Soul Render (Soul Stones #1)

FANTASY:  Will Sumner is determined to avenge his father’s death at the hands of the dictator king Alexander Drygo. To do that, he and his brothers set off to steal the legendary soul stone which holds the abilities of the gods and keep its powers out of Drygo’s possession. When the theft goes awry, Will finds himself burdened with a power he doesn’t understand and stuck traveling from body to body. Left with only his determination to bring down Drygo, Will searches for answers. Meanwhile, Will’s older brother Robert is distraught at the deaths of his brothers and falls in with the rebellion. Will and Robert are both seeking to bring down the King, but can their friends be trusted to help, or will the brothers end up dead first?

A Young Adult fantasy adventure, “Soul Render” is the first of its series and uses multiple points of view to showcase the adventures of two brothers, one arrogant and angry, the other guilt-ridden, impatient, too quick to talk, and overly inclined to trust. All of which adds up to plenty of room to grow and a diverse cast of characters. While the story features a number of deaths, reminiscent of “Game of Thrones”, the focus on the stone of power, Old Gods awakening, and the rule of a kingdom makes for plenty of plot threads though shallow character development and barely mentionable romance. Nonetheless, the plot has enough action to spur the story forward.  Overall, this is an adventure young fans of Brandon Sanderson and Sarah J. Maas will find worth reading. 

Sarah E Bradley