Kingdom of Souls

Kingdom of Souls Trilogy, Book 1

By: Rena Barron

Narrated by: Robin Miles

Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

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 live up to the expectations of the mother she has never been good enough for.

Perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas, Tomi Adeyemi and Black Panther

There’s magic in her blood.

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.

©2019 Rena Barron (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"I couldn’t get enough of Kingdom of Souls. Wonderfully written, and full of dark magic and danger, it was a story I couldn’t wait to escape into. Highly recommended!” (Kendare Blake, number one New York Times best-selling author of the Three Dark Crowns series)

Great characters and world building

Really enjoyed this book.
Characters: Arrah, the mc, is a very engaging and likable character. She makes some very difficult decisions throughout the course of the book but her choices are always reasonable and understandable. While the other chatacters are not as fully developed they are interesting and they all have their own voice.

World building: The world isn't revealed to us through boring exposition but through Arrah's pov. This is done in a very interesting way and the world is fresh and unique. A different setting to that of traditional fantasy.

Story: An original and interesting story. I was fully engaged from start to finish my only complaint, and this may simply be personal opinion, being that the final quarter seemed a little rushed. Most of the story was very well paced but i felt that Arrah's relationship with her sister could have been better developed.

Magic: The magic system is detailed and clearly defined. Again it is unique in a positive way.

Writing: Barron is a good writer, better than many others in the genre. Her use of language and description helps you stay immersed in the story.

Narration: Maybe the best narration i've heard. Outstanding!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great mc and an interesting story set in a fascinating and unique world.