I loved To Kill a Kingdom, so when I saw that there was another book set in the same world, I went insane. This book did not disappoint; I found myself devouring it in a single day.

This bewitching, loose re-telling of Rapunzel, focuses on Selestra; a witch whom has been trapped in a castle for years, stealing souls to feed the King. Selestra can predict the deaths of those whose souls she plans to take, so when she for-sees her own death alongside Nox (a solider in the Kings army), she realises their fates are entwined and she must save him to save herself. This begins our journey into this beautiful fantasy world. Alexandra Christo does a wonderful job of describing this dark, twisted fairytale world, weaving in elements of magic and romance throughout. I particularly enjoyed the enemies to lovers between Selestra and Nox, especially their witty banter.

This was such an easy read and quick to get in to; dare I say I liked it better than To Kill a Kingdom?? Perhaps. This was easily a 5 star read, and I highly recommend this to fairy tale retelling fans.

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Proof provided by publishers through NetGalley.

An entertaining, fast paced fantasy with finding your identity at the heart.

I very much enjoyed this story and am new to Christo’s books- To Kill a Kingdom is from the same universe but you don’t need to have read it to enjoy this one!

We follow the dual narrative of Selestra and Nox as they attempt to avenge the death of his father and right the world of the wrongs that have been caused by the immortal king, The narrative is fast paced, the world building solid and believable, and the character development heart-warming, Selestra is a strong female character with clear morals and it is a pleasure to see her grow.into her powers. The relationships between her, Nox, Irenya and Micah is pitched perfectly for their age- full of hope, mirth and playfulness while exploring new loves and strong friendships. Christo creates a enchanting world for her characters which whispers of magic and hints of myths and legends- a world that is a delight to explore as a reader.

This is certainly a book I will be recommending. It is a standalone which, for once, is rather refreshing because you don’t have to wait an age for the tale to be concluded, I will certainly be dipping into Christo’s worlds again in the future!

Another brilliantly written book!
It was gripping worldly and I didn't want it to end.
I can't wait to see what's next from author.
The fight scenes were well done! It had non stop action an easy book to sink into.

*Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for an Earc in exchange for an honest review*

I've read two of Alexandra Christo's previous books, To Kill a Kingdom and Into the Crooked Place, both of which I greatly enjoyed.
So I was extremely excited when I was granted an arc of Princess of Souls, and learnt it was in the same world as one of my favourite books. However, unfortunately I really didn't enjoy it.

Part of the problem was the writing style. The speech was very choppy, the mannerisms made no sense and often weren't needed. The rest of the writing was much the same.

At the start of the book, I was met with a massive info dump. Fine, I guess if you need to set the scene, but because of the rather stereotypical fantasy setting, it wasn't necessary.

Princess of Souls was marketed as a Rapunzel retelling except she's evil. The main character, Selestra, was not evil. At all. Not even at the start.
The male POV, Nox, was annoying. That's pretty much it.
I also had trouble differentiating between the two, they had identical personalities and no individual thinking.

The Rapunzel retelling aspect was EXTREMELY loose. A massive deal was made about Selestras hair which was about it. The rest, if you didn't already know it was Rapunzel, you wouldn't have been able to tell.

I do really like th cover though. And Princess of Souls is not a bad book, just a bland and overdone one.

Alexandra Christo tells the story of Selestra, each year the tyrannical King Seryth and Selestra’s mother hold a Festival of Predictions, where participants are foretold their death. If the participant avoids death, then they will be granted a wish, and if they die, their soul will belong to the king so that he can keep his immortality.

The plot and the world building make for an exciting read, the book is beautifully written with vivid imagery which draws you into the story even more! The dual perspective provides insight into both main characters, and this dual perspective shows their character and romantic development over the book in a really brilliant way.

The story of powerful women, identity, betrayal, and romance was an absolutely wonderful read!

Thank you Netgalley!

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.”

Selestra Somniatis is the only heir to her mother’s magic; a magic that can foretell a person’s death by touch and harvest souls, but which is sworn by the blood oath of her ancestors to serve the corrupt king of the Six Isles once she turns eighteen. She is kept in a castle tower, forced to wear gloves and avoid human contact, but when Selestra crosses paths with the roguish Nox, a talented soldier in the Last Army on a mission for vengeance after the death of his father, she realises she must escape the prison she has been kept in by both her mother and the king, and follow her own path towards her destiny.

I absolutely loved this book. I knew I would as I loved To Kill a Kingdom, which is set in the same universe, but Alexandra Christo really knows how to deliver a gripping first line and it was no different with this book! Princess of Souls is a YA tale of identity, family, power and betrayal, and the snarky back and forth dialogue between Nox and Selestra was just *chef’s kiss*. I would whole heartedly recommend this to lovers of YA fantasy, enemies to lovers and found family tropes, and AC has definitely become an autobuy author for me.

Thankyou to Netgalley for sending me this e-arc to review!

I absolutely love Tangled, it’s my favourite disney movie of all time, so when I saw on tik tok that an “evil Rapunzel retelling” was in the midst I was very excited! Fast forward to getting approved on netgalley and I was practically buzzing. Whilst I enjoyed reading it, I felt like it was missing something to make it a “great read”.

To start with, the concept is completely fresh. Selestra is a 16 year old witch and when she turns 18 ultimately she will have to steal souls from desperate civilians to keep the immortal king alive. I felt like this was a really great concept and something you don’t necessarily see in YA. So if you’re looking for something fresh then this is perfect. However, since this is described as an “evil Rapunzel retelling” I really was expecting her to be evil, yet it’s very clear from the beginning that Selestra actually doesn’t want to be locked away or aid the king. Whilst disappointing this was still for me very intriguing.

Enter Nox, a knight of the first army, who’s life goal is to kill the immortal king and therefore Selestra is his mortal enemy and he wants to kill her. I love enemies to lovers so much, thus I was completely interested in the storyline of Nox and Selestra’s relationship as they went from enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers etc…

There were some wholesome moments, and some that had me cracking up as the main adventures had some well written and engaging banter.

However, for me the story fell flat from about 60% onwards, certain aspects felt too easy for the characters and the stakes which were set high, didn’t seem so dangerous. Whilst the adventure was intriguing it began to feel too easy and with the first person POV some things were too showy rather then telling.

With all this said I do believe some people would absolutely eat this up, particularly the younger ages of YA (12-14) and I did overall enjoy the story!

(1.5, rounded up)

I really wanted to enjoy this but... I just didn't! I was really excited to get an early copy, but it just fell really flat. But go and read some other reviews - I don't want to stop people enjoying it!

One of the exciting things was hearing it would be set in the same world as To Kill a Kingdom but... I mean, there was hardly any crossover. I feel this is a slightly dishonest plug for the book. The storyline had potential but it didn't feel executed well, mainly because I didn't feel a real connection to the characters.

Selestra is the 'Rapunzel' character in this retelling, although she's a little more like Medusa! No - that's not fair: she just has green hair rather than snakes haha. She is the heir to the king's witch - her mother - and is forced to watch each year as Theola (her mother) holds a festival of predictions of people's deaths. If the predictions come true, then King Seryth takes their souls to feed his immortality; if they manage to avoid death, they will be granted a wish. I'm pretty sure the latter has never happened before...

So Selestra's 'knight in shining armour' comes in the form of Nox, a soldier from the Last Army. He comes for a prophecy hoping to avenge his father and depose the king and his witch. (...yeah, it's not really a very sound plan). Selestra finds an unusual connection to Nox through her magic, and they travel together to The Six Isles in order to find a weapon Nox is convinced will kill the King. Lots more ensues...

I just didn't really feel much for either Selestra or Nox, and I felt next to nothing for their respective sidekicks, Irenya and Micah. Also, the King felt like one of those villains who had no real character and was just evil and power hungry for the sake of it - which is a MASSIVE pet peeve of me. Villains need to be characters too!

It's billed as an enemies-to-lovers story and this part was... meh. I don't know. I just didn't care about them as much.

It might be me! So give it a go anyway, but this was flat and a slog to get through from my perspective (I kept restarting in the hope that it would boost it's storytelling power for me); even the dual perspective felt awkward. But you know sometimes when you don't like something you find lots of things wrong - confirmation bias? I might have that going on.

Reading other reviews, people were impressed by the world building, the magic system, the depth of characters and emotional complexity... so don't take my word for it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for providing me with an arc; I wish it had gone to someone who appreciated it more!

I read and loved To Kill A Kingdom when it came out a few years ago so needless to say I was dying to read Princess of Souls to see if it would live up to that first book. To be honest, while it didn’t blow me away, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I really liked the characters, and I definitely enjoyed Nox and Selestra’s story arcs. I liked them both as characters so I was eager to see how the everything would play out for them! Recommended for sure! 3.5 stars

Q: If you were Rapunzel and you were stuck in a tower, how would you spend your days?
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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.
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Did I read this book in about a day? Yea. Yeah I did. Did I also stay up until 1 in the morning to finish it? Yes. Yes I did. I absolutely adored this book!! I read To Kill A Kingdom last year and absolutely loved it so when I got approved for this arc (thank you hotkeybooks) I was so excited to dive back in to Christo’s writing as well as the fantasy world. This book was such an easy read and it was so perfectly crafted. I loved everything about it, from the protagonists to the antagonists to the side characters and to the world building! Christo has perfectly written what i think is bound to be one of the best YA fantasy books of the year. I have so many favourite moments but Nox being cute at the 64% mark really did something to me. Selestra and Nox individually are amazing and strong and fierce but together they are unstoppable. And do you know what else is good? She doesn’t lose powers because of a man. That’s always a win in fantasy books!! Princess of Souls is out on October 11th! And you should definitely pre-order your copy now! I definitely will be doing so when I get paid!!

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. I have loved previous books from this author so I was really excited when I got an arc of this one, and it didn’t disappoint. I loved everything about this from to characters to the plot and how it developed, and I can’t wait to see what this author produces next. Because of this it is an easy 5/5 stars for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC of "Princess of Souls" by Alexandra Christo.

Alexandra Christo has officially mastered the YA genre and I love it. Based in the same world as To Kill A Kingdom - another 4 star in my book, it was slowly paced but wonderful. Would I class this as a Rapunzel inspired novel? Nope. But I enjoyed it anyways.

World building is fine. a bit slow paced at times, other times seemed rushed. Not a bad story, and I would recommend it to teens.

Firstly, thanks so much NetGalley for my ARC of Princess of Souls! This review is posted with no biases or affiliations.
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Having never read any Alexandra Christo, but hearing great things, I was really excited to try Princess of Souls. The cover alone was so enthralling and the plot drew me in with it's Rapunzel-esque style.
Overall, Princess of Souls was a good read, with a good bit of heart. The dual narrative doesn't feel clumsy, and often it simply acts as a continuation of the story, without jarring or jostling against itself. It's definitely one of the easier dual narratives I've read. I enjoyed exploring just a small chunk of the Six Isles with Selestra and Nox, and I'd definitely go back for more. Plus, who doesn't love a bit of enemies to lovers?

The plot itself holds together well, but I found that there was a little bit of an issue with the pacing. Throughout, it feels like things progress and flow for our characters, until we hit the last few chapters. Then, everything seems to accelerate at breakneck speed, making the events of the final pages feel rushed and thrown onto the page.
Equally, the characterisation of some of the supporting characters within the book feels understated to the point of insignificance. I care about Selestra and Nox, but their friends and allies are two-dimensional and disposable. This is a real shame as it takes the sting out of some of the later events (no spoilers!), and removes the risks of some of the adventures.

All this being said, Princess of Souls did grip me and I'd revisit the same world to explore more of it. I'd like to learn more about our characters, the magic that they experience and their lives outside of this one adventure, and for me, that's all a book needs to do.
If you're a fan of reads like Viper by Bex Hogan, this one should draw you in too.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK, for providing me with a copy of this book!

Princess of Souls – set in the same universe as To Kill A Kingdom – tells the story of Selestra, an heir to her mother’s powers and the position of the King’s Witch. Each year the tyrannical King Seryth and Selestra’s mother, Theola, hold a Festival of Predictions, whose participants are foretold their death. Should the participant avoid death, they will be granted a wish, should they perish, their soul will belong to the king in order to sustain his immortality.

Stuck in a situation she cannot remove herself from, Selestra soon finds her future intertwined with that of a Last Army soldier, Nox, who attends the festival seeking revenge and an opportunity to depose the dictatorial king and his witch. Their powerful but unexpected connection means that the couple must discover a way to work together to protect The Six Isles.

The novel is a fast-paced, mystical read, written from a dual perspective of Selestra and Nox, which provides insights into the characters and their dynamic. While the story progressed quickly, I enjoyed the organic development of the relationship between Selestra and Nox and the supporting characters Micah and Irenya - it felt genuine and plausible. Additionally, there is a lot of emotional complexity in the motivations of our two protagonists, which made the work that much more intriguing to read.

Similarly, to the author's previous book, the novel is beautifully written with vivid imagery presented throughout, with the addition of fantastic world-building - you receive enough knowledge about the magical system of the world, without being barraged with hard-to-follow information.

I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone wanting to dive into a charming and adventurous read!

I adored To Kill A Kingdom and was so excited when I saw Alexandra Christo had written a new book. It didn't even need to be set in the same world (although it is) because I'd have read anything by her.

Honestly, I read To Kill A Kingdom so many years ago that, while I remember the basic premise and how I loved the book, I didn't remember any of the details that would have helped me link it to this one. Every now and again the characters mentioned sirens/mermaids and I assumed that was a shout out to the previous book, but otherwise I missed any TKAK references. This means that you can read Princess of Souls without having read TKAK and not miss anything - it was enjoyable to read anyway.

The Rapunzel-inspired aspects were fine, but honestly felt a little more like a marketing gimmick. I could have done without the pointed references to using Selestra's hair as a rope, but otherwise the whole 'trapped and needing to escape' aspect didn't need to be tied to Rapunzel, since it's such a ubiquitous trope. Essentially what I'm saying is if you hate fairy tale retellings then don't worry - it's not really a fairy tale retelling.

While I enjoyed reading this, the only bum note that really bothered me was the 2-D nature of the main side characters. Something happens to one of them that could have elicited a strong emotional response in the reader, but the character (despite being theoretically important) hasn't really been fleshed out enough to really succeed in this. It was really noticeable how much it didn't work and made me reflect on how paper thin the character's development had been.

Otherwise this was an enjoyable, fun read. I whizzed through it, loving the depiction of witches and the spark between Selestra and Nox. I'd definitely look for any future books by Christo and am glad I read this.

This was such an amazing book! I loved everything about it. As a massive fan of To Kill a Kingdom, I was more than ready to jump back into the world with new characters and a new adventure. And, whilst this is set in the same world as To Kill a Kingdom, there's no pressure to read it as Princess of Souls is a story all its own, and both novels are standalones, with everything wrapped up by the end. This makes the book perfect for anyone just discovering Alexandra Christo, and it also gives them a brief glimpse into what to expect from To Kill a Kingdom, if they choose to read it.

Princess of Souls is easily in my ever growing list of favourite books this year. It had everything I want in a novel, from beautiful world building, to in-depth main characters, there wasn't a single flaw or area I thought needed a little more to it. It's full of magic and adventure, and each chapter alternates between Nox and Selestra's POV, giving insight into both characters and allowing them to grow and reveal more of themselves to the reader.

Thank you Bonnier Books U.K. and NetGalley for the Arc of Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo.

A story that has firm foundations in the fairy tale Rapunzel, but with the added twist of the protagonist being a young witch, heir to her mother’s role Sorcerer to an immortal king. Our protagonist Selestra has spent her whole life being groomed to be the king’s soul taker, never able to touch anyone as this would bring forth a vision where she could foretell their death.

Every year the Festival of Predictions is celebrated, during which people offer to trade their soul for a chance at a wish or even to steal immortality from the king, but this year one unusual volunteer steps up, Nox, a soldier in the King’s army, bringing with him a whole plot to kill the king and a whole host of trouble for Selestra.

The enemies to lovers trope is handled wonderfully in this story, in fact it’s one of the shining factors - the character interaction and development definitely bring the story to life.

The world building isn’t the greatest I’ve ever read, but it’s delivered well enough to support the story…there definitely needs to be a map in the finished edition.

If you enjoyed ‘To Kill A Kingdom’ then I’d definitely recommend this, or if you haven’t read it, but want an entertaining read with plenty of pace, definitely go for this one!

Princess of Souls is a rapunzel-inspired YA-fantasy set in the same universe as Christo's To Kill a Kingdom.

What drives the story is the characters and their relationships to each other, which Christo writes so well you can feel the emotions running between them yourself. The main character and her love interest have a strong enemies to lovers dynamic and it was exciting to watch their feelings change on the page as the story went on.

If you loved To Kill a Kingdom, you will love Princess of Souls as well - it's filled with action, adventure, magic and romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and Alexandra Christo for providing me with an e-ARC for this book. I read this book and wrote this review willingly and all opinions are my own.

★★★★★ 4.5/5

Sixteen year old Selestra is heir to the king's witch. Upon turning eighteen, she, like her mother and their ancestors before will be bound to the king, forced to take part in the Festival of Predictions each year. The festival is managed by the king and his witch, Selestra's mother, who as the king's witch gives predictions to those taking part, foretelling the participant's deaths. The aim is to avoid your fate and receive a wish, and if the participant so chooses and they make it to the end of the month, an opportunity to take the king's immortality for your own. Few have succeeded and lived long enough to earn a wish, but no one has ever come close to taking immortality for themselves, and defeating death. 

For Selestra, who has spent most of her time trapped in her tower upon the floating mountain is resigned to her fate, knowing that any other outcome is impossible due to her ancestor's vow. She, like her mother, belongs to the king, and just like her mother, Selestra will become cold and heartless when she takes her place as the king's witch. 

For Nox, a soldier in the Last Army, the Festival is a chance to not only seek revenge, but a chance to finally depose the king and his witches. Yet when Nox steps forward to receive his prediction, so begins the challenge of outrunning not just the king, but death. With his fate suddenly tied with Selestra's, both Nox and Selestra see a way to survive and free them both, but it means working together and trusting that both are on the same side. 

As a massive fan of To Kill a Kingdom, I was more than ready to jump back into the world with new characters and a new adventure. And, whilst this is set in the same world as To Kill a Kingdom, there's no pressure to read it as Princess of Souls is a story all its own, and both novels are standalones, with everything wrapped up by the end. This makes the book perfect for anyone just discovering Alexandra Christo, and it also gives them a brief glimpse into what to expect from To Kill a Kingdom, if they choose to read it. 

Princess of Souls is easily in my ever growing list of favourite books this year. It had everything I want in a novel, from beautiful world building, to in-depth main characters, there wasn't a single flaw or area I thought needed a little more to it. It's full of magic and adventure, and each chapter alternates between Nox and Selestra's POV, giving insight into both characters and allowing them to grow and reveal more of themselves to the reader. 

The pace is perfect. There's never a dull moment, and there's no long passages of lore in the first few chapters that you're expected to remember as you read, as for me it's often a deal breaker when reading.  There's nothing worse than having to constantly flip back to the beginning to familiarise yourself with the world because it's all shoved into the beginning. (The only thing I'm happy to flip back to the beginning for is a map, and everyone loves a map.) 

As a loosely based Rapunzel retelling, there are some similarities, but they're subtle and it's not a main factor into the plot, so don't let that put you off. It's a great book with an enemies-lovers romance and a desire to right the wrongs of ancestors past. 

Did I like the book? Yes

Did I love it? Yes! It had everything I wanted and more. Magic and adventure, predictions and fate.

Would I recommend it? Definitely. Even if you haven't read To Kill a Kingdom, Princess of Souls is a novel that will suck you in immediately and refuse to let go until the very last page.