Archery has always been one of my favorite sports to watch any time the Olympics is on. I find myself holding my breath as if it'll help the archers focus better through the screen. And on more than one occasion, I've debated signing up for archery classes - though I don't think my wallet would appreciate another expensive hobby on top of the ones I already have. But from the moment I first saw the Soulbow cover, I knew I was going to be intrigued by the story - as the magic crackling off the bow immediately caught my interest.
Not to mention, it was written by one of the authors of Pledge, Paragon, and Dominion of Magic - all books I obsessed over last year and continue to recommend to everyone who asks for a book even vaguely like one of the three.
This book starts with Tomren thinking he is having an amazing birthday - only to find instead it was going to become the worst one in existence as his parents decide to sacrifice his soul to the chaos demon they worship so she can use his body to bring death and destruction on the world. And while he manages to interrupt the ritual and escape, five years later his past still haunts him. He had thought he had escaped his past by creating the new persona of "Soulbow," but as he is about to find out - the past doesn't want to let go of him easily.
Overall, this book reads very much like a D&D campaign - which I think is one of its biggest strengths. Even though Tomren is the focal point and only narrator of the story, the ensemble of characters who work with him is what makes the story special. Each character brings something unique to the band of monster hunters, and any time they aren't with everyone their personalities are missed. I think the found family aspect of the group helps shine a light on all of the characters' positive and negative traits, which only makes the reader even more attached to them.
With that being said if anything happens to Feezer I will quite literally start a riot. I'm shoving him in plot armor because I cannot believe there's any version of the story that would be better if he dies.
In addition, the partial possession of the main antagonist within his mind makes for a fascinating play on the character vs. self traditional type of conflict. Tomren hears the voice of Aedairys constantly making commentary on his life, and he cycles between believing she's a figment of his imagination to an annoyance to a threat he has to get rid of. However, their relationship creates one of the key problems in the book: so much of his thoughts cannot be trusted. It becomes clear very quickly he is an unreliable narrator, and it constantly leaves the reader second guessing what they are reading which builds up the tension in the book in a fantastic way.
I will say, that there are some times the pacing feels a little slow, however, I do not see this as a bad thing. Much like A Game of Thrones or Throne of Glass, Soulbow has the honor of introducing readers to a gigantic fantasy world. There are mentions of characters we haven't met yet, places we don't go, and asides that may seem superfluous to some, but are clearly setting up for an epic fantasy across multiple books. I hope readers run with it, creating the fan theories this world is begging for them to make - because there is so much I can tell happening behind the scenes that haven't made it to the page yet, and I am so excited to find out what happens next.
Soulbow is an important story about found family and the delicate balance it takes to create it. But it also is a story about rising against a chaotic evil, even when it seems to win time and time again. It's an important lesson for the world we live in at the moment, and inspiring because I think it's the perfect time for the message of this book. That even if we fail, even if things go bad, even if we run from it, it's always important to stand up and fight.
But again, if anything happens to Feezer, I will be leading the riot. And I'm sure everyone else will join me in it.
Soulbow is available for preorder and will be released on February 28th.