3.5
The Soul of Power
ByPublisher Description
One young woman learns the true nature of power—both her own and others’—in the riveting conclusion to The Waking Land Trilogy.
“Bates brilliantly concludes an impressive high fantasy trilogy with this tale of scheming and magic.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Sophy Dunbarron—the illegitimate daughter of a king who never was—has always felt like an impostor. Separated from her birth mother, raised by parents mourning the loss of their true daughter, and unacknowledged by her father, Sophy desires only a place and a family to call her own. But fate has other ideas. Caught up in Elanna Valtai’s revolution, Sophy has become the reigning monarch of a once-divided country—a role she has been groomed her whole life to fill.
But as she quickly discovers, wearing a crown is quite a different thing from keeping a crown. With an influx of magic-bearing refugees pouring across the border, resources already thinned by war are stretched to the breaking point. Half the nobility in her court want her deposed, and the other half question her every decision. And every third person seems to be spontaneously manifesting magical powers.
When Elanna is captured and taken to Paladis, Sophy’s last ally seems to have vanished. Now it is up to her alone to navigate a political maze that becomes more complex and thorny by the day. And worse, Sophy is hiding a huge secret—one that could destroy her tenuous hold on the crown forever.
“Sophy is truly a feminist hero: she embraces equality and justice for all—a theme running throughout the novel—while challenging societal norms.”—Booklist
Don’t miss any of Callie Bates’s magical Waking Land trilogy:
THE WAKING LAND • THE MEMORY OF FIRE • THE SOUL OF POWER
“Bates brilliantly concludes an impressive high fantasy trilogy with this tale of scheming and magic.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Sophy Dunbarron—the illegitimate daughter of a king who never was—has always felt like an impostor. Separated from her birth mother, raised by parents mourning the loss of their true daughter, and unacknowledged by her father, Sophy desires only a place and a family to call her own. But fate has other ideas. Caught up in Elanna Valtai’s revolution, Sophy has become the reigning monarch of a once-divided country—a role she has been groomed her whole life to fill.
But as she quickly discovers, wearing a crown is quite a different thing from keeping a crown. With an influx of magic-bearing refugees pouring across the border, resources already thinned by war are stretched to the breaking point. Half the nobility in her court want her deposed, and the other half question her every decision. And every third person seems to be spontaneously manifesting magical powers.
When Elanna is captured and taken to Paladis, Sophy’s last ally seems to have vanished. Now it is up to her alone to navigate a political maze that becomes more complex and thorny by the day. And worse, Sophy is hiding a huge secret—one that could destroy her tenuous hold on the crown forever.
“Sophy is truly a feminist hero: she embraces equality and justice for all—a theme running throughout the novel—while challenging societal norms.”—Booklist
Don’t miss any of Callie Bates’s magical Waking Land trilogy:
THE WAKING LAND • THE MEMORY OF FIRE • THE SOUL OF POWER
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Soul of Power Reviews
3.5
“"People fear what they are told to fear."
This book is the culmination of all the storylines merging together. Elanna's story, Jahan's story, and now Sophy's story. While I initially wasn't a fan of deviating from Elanna's pov, I grew to love Jahan and getting to know Sophy. At first, Sophy seemed like a spoiled and entitled girl. Jealous of Elanna for having power that almost got her killed and thrown into a war Elanna didn't want. Sophy had everything Elanna had to live without, so Sophy daring to be mean, spiteful, and downright rude to Elanna bothered me.
As the story went on and Sophy's character developed, I grew to understand her. At the end of the day, she was alone. She lost her mother young, used for political gain, and now had a crown she didn't want. She was overwhelmed, to say the least. There was a lot happening in this conclusion. Between Elanna and Jahan in another country and betrayals Sophy was experiencing at every turn, I didn't know which way to look.
In some ways, there was way too much information. I didn't think everything could honestly be resolved. The author proved me wrong. I adore how the end came to be. There were lots of betrayals in Sophys' wake, but there were unexpected victories as well. The truth of her father was one I was so disappointed to see, but it fit the overall story. Everything worked out for the sorcerers, Elanna, Jahan, Sophy, and the kingdom. A hard fought battle, but a war finally won.”
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