Betrayal, Torture, Violence

This one was another book that I was really keen to read - I loved Christo’s previous book set in the same universe - add the premise of a Rapunzel retelling and I was sold.

Whilst I struggled to engage with the two main leads and their connection lacked a little something for me. I enjoyed the setting of this one, and the darker magical elements where Selestra takes people’s souls to elongate the tyrannical king’s life. I also thought a heroine with green hair was pretty cool. There are some great supporting characters in this.

Just what I needed - a fast paced fantasy book from a wonderful author. This was one of my most anticipated reads for the end of the year and it didn’t disappoint. A great stand alone but would do well as a duology!

This is young adult fantasy, set in the same world as To Kill A Kingdom.

Our female main character is the heir to the King's witch, and is limited in what she's allowed to do and locked away in the castle. The male main character is a soldier in the King's army but he wants to kill the king for killing his father. Only problem is, the King's immortal.

Only by working together can they possibly overthrow the king after his hundreds of years of rule.

I thought I would like this more than I did, having really waited To Kill A Kingdom. It just feels very young. It was also positioned as a rapunzel retelling, which I don't think I would have guessed if I hadn't known that going in. There's a couple of mentions about her hair, which is just described as below her waist. And twice the male main character makes a comment about climbing up it - which doesn't seem like it's long enough for that even as a joke!

3.5 stars rounded down to 3

“She's made from dark magic and I can't ever forget it. There's a fire inside of her- if she lets it, it'll burn through the world.”

“I look at him and his eyes glisten with a thousand futures. A thousand hopes and opportunities and life.”

Wow I could not put this book down! Loosely inspired by the tale of Rapuzel, Princess of Souls is tells the story of Selestra, a witch is preparing to take over from her mother, serving the King by predicting the deaths of others and helping him to capture their souls.

However, when she meets Nox, member of the Kings army and son of her old mentor, she sees has a vision of his death that will change the course of her own future. As Selestra and Nox’s fates become more and more entwined, they must work together to survive.

I absolutely loved both Nox and Selestra - both were fantastic characters in their own rights and the banter and tension between them was just top notch! This book was packed full of action, with Selestra and Nox fighting back against death, travelling across kingdoms and revolting against the King.

This was a sexy teen fantasy read with dual POVs, curses, adventure and plenty of tension 🔥 Highly recommend!

‘𝚃𝚘 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐'𝚜 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚒𝚎, 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚒𝚝. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍, 𝚗𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑.’

🍷🍷🍷🍷 / 5

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Review:
Firstly a huge thank you to Insta Book Tours, Hot Keys Publishers and Alexandra Christo for gifting me a copy of this amazing book and for allowing me to be apart of this book tour!

Tangled is by far my favourite Disney film, something about Rapunzle being trapped in a tower away from all those people only to be found by a handsome thief (how is Flynn Rider legally allowed to be that good looking? Just asking for a friend😅) I don’t know it resonates with me😅 that being said Princess of Souls is a far cry from the sunny, kid friendly Disney film. Instead it’s a dark Rapunzle retelling with a lot of death, a wee bit of magic and a revenge plot to kill an immortal king; and let me tell you, it’s definitely one of my favourite fairytale retellings to date!

Compared to To Kill A Kingdom, the fairytale references where a bit more subtle, obviously Selestra has Rapunzle’s iconic long hair, she lives in the tower of a castle owned by the evil king who has basically brainwashed her mother into being his own personal witch (it’s a whole blood oath thing😅). She’s ‘rescued’ (she rescues him more than he rescues her) by a traitorous solider Nox who’s looking for revenge on said King. And eventually they have to cut her hair off to help her blend in and that’s where the similarities end.

Selestra is a sharp witted, headstrong and determined witch who completely sheds the damsel in distress roll and joins the journey to risk everything to save her Kingdom. She’s definitely got a few different motives and is keeping a lot of secrets from Nox, some of which I expected to have a bigger impact on their relationship; I thought Nox would have been a lot madder than he was portrayed to be. But at the end of they day she’s able to push aside her self doubt and step up to fight for what she believes in.

Nox is hell bent on revenge and is irritated that the damsel in distress princess keeps getting in his way. He quickly realises she’s more valuable than he first thought and hatches a plan to help her escape. Nox becomes Selestra’s personal cheerleader, who always reminds her that she can do anything; which played a huge roll in helping her save them all.

Both Nox and Selestra need the other more than they realise; without each other they 110% would have been caught and most definitely killed. They work together really well and have fantastic witty banter.

Princess of Souls is a fast paced YA fantasy with a romantic subplot. It’s set in the same world as To Kill A Kingdom and has several references to TKAK but in a subtle way. Alexandra Christos’ writing is impeccable and although POS is a YA book, her writing style makes it enjoyable for older readers; I think the dark nature of the fairytale helps with this.

For lovers of:
- Fairytale retellings
- Rapunzle
- Dark fairytale retellings
- Enemies to lovers
- Witches & magic
- Quests & plots
- Revenge
- Prisoner x solider

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was a fun stand-alone which kept my interest while I was reading, though I will say that I'm struggling to remember to many elements a couple of weeks later. I like the character of Selestra, though I think it's a bit of a stretch to say this is a Rapunzel-esque story. I thought the relationship between Nox and Selestra was well managed, though I would have liked more development of the relationship between Selestra and her mother. A solid fantasy read.

This was such a fun enjoyable read!
I flew through this book as its fast paced and easy to read but it still has great world building and characters.

The back and forth banter between Selestra and Nox was endearing and hilarious. The plot was interesting and entertaining.
I loved the mix between the Rapunzel and Medusa retelling as Selestra is a witch with long green hair thats locked in a tower by the immortal king.

I wish we got more of a backstory on the side characters Micah and Irenya while they were on the journey with Nox & Selestra we barely heard anything about them.
I would recommend this to YA fantasy romance lovers, you wont be disappointed

Another incredible book from Alexandra.
As with all of the others, I couldn’t put this one down.
It had me gripped right from the start. Alexandra’s writing always transports the reader into the story, you can actually imagine yourself as part of the action.

Selestra was a great character, she was strong and determined to do right despite the pressure from her mother and the king. She would go to any lengths to protect those she cares most about. A strong female role model for any young female.

Nox stole my heart during the first bar scene, he’s a charming, cocky young lad who thinks he knows best. His agony over losing his father gives him great determination to carry out his fathers goals and he won’t let anything stand in his way…even the witch heir.

I really tried to like this book and normally love all books by Hot Key Books but this one was such a chore it took me months to read. It reads like a Scholastic book that hasn’t decided if it’s meant for children or YA. The writing style is quite juvenile, it was very “this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened.” Descriptions were sparse, world building felt underdeveloped. Characters seemed too stereotypical - I would have liked if they were all less black and white and had a little more of a grey area with regards to the good/evil nature of all the characters. The names of the characters were also very cringey and weird. I’m not sure why this was marketed so heavily as a Rapunzel retelling when literally the only similarities are the MC living in a tower and her mother being a witch. This comparison seemed like a massive stretch to me.

I thought this was an incredible book, I actually kept forgetting it was a YA book. I found the characters of Selestra and Nox well rounded and well developed. I enjoyed reading their interactions with eachother as they strove to interpret Selestra's visions. I enjoyed the style of writing, which was full of powerful imagery and description. This incredible book was full of dark magic, revenge and death defying action and I was hooked from the first page. Overall a very thrilling and vibrant story.

“𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦, […] 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵.”

✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮

If you love fantasy, read this book. Really I don’t have much else to say, because it’s worthy of a week long book hangover! I haven’t read any of Alexandra Christo’s books before, but I knew I had to get my hand on this new release after hearing the hype about her previous book. And let me just say, this one did not let me down.

It’s a Rapunzel inspired fantasy novel, and no there was no “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair”, but there was a Princess of Souls locked in a tower and she did have really long hair - just green rather than blonde! But this novel was packed with action, adventure and romance too. There’s also a major theme of found family, which really got me! It was really well crafted, and from a readers point of view I loved the idea of constantly having another possible death looming on the horizon.

Give this a go if you’re even slightly intrigued, because it’s worth it. Thank you so much to Hot Key Books and Alexandra Cristo for my gifted copy, and to Insta Book Tours for my spot on the tour.

𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher Hot Keys books for providing me with an copy for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book Alexandra Christo has captured her audience with this enchanting story and brings you on an amazing adventure. This retelling of Rapunzel an absolute delight I was drawn into the story and didn't stop reading until the very end, I love retellings of fairytales and Alexandra Christo does a great job of making it interesting and exciting, I loved To Kill a Kingdom which was a Little Mermaid retelling, and this was just as amazing great read for the Autumn and Winter season, I love the chemistry between the characters 😍 I will definitely be ordering it for my library and recommending it to friends.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dark Romance & enchanting
Interesting characters and world.

As a huge fan of fairytale retellings I was really excited to dive right into this decadently dark and deliciously enthralling YA fantasy reimagining of Rapunzel, in which Christo skillfully reinvents the eponymous, long haired damsel into a sharp and wickedly compelling witch determined to find a way out of her predestined life of magical servitude—foretelling deaths and stealing souls for the tyrannical, immortal king Seryth.

It’s told through the dual POVs of Selestra and Nox which I really enjoyed—their initial opposition to one another was really intriguing and I loved that we get to explore both of their respective (and deeply emotional) journeys together. Especially when you realise how closely tied they are (thanks to a mutual friend) which I felt really added another layer of dimension to their friendship/ relationship.

I really liked Selestra (our witchy female protagonist) who starts off as a really fearful and cautious young woman eager to inherit her powers if only so she can leave the isolation of her tower. She absolutely despises the king she’ll one day be forced to serve. But it’s not until she and Nox cross paths that we get to see Selestra truly contemplate a life beyond what was predetermined for her—and I loved the confidence and fierceness it begins to inspire in her.

Nox, Selestra’s enemy turned partner in crime (and love interest) was an absolutely phenomenal (and probably my favourite) character; he’s a cocky, charismatic soldier with a laser focus on avenging his father but, when things take a turn for the worse (and his fate ends up entangled with Selestra’s) we get to see a softer more compassionate and complex side to Nox, which I loved. Not to mention how off the charts good his swoon-worthy, enemies to lovers romance with Selestra is!

The world building was gorgeously lush and incredibly immersive—I especially loved the magic system which was darker than I imagined it would be, but deliciously intriguing all the same. If you love your fantasy fast paced and heart-stoppingly action packed then you’re going to absolutely love this, I just wish it was a little longer cause I didn’t want to leave!

Overall, a beautifully written and richly magical reimagining of Rapunzel that all fairytale lovers and witchy YA fans should check out.

Also, huge thank you to Insta Book Tours and Hot Key Books for the stunning finished copy.

As usual, Alexandra Christo doesn’t disappoint!

Princess of soul is a fast paced adventure fantasy with complex but lovable characters.. This book masterfully weaves and intertwines the characters personalities, past and futures to create complex, layered characters and a story that will keep you reading.

The setting, while not overly described, is engrossing and so easy to picture that you can see yourself going through the many trials and tribulations with the characters. The twists and turns, based mainly on character development and their emotions, make for a fantastic YA that is easy to read and will have you wishing it was longer so you could get a bit more of it!

Definitely recommend it for YA fantasy fans!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.


Although I loved the first half of this book, I ultimately didn't finish it because I wasn't attached to the characters at all and the stakes, although described as high, felt non existent.

~ A Rapunzel retelling
~ A witch who can predict deaths
~ A soldier who thinks he can beat death
~ Enemies to lovers

Sign me up!!!!

'They fear us. They hate us. And they’re right to.'

Selestra is the Somniatis witch heir and has basically been locked away in her room for 16 years waiting to take her Mums place alongside King Seryth (who is just evil!). Along comes solider Nox to make his death bargain and Selestra sees more than she wanted to! And this leads to a quest (I do love a quest!)

Here's my loves:

~ 25% in my jaw dropped!
~ The dual points of view,
~ This was a fun fantasy romance read!
~ The dagger to the throat scene - here for that!
~ The best friends Micah and Irenya!
~ Plenty of drama, adventure, shocks and revelations,
~ Selestra and Nox - just them,
~ Selestra and Nox's banter.

Talking about their banter.....this made my knees go weak!

'I could use it to stab you in the back and take Leo’s butterfly for myself.
Nox blinks. Are you flirting with me?
I roll my eyes. I’m threatening to kill you.
A lazy smile spreads across his lips. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference with you.'
#swoon

A special mention to Nox! He is so charismatic! I obviously fell in love with him after a few pages of reading about him and I wasn't the only one!

'That night, I dream only of Nox Laederic.'
Oh me too Selestra, me too!!!!

Thanks to Hot Key Books and Insta Book Tours for my copy, I really enjoyed this read!









'I could use it to stab you in the back and take Leo’s butterfly for myself. Nox blinks. Are you flirting with me? I roll my eyes. I’m threatening to kill you. A lazy smile spreads across his lips. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference with you.'

And this, my friends, is why you should read Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo!

And if that's not enough for you.....

~ A Rapunzel retelling
~ A witch who can predict deaths
~ A soldier who thinks he can beat death
~ Enemies to lovers

I absolutely adored Selestra and Nox and think you will too!

A huge thank you to @hotkeybooksya and @instabooktours for my copy and a spot on the tour!

PRINCESS OF SOULS is a fun, loose "dark Rapunzel" retelling about two characters trying to take down an immortal tyrant and learning to trust one another at the same time.

I enjoyed the adventure aspect of this book, as they break out of a castle and take a hot air balloon (both of which involve a lot of falling from things - I laughed when the characters call this out in-book!) to a distant shore to find a weapon that will help them defeat the king. Along the way, Selestra learns about her magic that has been kept from her to stop her from being a threat.

Selestra starts off the book hating the king and wishing for a way out. This book does not contain a "main character learns that the ruler is evil, having thought they were good, and so their goals change from protecting the ruler to ending the ruler." That's a really common plot at the moment so this felt a little different. It is more about finding opportunity to fulfil goals than gaining new ones and it's complimented by Nox having a goal but not really a plan until he teams up with her and they find one together.

Neither trusts easily (beyond their closest friend) so the pair learning to trust one enough to recognise their attraction makes for a lot of opportunity to deconstruct why they don't trust and why this one person might be able to break down their barriers. The fact that the best friends are along for the ride lets the book balance the romantic subplot with platonic ones (and also allow for group cast dynamics, which I love.)

While this book is technically set in the world of TO KILL A KINGDOM, you don't have to read that book to follow this one. There were no character, plot, or place overlaps that I noticed, so you can dive into the general world of loose retellings with either book and not feel like you're missing out.