The Memory of Souls

Welcome to my humble appreciation post for the third book in the A Chorus of Dragons series. Or better yet - call it the rollercoaster which never ends.

Plot

The Name of All Things ended on a bitter note with the destruction of Atrine after Morios completely wrecked the city. Vol Karoth, previously imprisoned for thousands of years, is now finally awake. Relos Var won (once again). Things tend to go your way when you've planned each of your steps centuries ahead of your enemies.

Although not fully free of his bonds, Vol Karoth has now woken up from his deep slumber. That is pretty terrifying. Knowing that some part of Kihrin's soul is somehow connected to this dark, endless entity is also terrifying.

No one could truly see Vol Karoth. He formed a man-size hole cut from reality, a silhouette of absolute, perfect blackness. His appearance offered up the final, absolute proof of my worst nightmares: Vol Karoth was free.

The only thing that can possibly stop the utter annihilation of the world is the ancient Ritual of Night. Meant to be enacted by the leader of an immortal race, this ritual could give the Eight more time to figure out how to deal with the impending destruction of the world. As it turns out, it can only be performed once by each race, and at a terrible cost. Since its creation, The Ritual of Night has already been enacted by three of the four immortal races - the voras, voramer, and vordreth - leaving only the vané. They have just one shot to do it, and to do it right.

Kihrin, Janel, Teraeth, and Thurvishar start this book with a single objective - to convince the vané king, Kelanis, to perform The Ritual of Night. And as usual, nothing goes according to the plan. Why am I not surprised?

Traveling to Manol makes for quite a change from the usual locales we are accustomed to, and boy - is it fun. A lot of old characters finally come back - I was glad to see a lot of the first book's cast return. Therin, Khaeriel, and Terindel (Doc) show up amid a lot of family drama, which is one of the best parts of the book. It was great to see a lot more quieter moments this time, since we don't usually see the more intimate side of the characters while they are dealing with whatever nightmares haunt them. Nonetheless, those scenes, although intimate in scale, often add a lot of depth since they reveal what really drives the characters on a personal level.

What it results in is a story chock full of morally grey characters switching sides, refreshing worldbuilding, little side quests, and lots of vané politics. I loved all chapters equally. Although Xivan and Talea are a little boring to me as characters, having Senera and Suless around ensures there's never a dull moment.

I really enjoyed how Lyons handled the past lives of Janel, Kihrin, and Teraeth. Each of them has reincarnated over the centuries as notable people in history. While Teraeth remembers those lives in clear detail, the other two don't. Very aptly named, this book spent a lot of time exploring what happened in those previous lives, and I loved it. So many more things start to make sense about Elana, S'arric, and the dark connection between Kihrin and Vol Karoth.

The memories are too much, so overflowing I feel like a cup trying to hold the ocean. I can only gulp mouthfuls, knowing it would take me centuries to swallow the sea. I am drunk on memory, drowned in my identities. It hasn't just been one or two. I've lived a dozen lives. But that first one lasted ten times longer than all the rest combined.

At last, The Memory of Souls gave me something I'd been waiting for. Just Kihrin, Janel, Teraeth, and Thurvishar hanging out together, fighting demons and bantering. Part of the reason why this book works so well is that the narration is nowhere near as convoluted as before, and all our favorite characters finally are TOGETHER. Give me a great cast, and I'll go anywhere with them.

The ending of this book had some events that felt a lot more permanent than the previous ones. The course of our characters is now set in stone. There was a tipping point, and now there is no turning back on the consequences.

Characters

I found it weird that almost none of the side characters from The Name of All Things made it to this book, and I'm a little annoyed at that. Why make a whole book about them?

Nonetheless, there are a lot of complex, interpersonal relationships uncovered between the characters - both old and new. I love that no matter how big the threat facing them is, everyone still has their personal problems with family members, both close and estranged. The Memory of Souls exposed the darker side of a lot of different people. How far would you go to achieve your goals and who are you willing to sacrifice for it?

Kihrin

As always, Kihrin brings with him a chaotic, confused energy that so helpfully lends itself to this glorious mess of a book. Despite everything he's seen and everything he's undergone - Kihrin still marches on, determined to save the people he cares for. Although marked by prophecy, he still takes the agency to make his own choices, no matter how painful a path they might lead him to. Between his feelings for Teraeth and Janel and Vol Karoth's hold on him, the poor guy goes through a lot.

"You're terrible," Janel murmured.

"I'm honest," I whispered into her ear. "And you are music and songs and the light of a thousand stars. You are storm clouds and velvet skies and brilliant columns of fire. How can I not be drawn to you?"

Teraeth

Teraeth finally gets a POV and some excellent character development. Although we only saw him as Kihrin's best friend in The Ruin of Kings, this book explores the deeper scars left on him by his past lives and the messed up dynamics between him, his mother, Khaemezra (Thaena), and his father, Terindel the Black. Thaena has her claws in him deep. This time around, we see a lot more flaws in her real nature as a manipulator who moves people around to do her dirty work, as well the effect it has on the said people - including her own son.

Janel

Janel, surprisingly, is almost relegated to a side character. There are chapters where she does nothing more than serve as a point of conflict between Kihrin and Teraeth. I found this really upsetting since The Name of All Things focused sorely on her as a character and made me love her as much as Kihrin. But this time, Lyons sees her more as a plot device to unlock Elana's memory and not as a person, as Janel Therannon, in her own right. Although she still has her conflicts with Suless and Xaltorath, I wish she felt more involved in the plot.

Relos Var and Senera

Relos Var is an accurate reflection of what happens when you believe in your cause so strongly that you cannot see anything past it. Senera, blinded by her faith in him, still can't quite realize that she is nothing more than a tool in his hands. Although I found her a little annoying last book, she seems to have matured this time, bringing a sort of quiet tiredness to the table with her valuable magic skills. I don't know if I could call them both villains, though. This book makes it clear that there is no black and white, no good and bad - everyone's morality is in those varying shades of grey.

Worldbuilding

History-wise, this novel sheds more light on the origins of the Eight, the dragons, and the Ritual of Night, as well as Vol Karoth's creation. I'd been looking forward to these bits for a while, and you finally get more answers. I love how the series always goes a step back into the history of the world with every book. It's a bit like peeling the layers of an onion - every part pulls back the curtain on yet another aspect of history.

Writing Style

This book still follows the jumpy narrative style of its predecessors but with a lot more POVs. Mercifully, the time gaps are not too huge and the chapters are chronological (for the most part). The different points of view and timelines are aligned in a way that the reveals make the most sense - the timelines in the past always coincide with a relevant chapter in the present. This would have taken a sheer amount of effort to get right, but it shines.

The story takes us from the dry, void reaches of the Korathean Blight to the exotic, lush jungle of the vané. Overall, the writing just seemed leveled up this time. I'm not sure why, but the prose and the choice of words seemed a whole lot better. The great dialogue and witty banter are always a plus.

In Conclusion

The Memory of Souls is a gift that keeps on giving. This might be my favorite book of the series and the year. This was the book that made trudging through The Name of All Things absolutely worth it. Despite some minor misgivings, this is the strongest installment yet in a series that rewards its readers with great characters, rich world-building, and twists that subvert expectations. Onward and upward to the next one!