Well, reading this book was weird. On the one hand, picking up my Kindle to read it felt like a chore every single time, but on the other if I had the sequel in my hands I would start reading it inmediately.

A West-african inspired fantasy Kingdom of Souls is filled with a rich, detailed and fascinating world-building, beautiful writing and compelling and well-developed characters. And while I enjoyed all of it, I almost DNFed it because of the pacing. The first half moves along at a glacial pace and although during the second half it picks up and things start happening crazy fast it still felt draggy to me. The problem, I think , is there is too much of everything: orishas, demons, blood magic, tribes, origin stories, rituals, a thousand characters... Though I think it would've benefitted from cutting a hundred pages at the same time it would've need quite more to properly developed some of the plots and themes introduced. Like I said, weird.

In spite of all this, the ending and the final twist make me eagerly anticipate the sequel.

I started this book tentatively awarding it a five stars. It just felt like a five stars; it should have been.

The world building is exceptional. Magic is woven into every scene, rippling under the surface - it genuinely feels like a tangible presence. The intricate lore and diversity are compelling and make this book initially appear as though it has been written by a seasoned fantasy veteran, not a debut author.

Arrah is the daughter of two high-ranking witch doctors, a powerful gift bestowed at a young age. At aged sixteen she should have expected to have come into her own powers by now, particularly given her lineage, but she hasn’t experienced even a glimpse of this happening. So when darkness and demons threaten her village and children are being snatched from their beds, Arrah decides to acquire magic another, far mostly costly, way with devastating consequences.

The plot seemed interesting at first, and combined with intricate lore and dark magic this should have been a perfect fit for many fantasy readers; early reviewers claim that it is. But, for me, the impact of the lyrical world building was significantly reduced by slow pacing, poor character development and an imbalance of mood.

This book is so dark. Not in a whimsical or malevolent way which would typically pull me in, but rather in a “everything is bad news” kind of way. There’s a significant lack in light and shade here, with almost all of the narrative consisting of terrible things happening, copious murders and very little hope of light at the end of the tunnel. It’s imbalanced and makes for quite a dense, harrowing read.

The pacing is completely off for me - so much so that the plot became boring very quickly despite how much I loved the setting. At 50% still very little had happened, which makes the prospect of reading another 50% an almost certain slog spent measuring how far you’ve got left to go to reach the end rather than it actually being enjoyable.

The characterisation is good, very good in fact. The cast is huge, diverse and features many people of colour within a setting we see very little of in fantasy. Arrah was a great protagonist with some grit about her, but she was also the only character I found likeable - which is lucky because the remaining characters had questionable expiration dates. I’m all for a sadistic plot device and actually find unexpected character deaths really clever when done well, but this book has multiple needless deaths which happen so often that they lack impact. It’s particularly difficult to become truly invested in a book when you have few attachments with the characters and they’re dropping like flies.

This should have been a much higher rating, but it felt as though the author had lots of complex ideas which would have stood alone very well if they’d had more room to develop. Instead, she attempts to make many ideas come together in one book, rushing plot devices and dragging out dialogue, and it just doesn’t work. Lots of potential, but it wasn’t for me.

16-year-old Arrah is the daughter of powerful Witchdoctors. But she doesn’t have the magic that her parents have, and she so desperately wants it and the approval of her mother. That she does everything she can to get it. She loves her dad dearly and closer that her mother. When children start to missing Arrah finds out that it’s her mother who is responsible, trying to summon a Demonic king. So Arrah performs a ritual to get magic so she can stop her mother. But it takes years off her.
Kingdom of Souls is a unique fantasy tale of Witchdoctors, magic, demons, gods in a world of an African setting. It had great characters especially Arrah who trying to get approval from her mother and yet going against her trying to get rid of the demon king. I thought it was beautifully written and I really enjoyed it until I got a bit confused of what was happening at the end. 4 stars from me.

The story follows Arrah, born into a family of powerful Witch doctor's but with no power of her own. She feels the only way she can live up to her namesake is to behave like the charlatans and ask the Gods for magic, but as they say in all the stories magic comes with a price and this one is years of Arrah's life. It takes the mysterious disappearance of children from the capitol to make Arrah finally decide whether she is willing to pay that price and the decision she makes sets her off on a journey no one could have anticipated.

I mean, I had heard rave reviews about this book but nothing really came close to describing just how amazing it was. Arrah is a fantastic heroine and lead character. Headstrong and loyal,she is determined to change the world for the better. I got so invested in Arrah's storyline that there were parts of the book I was literally screaming at the pages hoping beyond hope for a good outcome. Arrah is not the only character in this book that I adored, Barron manages to bring in a multitude of smaller side characters, that even if they are only mentioned in a few sentences, make an impact big enough for you to notice and bond with them.

The romance in this book is beautifully written, Arrah and Rudjek, star crossed lovers. Their parents hate each other and their friendship has had to be contained to the shadows, with only their closest friends in on the secret. I thoroughly enjoyed following the progression of their relationship from the sweet to the almost steamy, I was so invested in their outcome.

Some debuts tend to fall short on the descriptions, either giving us too little or using that many descriptive words it almost doesn't make sense. I would never have guessed that Kingdom of Souls was a debut book if I hadn't already been told. Her descriptive writing is magnificent. Whether it is describing a setting, a character or simply a scene, I found myself dragged head first into Arrah's world, and found it increasingly hard to remove myself from the pages the more I read. The world-building was truly immersive and I was swept away following Arrah on her journey throughout the magical kingdom that Barron creates.

This book had me in pure states of anguish at parts, and this seems like a good point to bring up some trigger warnings you should know before picking the book up. The book features heavily on blood magic, blood is used in multiple spells and is not used sparingly. There are an awful amount of dark topics explored throughout the story including parental abuse, sibling abuse, mass murder (off page) and the loss of a loved one. At parts I felt my heart racing with anticipation, and at other parts I was in tears of both anger and sadness. Barron truly knows how to bring out emotions in the reader and I went through sooo many whilst reading this book.

There was an underlying story flowing parallel to the story you are reading, that of the Devil King and the God he fell in love with. We get hints throughout the book that this should be relevant, and it stays in the back of your mind right until the end when BAM! Barron throws a massive curve ball I just didn't see coming. Talk about ending on a cliff hanger, I very nearly threw my book across the room knowing that I would have to wait over a year to read more in this wondrous world, and learn the outcome of that torturous ending.

I honestly cant recommend this book enough! Looking for a kick ass heroine, a sweet/steamy romance, a fresh and beautifully described magic system and world building to die for... well then this is the book for you. To say I gave this 5/5 would be an understatement, I loved this book, I turned up late to work so I could finish this book and I cannot wait to read the next instalment.

My blog post will be going live on 5/9/19 on the below link, and I will post to my goodreads (link below) on the same day.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

a battle of good v evil...demon against magic...

a strange tale of a girl who comes from two powerful magicians but magic avoids her, and then the stories abound of children going missing but can she avoid grasping at magic that will end her life by taking years off her...

i found this one to be very good but also confusing with the gods..as i couldnt make out who or what they were...were the good or evil...mixed emotions over this one but the fight scenes were good especially with her sister

The tribes are blessed with magic, some stronger than others. Arrah has to deal with being the dud of the family. She yearns to use magic like everybody else, but she should be careful what she wishes for.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a West-African inspired world, where magic is a necessary part of life, Arrah is the daughter of two of the most powerful people in the tribes, and her grandmother is <i>edam</i> - another powerful witch-doctor and tribal leader.
Everyone expects amazing things from Arrah, but... the years go by and are filled with disappointment, as magic fails to connect with her.

I really liked Arrah, and can really sympathise with her. She has to grow up with the weight of all the expectations, made worse by the fact her family is very prominent and she can't hide from the judging eyes of the tribes.
All Arrah wants is to be accepted and loved for who she is. Her father and her best friend/love-interest are both very supportive; but they don't make up for the fact that her mother is cold and distant, not hiding her disappointment in her daughter.

The world that Barron has created is amazing. With gods, demons, a civilisation laced with magic and so much history behind it. I thought the story-telling was the perfect balance between conveying the depth of this world; but keeping it light and interesting.

The first half of the book was brilliant, and I was completely hooked as Arrah tries to uncover the mystery of the children being stolen from their homes. It is totally unforgiving and isn't afraid to hit hard.

The second half... I really wanted to keep loving this book, but it lost its pacing after what felt like a natural climax of the story. It could have stopped after the resolution of the kidnapping mystery, and the uncovering of the villain, and I would have been satisfied. Instead, it felt like a second book was being tacked on.
The second half spends a lot of time in a place where time doesn't exist, as it does in the real world. Unfortunately, as a reader, it also felt like that for me. Arrah mourns the life and friends that she's lost, and contemplates the darkness and danger to come. And round in circles we go.
The second half of the book is also a lot more cerebral, with a lot of stuff happening on different planes and within minds and memories.

Overall, this was a 3.5 out of 5 for me. I enjoyed this book, it had a lot of potiental, despite its debut flaws. I would read the rest of the series.

Trigger Warning: Kingdom of Souls contains scenes of violence, sacrifice, blood magic and parental abuse. Proceed with caution.

"For she will rise from the ashes alit in flames.
For no water will ever quell her pain.
For no redemption will befall her.
For we will never speak her name.
-- Song of the Unnamed"


Nothing I will ever write will give you an idea of how truly wonderfully written and amazing Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron is. I was lucky enough to be part of the “traveling book initiative” in which a single ARC was sent from hand-to-hand in order for readers to join in on the KOS hype train before release.

If it hadn’t been for work and other daily annoyances, I would have finished this book a lot faster than the three days it took me. But when I did finish it, at 11 o’clock at night with The Big Bang Theory playing quietly in the background, I couldn’t help thinking I could never read another fantasy novel the same way again. I clutched this book to my chest for an hour, wanting to scream about it from the rooftops but not finding the words to describe how desperately you all need this novel in your lives.

Coming from a family of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah can’t wait for the day her own magic presents itself. But after failure after failure in calling for her own powers every year, Arrah is willing to try one last thing: trade her own life years for magic.

When the kingdom’s children begin to disappear, Arrah is desperate to find the culprit using her own powers. Alongside friends, she makes powerful sacrifices and takes a dangerous journey in discovering who she is and what she was born to do.

I’m gonna say this now: this book would not have been this fantastic if it had been written by a white woman. Barron threads her own experiences and history into the story, weaving a web that does not fail to capture its audience. Arrah is steadfast and headstrong, determined to make a difference in the world and I felt that right in the core of my being. Who doesn’t want to make a name for themselves? Who feels like they’re failing when they don’t seem to be moving forward? I know I do. Not only are the characters so well-developed that they leap off the page, but the kingdom itself is pure magic. The writing brims with power as Barron describes the city Arrah lives in; the marketplace she visits; the tight family bond she has with her father. It’s impossible to not fall in love with the world built upon the pages of Kingdom of Souls.

Make no mistake, though. Kingdom of Souls is not an easy book to read. There’s blood and violence (a lot of the magic relies heavily on blood magic) and a lot of dark topics are explored that may make you uneasy, so please proceed with caution.

Preorder this book. Rave about it. Buy it for your mum and your grandparents. Buy it for your dad and your uncles. Buy it for your colleagues, your new date, your best friend who doesn’t really read much. There’s a little something for everyone in Kingdom of Souls, and it should not (CANNOT) pass under the radar.

I love the unique style of this book and the fact the topics in this book aren't overly done so it made this book so much more enjoyable, I was hooked with this book by around the 10% mark and have hardly been able to put this book down . The characters in this story are so well written and thought out, the story its self really does grab you from early on and only builds as you go on to say I had some "heart in the throat " moments in an understatement I mean you really won't see them coming. The myths and fantasy aspects of this book were breathtaking and beautifully done I cant wait to see what will follow this book.
This is one I would recommend to any and all.

One of my top reads of 2019 so far. Rena Barron writes so beautifully that you are immersed in the storyline, so much so that you actually feel as if you are there in the book with all the characters. The visuals in this book are some of the best I've read, you can really imagine everything around you and you soon become attached to the MC Arrah and really hope that everything goes well for her.
That ending though shook me, and I definitely can't wait for the next in the series.

I received an eARC from the publishers via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The story is about Darrah who grows up in a family where both her parents hold and can wield magic, and quite a bit of it. Only Darrah is exempt of claiming and using any kind of magic even though she tries as hard as she can.

But then things start to happen in her city and she has to get hold of magic no matter the cost. The consequences of what her one action sets in motion is astonishing. We see a whole world taken out of its comfort zone and thrown into a time of upheaval and turmoil.

The story is far from finished by the end of the book.

I loved the first part of the book. It was what I would term a fast paced US American YA fantasy novel that turns darker and darker, touches down in horror and then transports the story to a completely different place.

The second part was much more difficult to read. I felt there were issues with the pacing and the story got much more complex specially with the expansion of the magic side of this world.

By the end I wondered if this book had not benefitted if the main character had been made a few years older, going from new adult into adult. At times I felt I was reading a teenage character, then I was faced with an adult beyond any age to then be returned to absolute and complete teenage behaviour.

<spoiler>
It also felt to me like this book was trying to bring too many things together, like the story lines of growing up and family, relationship to father and mother, to siblings and to friends and potential love interests, all valued topics for a YA book, and then on the other hand the story line that evolves around beliefs and belief systems, having or not having magic, how to get hold of magic anyway and the self discovery of the main character.

Also, the introduction of yet another point of view towards the end of the book found me confronted with one point of view, then with the complete opposite and I felt I as reader was being slashed around, one way, the other way. It was confusing. Also, it was not obvious for me why the main character did what she did in the end, she as well could have gone for the other option. For me she seemed to opt just for what maintained what was she saw/understood as being status quo, and that is, I am sad to say, the mediocre solution. </spoiler>

Otherwise, if you are looking for a fast paced YA fantasy novel with some horror involved, an interesting story line and a world that is at times very well built (specially the first part with this market and its smells and flavours and its vendors), then go for it, this book just might be for you.

I was so pleased to be able to read this, as it sounded like something I'd love. To start with, it was just that, I loved the rhythm of the writing and the evocation of the African landscape, the gentle pace. But then I found the pace too slow and I began to struggle with what was going on - apart from lack of magic, which I felt was over-laboured. Then there were just too many names and places and relationships for me to get my head round - sorry.

I want to preface this review with the usual disclaimer that I'm a white lady reading a book written by a woman of colour and inevitably there will have been nuances and other things that I cannot hope to appreciate in the same way that a reader of colour might. As ever, I urge you to seek out own voices reviews along with this one. 

So, Kingdom of Souls, how did it go? Overall, I thought this book was good - I'm not sure that I timed reading it well because I was quite tired and coming down with illness (check out my latest reading vlog to see how that went...) so it took me a while to get into this book. This was, in hindsight, in part because of my impending illness, but also I do think this book is quite slow to start, it felt to me as though the main character took around 100 pages (of a 400-page book) to make a decision to do anything? I wouldn't say it was a dealbreaker for this book, I've certainly read a number of much slower books, and the latter half of this book picked up the pace, but worth noting for those picking this up - persevere!

I personally enjoy books where the main character doesn't have magic and has to process feeling left out - I think a lot of people can relate to not feeling as skilled as their peers (I certainly do!) and it makes for a great theme, especially for a YA book. In this case, I thought this was particularly interesting since so much of this book is to with heritage and tradition, it adds a whole additional level to this theme, with ideas about identity and belonging coming into it as well. 

I wasn't totally sold on the romance in this story - purely a matter of personal preference and timing, but I would go in expecting a 'will they won't they' kind of a romance. Unlike many other YA fantasy books, it doesn't totally take over the entire plot - but it definitely stuck with me as an element of the book I found less than amazing. 

I thought that Arrah was a great main character - particularly in the latter half of the book when she started making (arguably increasingly reckless) choices. I loved that Rena Barron wrote the YA main character she would have loved to have seen - you can feel that passion and that love coming through in the descriptions of Arrah, her world and her culture. I'll also add that this is one of the very few times I've seen 'witch doctors' done well (typically it is at best cringy and at worst incredibly racist). This is why we need ownvoices books. 

One thing I definitely enjoyed was the main plot of this book, I don't want to go into too much detail because I think it's something you should experience for yourself, but it definitely spoke to the side of me that likes things a little creepy and with a heaping spoonful of ethical dilemma. 

I think this book is great, it brings together a lot of things I enjoy about fantasy and manages to make them feel less stale than other authors do. My main criticism is that the pacing feels a tiny bit off, particularly at the start of the book, but otherwise, I thought it was wonderful. I think this is a book I will add to my 're-read' shelf as I don't doubt I'll get something more out of it with each read. 

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own. 

Kingdom of Souls is out September 3rd

A great book, I was worried with all the hype that it wouldn't live up to my expe. But boy did it! It was great learning all about this new magic system and witch doctors. Arrah was an awesome lead and brought such strength to the book.
A wonderful read .

Just from the description, it sounded like Kingdom of Souls was a book I'd be interested in - unfortunately, there were a couple of things about it that mean I'm unlikely to carry on with the series, which is a shame as it also did a lot of things that really worked for me.

We experience the whole story through the perspective of Arrah, a teenage girl who is the child of two powerful magic-users and who has been spending her childhood just waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop, when she will gain her own magic powers. As she reaches her teens, she starts to accept that this may not happen and this realisation coincides with major problems in the city where she lives - children are going missing and Arrah is determined to find out exactly what's going on and how her over-critical mother is involved. As part of this, she makes a decision that she will risk herself to gain magic illicitly, since it doesn't look like she's going to get those powers any other way.

I enjoyed probably the first half of this book very much, though to be perfectly honest I found Arrah annoying - there's plenty going on, a lot of interesting world-building, and it boded quite well for the rest of the book. The characters overall needed quite a bit of work - in particular Arrah's father was too perfect, while her love interest struggled to become two-dimensional, which is always a bit of an issue with first person if more care isn't given to the characterisation. In all, this was very much a YA-style love sub-plot and both the book and I could have done without it.

Then the wheels started to come off the wagon as more and more stuff got crammed into it and the pace of the book fell away in response - a shed-load more world-building details, the introduction of a major new character and a plot twist that means Arrah goes from having powers she has sacrificed her future for (interesting) to being the most powerful person around (dull). All of this while she's moping for her lost love in exile and then, when they are reunited, he has a big secret too (yes, another sub-plot!). And that's before the rape scene, the aftermath of which doesn't actually get played out as a rape scene because it's a female perpetrator and a male victim with magic involved to disguise who he's having sex with. Yeuch.

So, 3 stars out of 5, could have been so much better and the plot deserved more interesting characters than it got, not to mention a more even sense of pacing. It's the first book of a series but I'm not convinced I'll pick up the rest.

This is one of the best fantasy books I've read for a while. Thanks so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for allowing me to read it. The best way I can describe it is think Children of Blood and Bone, but add a little extra darkness, some more present Gods and demons, and a whole lot of trickery.

Our protagonist Arrah faces some huge life altering events in this book. She has grown up without magic, much to her dismay, resulting in her becoming an outcast. Her parents are two powerful witch doctors, and to have a child without magic is rare, so she has spent the majority of her life trying to overcome that. As her story progresses, she tumbles into chaos and magic that she never knew was possible.

The mechanics of magic in this book are very interesting - I like that some magic comes with a price whereas some doesn't. I like that there's different kinds of magic for different purposes, and I like the background of where magic came from.

I also love how your opinion changes throughout the book. It's not just clear cut 'good' and 'bad' by the end, you really begin to understand the choices and decisions that Arrah must make. Fantasy books can often overwhelm you with the sheer expanse of the worlds they're set in. But this book doesn't do that. It has a wonderful focus on the specific places it visits, and because of this you are really able to imagine what's going on. You can see the people in the markets and the gardens of the buildings, and the riverbank where they visit. Honestly, I just really enjoyed this whole book and can't wait for the second one.

The only constructive criticism I would give it is that sometimes when the Orishas start talking to each other, it's not immediately clear who is talking. That might be due to the formatting though.

5 stars!

I wanted to love this book so badly. I had seen nothing but raving reviews, and it sounded absolutely fantastic. But unfortunately, it wasn't my cup of tea. It just felt like such hard work to read this book. The plot and world building felt messy and confusing, and I had a really hard time getting into this. Because of that, I DNFd the book at around 100 pages in. I might give it a second chance at some point, but for now, this really wasn't for me.

Sadly, this is going to be a DNF for me. I have a lot of books waiting to be read, and I don't have the patience to go on with something I am not enjoying. I gave this a fair 100 pages, but my feelings did not change in those 100 pages, so I am gonna put this one down.

Firstly, this was a first-person POV, which is something I don't like in Fantasy, because I think it leads to clunky and disjointed world-building and that's what happened here. The world-building in here was really exposition-heavy and info-dumpy. We got told a lot of things and not really shown anything, and I really don't like that in Fantasy novels. Moreover, there was so much information thrown at you, without real sense or structure to it, so I never felt like the world was something tangible, or something I could immerse myself in. And there were so many characters getting introduced without any point or purpose, it was just a lot of names thrown around. I think it was meant to give more grounding to the story, but it made it confusing and jarring.

I also feel like the characters fell really flat and there wasn't anything to keep me engaged in the story. Arrah did not have a personality beyond wanting magic for herself, and I felt like her relationships with other characters were very one-dimensional and one beat.

I am sad to be DNF-ing this one, but I don't see myself enjoying it. I will say that I have seen some really positive and lovely reviews, so don't be discouraged by mine.

Vivid, magical, and utterly thrilling. Kingdom of Souls is a story of a girl born to a powerful bloodline of witchdoctors with no powers of her own who discovers that she may be the only one who stands a chance to save her kingdom from being ruined - but she finds this battle to be more personal than she expects. While flawed at times (e.g. pacing was a bit off, middle part did drag a bit, stakes were a bit undermined at times), Kingdom of Souls is a gripping, riveting, and ambitious dark fantasy epic that definitely slithered its way to greatness - promising much more chaos for the world of the Orisha's. It does not pull its punches even when it is barely halfway through the book, and doubles it down to downright-depressing levels - but that is all the more reason the main character Arrah is determined to make things right, no matter the cost. It is a book that while it blows your mind early on, promises to do more and actually delivers - soaring towards a beautiful chaos. Kingdom of Souls is an absolute thriller and Rena Barron is definitely a tour de force to be reckoned with.

Kingdom of Souls is a sweeping new fantasy which will captivate you. Whether you can relate to Arrah's feelings of being left out - waiting for your life to start like you imagine it or her determination to save her family. Last chances, betrayal, and unknowing compromises. What will we do to taste the magic out of our grip? Barron will take you on a journey that will you leave you gasping. There are plot twists that leave your heart wrenching, betrayals that will leave your jaw hanging open, and emotions that leave your stomach in knots.

Absolutely chuffed to get my wish granted by the publisher for this gorgeous African-inspired fantasy. Arrah is a daughter of two magical bloodlines, granddaughter of the Chieftain of Heka's tribes in the tribal lands and daughter (on the other side) of the ka-Priestess in the city. With such strong magical heritage, it is a source of constant pain to her that her magical gifts show no sign of appearing. But magic in this world can be obtained another way - if you're willing to pay the price, magic can be traded for your life, or part thereof. Charlatans who gain magic in this way are shunned by most of society, and Arrah knows she would never harm herself in this way. That is, until children start disappearing in Tamar, her home city. When her friend is threatened, Arrah is forced to confront her deepest self to find out just how far she'll go to save a friend. Worse than that, the long-imprisoned Demon King is stirring, and Arrah is much more intimately connected to him than she ever would have guessed.

There is SO MUCH in this book that's really wonderful. A rich, vibrant world with two vastly different cultures - the bustling city of Tamar in the Kingdom contrasts sharply with the opening scenes set at Heka's temple in the tribal lands. Arrah is a child of both cultures, daughter of two tribal parents, but raised in the city, and as such she's also caught between two different religions. The orisha of the city contrast sharply with the single god Heka of the tribal lands, and Arrah is forced to confront both of these elements of herself as the stakes rise and the action gets going. The worldbuilding here is first class, with the city of Tamar almost being audible as I read the book, the bustle of the East market giving way to the shrine to the Orisha in the Temple. Arrah's parents Arti and Oshe are caught up more deeply than Arrah can imagine in the sinister goings-on in the city, and Arrah will get dragged in before she knows what's good for her.

As the story progresses, the action proceeds at a steady clip, with intrigue and mystery, and a rich cast of backing characters. Arrah's friends and sometimes more (*cough*, Rudjek, *cough*) are equally deeply drawn, with backstories that are only touched on, and nuanced relationships, both with Arrah and with each other. Their support will be crucial to her in the trying times ahead.
And then... Efiyah. Ah, what is there to say about this magnificent, enigmatic, whimsical, cruel character? Well, without spoilers, not too much. But she's a personality who is at once sophisticated and naive, terrifying and endearing, and utterly compelling. Arrah's complex relationship with her is a pleasure to behold.

The relationship of Arrah's story to the wider mythology throughout the book becomes clear as the story progresses, with a variety of twists and turns which kept me gasping. The unravelling of the mythology of the Demon King, the orisha and Heka's grace is slow and complex, and the snippets from the perspective of other characters really added to the depth of this book. I felt like I was alongside Arrah on her journey as she fights demons, discovers magic, experiences crazy things, and discovers her true destiny.
Absolutely wonderfully written, tightly plotted, and promising greater things yet to come, this is a spectacular debut full of black girl magic, diverse, complex characters, and incredible atmosphere. I'm already awaiting the second in this planned trilogy, and KoS hasn't even been published yet. Absolutely one of my favourite books this year.