I admit I do not read much of YA novels these days as much of the stories usually fall into the trap of being a rehash of ideas, done to death. And so it stands that Kingdom of Souls, by Rena Barron is a debut that pleasantly surprised me with its stock of original ideas, extensive and lush worldbuilding mixing in West African folklores and rich imagination.
Having finished the book though, I am in two minds about giving a higher rating for the book. Simply because despite the stunning originality and some solid ideas, I found myself drifting off course due to its slowburn of a pace right till the late second half of the book. But the last quarter of the book, especially after the introduction of a new character, the story really takes off on wings; literally a freight train steamrolling you as the action, intrigue and mysteries pile on to become a tour-de-force of an ending. This is where the mythology and the plot fully comes into its own. Even Rena's writing took on a brighter shine in these parts of the novel and this elevated what was till then, a pedestrian story, into a memorable epic fantasy.

Coming down to the story itself, this is a first person narrative of a sixteen year old's quest for magic and redemption. Which ultimately spirals down into darker truths, involving a centuries old feud that has been brewing over eons between the Orishas (the Gods of this land) and demons. Arrah is the face of the hapless humanity caught in between this titanic struggle. As we meet Arrah, she is a teenage girl without magic, born to two of the most powerful magicians in the Kingdom who finally has to come to terms with the disappointing truth that she may not possess an ounce of magic. Her mother Arti, the third most powerful figure in the Kingdom, despises her weak daughter while her father Oshe tries to console his heartbroken daughter. Her only consolation in life are her close friends whom she has grown up with. Her best friend, Rudjek just happens to be the heir to become the Vizier to the Kingdom, the second most powerful man.

Arrah is a strong willed and determined young woman and she still seeks to get the approval of her mother, having grown up distant and yearning for acceptance. Arrah is also a highly empathetic person, who makes instant connections to the poor and suffering around her. And so when it comes to light that someone's been stealing children away in the Empire, she suspects something big is underway. Disappearance of one of her 'adopted' younger brothers pushed her conscientious mind to seek magic through unethical means to right this wrong and find out the truth behind this foul play. But what she discovers blows her mind away as there are darker forces at play scarier than her worst imaginations.

Quite a few twists and turns in the narrative with shocking revelations that keep you on your toes throughout. Rena's debut is set in a wonderfully realised world, inspired by West African mythology. You can almost hear the rhythmic drumbeats, smell the exotic herbs and marvel at the details of the traditional practices of the Witchdoctors and the varied religious nuances or the social behaviours detailed very well by Rena. The descriptions are vivid and brings the landscape alive as we tread past deserts, stone-pillared temples or dark forests. Her magical systems are also well thought out and detailed, focusing on Gods who bless the humans with their abilities that differ from one tribe to the other. Quite a few interesting 'magical beings' are also brought into play like the Craven who can resist magic. The concept of Orisha, gods who controls various elements of Nature was a great concept and Rena brings in a masterful twist into their roles as the story progresses, weaving that in organically into the proceedings. The Twin Kings, Kore and Rec'Mec [ The Moon and the Sun Gods ] get the maximum facetime on the pages and they don't disappoint at all.

Rena's debut though is not without its flaws. Her characters, unfortunately didn't work their magic on me. Arrah is an interesting mix of quiet strengths and vulnerability. Her yearning for love and acceptance overrides her natural intelligence and she frequently stumbles in her decision making. While her vulnerability does make her a relatable heroine you want to get behind of, I found her frequently going off-script with her irritating habit of mooning for Rudjek, her best friend. Their hesitant love story never quite takes off [ and there's of course strong secrets behind this!] but them playing footsie around each other was just a dampener slowing down proceedings. But her character growth is definitely arresting and with how Book One ends, I think I am hooked on.

Rudjek is Prince Charming but till the end quarter of the book, I really fell for his saucy charms. It is only after a major development in those last few chapters that Rudjek really grows into his own. Arti, Arrah's mother the chief priestess of the Kingdom makes for a compelling character, a mix of contradictions. The rest of them kind of didn't really make an impact. But my favourite character of this whole book actually doesn't even come into play, till the last one-thirds of the book and for fear of any spoilers, I am just going to keep mum and let you readers experience this in first hand.
The second issue was the uneven pacing. While the narrative is a melting pot of strong original ideas, Rena's pacing is completely off-kilter. But stick with the slowburn as things get murky and super interesting by the last one-third of the book.

Overall, this one's a solid debut packed with amazing ideas, an exotic world that comes truly alive frontlined by a plucky heroine who stands in the way of the deceitful Gods and the wily demons even as larger prophecies and conspiracies shape the fiery world around her. Despite issues with pacing and some level of characterisation, Kingdom of Souls definitely paves the way for Rena Barron's future potential as a fantasy writer to watch out for.

Arrah is born from the bloodlines of two powerful families of witch doctors, but has been unable to demonstrate any magical power, however hard she tries and has to fight hard to bring out her skill. Beautiful world building, great well rounded characters and vivid mythology. A well constructed, gripping read.

I am incredibly glad this book exists. A huge ‘hell yes’ to the young black women who are going to benefit from this surge of long-frickin-overdue representation, something that I absolutely took for granted growing up. Something that I’d not given much thought to until it was pointed out to me was that this book really celebrates diversity in terms of skin tone, body shape, features and hair which is just so powerful, especially in a series aimed at the YA market.

There is a lot to admire about Kingdom of Souls. The setting is rich, detailed and imaginative. I loved the world building and the beautifully crafted distinctions between the various tribes. I will say that the delivery sometimes felt a little more like ‘info dumps’ than my preferred ‘show, don’t tell’ but the descriptions were so vivid and beautiful that I can overlook that. I loved the portrayal of magic, the struggles and insecurities of the protagonist and (for the most part) the romantic subplot that happily swerves the ‘dark, mysterious, angsty’ trope.

Unfortunately, this was still a book I struggled to get through. The pacing just didn’t work for me, it is slow and drawn out at points where it could really have been sped up and then, when we finally reach those big, climactic moments... they are so rushed that they fell a bit flat. The writing was similarly a little bit hit and miss. There were parts that were beautifully written but also sections that seemed a tad clumsy. There are brilliant moments and the overall plot is great, but these issues kept killing the momentum for me.

That being said... it’s still a strong debut, I’ll definitely be reading the next instalment and I think the world building will really come to life on the big screen.

Born into a family of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah yearns for magic of her own. But each year she fails to call forth her ancestral powers. She can see it, but it won’t come to her. Frustrated her grandmother advises that sometimes magic comes later and when it does the stronger the power.
However when local children go missing, which includes her friend Kola, Arrah feels compelled to get magic from the Charlatans even though the magic is likely to take what it wants and will age her. From here dangerous situations befall her and she learns what and who the people around her truly are.
This book is rich with immersive African mythology. The magic is dark, but Arrah unbeknown to herself is a strong heroine, acting on principles and a very strong resolve. She has a complex relationship with her immensely powerful and calculating mother. Her mother doesn’t show much emotion, more a hard resolve, but in the book some of her steely acts are indeed a show of love.
There is a romantic element via the mutual adoration between Arrah and Rudjek, the heir to the Oshin kingdom. But the king whilst tolerant of Arrah is also calculating and he wants a more fitting bride for his son. Plus there is a deep, mystery historical undercurrent. Something very significant in the past has passed between the King and her mother.
Intriguing, captivating, set in a beautifully depicted exotic country, this book offers a fresh approach, with a blend of mystery, dark magic, thrills and complex interpersonal relationships, it makes for a thoroughly immersive read that she almost don’t want it to end.

The world building in this book was amazing. The myriad of tribes and powers came to life. But they all came to life by the reader being told about the tribes and the information not just being weaved in to the story. A good read.

Arrah comes from a long line of powerful witch doctors but cannot perform even the simplest curse which causes her great shame. A disappointment to her mother, Arrah is desperate for magic powers of her own. When children in the kingdom go missing, Arrah discovers a deep betrayal and decides to make huge sacrifices in order to save the kingdom.

I really enjoyed this book. The world building is wonderful and I really liked the idea of opposing belief systems of the tribes and the Kingdom, with the mythic stories of the gods. The magic system is really interesting, with captivating descriptions of the curses, spells, and rituals.

I liked the characters (well, some I hated due to their actions!) and I liked the interactions between Arrah and her friends. Arrah is a strong, self-sacrificing person who I really felt for.

There’s lots of tension, drama and incredibly high-stakes. However, for me personally, it got a little bit too dark. I quite enjoy stories with sacrificial magic, demons etc. but this story weighed heavy on me. This might be because at sixteen, Arrah is very young to be having the weight of the world on her shoulders and the betrayal she suffers is dreadful. Sometimes the terrible events and tension got too much for me and I struggled to carry on!

If you like stories of magic, love, sacrifice, and world-saving quests, you’ll definitely enjoy this book. This is an exciting fantasy with a richly-created world.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This book is rich with vivid mythology and magic; if you're looking for something refreshing to read... read this!

Arrah was born in one of the most powerful families of her tribe. But still, magic didn’t want to come to her. She wasn’t completely magic-less, like some of the people who were so desperate to at least feel the whiff of magic once in their lifetime that they eagerly traded their years for it. Arrah could sense and see magic, but it often just slipped past her fingers into the world, leaving Arrah disappointed in herself as each year passed and she still couldn’t get hold of her magic.

The world that Rena Barron created was very intricate, detailed and interesting. This was probably the only thing that (A) drew me in the story and (B) kept me reading to try and find out more about the world.

The various tribes, magical abilities, rituals, political power and social classes influenced by magic and non-magic holders - all of this was new (at least to me), exciting and fascinating to learn about.

However, the execution of world-building wasn’t the best. And while I loved to learn about all of the above elements, I didn’t want the information to be dumped on me. At 20% into the book, I already felt the need to have a pen and paper closeby at all time so I could write down all the important events that took place in the history of this nation.

I also needed a vocabulary. I’m not sure if the physical copy has a vocabulary, as I was reading this book on my Kindle, but it definitely needs one. There were too many foreign words that were hard to grasp the meaning of just from the context in which they were used.

As I’m already talking about some negative elements, let’s move on to the things I didn’t love about this book.

I loved the African inspired mythology and the worldbuilding. The plot was good, if a little more linear than I prefer. Arrah was a somewhat passive character and consequently it was hard to get excited about her. This was a good book, an immersive fantasy and it was something different in the genre. It’s definitely worth reading. I was just more there for the world than the characters or story.

I really liked the cover. It is very appealing designed. The writing style is pleasant and very fluently to read. The characters are very well described and look well thought out and consistently interesting. The tension is always present. The descriptions of surroundings, feelings and scenes were also very good. The story is told pleasant and it succeeds from the first pages to dive directly into the story. The storyline as a whole is very coherent and it seems very understandable and authentic. A very fascinating story that you won't like to stop reading.

I really liked the story i just didn't expect the romance to be as present as it was. The plot was sometimes too predictable but the world in which this story takes place is fascinating.

The fascination of this book was the mixing of influences from differing cultures. It mainly seemed to draw on African civilizations, but there was also a western element to the demons which added another layer to the story. The detail involved in clothing, food, magic and architecture really fill out the background, and I almost wished for more scene-setting before the plot started in earnest. I think this would have helped in getting to know some of the secondary characters as well.
The story was involving, and as you got to know more back story it was not obvious how it would be resolved. Were the villains victims of their history, or the heroes actually the sinners? This mystery kept me reading through the chapters, and although this is, I believe, the first part of a series, the end result was satisfying.

Although marketed as a young adult book, I felt the story was meaty enough to appeal to adults as well.

Well-written and an intriguing protagonist but it just wasn't for me. It's like this sometimes, the writing style for one reader just won't gel and yet, excite the hell out of hundred's of others. I'm sure KofS will do really well and I wish Rena the best of luck.

A tale of witch doctors, magic and myth that lurches from one overly described page to another .
This book was not for me and I struggled with it so much that I gave up half way through.
Neither the characters or the storyline were strong enough for me to try and finish this confusing novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron. I've voluntarily read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow. This was utterly compelling, rich and beautifully written. Kingdom of Souls is a dark fantasy with an intriguing magical world and complex and well-layered characters. I was hooked from the very first page. The story builds up nicely and leaves room for speculation. The characters are deeply rooted with friendship and family bonds, which made for even higher stakes. The ending was absolutely surprising and had me go from confusion to awe in a few seconds. I applaud Rena Barron for her storytelling and connecting the story in an unique way.

Wishing that I already had a sequel in my hands. Do yourself a favor and read Kingdom of Souls now!

Kingdom of Souls is a rich, captivating story that pulls readers in with its dark vodun-inspired magic and its compelling characters that make you cheer, laugh, and cry. I finished this book--400+ pages--in a week's time and was spellbound by its enchanting feel. I also appreciate diverse representation and the opportunity to see female leads who look like me in my favorite age category and genre, YA fantasy. A must-buy for your Fall 2019 TBR list!

A surprisingly dark fantasy with an interesting, organic-feeling magic system heavily entwined with the West-African inspired mythology.
Overall, I enjoyed the story although I'm not entirely sure I followed everything perfectly. Clearly with there being more books to come there is a certain amount of unexplained or unexplored material which will hopefully be resolved later on. It may seem a strange thing to complain about, but I felt plonked down in each location without really grasping the differences between them and how they related to each other.
I enjoyed a lot of the relationships - there were some great friendship groups and I hope they continue to be important. The familial relationships were complex, interesting and difficult (or downright abusive). I wasn't overly convinced by the strength of feeling between the sisters over such a short period (but, without giving away any spoilers, it may make more sense later on). The romantic relationships were, on the whole, well done but towards the end the angst level passed my personal threshold.
The magic and mythology are the main draw and both were fascinating and detailed with plenty more to explore in future books.

Firstly, this book is first in a trilogy of books. I did not know this when I started, my bad, but I think it could certainly be read as a standalone. The story within stands on its own two feet, and Barron leaves it open for a sequel while still finishing off the central story-line. I love a first book that can pull its own weight, and I’m very excited to see where the next book will take me.

I’ll admit the book starts a little slowly as it establishes the world and characters, it took me a while to really be drawn into the narrative but by page 150 I couldn’t put it down. No spoilers, but after this point the pace of the book changes and the story becomes a high stakes, dark fantasy. Barron crams a lot into five hundred pages, and I wish more time had been taken on a few key plot points, but all in all this book is packed full of action and thrilling to read.

Arrah is a wonderfully well-rounded character. She’s passionate, driven, but also insecure and desperate to prove herself. I will admit she can get a little repetitive and she definitely dwells on things, but I definitely do this constantly so who am I to judge. She felt very real, and very human which I loved. I do wish there’d been more time spent on the characters surrounding Arrah, some of which are spoilers so I won’t name names, but due to the fast pace of the book, many of the characters felt underdeveloped for me.

Overall, this book is an incredibly detailed dark fantasy full of complex mythology. The Witchdoctors, blood magic, demons, and the lore surrounding them was so detailed and well thought out. Barron has written such a rich fantasy that doesn’t feel in any way like your typical young adult novel, the book is unputdownable and I cannot wait to pick up the next in the series

Recommend: Definitely. Barron has written an incredible dark fantasy that I would read over and over and still find something new to rave about.

Stars
★★★★
*More like 4.5 but we don’t do half stars in this house

Kingdom of Souls is a compelling story of what one girl will do to be powerful enough to defeat her enemies, save her friends and family, and subsequently learn who she is and change her fate.

This book gave me a serious book hangover. Seriously, I couldn't read anything for 2 weeks after this. Kingdom of Souls was one of my most anticipated releases of 2019, and I'm glad to report it did not disappoint. I absolutely loved this, even though it hurt me, and ends on a delicious cliffhanger.

This is an action-packed adventure, with an enjoyable pace that more or less made this unputdownable. I was desperate to get a moment alone or some free time to continue reading this. I’d definitely say Kingdom of Souls has been one of my favourite YA fantasy reads of the year. There's almost a Greek tragedy angle to the storytelling of this, where it hurts, but like all Greek tragedies, they hurt but are appreciated.

I absolutely love the complexity of the villainy in this story. The bad guys in this... wow. I was shocked, appalled and on the edge of my seat to see whether Arrah would triumph, or if they would. There's so much to say, but I don't trust myself not to spoil a small but relevant detail. All I'll say is the stakes felt higher than ever, the challenges Arrah faced and the choices she had to make felt soul crushing, considering who and what she was up against. As for Arrah, I really connected, and in many ways related to her. My heart ached for her during her low points, and I was smiling for her at her high points.

I really liked the faith and magic within this story. Barron establishes at least two differing faiths with different deities to worship, which, is very true to real life. It was interesting to read about the different Gods, demons and practices, especially when weaved together with magic. If you love stories centred on Greek, Norse mythology etc. I suspect you’ll enjoy reading this.

My only issue with this story was toward the end – it was at about 70%ish. Something happened within the story that I found rather upsetting and disappointing. It was simply too much, writing overkill, especially when the book’s climax was both brutal and magnificent. I personally didn’t feel the, err, sordid twist was necessary for both Arrah and Rudjek’s characters stories. Sadly, this is what has bumped my rating from 5 stars to 4 stars, because I genuinely felt the quality of the story was weakened by this plot event.

I'm definitely interested in looking at whatever Rena Barron writes next, and recommend this to all fantasy lovers. It truly is an excellent debut, and I am ecstatic that Kingdom of Souls will have a sequel, as I would love to return to the characters and the world Barron has created. And, of course, find out what’s coming next after THAT cliffhanger!

*Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review*

TW: Rape, blood magic, sacrifice, parental abuse, lots of violence, self-harm .

Kingdom of Souls is a richly imagined novel which draws inspiration from the tribal societies and magical practices of Africa, and re-imagines them in a world where different tribes and belief systems co-exist in an uneasy alliance. The protagonist is Arrah, a young woman descended from two lines of powerful witchdoctors, and thus expected to be even more powerful and magical than those before her. The only problem is, Arrah has no magic.

Magic in this world appears to have some form of sentient ability; it “chooses” those who will become witchdoctors through ceremony. Each year, Arrah is presented at this ceremony, and each year the magic doesn’t choose her. She is a constant disappointment to her mother, a high priestess, but is doted upon by her father, a practicing and benevolent witchdoctor. And despite the fact that Arrah has no magic, she can see it.

When children start disappearing and sinister magical beings called familiars start stalking people, Arrah knows she has to do something. What if she could access magic? What if she did what only those branded as charlatans did, and traded years of her life for the ability to work magic? Could she then find out who is taking the children, and why? Could she save not only her stolen friend but her kingdom? Is she willing to pay such a price?

Bundled alongside this rich and detailed magical backgdrop is a land where the world-building is top notch; you really feel like you are there. I enjoyed the sections of the novel set within the tribal societies and rituals much more than the town-based action, but throughout it all the world-building was amazing.

Inevitably, there’s the romance element, and this was handled deftly and didn’t override the plot much. It wove neatly in and out, though it did remind me of Romeo and Juliet somewhat. However, the relationship between Arrah and Rudjek is built on friendship and is a sweet slow-burn. The cohort of secondary characters — friends, family, allies, and enemies — was sometimes confusing, but they were all very well drawn and didn’t feel any less fleshed out compared to the main characters.

Let’s talk twists, because there’s several and some of them can leave you reeling — or could do, if I hadn’t anticipated them. Perhaps it’s because I’m a writer and I’m always considering such things, or perhaps it’s because I’m a Witch and therefore experienced with some forms of magic, I don’t know. What I do know is that I saw the twists coming and that lessened their impact a bit. They were still powerful, but not punch-in-the-gut for me.

At times I found all the different countries and belief systems dizzying and confusing; I kept having to flick backwards in the book to re-orientate myself as to which belief system belonged where. I also found it hard to keep the Almighty Kingdom, the Almighty Palace, and the Almighty Temple separate in my mind; I’d find myself wondering why this action what happening in the Almighty Palace, for example, and then realise that it was happening in the Almighty Temple and I’d misread/misunderstood. For me, these names are too similar.

This book is dark. There’s a lot of blood magic (naturally; I really liked the authentic nature of this), along with some sacrifice and lots and lots of violence. There’s also parental abuse and a (misrepresented-as-consensual sex) rape scene later in the book. This did impact me a bit and I had to take some time away to process, so be warned.

I found this book to be reminiscent of Children of Blood and Bone, and, honestly, it’s hard not to compare the two. While I enjoyed Kingdom of Souls, for me it lacked the magic and wonder that I found within Children of Blood and Bone, and I kept reminiscing about the latter whenever the action slowed in this book. However, if you like your fantasy dark and angsty, with great magic and an interesting setting, this could be the book for you.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, HarperCollins UK, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.