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drymming's review against another edition
1.0
DNF 25%
I wasn’t taken by this. I thought it had so much potential and really good writing. However, the motivations for Arrah the main character to trade years of her life so suddenly for magic came out of nowhere. It was also so impulsive and had no thought process.
Too bad i didn’t get the chance to see her romance with her childhood best friend develop.
Interesting magic system, but it was too slow until 25% then had a pacing issue with not enough motive and zero development to taking this huge step in Arrahs life.
I wasn’t taken by this. I thought it had so much potential and really good writing. However, the motivations for Arrah the main character to trade years of her life so suddenly for magic came out of nowhere. It was also so impulsive and had no thought process.
Too bad i didn’t get the chance to see her romance with her childhood best friend develop.
Interesting magic system, but it was too slow until 25% then had a pacing issue with not enough motive and zero development to taking this huge step in Arrahs life.
michellewords's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Things I learned in Kingdom of Souls:
1. Rudjeck has a voice with a "deep timbre".
2. Arrah definitely wins the worst family award.
3. The orisha are selfish douches who do what they want at the cost of all humanity.
4. Power struggles are often bigger than they seem.
5. Even with the best story ideas, a book can still be mediocre.
Arrah comes from two strong lines of witch doctors in a world where power is important in more ways than one. When some family drama becomes more violent and an outward threat from a "demon king", Arrah must gain real power to fight back and it costs a lot more than she anticipates.
On paper this story sounds super rad. Reviews even state that it's super "dark". Dark witch doctors and a demon king? Hells ya. This sounds like so much fun.
Well yes, and also no. I can see why this was marked as YA for so many reasons: Family drama, teen angst, and cheesy teen love. Arrah sometimes strikes me as a very whiny teen who only takes action when she has to, which isn't exactly a good quality for a character.
Rena Barron has a lot of world-building in this book and at times it feels too big for me: political factions, religious characters, magic systems, and sooo many named people. It's a lot and tbh I don't know if I could break it all down for you because I don't think I understand it any more than when I first started the book.
Here's the deal and the reason I finished the book. It's still one hell of a story that kept me guessing. I didn't see the end twist coming at all and I love when a book surprises me. It was pretty cool the way the elements came together (even if I don't understand the difference between a craven and the shawntal (audiobook problems mean I don't know how to spell any of these things either).
So middle of a road review for me. I might recommend it to some Brandon Sanderson fans who want something a little darker. It was fine and I had a good time, but this is the stop where I get off of this series.
1. Rudjeck has a voice with a "deep timbre".
2. Arrah definitely wins the worst family award.
3. The orisha are selfish douches who do what they want at the cost of all humanity.
4. Power struggles are often bigger than they seem.
5. Even with the best story ideas, a book can still be mediocre.
Arrah comes from two strong lines of witch doctors in a world where power is important in more ways than one. When some family drama becomes more violent and an outward threat from a "demon king", Arrah must gain real power to fight back and it costs a lot more than she anticipates.
On paper this story sounds super rad. Reviews even state that it's super "dark". Dark witch doctors and a demon king? Hells ya. This sounds like so much fun.
Well yes, and also no. I can see why this was marked as YA for so many reasons: Family drama, teen angst, and cheesy teen love. Arrah sometimes strikes me as a very whiny teen who only takes action when she has to, which isn't exactly a good quality for a character.
Rena Barron has a lot of world-building in this book and at times it feels too big for me: political factions, religious characters, magic systems, and sooo many named people. It's a lot and tbh I don't know if I could break it all down for you because I don't think I understand it any more than when I first started the book.
Here's the deal and the reason I finished the book. It's still one hell of a story that kept me guessing. I didn't see the end twist coming at all and I love when a book surprises me. It was pretty cool the way the elements came together (even if I don't understand the difference between a craven and the shawntal (audiobook problems mean I don't know how to spell any of these things either).
So middle of a road review for me. I might recommend it to some Brandon Sanderson fans who want something a little darker. It was fine and I had a good time, but this is the stop where I get off of this series.
erinbritt's review against another edition
5.0
Rena Barron created an incredible world and magic system. I quickly found myself getting lost in the world she created. Her beautiful prose and amazing characters make her book a joy to read. There are so many twists and turns to the plot that you never know what to expect next. I can’t wait to read the sequel.
bookish_withsky's review against another edition
2.0
So here’s my problem with this one: the premise was interesting. The premise could’ve been really, really great. However I just couldn’t care about any of the characters. There were so many twists and turn and it never mattered to me because I didn’t care about the consequences. I was disappointed because I thought it would be so good. Now, I tried the physical part first and just couldn’t get into it. So then I tried the audiobook and that was a bit better. But I still just wasn’t having a great time. I’m curious enough to attempt the second one, but I’m not in a rush to.
kmadnick90's review against another edition
5.0
Audio reread, this is still a great book I have no idea why the overall rating is so low
craigelizabeth2023's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
This was like so close to being a five star for me, but the pacing in the beginning was something I decided I couldn't get over. If you need me, I'll be waiting for the sequel.
erinsteffens's review against another edition
2.0
I was optimistic about this book but I ended up disappointed. I was 45% (!!) into the book before the main character, Arrah, did anything at all to propel the plot. In the synopsis, it says that Arrah performs a dangerous spell to try to save the missing children. So we go into the book knowing this information. That happens 45% into the book. We do not get new information outside the synopsis until over halfway through the book. The pacing was just not good. At around 60%, suddenly it feels like everything is incredibly sped up and the conflict in the book shifts completely. I didn't really feel like what the characters did made much sense, and Arrah is just sort of along for the ride through most of it. The side characters did not feel like fully fleshed out characters either. I could barely tell the difference between any of them, and I often forgot who they were. I thought Arrah was going to use more magic, or somebody was going to use more magic, but even the final scene just felt way too easy. Like these regular humans are just killing demons like it's nothing, not even using magic at all in a world where magic exists.
crazysmoothies's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annuhfloor's review against another edition
4.0
At the beginning of the book, I thought this was going to be a 5-star read. I loved the world, the magic system and the whole thing about the Orishas. It started so strong. However, after like 40% of the book I started to despite the main character. She was not capable of doing anything and taking into account the end of the book, she should have. Every time she gets almost killed or worse someone else starts saving her or gives her something to save herself. That should not be bad on itself, but I got quite irritated. But, still, it is an amazing book. The world, the magic, their gods, they are everything. Even though I did not completely love the main character, I highly recommend it. To be honest, I started to love Arra more at the end of the book. We got around. So, it may not have reached the 5-star vibe, I do love it and I'll put book 2 on my most anticipated list :)