A lovely twist on a Rapunzel fantasy story. This story is based back in the world of To Kill a Kingdom but no way linked.
I enjoyed the characters which were well written but unfortunately felt that some of the side characters didn’t get enough page time. The plot was good but I did find it a little overwhelming at times with information. The dual POV between Nox and Selestra really helps the story as you get to know the characters and there relationship.
I’m a huge fan of enemies to loves and this one ticked the box for me.
The ending of the book was excellent and I truly enjoyed reading this book.


Thank you to Bonnier Books UK (Hot Key Books) ,NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To Kill a Kingdom has been on my TBR for forever however when I saw this available as an ARC, I couldn't resist requesting it to see what this was like to. It is reportedly set in the same world as TKAK however it can very easily be read as a stand-alone and whilst the setting is the same the characters are not.

I love a storytale re-telling so was looking forward to reading this Rapunzel-esque story. Now I can see some very small slight similarities; the young girl, kidnapped by the witch; the links between God and mortal; even potentially the immeasurable beauty, the long hair and the young soldier but that is about it.

Now most reviews I saw for this suggested they were hooked from the beginning but their interest waned as they got further through. I instead struggled initially to get into this book, I really had to persevere to begin to like any of the characters. They did however grow on me and I found myself wanting to know the outcome of the story. That said it felt a little rushed, or maybe lacking in depth. I enjoyed the foursome travelling across the isles and would have happily enjoyed longer sections or even books completing trials and tasks at each on the quest to destroy the King and his Witch. There was instead so much rammed into this book that nothing was done in significant detail, even the trials didn't feel like trials and I was surprised all three were done and the end sequence completed.

Overall therefore the premise was great but it was just a bit lacking.

This was a thrilling and exciting read. I loved how it mixed fantasy and action with hints of romance in there. The writing was done really well and i flew through this book as it kept me hooked all the way through. Selestra was an interesting character to follow and i liked how she developed over the course of the novel. Nox was written well and there were only a couple of places where i didn't love his character. I really hope there's a follow up to this as i loved this one!

This is a story set in the same world as To kill a kingdom, not a sequel but in the same world setting. I enjoyed this just as much as the first in the series. Echoes of Rapunzel and the Disney version Tangled. The character were interesting and complex. Loved it !

Princess of Souls is described as a Rapunzel retelling so I was seriously excited to read it. It's literally everything you want in YA novel. An FMC who finds inner strength, action, romance, witches and an evil soul stealing king!

This novel veers quite far from the original fairy tale, but it stands as a great book. Selestra is a Somniatis witch. When she eventually comes of age she'll inherit her mother's powers and will help the king by stealing souls to keep him immortal. She's resigned to her fate until Nox, a soldier in the last army, decides he'll compete in the King's tournament where he could sacrifice his soul and his life. Their fates become connected and Selestra finds herself on a journey to keep them both alive and avoid the fate of her family.

The characters of Selestra and Nox are fantastic. I kind of get FBBA Hawke/Poppy vibes from the two with their banter at times. They've got a great little enemies to lovers thing going on. This is a really fun fantasy novel with a fast plot that keeps you turning the pages and uttering the phrase, "one more chapter" again and again.

I really enjoyed this book and will look out for more by this author. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Princess of Souls was my second read from Alexandra Christo and I loved it. Fairytale retellings are one of my favourite genres of books and this one was done very well. For those who don’t know Princess of Souls is a Rapunzel retelling, which is one of my favourite stories. The beauty of this book is how subtle the references are, bar a few which were obvious for comedic reasons. The essence of Rapunzel was always present, but Princess of Souls was very much its own story.

The world building was incredibly rich but at no point did I find myself lost and confused. The pacing at the beginning of the story was set out carefully and it really allowed the Six Isles to grow before your very eyes. After learning about each isle I would love to see a book set in each one, especially as a few of them have different types of witches.

Selestra, one of our main characters, was wonderful. She is a witch from the Somniatis line and is therefore sworn to serve the king once she turns eighteen. She is taught that her powers will not allow her to touch anyone without her seeing their death. Leading to her living a lonely life. Until the age of sixteen Selestra is sheltered within a tower with only one friend. Throughout the course of the book you see her go through a lot. From this she grows immensely as a character and I really liked her.

Nox, our second main character, is a soldier in the kings army. His fate is tied to Selestra in their first meeting and it only goes downhill from there. He is very headstrong, but has a goofy side. I really liked his character, even when he was planning his revenge to kill the king and Selestra.

When it comes to Alexandra Christo’s work I have come to expect an epic adventure and Princess of Souls did not let me down. I won’t say too much as I don’t like posting spoilers but I’ll give you three words: hot air balloon.

If you were a fan of To Kill A Kingdom then you absolutely need to read Princess of Souls. I’m not sure which is my favourite of the two just yet, To Kill A Kingdom just about has the edge as its about sirens, but Princess of Souls was just as amazing.

I loved To Kill a Kingdom and being back in that world was an absolute delight! I really enjoyed reading it. The premise and plot were pretty interesting but I have to say, where it felt flat for me was definitely the romance. I think I was expecting a lot when it came to an enemies to lovers romance but I didn’t love the way it was done. Overall though, I think it was a pretty good book.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading Princess of Souls, it took me completely by surprise! Princess of Souls really grabbed me and I was invested in the story and characters!

I liked the references to Rapunzel, it's loosely a retelling but has its own separate plot too. I didn't find many references to To Kill a Kingdom but I don't really remember a lot of the world from that book anyway, so I probably just didn't connect the dots. For a standalone fantasy, it was quite impressive how much plot was packed in, the pace is fast and it held my attention throughout.

I enjoyed the magic system, the death visions and taking souls for power was really interesting and I found the magic system quite easy to follow.

Selestra and Nox had the true enemies to lovers arc that I wanted in To Kill a Kingdom, right from the start Nox hates Selestra for being a witch and it takes a while for her to gain his trust. There's a lot of banter between them which was a lot of fun and the side characters, Micah and Irenya, had great personalities too.

If you like Daughter of the Pirate King, Belladonna, Fable or The Drowned Woods then I recommend giving Princess of Souls a go!

I was initially really excited. But the story fell a bit flat.
I found it hard to connect with the characters, Selestra and Nox just weren’t as developed as they could be.

The world building was also really good, I love when fantasy books do a great job in describing how the world is, so you can just about immerse yourself further into the book.

Over all a decent book!

Loved loved this one!! Gripping and exciting and as always a fab read and can't wait to see what this author does next :)

I'm not totally sure how this is a retelling of Rapunzel, but that didn't stop me loving it! Selestra is a witch, heir to a powerful magic that uses the souls of the people to grant immortality to the King. She becomes accidentally wrapped up with Nox, a young soldier who wants to avenge the death of his father.

The world building in this novel was fantastic, weaving a brilliant adventure with strong characters. I was gripped from the start and fascinated by the magic.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Bonnier Books UK (Hot Key Books) and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For sixteen years, Selestra Somniatis has been trapped in a castle on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother’s place as King Seryth’s right hand. Tied by blood to steal souls for the immortal King of the Six Isles, the Somniatis Witch foretells the deaths of participants in the Festival of Predictions. 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. As a soldier in King Seryth’s army, Nox Laederic is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but he has no plans to die at the hands of the King or his witches. His plan is more akin to violent revenge: steal the King’s immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra herself. But when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, she sees her own death alongside his--their fates are unmistakably intertwined, and Selestra is no longer safe in the only home she’s ever known. Nox and Selestra will have to enter a turbulent alliance in order to survive long enough to free the Six Isles from King Seryth’s clutches and escape the new fate that hunts them.

Selestra feels rather naive about the world. She’s afraid of her abilities and even though she goes on a journey to new places, I don’t feel like she personally goes on much of a journey. There’s little growth to her character and I would expect quite a bit considering what this story is about. Towards the end, her personality seems to change suddenly and I felt very blindsided by it. We didn’t get to experience that perfect gradual change, keeping key parts of her the same whilst allowing her to establish herself as who she truly is. Instead, we get a Selestra who is suddenly different. It just felt too unrealistic to me.
Nox is someone driven by revenge and by all accounts, a character to keep an eye on and possibly swoon over. This wasn’t the case for me. He felt so lacklustre and one-dimensional that I felt rather disinterested in what happened to him. Sure he has a tragic backstory and swaggers his way through life, but I feel I never got to know the real him. For me, it felt like I was occasionally reading in a small side character’s view, one that added little to the plot.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book. I contemplated DNFing it but curiosity had me by the throat and I had to finish it. The synopsis had me gripped and I really thought this was going to be the book for me. I’ve previously enjoyed Christo’s writing and hoped to do so again. But sadly not. This is meant to be an enemies to lovers story and if you know me, you know just how much I adore those. But I felt so meh about Selestra and Nox together. They felt so disconnected that I could scarcely see them as friends, let alone more. The overall story felt repetitive - I see your death, tell you I don’t want to again, death scenario plays out and we survive, more crap happens, and then repeat. Dual POV should have helped elevate this story too, offering different perspectives and insights to the events occurring but with no connection to the characters, I probably could have just read this as a singular POV story and come to the same conclusions. The ending felt as if it had been built up too much so felt underwhelming when it finally reached that point. Death occurred but it felt pointless and unnecessary. There were some twists that popped up along the way but there was little oomph to them that they didn’t help enhance the story in my mind. It’s such a shame because others have very much enjoyed this book and I hoped to join them. I’d have to say this is more of a 2.5⭐️ for me but I’ll round it up to 3.

Overall, Princess of Souls is a story that fell very flat for me and, sadly, isn’t enjoyable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to Bonnier Books UK (Hot Key Books) and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review, so here we go 💖

Rating: 5/5⭐️

Princess of Souls is a Rapunzel-inspired YA Romance about a witch groomed to steal souls for an immortal king, and a reckless, rebellious boy whom her fate is tied.

For sixteen years, Selestra Somniatis has been trapped in a castle on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother's place as King Seryth's right hand.
Tied by blood to steal souls for the immortal King of the Six Isles, the Somniatis Witch foretells the deaths of participants in the Festival of Predictions. 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.

As a soldier in King Seryth's army, Nox Laederic is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but he has no plans to die at the hands of the King or his witches. His plan is more akin to violent revenge: steal the King's immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra herself. But when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, she sees her own death alongside his--their fates are unmistakably intertwined, and Selestra is no longer safe in the only home she's ever known. Nox and Selestra will have to enter a turbulent alliance in order to survive long enough to free the Six Isles from King Seryth's clutches and escape the new fate that hunts them.

I’ve previously read another book from Alexandra Christo and I love her writing. It’s compelling, easy to follow and magical. And just like her To Kill a Kingdom, Princess of Souls also has a beautiful dark twist to a classic fairytale - Rapunzel. This dual POV is really good, both Selestra and Nox are incredibly interesting characters to know and follow so it was delightful to read both POVs at honestly, any time throughout the book!

Rich characters with rich plots and developments and if you like Romantasies with a twist of fairytale, enemies-to-lovers, courageous heroines, rebellious hero’s, found family and happy endings, then you are in for a treat!

Make sure to keep an eye on my bookstagram (@maria_bookshelf) during the release day for a special post 🌸💖

After loving to kill a kingdom I decided to give this book ago, but unfortunately for me it fell flat. I was heavily interested in the beginning as the plot seemed very interesting, but later I got a bit bored. The characters in this book were okay, but I definitely prefer lira to this female protagonist. Overall, still a good book but not as good as to kill a kingdom

This does not directly link with To Kill a Kingdom - but it is in the same world. The rapunzel retelling is really interesting and the characters were all bewitching - I really enjoyed this dip into the world again and having another POV.

In the beginning I was in love with this book. I adored the dark almost necromancy magic that was introduced, it was unlike anything I’ve ever read. I loved how the king was kept immortal by eating the souls plucked for him by his head witch, it was brilliantly disgusting. The premise of Selestra one day inheriting the death magic and becoming the king’s witch upon the passing of her mother was an intriguing plotline and I really wanted to see it happen. I liked how Selestra was reluctant to become a monster like her mother and did not want to loose herself in the king’s pull. To me, this storyline was interesting and I wanted the novel to hinge on it. However, once Nox is introduced and Selestra’s fate becomes tied to him, the storyline moves away from the death magic and towards Selestra’s escape from the kingdom to find a magical sword to destroy the king. Sadly, this didn’t interest me as much. I wanted more of the psychology of Selestra having to face taking people’s souls rather than galivanting off on a typical YA adventure quest.

The book is toted as ‘evil Rapunzel retelling’ but I didn’t get this vibe at all. Yes, Selestra is confined to her tower after disobeying her mother but this is a third of the way into the book and is literally for only one chapter so this selling point didn’t work for me. The enemies to lovers trope didn’t really work for me either, Nox didn’t really have a burning hatred for Selestra to warrant the trope, yes he hated witches but I never got the sense that they were true enemies especially as Selestra had a familial relationship with his father. It saddens me to say but I did have to DNF this book 64% in. This upset me as I really wanted to like it and invested a lot of time into it but the storyline just didn’t pull me in. I liked Nox and Selestra but the supporting characters lacked any personality or depth. Its a real shame, I feel like this story had so much potential, I loved the beginning and the introduction to the dark, soul magic and the idea of the king’s hunt but I didn’t like how the plotline continued.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hot Key Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the concept! loved the writing! love the author!
amazing concept and twist on a typical fairy-tale. interesting characters and setting. perfect vibes for autumn/halloween.

To Kill A Kingdom was a solid 3 stars for me but this book blew me away. This very Rapunzel-esque fantasy story is a truly sensational read.

Princess of Souls

Amazon Reviews

For sixteen years, Selestra has been trapped in her tower on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother's place as the King's Witch, who foretells deaths in the Festival of Predictions. Outrunning your fate earns a wish and the chance to steal the King's immortality. But die and your soul is forfeit. And though thousands have tried, nobody has ever beaten death.

A soldier in the King's army, Nox is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but, driven by revenge, he is determined to steal the King's immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra.

Yet when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, their fates become entwined, and death seeks to take both their souls. Only by working together can they survive long enough to escape the dark fate and the immortal King that now hunts them.

My Review

I wasn’t too keen on To Kill A Kingdom but I liked this book ALOT more. I’m really hoping this will be a paperback in one of the autumn Fairyloot boxes.

The Cover is beautiful! This is a Rapunzel esq fantasy romance with a hint of enemies to lovers.

The world building is good with an interesting plot. I loved the magic system in this book and couldn’t put it down.

A very solid 4 stars

This book was extremely enjoyable and definately well described as a Rapunzel retelling. There were many subtle links between the imaginative story Christo wrote and Rapunzel despite the overall tale being ever so different. Although it was quite predictable at times, the book was action packed and kept you hooked. The kindle layout of this book didn’t quite fit, with random headers/footers and page numbers in the middle of the main text which confused me a bit to start with.

*slight spoiler ahead*
Towards the end of the book, we see the death of a character that could have been heartbreaking if only we’d have been able to see Selestra’s relationship with them develop a little more. It would have been nice to have had that and the emotional impact of their death.