ARC Review: “Kingdom of Souls” by Rena Barron

“Kingdom of Souls” by Rena Barron

Publishing Date: Sept 3, 2019

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Fiction

Page Length: 496 pages (electronic review edition)

Synopsis:

Arrah is a young woman from a long line of the most powerful witch doctors in the land. But she fails at magic, fails to call upon the ancestors and can’t even cast the simplest curse.

Shame and disappointment dog her.

When strange premonitions befall her family and children in the kingdom begin to disappear, Arrah undergoes the dangerous and scorned process of selling years of her life for magic. This borrowed power reveals a nightmarish betrayal and a danger beyond what she could have imagined. Now Arrah must find a way to master magic, or at least buy it, in order to save herself and everything she holds dear.

An explosive fantasy set in a world of magic and legend with a twist you will never see coming. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

Kingdom of Souls is a fantasy novel enriched with African culture. The main character, Arrah, comes from a strong and royal lineage of magic wielders (witch doctors and priestesses with great power). Every tribe has their own magic traits and traditions. Arrah, however, is magic-less and cannot develop her powers even with her family’s help. She struggles to fit in and feels like a failure.\Will she be able to gain her powers? And if so, at what cost?

What I love most about this book is that it is such an immersive reading experience. Barron creates a world different from our own. From the beginning to the end the reader is just pulled into the story. You can picture the greenery of the forest, the, massive temples, local shops, the tribal outfits, and more.

As I was reading the story I could see everything that was going on in the main characters eyes. I felt really connected to Arrah as a character. Arrah’s very strong, defiant, while still being somewhat insecure as she has a lot growing up to do throughout the story. But what I admired most about her character is that she has a lot of heart and determination. There is some slight undertones of romance between her and her best friend Rudjek, but more importantly they’ve got such a strong friendship bond that cannot be broken. They have been thick as thieves since they were little. They’ve always stuck together always looking out for one another especially in times of danger.

The reader also gets into the mythology inspired by African culture that is referenced upon in this book. It’s very detailed and I think that’s what makes this story work. You have a evil curse, a mystery surrounding missing children, dark magic, along with many other elements that keeps the reader constantly entertained. While you are reading the book you are rooting for the Arrah to solve the mystery and gain her magical powers. I was constantly hooked into the story and there some shocking twists I didn’t see coming.

Overall I loved this book! Though it’s fast paced, I liked the great attention to detail in the world building. The books set up into several parts and each one is more intense than the last. While the book is fast paced, the plot is slow-moving in the way where the secrets, magic, truths are slowly unraveled. It adds to the suspense factor giving the plot constant twists and turns. Definitely would recommend!

Final Verdict:

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review.