My thanks to HarperCollins U.K./HarperVoyager for granting my wish via NetGalley of an eARC of Rena Barron’s YA fantasy, ‘The Kingdom of Souls’ in exchange for an honest review.

This title has been widely anticipated on both sides of the Atlantic and I was delighted to discover that this excitement was well deserved. Barron has drawn upon the rich mythology and religious traditions of West Africa to create a powerful, dark fantasy.

It’s lead is sixteen-year old Arrah, who comes from a long line of witch doctors. However, she is discouraged that her magic has not yet manifested and is reluctantly realising that it may never. While attending the annual Blood Moon Festival she has a disturbing experience when her grandmother casts the bones for her. After this she and her parents return to the Kingdom where they learn that children are disappearing.

I won’t provide more details as it is a complex story and I couldn’t begin to do it justice. The theme of relationships with family and friends is very central alongside the rise of a demon king that is hungering for human souls.

Arrah was an amazing character and it will be interesting to see where Barron takes her in Book 2, set for publication in 2021. I plan to reread ‘Kingdom of Souls’ by then, likely via its audiobook edition.

A fantastic novel with complex world building and strong characterisation. It heralds the debut of a powerful new voice in fantasy. While marketed as YA, I expect that it will appeal to all ages.

TW: violence, parental abuse
This was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of 2019, and it definitely delivered in some ways, however I was left feeling like I wanted Kingdom of Souls to do just that little bit more for me. It was incredibly ambitious for both the first book of a series and also a debut novel, so I applaud the author of going big for the gorgeous worldbuilding and lore/religion, however I just feel as though there was a little TOO much to digest, in the end. I also felt like the story slowed down towards the end, making it a bit of a task to try and finish, but overall I enjoyed the book and will definitely continue the series when it is published.

Before I start I have to point out that I´m not an own voices reviewer. A black blogger will have a lot more to say about this book.

This book blew my mind! The direction it took was entirely unpredictable, taking my on a story which was both darker and richer than I expected, and which lead me to a conclusion which I didn´t see coming and which left me craving for more. The worldbuilding is spellbinding, slowly growing page by page, while we simultaneously watch the world it builds up crumble just as we start to understand what´s actually going on here.

The major themes are family, belonging, the things we do for love (both familial and romantic, thought the last one only starts playing a role in the very end, and will probably shape more of the conflict in the second book), and how the circles of abuse and revenge start and continue. Power plays a role, who has it, who takes it, the price you have to pay for it and most of all how to use it. Before I delve deeper into the plot, I do have to point out again, that this book is dark. It took me a bit by surprise, and while I love dark themes a plots myself, that´s not true for everyone. The official synopsis bare scratches the surface on what’s going on.

As the synopsis says, the plot follows Arrah, granddaughter of a powerful witchdoctor, daughter of a witchdoctor and the Ka-Priestress of the Kingdom, the only member of her family who doesn´t have magic. But her search and longing for magic, while running through this book as a whole, play a smaller part in this story than it first seems. It gets entangled in a murderous plot in the kingdom, with the disappearance of children only the beginning. In her quest to uncover the truth about what happened, Arrah has to figure out her families past, her own past, untangle the web of old revenge and wounds never truly healed, wounds, which shaped and formed her own live without her knowing, and the truth which she uncovers threatens to break her. Nobody is harder to face than your own family.

Arrah is great main character. She is stronger than she first thinks, full of love for her friends and family, stubborn and proud and in the end, I just wanted to hug her, because she faces hit after hit in this book. But she keeps marching on, and this strength, this ability to get up again and again, no matter what happens, is amazing. The other characters too, were interesting, thought I really would have liked to see more of her friends. They stayed a bit out of focus, since most of the plot follows Arrah and her family, so I hope I see more of them in the next book.

As said before, the circles of abuse and revenge play a big role in this story, and while I definitely need to read it again, because the darkness took me by such a surprise at first that I couldn´t quite enjoy it as much as I would have otherwise, it still left me breathless and waiting for more. On goodreads the author mentions that this book is only the tip of the iceberg for the story she has planned, and it definitely reads that way. There is more to come, so many question answered which just leave you grasping for more with each answer, and I can´t wait to see where the story goes next.

This book was definitely different to the usual fiction books I read. I did enjoy parts of it but was not overly engaged in the storyline. As a fantasy novel it did not hit the spot for me.

Kingdom of Souls was, in the end, a solid debut novel. It was an epic fantasy full of twists and turns, and with characters to love right from the beginning. And, for the most part, I really enjoyed it. That sounds ominous, but it’s not to say there were parts I actively hated, just. Slightly disliked, I guess.

The book starts with the premise that Arrah, the daughter of two of the most powerful witchdoctors in the country, does not have magic. This proves a constant disappointment to her mother, although her father is more circumspect about it. When one of Arrah’s friends disappears, along with a number of other children, she decides to bargain in a ritual which will give her magic.

The storyline is less a mystery than I was expecting, in all honesty. That’s not a bad thing, because the route it took made the book a lot more tense. Because you (and Arrah) know who did it and their plan, but there’s magic involved, and just how is Arrah going to get out of this situation. And the way Rena Barron builds up that tension across the book is incredible. Which is why the last fifth of the book or so felt a little disappointing. All that tension is lost in favour of some meandering (and absolutely unnecessary het drama). Add into that the fact that there didn’t seem to be limits on the magic people could do? Some scenes felt like they finished too quickly. So, really, it just lost a little momentum towards the end (although the end itself was great).

There were also a couple of other things that clearly marked it as a debut for me. One was how the story flowed. For the most part, it was fine, but once or twice events would happen abruptly and just gave me a bit of a huh? moment (events that you wouldn’t expect to happen abruptly, in particular). The other thing was there were sometimes lines which I was clearly supposed to take as some obvious conclusion to draw given some previous information. Only I didn’t know the previous information. Obviously, both these things could just be me, not paying enough attention while I’m reading or whatever. And also, if not, they’re things that can resolve with experience anyway.

But, to end on a positive note, the best part of this book was the characters. I loved them all (at least those that I was supposed to), although certain characters made me want to shake them (that het drama……..) and others I wanted to see more of (give me that f/f). Overall though, I think you need a combination of great characters and fast moving plot to write a good fantasy novel, and this had both of them.

And now, after that final twist, I will be waiting impatiently for the next book.

Magic has a price- if you are willing to pay
Kingdom of souls is about Arrah who yearns to have magic but each year it passes her by.
The only thing she hasn't tried yet is trading her years for magic. When her friend goes missing she trades her years for magic to find her friend. But what she discovers is much worse.
This book was darker than what i expected. its is 2% happy and then 1000% pain. The characters are like Romeo(Rudjek) and Juilet(Arrah) meets Maleficent( The demon king). The book is West African inspired the mythology was based on Yoruba deities The Orisha but I didn't see any similarities I can only guess that she built her own God system based on them. I liked the magic system and I hope it is better explained in the next book.
The writing confused me at first especially when the Orishas were talking, who were they talking to? Also was it in the present or past. Aside from that tiny bit it was okay. For the characters I'll admit I was a bit harsh on Arrah at first because I expected her to develop her self instead of pining for magic but when her mother was introduced I was like "ah...the YA parenting issues has struck again". I wish Efia was more developed her character felt rushed, i would have liked to see more of her.
As this is the first book in the series I liked that a glimpse of everyone's background( the main MCs) was given that's a good set up for the rest of the series, I expect more growth and a clear understanding of the magic, the other characters and God system in the next book.
This is a good beginning to the series. Thank you to the publishers for a copy of this ARC.

Children from the village are being abducted and Arrah despite the fact that she has no magic power will do everything to find them and arrest the perpetrator.

I liked the story, I got a little lost with all the different Deities but it was very interesting to discover another way of seeing the world.

I really appreciated Arrah even though she takes too long to confess her feelings to Rudjek. She is a young girl who was raised by two very powerful parents, her father is a kind person. Her mother, however, is another story. The fact that Arrah has no magical power will force her to try the impossible, especially when the children disappear. I love her will, her kindness and her need to protect people.

I really liked Rudjek, Sukar, Majka Hassana and Kira too, they are trustworthy friends in a world where unfortunately it is not easy to trust.

As I said, there is a certain complexity with all the Gods and Goddesses, we get lost in it a little bit but as soon as we understand everything, we get it right. I guessed pretty quickly where the author was coming from and I’m really looking forward to reading the second book to discover the rest of the adventures of Rudjek and Arrah.

Quick word: A story that takes us into a magical and disturbing world.

A powerful, mystical journey into a perilous world of gods and magic

“Why doesn’t magic come to me, Father?”

Sixteen-year-old Arrah has been waiting her whole life for magic to be bestowed upon her. Granddaughter of a great witchdoctor and daughter of the Ka-Priestess of the Almighty Kingdom, she feels the weight of the extraordinary legacy she must live up to but is forced to watch helplessly as other children younger than her are blessed with the gift while she is passed over. Yet Arrah is gifted in other ways – with intelligence, wit, the ability to see and to feel magic, and a fervent loyalty to her friends which inspires from them fierce loyalty in return.

“Magic has a price if you’re willing to pay.”

Haunted by strange dreams and her grandmother’s visions of demons long believed gone, Arrah seeks answers from the orishas and seers of the Temple. But when tragedy strikes her city of Tamar, the “girl without magic”, who wants so much to help others, makes a fateful decision that will take her down the darkest and most dangerous of paths to sorcery, suffering and sacrifice. Be careful what you wish for …

A beautifully written, enthralling epic fantasy set in a fictional West African kingdom of myth and magic, Kingdom of Souls weaves a rich tapestry with vibrant threads of genuine folklore, creating a substantive, complex, yet recognisable world of ancient pantheons, beliefs and cultures. It has to be said that at times the book goes to some seriously dark places, though this reviewer would argue that this is one of the elements which makes the story so memorable and compelling. It has the courage of its convictions and is unafraid to venture into the human heart of darkness and misuse of magic. Blood rituals, child sacrifice, mind violation and familial abuse all play integral parts in the story – and certain relatives of Arrah are truly the stuff of nightmares.

However, amidst the darkness shine all-important rays of light and hope. Arrah’s relationship with her adored and adoring father is superbly evoked: she is never happier than when listening to his stories, helping him in his shop or learning herb lore from him. Her friendships and blossoming romance with the charming and gorgeous Vizier’s son are heartwarming, tinged with welcome affection and humour. And Arrah herself, telling her story in the first person, draws the reader in with the power of her personality, her sympathy, and her empathy for others. We feel everything with Arrah; we share her frustrations, her failures, her fear, her fury, and her helplessness at the inexorable turn of events.

With incendiary revelations at the end, which are hinted at and gradually unravelled throughout, one gets the feeling that, despite the richness and depth of Kingdom of Souls, the story is only just beginning. Highly recommended, with a caveat regarding some of the darker aspects of the book.

Arwen Evenstar

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Kingdom of Souls was darker than I expected in places but never felt like it went too far. It did take on some tough topics, mind control, emotional trauma, non consensual sex and plenty of murder. Despite the dark tones it still somehow managed to be hopeful as well.

The writing is clever and sharp, I was pleasantly surprised by this book, when thinking I had its direction all figured out it turned down a different (and much more interesting) path.

Arrah was a likeable and well rounded main character, her reasons for doing things always made sense and were thought through. Her relationship with her father was warm and felt very real.

Likewise her interactions with her friends spoke of long running jokes and years of spending time together without going over the top.

I loved the magic system in the book. The visual representations of magic that users could see, the blessing of magic gifted by the Orisha’s and the anti-magic of the Cravens. It all blended into a well rounded magical system that was fun to learn about.

A stunning debut novel, I look forward to reading more from Rena in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"THERE’S MAGIC IN HER BLOOD"
This line and the cover art hooked me into an exciting, unique story that unfolds in a West African world full of magic. The main character is from a long line of powerful witch doctors but isn't very good at being a witch doctor herself. Children start disappearing and she ends up doing something very dangerous and risky to gain the magic she needs. I loved the writing style, the pace, the unexpected plot twists and the unique characters. The world was well built and I am looking forward to reading more from this fabulous author.

I was excited for this story after reading the synopsis and seeing the gorgeous covers but I truly didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised as I could never truly tell what direction this story was going in. I'm actually having a bit of a difficult time putting my feelings into words because I don't know where to start. Because of the West African this novel is drawing comparisons to Children of Blood and Bone but the stories couldn't be more different.

Even though at times it was a little difficult keeping track of the different characters, tribes, locations, and other terms I enjoyed the world that Rena Barron built. Luckily there is KingdomofSoulsBook.com which contains a recommended reading guide. Great for someone like me reading the book of the course of multiple days alongside another book who needs a refreshing on some of the terms.

I find some writers will include detailed violence just for the sake of violence to make the story darker. Every death felt impactful and personal instead of something done purely for shock value. Arrah was not the chosen one heroine who everything comes easy to which was also something pleasant and different. It does initially get off to a slow start with pages of Arrah yearning for and failing at calling magic before the real story kicks in.Though it got off to a slower start this story truly sucked me in. I never saw that ending coming and now I have many questions to be answered in the sequel.

I will say the romance did not intrigue me. I understand in previous drafts the story was to be duel pov but Rujek just hasn't captivated me as a character yet. I didn't feel the chemistry between him an Arrah yet. But I am intrigued at the direction his character will take moving forward.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I want to say thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of Kingdom of Souls to review via Netgalley!

I want to begin by saying that I ended up putting Kingdom of Souls down at 30% of the way through. However, this in no way means that the book was bad! It's just that it wasn't for me this time and it did have a lot of good points.

The main reason I think that Kingdom of Souls didn't click for me was down to the pacing and the writing style. I found that there was a lot of information to take in in a short amount of text which made it difficult for me to keep up, and the pacing feel off. I also struggled to connect with the main character, Arrah. I had hoped to push through the rest of the book in the hopes that I might start enjoying it more, but as it was taking me a long time to get through it, I found that I was forgetting details and decided that it might just be best for me to put it down.

HOWEVER, during the 30% of the book I read, I was really intrigued by and impressed with the magic system and I loved the inclusion of Witchdoctors. I thought that the world that Barron has created was wonderfully rich and vivid and the story is really unique.

There's been a lot of hype around Kingdom of Souls, and I completely get why. And although it didn't work for me, I know that it's a book that so many people are going to connect with and love, which makes me happy, and I definitely encourage others to read it.

She tastes of firestorms and ashes,
Of new beginnings and endings.
She is the monster stalking the dark,
The savior guarding the light.
She sleeps in a pit of vipers and fire,
And awakes in a windstorm of fury.
-Song of the Unnamed

Rating: 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

Arrah is the sixteen year old daughter of two powerful witchdoctors, born to two long lines of powerful witchdoctors. Every year she waits for magic of her own, and every year Heka moves past her. When her last chance passes and she still has no magic of her own, Arrah has no time to dwell on the loss of the future she's always dreamed of. Children are going missing, and Arrah might be the only one who can find them. There is <i>one</i> more way that she can use magic, but the cost is high. Every spell might be her last.

This review has actually been hard to write, because I'm so enamoured with Kingdom of Souls. Honestly my only criticism is that there was a section of part 3 that I found a little slow but even saying that I read the majority of this book in one sitting and the pacing still felt really, really good. I've been loving the quality of the #ownvoices books coming out lately, and I need more diverse fantasy like this, and Gods of Jade and Shadow. Teach me your mythology and culture, please!!

Kingdom of Souls is dark, and there are lots of applicable trigger warnings to pay mind to. Rena has a really good list on Goodreads if you need to check them, and they're worth paying mind to. Despite that, I felt that the darkness in this novel was really well balanced. It wasn't overwhelmingly dark, and while a large portion of this novel is focused on Arrah's helplessness in the face of witchdoctors and demons that are much, much more powerful than herself, it doesn't make the novel seem miserable or hopeless. The West-African setting is beautiful, and I loved the city versus tribal comparisons and how the two cultures were blended together, particularly for Arrah who was living between two belief systems, between Heka and the Orishas.

I think it was Arrah herself that I loved the most, though. She's passionate and brave, willing to sacrifice everything over and over if it means that she can do the right thing. Even in the face of some truly horrible losses, she stands back up and keeps fighting. I was mostly expecting the traditional YA trope of a young witch-to-be who doesn't have her magic right up until she needs it where she proves herself to be the chosen one. That didn't happen here, and I loved Arrah all the more for it. Arrah is massively, massively outmatched. Even with risky charlatan magic that could take her life at any moment, she's weak compared to her enemies. But she doesn't care. There's right and there's wrong, and if she's the only one that can do right then she believes she has to, no matter the personal risk. She's a true heroine, fighting past her believable flaws. Her relationship with her mother is powerfully written, and her sorrow at never quite matching up to her expectations is something that I think most young women can relate to. I can't talk in too much detail about the rest of the book, because it's packed with twists that are better if they're truly unexpected, but Arrah is a character I can't wait to read more about. Especially after the way this book ended. The final line gave me chills for a good twelve hours after I finished the book.

All in all, I can't wait for the next part of this series to arrive, and I'm about ready to trade some of my years if it means getting the book just a little bit faster.

Arrah is a daughter of powerful witchdoctors Arti from tribe Mulani and Oshe from Tribe Aatiri. Her mother has a high position in the Kingdom as Ka-Priestess and she doesn’t give much attention to her. Whenever both of them see each other, Arrah feels her mother disappointment in her as she still doesn’t possess magic. As a child of powerful witchdoctors, everyone expects to be as talented as her parents. She waits patiently but when she turns seventeen and has a last chance to receive magic from Gods, she’s getting more scared that she will never possess the magic.

Like each year, the five tribes of Heka gather for the Blood Moon Festival. That’s the time when Heka presents his gifts to the children of tribes. Unfortunately, even with the help of chieftain of Tribe Aatiri, her grandmother the magic slipped out from her hands. The day after Blood Moon Festival ends her grandmother test her in magic and she fails again. During the tests, her grandmother has a vision about emerald eyes of a demon who is connected to Arrah’s life. As much as it scares her, it also gives her hope. She thinks a demon has a connection to her lack of magic.

Soon when she comes back to her home in Tamar. That’s when the news about missing kids spreads around the people. The kidnapper is a powerful and no one can find him. With time, more and more kids are missing. Arrah thinks it has to have a connection to a vision of the green-eyed demon and she tries to solve the mystery. She never expected the truth would be so hurtful and destroying. It ends the life she knew and changes into the nightmare.

A book itself is very interesting and surprising. The heroine, even without magic, is the only one who can sacrifice her life to save the others. She put the kingdom, its people and her family and friends on a pedestal. Even if she is left alone with all the problems, she doesn’t lose her hope. She fails many times, but it doesn’t demotivate her to try again.

Arrah loses a lot and as much as she’s hurt she is still trying to rescue her kingdom. She is a kind of victim of this whole story. She sacrifices everything for her people and in the end, she wins nothing. Magic and her past take everything from her and leave her with nothing.

The only thing I didn’t like was that everything happened so fast. The scene just started and instead of developing it the author cut it and went on with another scene. I think it was also was done on purpose so the story won’t bore the reader but I wanted to read more about a few aspects and it annoyed me a bit.

I like that the author shows a realistic view of the religion in the book. People within the book believed in their gods and every story left about them. They would never even think most of them are just lies. The Gods in the book turn out to differ from the description that was repeated by years around the kingdom. It is also a reason for all their problems at the end that shows that even Gods makes mistakes that lead to unexpected turns of the events. Beliefs are very strong in people's lives and they can lead them to being a good person or to being blinded with the belief and become the opposite of a good person.

The worst part of reading this book was me having too high expectations and a completely different view of the story before I started to read it . Even if the book was fantastic I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I would without expecting too much from it. Don’t get me wrong. The story was amazing and very interesting but as weird as it sounds I couldn’t feel that I am a part of the story. However, I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. The ending of the book was better than I was expecting and I think the second book can be even better than the first one.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperVoyager and Rena Barron for providing me a digital copy of this book. I was more than happy to read it and honestly review it.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoy fantasy books and there are too many that follow a stereotypical pattern. This one does not, I was intrigued by Arrah the main character from the beginning . I found the switch between the present and the past a little distracting at first but the reasoning behind this became clearer as the book progressed. The writer's imaginative use of witch doctors, magic and the African setting combine to make a really enjoyable book. Look forward to reading the next book to continue the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC of this book.
I didn’t think I was going to finish this book. Firstly because there were no translations at the start. There was no explanation that parents were referred to by their actual names and/or “father”, “mother” interchangeably. I spent quite a while wondering who Oshe and Arti were because they were suddenly spoken of by Arrah but I hadn’t been introduced to them! And when is Osana?? There were no author notes of the hierarchy in the kingdoms. A brief glossary section (with a map!) at the start of who is who and what certain words mean would have been useful as I spent the first couple of hours of the book making very slow progress as I was so confused about what I was reading... and highlighting words for the translation proved fruitless 50% of the time. And the other 50% of the time, although I managed to find the answer, I was frustrated at having to stop the flow of the book to go hunting for the most appropriate translation - I don’t like to interrupt fiction with the real world! Lol! It made it quite hard work not having a quick reference guide at the start of the book as there have been in other cultural books that I’ve read. And because there was no authors note I had no idea what I was reading during the passages of dialogue between the gods (or was that just one god speaking? ...it was unclear).

I got 2 hours in and thought I was going to have to mark it off as “unfinishable” because it was so confusing - and leaving a book unread is something I’ve only ever done once as I hate not finishing books. I decided to give it another half and hour before calling quits and that was the best thing I did because it completely turned itself around. Do I understand all of what I read? No. Some words and passages are still a complete mystery as to what the meaning was. I still don’t understand the hierarchy in the kingdom, I don’t know who the gods were talking to during their passages, was it a one way conversation or two? What does the kingdom look like in map form because I couldn’t understand who was travelling where at times?! And the hour of “Osana” is still unknown.
But those are all “details”. In terms of the story told, I did understand it and it was a beautiful, rich, dramatic, heartbreaking story. I actually found myself unable to put it down after that “I’ll give it 30 more minutes” moment.
Despite the rocky start and the (still) confusing words/passages I would still rush out to buy a sequel because when the story actually began in earnest, it was addictive and totally immersive. The characters were beautifully written (the ones that mattered anyway) - some I didn’t feel had enough flesh for me to care about them but I got the impression I was supposed to care... But perhaps they’ll feature more in the next book. I say “next book” because it very much ends with the suggestion that there is more to come.

The only part I wish I could change was the Arrah/ Efia progression. I wish there was more... bonding (I guess would be the word) before Efia grew up and began her “games” in the garden. That would have made their final meeting all the more heart wrenching. It still did tug on the heart strings based on what happened, but had there been more interaction (or even just one more meaningful paragraph) between them when Efia was small and loving, it would have made the relationship feel more conflicted to me as the reader. Arrah spoke of feeling conflicted but I was mostly wondering why because it’s not like they shared many happy memories. But like I said, it was a painful scene to have to get through as it was, I just feel that there was space for more.

I’m sure reading this review you’re seeing all of the things I would have liked to have had. All of the missing pieces. But know that despite everything I’ve said above - I would read it again, many times. Because it really is worth the effort. And despite the flaws I’m still rating it as 4 star and a very strong 4 star!! So that should say something. If I had the section at the start explaining everything I was missing it would definitely be a 5 star book!
Fantastic debut and I’m really glad I stuck with it. If the final released version doesn’t have translations/explanations of hierarchy/map etc I would urge people to bear with it - it does get better. If it does have that explanation section then happy reading! You’re going to love this book in its entirety! And I will probably read the translations and reread the entire thing with a better understanding!

This is hands down one of the best YA fantasy books I have EVER read. Barron's writing is superb, her worldbuilding engaging and the pacing was perfect. Honestly, there is little to no complaint out of me other than I wanted more haha. Arrah is such a wonderful protagonist and the side characters are so easy to love [or hate depending on which side of the plot they're on] and I think I could never get enough of the relationship between Arrah and her Father. So often we find not enough positive parental relationships in YA but Barron gives you the good and the bad and Arrah's father and grandmother are two of my ultimate favorite characters in this book. I could sincerely gush about this all day and feel so lucky to have had a chance to read an eARC of it.

Thank you with an absolutely MAJOR THANK YOU, to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Rena Barron for the opportunity to read an eARC of Kingdom of Souls in exchange for an honest review.

I loved everything about this book. The story, the characters, the plot, the world building. It was all done so beautifully and reminiscent of both We Hunt the Flame and Children of Blood and Bone in the best way, two books that I absolutely loves reading this year.

We meet our heroine, Arrah, as a child getting ready to partake in a traditional ceremony where all the tribes of Heka come together to celebrate the magic bestowed upon them by Heka, one of the orishas (gods) of their people. This ceremony also is the time at which Heka bestows the gift of magic upon the chosen ones of their people in accordance with a promise he made long ago. Arrah, who is the child of two powerful witchdoctors and the granddaughter of a powerful witchdoctor chieftain, is nervous because she doesn’t necessarily belong, considering her parents are from two separate tribes and she no longer lives with either tribe. Instead, Arrah and her parents live in the Kingdom where her mother serves as the Ka-Priestess, one of the most powerful people there. Arrah is extremely nervous about whether or not this will be when she develops her magic because she’s wanted it for so long. Fast forward to 5 or 6 years later and it looks as if Arrah is still waiting for her gift. It’s practically unheard of for someone with Arrah’s lineage to never develop magic and she absolutely feels the shame of it because her mother can barely stand to look at her. Her father and paternal grandmother have not given up hope, though this last Blood Moon celebration seems to be an indication that not only will Arrah never develop magic, but something dark and sinister surrounds her. After this development, it also becomes clear that something sinister is happening in The Kingdom, where children are disappearing and neither the Temple or the royals in charge are able to figure out what is going on or how to stop it. The journey to discover what is happening and how to stop it sets Arrah on a dangerous path which involves trading her years for magic, something that not only leaves a mark on a person’s soul (ka), but also their reputation. Arrah, however, is resolved to find out what happening, no matter the cost, and it turns out that the cost and culprits are greater than she ever expected.

That’s as much of the plot as I’m willing to give away with out giving spoilers. Essentially, Arrah throughout the story has to come to terms not only with the so called disgrace she brings her mother, but the fact that her best friend and love happen to be the son of her mother’s rival. The love story of it all definitely plays a role in the plot, but what I love about Rena’s writing is that the love story seems to flow with the main plot and mystery, not overshadow it.

Arrah also finds herself in the middle of a predicament that involves the orishas, who may not be as trustworthy as some believe, the Temple, which is full of mysteries, a Demon King, and children who have gone missing. All of this is combined with the fact that she has to finally accept that she will never have magic of her own, not unless she does the unthinkable and trades years of her life for the ability to do magic. This magic is known to be the magic of the unworthy and of charlatans, but what if it’s the only way that she can truly help? What if the children disappearing are connected to whatever dark and sinister green eyed entity is supposedly coming after her or at least in her future? A girl has to do what she has to do right? Exactly.

Kingdom of Souls is filled to the brim with love, action, and the struggle of not only living up to your family’s name, but also dealing with struggles within a family in general. Arrah’s relationship with her mother leaves a lot to be desired and she constantly seems to be fighting to gain her mother’s approval, even when she’s not sure she wants it. I think that Rena does a great job of showing Arrah’s inner struggle and detailing how the relationship with her mother impacts Arrah’s decisions throughout the entire story.

I’ll be honest and say some of the secondary characters were a bit confusing and I had a hard time keeping them straight, but that didn’t stop me from loving them. It also helped that theres a handy guide on Rena’s website and twitter for some of the characters. The orishas as characters provided their own mystery because while they are worshipped as gods, it soon becomes clear that they are not as benevolent as one would hope and they have their own secrets and failings that impact the story as well. You’re left not knowing whose story to trust, which is amazing because I think that is exactly how Arrah feels as well.

The magical world that Rena created is an amazing one and I honestly can’t wait until the next installment because the ending of KoS sets you up in a way that closes out one story, but leaves you wanting more of another. Also, as a black woman, getting to see black female characters who are powerful, strong, who love, who hurt, and who can break is amazing. Yes, we love a strong main character and yes you get those, but you also get to see that behind every strong mask is pain that you may or may not have thought would be there. You can’t be strong 100% of the time and I think that Rena does a great job of showing that with her characters.

Be sure to go and pick this up when it’s released on September 3rd. It also doesn’t hurt that the cover is absolutely gorgeous.

This was beautifully woven and engaging story. I highly enjoyed reading about a culture and mythology that I have not read much of yet. The magic system was interesting to me with the various tribes and how they used the magic differently to each other, the way that it was all around the characters at all times but only certain people could see and use it. I also enjoyed the sinister Familiars and how they were used to predict when calamity was about to strike. Unfortunately we did not get to find out as much about the tribes and their different cultures as I would have liked since the bulk of the story took place away from them. There was a great mix of action and political intrigue, the high stakes made me fear for the characters, the author is not afraid to kill some off. The main character Arrah is strong and determined and we can all probably relate to her desperation for magic, if you read a lot of fantasy you have probably at some point in your life wished that magic was real, I know I have. I especially enjoyed her complex relationship with her parents and family, this isn't often focused on in fantasy novels and added so much to the plot and depth to the characters. I thought that the romance let it down though, with the complex plot/world and other relationships the friends from childhood with warring families romance seemed dull in comparison. I found it hard to keep engaged when they had scenes together and when they pined for each other throughout the book, I didn't feel the chemistry between them at all. The side character's banter and loyalty to Arrah was a delight to read and I will enjoy getting to know them better in future books. The parts written in the POV of the Orisha helped to fill in the mythology and history between them, humans and demons without it being info dumped else where in the book.
I would have loved to give this 5 stars but due to the bland romance, some predictability and the slower first quarter of the book I had to bring it down a star. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for fantasy with a complex mythology and culture with high stakes action.

Kingdom of Souls was quite the surprise book for me. Easily readable and with an excellent plot. I loved this richly imagined world, the characters were well-drawn and I was wholly invested in their fates. Demons, magic and witchdoctors made this a really intriguing and engaging read. Loved it!