A thousand years ago, the souls of several magical royal individuals were scattered across the Earth. The evil Queen Sorcha has been searching for them, knowing that by keeping them apart and preventing them from realizing their true identities, she can keep the magic world enslaved. In present day Boston, a young woman named Beth, who has been training for years as a powerful witch, realizes she can connect to the soul of Princess Mehla. She then begins seeking out the others, namely the lovers Prince O’Manus and Princess Sadreen, whose reunion would prevent the end of the magical world as they all know it. Unfortunately, Queen Sorcha is hot on their trail and will stop at nothing to seize power.
From the US and Canada to Scotland and Ireland, Ailan R McAndrews’ ROYAL SOULS traverses the world, following a high-stakes, action-heavy storyline. Brutal battles, both with physical fighting and in spell casting with magic wands, propel the plot. These deftly choreographed scenes are enjoyable to read, as the pace remains quick throughout, and the tension between battling characters amps up drama and suspense in scenes beyond the action. Additional subplots evolve over the course of the story, as when Beth discovers the parents she thought were dead are actually alive. These subplots throw wrenches in the protagonists’ plans, as they only have a few days before Queen Sorcha will destroy the prince and princess, and Beth and her companions struggle to balance their priorities. Each of the numerous characters, including the villains, has their own intricate backstory and motivation, which is an impressive feat on author McAndrews’ part.
Crystals, stones, orbs, and necessary magical rituals complicate the journey toward reuniting Prince O’Manus and Princess Sadreen. The methodologies of the magic—like the ingredients needed to build customized magic wands—are often explained in clear detail, usually through dialogue with one character describing to someone who requires that information to proceed on their adventure. The myriad complex layers to the magic make the book more interesting, if at times overly complicated. The reason for nine witches to use nine crystals in a ritual is vague, for instance, and prompts more questions than it answers. Snappy lines of dialogue, like “I hope you are as quick with a sword as you are with your lies,” make the story more entertaining, as they both convey character traits and personalities and promote the creation of inside jokes, as when they occasionally tease each other about similarities or differences between them and Harry Potter. Some spelling and grammar alterations in dialogue are meant to convey accents, such as Jamaican and Scottish, for instance, but are sometimes difficult to decipher. Characters also grow over the course of the story, and their emotional changes are evident in their speech, actions, and interactions with others. For example, the more Beth learns about her own past, the more understanding she has about the context for the centuries-long battle with Queen Sorcha, and the more compassion she has for the innocent lives affected by the war. The exhilarating final battle is a long-time coming and leads to a cathartic conclusion that makes the ups and downs of the multifaceted ROYAL SOULS worth it.
Deftly choreographed battle scenes, detailed world-building and immersive dialogue are the highlights of Ailan R McAndrews’ fantasy novel ROYAL SOULS.
~Aimee Jodoin for IndieReader