THE WORLDBUILDING
This aspect is the most amazing part in Kingdom of Souls. I’m always a sucker when it comes to not just a new universe, but also a detailed, magical, and very-well explained one. It was without a doubt that Barron poured her heart and Ka (tribal common tongue for “soul.”) within this universe and I’m completely blown away by how everything works. If you’re like me and you’re reading the ARC of this book, I’d suggest you go to the book’s website to gaze over the beautiful world of the kingdom. I’m pretty sure the map will be included in the finished copy, so don’t worry!

"Some people can pull magic from the fabric of the world. Some can coax magic to come with rituals and spells. Many can’t call magic at all."

THE PLOT
Being the opposite of its extraordinary worldbuilding, the plot in Kingdom of Souls could be better. During the earlier chapters, the pace was incredibly dynamic and I feel as if everything happened so fast, in a good way that I found myself to enjoyed every second of it. But then it got slower. Too slow that I found it shocking. I’m not a fan of this atmosphere’s turnover and I keep flipping the page while whispering to myself, “Okay, interesting backstory of too many forgettable side characters… but what it’s gotta do with Arrah?”.

"Don’t get caught in the shadows, for a demon waits to steal your soul. The younger the soul, the sweeter the feast."

THE CHARACTERS
As a character-oriented reader, I don’t mind with five to ten characters. The thing with big group of characters is… it’s either a hit or a miss. I’m afraid to say that Kingdom of Souls is leaning more toward the latter. I only engaged with a few characters and although I wanted to, I simply don’t care for the rest because I couldn’t relate to them. I also often forgot their names because there were too many of them. Hopefully, a characters list will be included in the final copy of this book, but since I only read the unfinished copy, that’s how I felt about it.

And as for the relationships among the characters, my favorite one is between Arrah and her father. It was genuine and pure. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the same way with Arrah’s romantic relationship with one of the characters in this book. Although it took quite a big appearance within the story, I just couldn’t sense their chemistry, and at the end, it just felt unsettling.

But one thing for sure, I loved the diversity in this story. There was diversity within the diversity and I applauded Barron for that. Often times, a book considered as diverse when it featured one African or one Asian character. But the truth is, no one is just African or Asian. There are many sub-countries and sub-cultures within these countries that people often missed.

"I once laughed at stories about demons, and now I know that one may walk in my shadows. She does not mean well."

THE VERDICT
Although I enjoyed this debut, I’m not going to lie that it felt overwheming at times. The intricate universe was definitely not easy to digest in instance. I’m thinking about picking up this book again in the future because I know there was many potential in it.

this book was so good, I loved the writing of this novel, the characters and the magic system in this world. Arrah was such an amazing main character throughout this and what I love about Arrah is that she is a strong female woman but of course has flaws and faults throughout, but for me that's what makes a book more better and to have someone who isn't perfect. the side characters we meet are all so likeable to and they all go on their own journeys throughout reading this book. such an amazing read and would recommend to all.

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for a honest review.

To really appreciate "Kingdom of Souls" I think the reader would need to be a big fan of fantasy novels.. I enjoyed the story to a extent but found that the significance of the magical element in the final part of the book rather detracted from the otherwise interesting character development,. Having said that, it held my attention and I wanted to get to the end to see how the story concluded.

Kingdom of Souls follows Arrah, the daughter of two incredibly powerful witch doctors. She has a lot to live up to, and things are made worse by the fact that she doesn’t seem to be able to use magic at all. As she returns to the Kingdom she hears that children have been mysteriously vanishing and when she uncovers the reason why she discovers she might have to pay the ultimate price to stop an ancient evil being released.

I’ve really been loving dark, addictive fantasy books so this sounded right up my street. I was hooked straight away and this book ended up being a whole lot darker and grittier than I was expecting. It’s full to the brim with magic, sacrifice, demons and power. It does also contain quite a few trigger warnings, so please bear that in mind before reading.

The story is quite a complex one, there are quite a lot of characters and at times I found myself getting a bit lost with who was who. Our main protagonist Arrah is brilliant though, I really liked her perspective and she undergoes lots of character development as she goes from being a young girl desperate for magic to trying to stop the demon king at any cost.

The world building is also fascinating, the author has steeped the whole world in magic and lore and there’s so much detail surrounding the magic system, the gods and the demons. I really love when stories really built an in depth world and it really felt easy to fall into the world of Kingdom of Souls.

I really enjoyed the story in this one, it was gripping and engaging. I think this book would have been a five stars for me but I just felt the pacing was a little off in the second half of the book, losing its edge a little toward the end. Despite that I still thoroughly enjoyed Kingdom of Souls – it’s a dark, vivid tale of family, magic and sacrifice and it’s definitely worth checking out and I’m so looking forward to book two!

Wow, I loved this book. Such a dark and complex fantasy, that had me hooked from the beginning. I have preordered the book, and can't wait for the rest of the series

Due to life circumstances this book took me a while to read (although it is a chunky book at nearly 500 pages). I thoroughly enjoyed this story though. The story follows Arrah who has two powerful witchdoctors but cannot wield magic herself. When children in the Kingdom start to disappear Arrah’s life takes a turn.

Rena Barron has created an in-depth fantasy world with its own mythology. One of things I really liked about this book is that it did not feel like anyone was bad just to be bad. I felt like backstories were given and even our “bad” characters showed us moments of kindness or provided legitimate reasons for their thoughts, even if we as the reader do not agree with their actions.

I did sometimes get a little confused with the characters within the myths of this world but overall I would recommend this book.

The beginning was rather slow, which made struggle to get through the first few chapters for a week. I understand why it had to be this way, but there was a lot of information for the reader to learn and remember without bringing enough intrigue into the mix to keep me hooked. It resulted in the story only truly picking my interest with the introduction of Rudjek and the information that his father and Arrah’s mother were enemies. After that, I was glued to my kindle.

Arrah is a character with a lot of integrity and a sound moral compass. Countless of times, she reins back her fury to prevent hurting others, even people who take pleasure in hurting her. She’s young and, at times, childish over the fact that she has no magic, especially in the first half of the book, and that her mother sees her as a failure; however, she’s a teen and a completely understandable behaviour for someone that age when you look at the way her mother treats her.

The ensemble of secondary characters is diverse and each one has something unique about them. Rudjek and Sukar were my favourite - if I don’t include Tam in this, I loved that cocky orisha to death - and their respective relationships with Arrah was precious. Sukar and Arrah’s friendship is precious and fun, I love their banter and the fact that there are no romantic feelings between the two.

Arrah and Rudjek, on the other hand, are in love with one and it’s clear as day right from the start. I love the innocence of their relationship, despite all the teasing. They’re young and not quite sure if the other part feels the same way. They dance around each other, so to speak, when they could have been romantically involved sooner. Something comes between their relationship eventually, which broke my heart and I felt that betrayal as if I was Arrah herself, which kind of soured my opinion on Rudjek a little.


The world building is slightly confusing when you’re as clueless as I am about west African mythology. I struggled to remember what was what sometimes but I got the hang of it soon enough. I did enjoy learning about this magical world and being immersed in it so deeply. I wish the ARC included a map, but I think I managed to imagine it well enough on my own.


In a few chapters, around the middle of the book, the word smut was repeated a lot when I think it could have been replaced by a synonym a few times. It’s not that important but I remember it standing out to me and I hope it got fixed in the published version.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the sequel. There is much to unravel in this story and exciting things to come. I’m considering actually buying a physical copy of the book soon, because I truly enjoyed this story - it's rather dark, I wasn't expecting it - and Arrah is one of the most likeable and pure characters I’ve come across lately, which was a breath of fresh air!

'Magic has a price if you're willing to pay'.

Arrah has none of the magic that flows strongly in both her parent's bloodlines. Being normal in a world full of witchdoctors, orishas, and, demons, her only desire is to call magic to her will. Is she willing to pay the price in her life years? The question sounded trivial until there were other lives at stake. Children are disappearing from the kingdom and no one has a clue who is behind it. Beneath the politics and greed for power, there is a plot that if successful can turn the world to dust. Arrah is the one destined to restore normalcy and thus we meet yet another powerful heroine.

Girl heroes are my jam and I was over the moon when my wish got granted on Netgalley. And no points for guessing that reading 'Kingdom of Souls' blew me away.  Arrah is everything I wanted her to be. She is actually un-special in Tamar, but is special in her own way. She cares for people she loves and is ready to do anything for them, even if it means giving up her life.

This high fantasy came with a perfect blend of amaze world-building, magic, and darkness. Yes, darkness. Whether it is the blood magic, or the moon rituals, or the games organized in honor of Gods, or calling forth demons, everything is underlined by a hint of sacrifice and maliciousness.

Rena is brilliant at descriptions. From the very start, I was transported to the glorious kingdom of Tamar with its high walled castle, temple, and busy marketplaces. Tamar is ruled by a mortal but its strings are pulled by the Orishas(immortals/Gods). The Kingdom is bordered by lands inhabited by powerful witch clans. Their customs and rituals were equally enchanting, albeit gory.

What I liked most about the book are the layers. As the book progresses, we are met with yet another surprise, yet another horror, that kept me reading for more. First the green-eyed serpent, then orishas, and then demons, they are all sure to twist your minds around. We experience this also in relationships. Arrah and her mother share a very complex equation. Her love story with Rudjek is not so simple either.

The only thing I felt could have improved my experience was the pacing in the first half of the book. It took me some time to get into the story and to connect all the whos who of the plot. Also, there are some trigger points for the weak hearted. There are a lot of rituals involving blood magic, there is a child murderer, there are kids who die, and there is animal-sacrifice. So be sure to keep this in mind before you pick it up.

Having said all that, it is one of the best fantasies I have read. There is freshness and variety. The characters are well written and the story is well linked. Remember that every passing mention holds the key to what's coming at the end. So, don't forget to keep noted while reading. I am now eagerly waiting for the next parts, to dive into this marvelous world yet again.

Full-on dark epic fantasy, rather gritty for young adult as apart from the teen protagonist this read more like an adult fantasy to me. I enjoyed the West African inspired world building, loved the mythology and appreciated the range of characters, although there were a lot of them and the complexity of the story means I'll likely need to re-read this before reading any sequels.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

Beautifully crafted. I found myself in a world of magic and adventure. I loved the visual image of magic sparking around the room; with our main character so desperate to find the magic within herself that she’s prepared to give up so much. This book is crammed with excitement and adventure from beginning to end. A real journey through a magical kingdom. I loved it.

Admittedly I am probably not the right target market for this book. I did have high hopes as I thought that it would be an interesting fantasy but I just wasn't gripped enough to give this book a five.

The blurb was more interesting than the book turned out to be. For me it felt like it dragged on. With all the great reviews maybe I'll re read and write another review in the future.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book.

This is the West-African inspired fantasy we all deserved!

Deeply complex and rich with magic and deception, <i>Kingdom of Souls</i> is a deliciously dark take on African mythology. Born into a family of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah is desperate to come into her powers and perform magic. But after years of failure, Arrah is willing to try one last thing to get what she wants: trade years of her life for magic. Naturally, all is not what it seems. When children start disappearing, Arrah is transported on a dangreous journey where she must discover who and <i>what</i> she is.

You're intrigued, right? Strangely enough, this book reminded me of <i>Northern Lights</i> by Philip Pullman until things took a very dark and interesting turn when <b>who</b> and <b>what</b> had the children was revealed. That was when I felt truly hooked on this book. It opened a very interesting dynamic between Arrah and another character (who I shall not name for fear of spoilers), and opened one hell of a shit storm that would be the second half of this book. At this point, I was rubbing my hands together thinking, 'at last! Some real excitement!'

My main issue with <i>Kingdom of Souls</i> was the pacing (and the ending). There was a lot happening in this book that dragged when it shouldn't have. There were demons, blood sacrifices and evil creeping at every corner but it lacked conviction in places - particularly the middle. And then there was the end... what a lacklustre and confusing mess that was. After all the grand reveals were made, it had felt like we'd met a natural conclusion a number of chapters before the end. Everything after that felt like an attempt to stretch this book into a series. With changes to the ending, <i>Kingdom of Souls</i> could easily have been a (much improved) standalone. I'm not sure how keen I am to see where the next book goes because I didn't care much for this particular villain... but it's likely that I'll read it all the same.

All in all, <i>Kingdom of Souls</i> was an exceptionally fleshed out and dark tale of sacrifice, magic and relationships. Although it takes time to feel invested, it's definitely worth it! The twists and turns will leave you wanting to turn the pages for more.

I love a magic book, and with so many around its easy for the story to feel familiar or a rehash but this didnt.
The characters were brilliant and the relationships between them worked well, The story flows well enough to make you want to read this all in one go, which is brilliant.
I found it easy to imagine Arrahs world and feel drawn into it, trying to understand her relationship with the people around her, and I felt that I wanted her to be successful, because I liked her.

This book was so more than I was expecting. I loved the characters.....even the villains and how the story took it's twists and turns. For anyone who enjoys a good fantasy world this is definitely worth a read. The romance was beautifully written without being sickly sweet and the friendships were everything.
Thank you for sharing this story with us readers out here.

A fantastic book with tribes, magic powers, likable characters, and an impossible love story. The protagonist is a girl who feels left out of her family because she doesn’t show any magic skill, but she will be the one to save her world.
The story is fast-paced and interesting and the characters are likable, but, for some reason, I couldn’t really get into the story. Sometimes, my mind started wandering away, distracted and lost during my reading, so I didn’t fully enjoy it, but, all in all, this is an amazing novel about dark magic, religion, complex family relationships, power, friendship, and love.

An amazing and enthralling book i couldn't put down.
Everything is excellent: the well written and likeable cast of characters, the amazing world building, the engrossing and entertaining plot.
I'm more than happy I got this ARC because I discovered a new to me great fantasy author.
I look forward to reading other books by this writer.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This book is very well written - its just not one for me. I know this book will be wildly popular amongst those who love YA fantasy. I just couldn't keep up with the terminology and characters.

“THERE’S MAGIC IN HER BLOOD.

Explosive fantasy set in a West African world of magic and legend, where one girl must sacrifice her life, year by year, to gain the power necessary to fight the mother she has never been good enough for”

With strong characters, an epic story and rich world building, Kingdom of Souls is a dark and complex fantasy full of magic and intrigue.

I really enjoyed this debut from Rena Barron. The inclusion of the African myths and lore added a depth to the story that made it stand out from others in this genre. I particularly liked that Arrah, as the main character, did not have magic like the rest of her family and was seen as a disappointment by her mother. The fact that she was a bit of an underdog made her relatable and more likeable but did not diminish her strength and bravery.

I also loved that the main villains in this book were female! Badass female villains that were fantastically written and suitably evil. I want more of this please authors!!!

On the flip side, although the writing was detailed and engaging, the sheer amount of characters, gods and magical abilities had me lost and did impact on my enjoyment of the book as a whole. This also resulted in certain parts of the story dragging and feeling a little unnecessary.

Overall I enjoyed this unique YA fantasy and it’s darker take on magic.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Harper Collins UK - Harper Voyager) for providing a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

I received a free ecopy of this book in return for an honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

Kingdom of Souls is the first in a new fantasy saga and debut novel for the author. Arrah is young girl whose parents have tribal magic but who seems to be resistant to it herself. When children start to go missing in her village, Arrah resorts to charlatan magic, at great cost, to find out who is responsible. When she finds out that the culprit is someone close to her, she is devastated but determined to stop their evil plan.

Billed as ‘the last witch doctor’, Kingdom of Souls is based in a richly described fantasy world. The writing is evocative and I loved the descriptions of shadows called ‘familiars’ that gather when trouble is brewing. However, the book had lots of new words that really could have done with a glossary as their meaning wasn’t always clear. Arrah’s habit of calling her parents by their names had me lost off early on too. It seemed like the author had a clear idea of the geography of this world but a map might have been good for the rest of us. It appears to be a vivid and interesting world but we didn’t get to see much of it, which was a shame.

My main issue with the the book, though, was the absolutely constant bombardment of body blows landed on the main character. I felt I never got to see the full impact that one catastrophe had on Arrah, before another even worse catastrophe struck her. Emotional response is a process rather than just a reaction, so I felt like poor Arrah never got a chance to develop as a character and, as a result, I found it hard to connect with her.

I found the book exhausting to read was unable to read the book continuously. In the end, I interspersed it with lighter books. This book had so much potential but the reliance on punchy plot twists meant it was never fully realised.

In summary, not so much a rollercoaster as a screaming express train. Perfect for readers who want a book with lots going on.

" Magic has a price if you're willing to pay."

Each year Arrah dreams she will receive the magic she yearns for and each year she is denied. So she trades years of her life for small scraps of magic to help her find who is taking the Kingdoms children including her good friend Kofi.
Kingdom of Souls is an in-depth, dark fantasy by Rena Barron.
The plot is intense and complicated but it kept me intrigued enough to keep reading though I did feel that it dragged on at times. There are a complex cast of interesting characters (whose names were a little difficult to keep track of for me) with a host of female villains which made a pleasant change.

I am not normally one for fantasy novels as I am not keen n the complex world-building and huge cast of characters as I find them too complex and overwhelming but this is still a good read and is beautifully written.

If you enjoy a dark and complex fantasy then this book is definitely for you!