Kingdom of Souls:

We follow our main character Arrah who was born into a family of witch doctors. However, Arrah hasn’t manifested her powers and as such she is seen as the black sheep among her family. She can see magic but cannot connect with it. Arrah’s family gathers and they hold a ritual. Arrah’s Grandmother, the Chieftain takes centre place and leads her family in this ritual but like any other time Arrah has been there, she can feel and see the magic but cannot bond with it herself.
Arrah goes to see her grandmother who tries to help her over and over again to figure out why she has no magic. They throw bones on the ground in a ritual to find out why, but something different happens this time, Arrah’s grandmother becomes angry and tells the green-eyed serpent to leave. The green-eyed serpent is a symbol of demon magic.

Arrah with her father, return home and they find out that children are going missing in the city. Arti, Arrah’s mother says that she can see this person but can only glimpse at them from a distance. Whilst Arrah is still trying to figure out what is wrong with her, another girl goes missing. The pile of children going missing gets higher and higher and Arrah plans to do something about it.

Arrah decides that in order to do something about these missing children, she must obtain magic. In order to do that, she goes to seek someone who will open up their magic to Arrah. They strike a deal and finds herself with magic finally. With her newfound magic, she follows somebody who she thinks is the child snatcher who is wearing a hood. It turns out that it’s Arti, her mother, and that she made a deal so she had to take the children. Arti then puts a spell on her, binding her soul to her mothers, which means that they cannot act against one another.
When she returns home to her father, she sees that her mother has got to him first and cannot betray her. Arrah knowing that her father is in danger from her mother, tries a charm that should work, it doesn’t but even then, Arrah should not have even been able to go against her mother’s wishes.

Arrah’s friend, Rudjek knows that something is wrong with her, and she desperately wants to tell him the truth but she cannot because of the binding spell. Arti takes Arrah to where the children are. The children are in a temple with an altar and the children are arranged in a straight line. One by one Arti takes their souls. Arrah is upset and angry at her mother but her mother doesn’t stop. Instead, she gives Arrah an explanation that the demon king answered her prayers and as such she gives the souls to him. When the demon king next appears, Arti asks him to give her a daughter. He does so. Arti says that she plans on setting the demon king free from his prison.

The temple is destroyed and Arrah decides that she must kill her mother and goes to seek help from the Orisha. The Orisha, Kore, admits that there is no way to kill her mother whilst she is protect by the demon magi. Kore helps Arrah get rid of her curse and asks her to find her grandmother. The grandmother already knows that she needs help and is already on her way. The unborn child of Arti and the Demon King begins to grow at alarming rates. Arti eventually gives birth to a girl named Efia. Arrah plans to kill her baby sister. Efia is still growing even outside the womb and tells Arrah that she can see into everybody else’s minds but not hers. Efia and Arrah fight and Arrah is able to escape.

Arrah is trying to find her friend Rudjek and whilst she is doing so, Efia goes on a killing rampage and kills Orishas instead of finding her sister. Rudjek and Arrah find each other and try to figure out a way to defeat her mother and her sister. Arrah goes out and gets trapped in a maze and when she returns to the tent that they both share, she sees that Rudjek is with her sister in bed. Arrah is angry! The Orisha tell the story of the demon king like a story around the campfire. The Demon king wasn’t always so nasty, he was indeed nice. He was found by a lake and was taught that he could consume souls to extend his life. Unfortunately for him, this ended up changing his sweet nature into something that was revolting.

Arrah eventually reaches Heka’s temple where the demon king is held. He tells her that she was indeed the orisha that rescued him by the lake. She is shocked beyond belief but then Arti, Efia and their team of demons arrive and she doesn’t have time to think about this revolution. Arti tries to help Arrah in the end but Efia kills her for betraying her. Efia is now beyond angry that her mother sided with Arrah and collapses the temple trapping them both in there. They fight and Arrah stabs Efia with the demon king’s blade. After this happens, Arrah remembers that she is indeed the unnamed Orisha from long ago. Arrah’s only mistake was loving Dayo (the demon king) too much and wanting him to survive and so found a way of passing souls on to others. He consumed more and more and Fram, Arrah’s sibling killed her for creating the monster that she did. Enraged, Dayo swore revenge on the Orisha’s for killing his beloved.

The Demon Blade is stolen in the midst of the fighting and so Arrah must now stop the demon king from his plan and now find the dagger that is the only thing that can kill him. Dayo, on the other hand decides that now he is free, he will find Fram and tell him to break the spell on Arrah’s memories. The book finally ends with a twisted maniacal plot and that is that Arrah/Dimma, his wife, does not remember their own son.

Honestly this book was full of adventure and had me gripped to its pages. Rena Barron has created a world that has dark magic and mythology that makes me want to have a whole other book to read about the world itself. It’s that incredible. I can’t wait for the second book in this series. I luckily was given an arc of this wonderful book but now I’m so upset that I have to wait such a long time for the next book because I truly want to know how Arrah and the gang come against her love, the demon king when confronted with the fact that they have all of this history together. Will she still want to kill him or join him against the Orisha’s that did indeed betray her. Though I did not explain it here in this review, I will say Arti’s back story does explain why she is the way she is but however, this does not excuse her actions and I’m glad that in the end, she realised she was on the wrong side. Rena Barron created such a rich world of mythology, magic and wonder but also of family and friends and what it is like to be in a community of people like that who truly love you despite not being like them. This book is obviously West African inspired and because this is not something I am familiar with, I found that I actually enjoyed not knowing as much and finding my way along with the characters.

This book was everything I hoped it to be and if not more. Can’t wait for the sequel.

5 out of 5 stars.

This is a fantastically well written novel that opens up the reader to a wide and vivid world.

The characters live and breath on the page and the reader is swept up in their wake as the story unfolds.

At times the action is dark and visceral, but the various elements all combine to form a special book.

I haven't read much YA lately because it is all the same. This one is definitely unique and different. I enjoyed the characters and the plot but I didn't always jive with the writing style. I felt like points were a bit repetitive and slow. Overall, it was good and I recommend giving it a try!

Okay so… wow. I’d been excited for this book ever since I first saw the US cover reveal because it was screaming as a book I’d love. I was expecting dark magic and royalty off the cover but this book is SO MUCH MORE.

First off, Arrah. Sweet, awesome Arrah. Arrah comes from two tribes brimming with magic, so when she shows no sign of having her own by the age of sixteen she feels terrible about herself. Her father, Oshe, is the most adorable father I’ve ever read and completely adores her regardless. Her grandmother, a Chieftain with super powerful magic, tries to help her to come into her magic as much as she can, but her love for her regardless is clear to see.

The story starts with Arrah and her father attending a tribal ceremony far from where they live currently, and the day after she has magic tests with her grandmother. This is where all the action and intensity starts up as her grandmother can see the future, and what she sees in Arrah’s future scares her – a demon.

With there not being much that could be done, Arrah and her father head home where we meet her mother, Arti. Sadly, her mother is cold and distant with Arrah throughout the majority of the story, she makes it plain that she’s disappointed in her and it was heartbreaking to read. I really felt sorry for Arrah because she seemed to only want the approval of her parents and to make them proud.

The main romance plot is similar to a Romeo and Juliet one, with Arrah’s family hating that of Rudjek’s. Now Rudjek, I loved him. I loved how, as with Arrah, Rena has woven a complicated history into his where he’s so much more than he seems. There’s also another example of romance between their friends which is f/f, a nice addition to the story. The love isn’t just about relationships though, there is an intense focus on family love from start to finish including complicated love such as between Arrah and Arti.

The majority of the story is told from Arrah’s perspective, with other characters having the occasional chapter of their own to make the reader thing more and more. Honestly, I struggled to remember that this was a debut throughout. I loved the way that the story was put together so cleverly, with times where the reader is told more than the characters too. The world building with all of the tribes is intricate and the way that magic intertwines with most peoples’ lives is also smart. Rena even puts gods into the world who carry out questionable things, this book just really keeps you on your toes throughout.

Little bit of a side mention of the covers… At first I was a little disappointed in the UK one, but having read it I’m totally on board with the vibe it gives. The US one is still atmospheric and awesome but I really think this series will be timeless so I’m happy I’ll be getting the UK version, I’ve even got the Goldsboro edition preordered! Just means I need to pick up the US cover some day too…

Ultimately, this was a great read to me. I’m so so excited for the next instalment (especially because the ending really shocked me) and I just full on can’t wait.

A beautifully-written and richly-detailed YA fantasy with a vivid magic system, lush world-building and an engaging main character. I can't wait for the sequel.

I really enjoyed this one. So much so I bought a special edition signed and numbered hardcover. The magic system was fascinating and I loved the main character, Arrah. Her strength and resilience when faced with terrible things was pretty incredible. She finds herself investigating a mystery involving missing children, and I was quite surprised when the culprit was revealed pretty early on, but this was only the start of the horrors Arrah finds herself faced with. The world building was something completely new to me, and really interesting. I loved the cultural aspect of the story and it was pretty visually striking. Some strong friendships and despicable villains, mixed in with a barely there romance with great potential. The mythology involved was creative and new to me as well and actually seeing chapters from the gods point of view added an extra dimension to the worldbuilding. A fascinating novel, leaving me wanting more from this world.

It took me a while to start this, as everyone was so enthousiastic about this and I didn't want to get my hopes up to high. Things I liked were that the MC was normal, she wasn't perfect. The characters felt really fleshed out, I loved the blood magic and the Gods. I loved the world building. What I liked less was that the ending felt a bit rushed, I feel like that happens so often with fantasy books though.

An amazing book that has you in your seat and doesn't let you drop it until the very end, its like the magic in the story gets out of the book with Rena's writting and holds you down.
And i'm not just talking about it because our last names are very alike if not for one R!
Rena's writing and the world she created are just magical, the plot for Kingdom of Souls very indepth! Love it

Thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like this, I really did. The premise sounded really cool and I usually love books set in African inspired worlds but this just didn’t do it for me.

The good – the world building was done pretty well

The not so good – the pacing was so strange. It alternated between breakneck and glacial. I don’t mind a slow burn but if I get to 20%+ in a book and nothing has happened then I start to worry.

The characters also felt really weak and I couldn’t make sense of much of Arrah’s actions and her reactions to what happens around her.

It’s not a bad book by any means it just left me completely underwhelmed.

Review not posted anywhere else.

*E-Arc received from the publisher, via net gallery, in exchange for a honest review *

Kingdom of souls was unlike anything I've read recently within the young adult genre. I love the rich language the author uses and the story line was darker than I expected. Most YA story's don't get gritty which this story did. It did have a slow start but can find no other criticism for this book. The twists and turns had me on edge and the way the story develops is just amazing.

I love this authors writing and the world she's has created within Kingdom of souls. I look forward to reading the rest of the series in the future.

I feel like this book is a bit like Marmite and unfortunately I am one of the few who didn’t enjoy it. The pacing wasn’t great but the world building and the villain were good, it just didn’t really grab me or blow me away.

I absolutely loved reading this book. It was amazing from start to finish.
It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the story as the stakes got higher and the danger increased. Arrah is a great character and I love how she grows over the story. I was definitely intrigued by the blurb and how Arrah pays with years of her life to have magic; something that she's wanted all her life but hasn't been gifted it. I loved how once she got it everything just went even further downhill... then it kept going. The book was definitely a wild ride and I loved it!
I thought this was a great book, and a great start to this series, and I can't wait to read the next book! Rena Barron is a fantastic fantasy author that I can't wait to read more of!

FULL REVIEW!
This book is quite a dark fantasy, which I really enjoy, and has a number of dark themes. I wouldn’t say that it was a lighthearted book. There’s definitely a lot of dark and sometimes horrifying moments in this book. Although there is some more lighthearted moments but as the book goes on they become fewer and farther between. Those moments are mostly with Arrah’s father and her best friends.

I really loved how this story starts with Arrah’s last chance of receiving magic at the tribes ritual/celebration for magic. She comes from a family of powerful and amazing witchdoctors, both her parents’ and their family have strong and powerful magic. Yet Arrah hasn’t been given any. The opening of this story feels tense as Arrah is hoping that she’ll finally get magic, it’s happened before when some one her age is given magic but it’s very rare. During the ceremony she finally gets a taste of magic for the first time flowing through her. For one moment both Arrah and the reader thinks “yes, finally!” but it doesn’t last.

I felt so bad for Arrah because she’s put so much pressure on herself about getting magic, her father and his family are very understanding and loving about it but her mother is very cold and her family are no better. Her mother cares more about work than her only daughter. I really loved the scenes at the start with Arrah’s grandmother, one of the tribe leaders, as they test her magic and discover a possible reason why Arrah hasn’t been able to have magic. Which crept up many times throughout the book and linked to the larger danger/evil in this book.

I really enjoyed reading how Arrah came to try to find an alternative to getting magic. It wasn’t an easy process or decision for Arrah to make. But she does it to try to save the children of the city that are going missing.

One thing that I found interesting about bartering years of your life for magic was that you don’t know how many years you’ve traded. It could be one, it could be ten, it could even be all of the years you had left and you drop dead if you were really unlucky. It’s something that only the truly desperate for magic will go through.

I liked reading Arrah’s discovery of the plot to set the Demon King free. It starts with missing children, tension in the city, Arrah trying to protect her friend that’s the same age as the children that have gone missing, and then Arrah finding out who’s behind it all and trying to stop them at every turn.

The mystery and the race to find out who was behind the missing children was super interesting. It wasn’t the main mystery in the book, as once Arrah discovers who it is she then has to try to stop them as their plans build and continue to win against Arrah. There were a lot of tense scenes where Arrah was in danger of getting caught by them and having to deal with the consequences. It was so interesting to read. Because the stakes were raised higher and higher throughout the book. Arrah had to face a lot. And mostly on her own because she didn’t know who to trust or who was working with the bad guys. It was also really interesting to discover bit by bit why they were doing everything. Why they kidnapped children. Why they wanted to free the Demon King. Why they felt they had to do this.

This book was an amazing read! I really loved reading it both times!

The world building is really good. I just wish that there could have been more in the tribal lands just because I found that really interesting and also how it contrasted so much with the way of life in the city. Arrah’s world is very divided between the time she spends in the tribal lands visiting family and attending the yearly ritual and the time she is purely herself living in the city. In the city it doesn’t matter if you have magic or not, but in the tribal lands it does. You can become an outcast in the tribal lands if you don’t have magic.

I really liked how in the city there is a very distinct way of life and also a mix of cultures, from people that come from the tribal lands, from other parts of the world and those that grew up in the city. I could really vividly imagine places in the city but I would have liked that same detail to have gone into the tribal lands. Even though the story mainly takes place in the city I would have liked more comparisons between the two places and the people and culture throughout the book. It’s mainly just at the start while Arrah’s in the tribal lands and when she first returns home.

The magic system was definitely interesting and some of it was explored and explained. But as Arrah didn’t have magic for most of this book it’s not really explored that much. There are parts that show off what some are capable of but a lot of the time it’s that people can do magic, they might need ingredients for certain spells, but it’s not really explored in depth. Which I felt was a shame and I would have liked to have gotten more about how the magic in this world worked.

One thing that did confuse me, more the first time I read this book, was the few pages between chapters of other nameless characters talking or revealing very small pieces of information. At the start they are a bit confusing and don’t really make sense until later in the book when more has been revealed. And also when there are more hints as to who and what they are.

But it definitely confused me when reading this book. Mainly because it seems like a separate narrative from the main plot until later in the book when more information is shared in those pages and in the rest of the book about what’s going on. But I do think that those pages weren’t that nessecary. I think that they could have been easily taken out of the book and it would have still made sense without them.

I really love Arrah. I thought that she was a great main character. She goes through and has to deal with a lot, most of it on her own and unable to tell anyone anything. She was very tough, driven and had a very kind heart. Arrah is one of those characters that I simply loved and I can’t put into words why I loved her other than I just did.

I also really loved her father. The scenes between Arrah and her dad were so sweet, sometime bitter sweet, and I loved them all. Some of what happens in this book to him were very tough. He did not have a great time in this book to say the least.

The dynamic between Arrah and her parents was very different; with her father she felt loved, spent time with him and laughed, while in contrast with her mother she felt small, unnoticed and as if her mother just didn’t care. The family dynamics were strange at times. Arrah’s mother felt like she didn’t belong with them as if she didn’t really want to be there or that she was constantly separating herself from her family and putting up a wedge between them. When I read as to why she acted like this I did feel my heart break a bit for her, some very horrible things happened to her in the past so I could understand the reason by behind her actions and why she behaved like she does.

I liked Arrah’s friends too, some of them I would have liked to have gotten to know better. Some were meant to be Arrah’s closet friends and yet they didn’t appear that often in this book. Rudjek appeared the most as he is one of her childhood friends and also one of her best friends. I liked him, I thought he was a good character, but the romance between them I felt wasn’t necessary. I don’t mind friends-to-lovers when it’s done well but this felt like it was a bit unnecessary and need to be developed more.

One thing I will say about this book is that it doesn’t hold any punches. There are some pretty upsetting subjects discussed in this book, and some that happen to characters. It can be a bit heavy at times and I would not call this a happy story. So if you want to read this book precede with caution.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were some parts that I didn’t, at times I felt like the pace of the story slowed down too much and I struggled a bit staying interested. Usually this didn’t last for that long. The pages of other characters conversations/history between chapters I felt wasn’t always necessary and didn’t always make sense until later in the story so they could be a bit confusing.

But this book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the story as the stakes got higher and the danger increased. Arrah is a great character and I love how she grows over the story. I was definitely intrigued by the blurb and how Arrah pays with years of her life to have magic; something that she’s wanted all her life but hasn’t been gifted it. I loved how once she got it everything just went even further downhill… then it kept going. The book was definitely a wild ride and I loved it!

I thought this was a great book, and a great start to this series, and I can’t wait to read the next book! Rena Barron is a fantastic fantasy author that I can’t wait to read more of!

I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy reading darker high fantasy, that is intense and gripping. If you enjoyed books like By Chance or Providence, Wicked Saints, We Hunt the Flame, and These Rebel Waves then I would say that you’d enjoy Kingdom of Souls too!

The premises of this book were interesting and I wanted to love it. Alas, it wasn't my cup of tea. The strong point was the worldbuilding and the magic system, both rich and very detailed. Unfortunately, they were penalized by slow pacing, poor characters' development and repetitiveness. Plus, I wasn't attached to any characters and taht was another downside. It's a pity because I had very high expectations.

Kingdom of Souls is one of those odd little books that I jumped on the chance to get to read early because it sounded amazing, got approved, downloaded it, started reading and then promptly forgot about it until months after publication.

I recently picked it up in my local library because there isn't really anything to do in a pandemic, but read and y'know what? I enjoyed this.

It's not the standout spectacular I was hoping for, but it's a solid book with a really cool culture, mythology and interesting magic system.

I liked the clash of identities inside out MC, she so clearly is a girl of the kingdom, but also one of the tribe or rather she really wants to be one of the tribe.

It was interesting and the twists were fun. I kind of expected them, but that's not a complaint. A well written foreshadowed twist is a million times better than the habit in YA lately of throwing a spanner in the works out of absolutely nowhere that makes zero sense, just for shock value.

I'm looking forward to the sequel and other work by Rena Barron.

Beautiful book, definitely worth a read.

A well-constructed magical world and pacing that is so well done that you can't put the book down.

The material inspiring this book is very interesting by itself, but the author's rendition is beautiful. I definitely want to read more!

3⭐️
This book had such a promising premise. Unfortunately for me I didn’t really enjoy it. The story just didn’t grip me and I didn’t really enjoy the writing style.
The characters were great though and I loved the world setting. Also the magic system was really cool. However I don’t think I’ll continue the series but I would still recommend giving this one a try.

My wish on NetGalley was granted by the publisher, so thank you HarperVoyager!

My Rating: 3 / 5 🌟

From reading the synopsis itself, I thought I knew what kind of storyline Kingdom of Souls was headed to. But instead what I got was something completely different and somewhat of a disappointment.

Kingdom of Souls is a story about Arrah, who was born into a family of powerful witchdoctors and yet possesses no power of her own. Although the magic is given by the Gods, it can also be obtained through another method if you were willing to pay the price. And with the recent tragedy that was occurring in her town and the rumours of the Demon King coming to rise again, Arrah has to decide whether the magic that she long yearned for was worth the price that was to be paid.

While the book did have a main plotline and manages to maintain the narrative until the end, the story as a whole, just felt completely rushed and dense. And the root of this problem was the overloaded amount of minor storylines that was incorporated in the book. Kingdom of Souls is quite a thick book and yet the story still seemed rushed because of all the storylines that the story not only included but also wanted to finish within the book. Don’t get me wrong, the minor storylines in this book were fantastic, but that was the problem, the minor storylines can serve as a main plotline that could be carried throughout one whole book, or to put it in more understandable terms, if Kingdom of Souls was a TV show, each storyline deserve a season of its own. And since all of it was packed into just one book, the storylines were robbed of their opportunity to make the story even more compelling and instead had to be completed within a few chapters before we moved on to a new storyline.

On top of all these minor narratives, you had this intricate magic system as well as well-created groups of people with a different set of beliefs and religions, which is definitely one of the book’s strong suits. Rena’s creation of these different types of beliefs was so interesting, it was clear how much time she spent into just crafting the beliefs system itself. There were so many angles to be explored with the religions and Rena took each angle and uses it to its fullest potential. Although the belief system was wonderfully explained throughout the book, it took up way too much space for the other aspects of the book to flourish, and this could be seen distinctly through the characters.

Since the book focuses so much on the minor storylines and the belief system, it leaves so little room for the characters and barely gives the readers any time to connect with them or have an attachment to them. While we do learn more about the main protagonist, Arrah, throughout the book, the side characters were simply left alone and was barely given any personality except for a few traits. There was barely any depth to them, and it seems that the side characters only showed up in the story when the story needs their presence to keep the plot going, or else they were simply irrelevant to the book at all, which makes them quite forgettable. And from what I’ve read from this book alone, I’m not sure if we’ll get to know them better in the later books in this series.

Although this book has its problem, we cannot ignore the most important aspect of this book, the representation of black characters in the publishing industry, which Rena did a spectacular job with the main protagonist, Arrah. Arrah was the main reason why I decided to keep reading until the end. Her determination and sense of rightness never falter no matter what situation that was thrown her way. Another characteristic that I adore about Arrah was how she was a simple girl and was simply trying to do the right thing. I think it’s really important to show readers that you don’t need to have powers or a set of skills to do the right thing, and it’s something you don’t usually see in books, so I’m really glad Rena took this road for Arrah.

All in all, Kingdom of Souls was a book that had potential but too much substance and in the end, the story was poorly executed. I am interested to continue on with the sequel but it’s definitely not a book I’ll be highly anticipating.

Kingdom of Souls is an enjoyable YA fantasy novel with an interesting magic system and some rich world building. Arrah comes from a long line of witchdoctors but no matter how hard she tries magic will not answer her call. When children begin to go missing Arrah turns to her last resort and trades her years of life for some temporary magic. When she discovers that the Demon King in stirring Arrah knows the price she has to pay to stop him from destroying her world.

There are some wonderful characters in Kingdom of Souls and one of my favourite parts of the novel is where we meet the different witchdoctor tribes. Arrah, our heroine, is the daughter of tribe Aatiri. Unlike most heroes she isn’t gifted with special abilities. All that she gives comes through personal sacrifice. She is fixated on magic and her actions are always true to character.

Arrah’s family are all very interesting. Her grandmother is the Aatiri chieftan and I love how her role gives a formal as well as familial relationship with Arrah. As chieftan she must be respected but there is obviously a closeness as her grandmother. It is this that causes lines to be blurred and traditions to be broken.

One of the coolest characters is Arrah’s mother, who is high Priestess of Tamar, hand selected by the Almighty One. They have a strained relationship to say the least and is interesting how it changes as events unfold.

Rudjek is one of my favourite characters and Arrah’s friend/love interest. He has complicated family relationships of his own, which is why he can understand Arrah’s position so well. This is a relationship that you can really see developing and I was certainly invested in.

I love the magic system in this book and the first look at the five tribes is fantastic. The tribal council is made up from the edam, six individuals selected by the High Chieftan, who show mastery of their magic. Beyond the tribal magic. A crucial aspect to the book is how individuals without magic can trade years of their life so magic will temporarily answer their call. It adds a really interesting layer to the story and is refreshing as so many books have protagonists who suddenly find powers/magic. This magic costs.

As well as magic the gods play an important role in Kingdom of Souls, as well as the Demon King. It took me a little while to get my head around who was who but I really enjoyed how they were built into the story, especially later into the book.

Rena Barron has created a really rich world and the magic feels very tangible. I really enjoyed the different settings in the story and think the world is very well done, especially for a debut novel.

The book is West-African inspired and is described by Rena as a “homage to my West African ancestors who lost much more than their freedom. They endured the suppression and vilification of their culture, traditions, and sacred beliefs”. I think Rena does a brilliant job of celebrating and embracing West African culture in the book whilst exploring these difficult themes.

Family relationships play a big part in the novel both in character development, as well as the plot. There are both positive and negative relationships, which are both interesting.

I really enjoyed Kingdom of Souls and the magic was everything that I hoped it would be. This book is very different from a lot of YA fantasy novels and has a LOT of unpredictable twists. The relationships between the characters feel extremely real and natural despite their complexity. I am really looking forward to seeing what happens in book two releasing in 2021!

I really enjoyed reading this book, but I swear the direction of the book changed several times. When I was just getting into one direction, it seemed to completely change. It might have been because the characters found out new information that changed their way of thinking. By the end of the book, the story makes sense and I am looking forward to reading the sequel

Kingdom of Souls is a book filled with a rich mythology, where long ago the Orishas battled the Demon King and after destroying his demons trapped him in an everlasting prison. The Orishas lost a number of their brothers and sisters in this battle and stepped back from the humans they protected. In the tribal lands, Heka is above the Orishas as he gives humans magic. In the Kingdom, the Orisha are the ones who are worshipped.

The lead character, Arrah doesn’t have magic, so she is seen as an anomaly as she comes from two prominent magical lines from two different tribes. Arrah feels like an outsider everywhere she goes, in the tribal lands, because she hasn’t been granted magic yet, and in Tamar, she is treated differently because her mother is the top seer in the Kingdom. No one can understand why Arrah hasn’t received magic of her own, and she is taunted by it, as she can see the magic around her.

Arrah’s mother Arti belittles her, yet her father Oshe is more understanding. Due to her lack of magic Arrah spends a lot of time wondering if she is cursed. Arti has plans of her own that Arrah is just a pawn in. Arti is ultimately a tragic figure, but overall she is malicious and callous. As Arti turns on Arrah and Oshe to make sure her plans do not go astray, she doesn’t care who gets hurt to bring her plan to fruition.

Every so often we get some sub-chapters that are told from The Twin King Orishas. Re’Mec and Koré. Which gives us a little insight into the grudge they bear the Demon King still. There is also a back story of the mystery of the Unnamed Orisha, which was interesting as it is played with throughout the book.

With Arti’s plan becoming a reality, Arrah decides that the only way to survive is to gain the magic she has been denied. Arrah knows to take magic this way is a fate worse than death, but Arrah knows that this is the only way to gain a modicum of freedom from Arti’s will. I like that Arrah is strong-willed and wants to believe that there is good in everyone. Although this can make her naive in certain situations. I liked that the main characters didn’t find out the truth about themselves until it was much too late to do anything about it.

This is one of those books where it takes the characters a long time to work out who they can and cannot trust, where putting your trust in the wrong person can lead them on a dangerous path. Arrah can be annoying in parts, but you end up really caring for her and hoping that she will succeed in destroying her mother’s plans and that she can survive the truth that has haunted her life.