4 out of 4 stars
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The Shadow Soul by K. Williams is the first book in the Trailokya series. It is a fantasy novel which focuses on the harrowing trials of Maiel, a female warrior captain of Zion.
Zion warriors are the winged guardians of lesser souls, and Maiel is their captain. These warriors help guide lesser souls onto the next stage in life, but there are also sinister forces from Jahannam (a prison realm) which feed of the energy of these souls. Maiel almost loses a human girl to one of the forces: Mort. The captain escapes to earth to evade answering questions from her elders. While in the earthly realm, she is pursued by a baron of Jahannam, and he is not a friend. Now Maiel needs to evade the attacks of this baron while hiding from her superiors. Will she manage to escape and redeem herself?
There are a lot of things going into this novel. It is interesting seeing a different take on the good verses evil plot line with the guardians battling the energy feeders of Jahannam. We see a very strong and powerful female character in Maiel. She is an intensely developed and complex character. In the first few chapters, we see her not only as a brave warrior, but also a fragile wife and mother. Readers get to view her as a multi-dimensional character rather than just a warrior captain. She struggles with a wall being built between herself and her husband as well as self doubt and guilt over almost losing a charge. The emotions she displays are ones we all can relate to when we almost fail or fail at something we work so hard at. She uses her intelligence and skills to overcome any and all hardships that come her way. Her actions and thoughts reflect the idea that belief in oneself is more powerful than any weapon an enemy may have.
The terminology used throughout was difficult to pick up on, I continued to have to look in the back to see what words meant such as amba, janyya, and sattva. Once I was able to familiarize myself with the language, it was easy to apply throughout the rest of the novel. I personally enjoyed all the various references to different mythologies and folklore. For example the warriors are often referenced as "Horus-helmed guardians," a slight reference to the Egyptian god. Then Maiel spends time with Naiads which are creatures from Greek mythology. These references add a certain quality to the novel, almost giving the sense that all beliefs can work together in harmony. It never once seems odd to have a reference to Egyptian mythology one moment then a Greek mythology reference the next.
Williams has a knack for creating intriguing dialogue and such vivid descriptions that the readers can easy visualize everything. Williams takes many different elements from science, mythology, religion, alien life, even time travel, but it all perfectly flows together. Nothing felt out of place in the world Williams created for us. Readers are left feeling completely satisfied and eager for the next installment of the series.
I absolutely loved reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, mythology, suspenseful stories, or simply just a good novel to read on a rainy day. I give The Shadow Soul 4 out of 4 because it held my attention throughout the novel. Also because it felt like a unique story the whole time I was reading it.
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The Shadow Soul
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