Trials of the Lost Soul Review

Trials of the Lost Soul (The Soul Trials #1) by K. Loral
Genres: Supernatural, Young Adult
Format: eARC
Source: Provided as part of book tour
Goodreads

Mary’s story should have ended the night she died. Instead, it was only the beginning.
She awakens in a strange and punishing afterlife, a realm where the condemned are sent to suffer for their sins. Torn away from her sister by those who judged their souls, Mary learns there is only one way to challenge this survive the Seven Trials of the Soul.
Each trial is its own unforgiving realm, a battle of mind, body, and spirit. From sacrifice to mercy, from endurance to the will to survive, every test is designed to break her resolve and prove her soul beyond redemption. Fail, and she will be trapped here forever. Succeed, and her sister’s soul will be saved.
Two beings follow her every step. An angel who tries to shield her but hides a dark truth. A demon who treats her struggle like a cruel game, waiting for the moment her spirit breaks.
In a world where loyalty can be a weapon and trust a dangerous gamble, Mary must decide how much of herself she is willing to risk. The trials will push her beyond her limits, and the cost of failure is everything she has left to fight for.

 Julie’s Review of Trials Of The Lost Soul: A Dark Fantasy Novel of Angels, Demons, and Deadly Devotion | Book 1 of 4 (The Soul Trials)

If you’re looking for a Young Adult, Supernatural-coded book, this might just be it.

Our main character, Mary, is a soul with strong character and deep conviction. The sibling bond in this book is fierce and unwavering. She will do anything it takes and give up everything if it means her sister will be safe and happy. Then we have a fallen angel and a realm-overlord demon who are both somehow deeply invested in Mary’s afterlife and follow her to witness her trials.

The book starts with two sisters running for their lives, except they are too injured and they both die. When their souls are judged, and the angels judge them as unclean, they are sent to different rings of hell. I don’t know how old Mary is, but an older teenager, I believe, and her little sister Lily is 7. We don’t really know what happened to them, but we know it is really bad. All Mary has done in life and now wants to do in death is to keep her sister safe. She fears her sister is being tormented in the afterlife and takes on a series of 7 trials to prove her soul worthy of a wish; a wish she plans to spend saving her sister.

The story, and each trial, is all about having the strength of character to endure true horrors and do what you believe is right. Or, if your soul is weak, you will succumb to the situation and fail, stuck for all eternity. The latter is shown in some of the characters we meet along the way, including another specific trial taker. This character shows us how villains are built by circumstances and desperation, not by being evil from the start. In contrast to Mary, who refuses to change herself and bypasses the temptations to hurt others to get ahead.

There are so many secrets still in this first book. Azel, the fallen angel who has been beaten and “plucked like a chicken,” leaving him with only one wing, doesn’t say much, but he follows and tries to protect Mary (though he is not allowed to intervene in the trials). We don’t know what he did or why he feels guilty, but I’m sure more answers will be coming in future books.

Valerio, the demon overlord of the first ring Mary found herself in, and the one who tempts her to join the trials and bargains with her for an IOU later, I don’t know what to make of him yet. He starts following them around because he claims he wants to watch her fail. But while he cannot intervene or break the rules, he provides so much support just by being a friend and urging her to keep going. He’s going to be something special, isn’t he?

Now I will say that when I signed up for this book tour, the book was listed as a dark fantasy romance. That, it is not. It is a YA supernatural thriller, yes. There has been no romance, only grief and determination and trials. Will this happen in future books? Maybe? But given the way the character is driven to have only one singular goal, I don’t see her allowing herself to get distracted by romance.

Though I will say these two men who follow her around are something else. The one-winged fallen angel who wraps her up in his wing to keep her warm and jokes about plucking a few feathers to make her a pillow? Are you kidding me sir? And the demon who flies her around over the village to help clear her head and give her perspective? And we won’t talk about how he used his IOU.

I say this is YA because it is clean and not overly gruesome. The trials are real horrors, but the descriptions are light. There was even an opportunity to have a deeper conversation about what happened to the sisters. Instead, the story only hints at the topic rather than addressing it outright. I feel this was a missed opportunity to face abuse head-on in the book rather than waving it by.

The writing is lovely and easy to follow. This was an easy read and is accessible to younger readers who enjoy darker topics and supernatural themes – angels, demons, souls, and the overall theme of proving oneself worthy and strong.

I enjoyed it, I did, but I also didn’t feel drawn into the characters to the point of obsession like I prefer to be. I am curious what happens next, but am not foaming at the mouth. Mary is about halfway through the trials in this book, with 3 more books to come. I am curious about what happens after the trials and have some predictions about whether she will derail the entire realm. Solid 3.5 stars for a great premise, detailed and creative story, and very strong female character.

Thanks to Lumos Book Tours for a chance to read this book.

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