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bamfling's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
shes_book_obsessed's review against another edition
4.0
Kingdom Of Souls
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ll just head straight into the magic system because wow! A super complex world with intriguing history.
I absolutely loved the cultural setting and I want to read more books like this. It’s a new world I’ve only skimmed the surface of, which I wish to dive deeper into.
However, some things need to be said.
Personally the characters appeared to be a bit bland, and I didn’t form a connection with any of them. It was a bit slow in the beginning too, but after a hundred pages it began to catch my interest.
There is this one thing I couldn’t stop fussing over though, and it’s the amount of times the word “belly” is used. It always seemed to appear in every chapter, and once I noticed this I saw it everywhere.
I wish I got more invested in the story because I really loved the world building.
That much said, I appreciated that the love interest in the book was a part of the story, and not the whole plot.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ll just head straight into the magic system because wow! A super complex world with intriguing history.
I absolutely loved the cultural setting and I want to read more books like this. It’s a new world I’ve only skimmed the surface of, which I wish to dive deeper into.
However, some things need to be said.
Personally the characters appeared to be a bit bland, and I didn’t form a connection with any of them. It was a bit slow in the beginning too, but after a hundred pages it began to catch my interest.
There is this one thing I couldn’t stop fussing over though, and it’s the amount of times the word “belly” is used. It always seemed to appear in every chapter, and once I noticed this I saw it everywhere.
I wish I got more invested in the story because I really loved the world building.
That much said, I appreciated that the love interest in the book was a part of the story, and not the whole plot.
snowship's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.75
kat7890erina's review against another edition
3.0
There were a lot of appealing elements - magic, African lore, complex characters - but, for me, I always felt like I had missed something. I couldn't quite escape into the world or the perspective of Arrah. Still, I think it's worth reading to determine for yourself : )
issianne's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to love this one! It's about Arrah who has two magical parents but hasn't been bestowed with any herself. When children start going missing in their village, she's eager to help in any way she can. When she finds out who's been kidnapping them, her whole life changes. And that's about where the intrigue ends. The beginning was pretty well set up, but the middle and end began to drag. The pacing was a bit wonky in bits, and I found myself pretty bored throughout the book. The agency in it just felt lacking; the urgency didn't feel palpable even though there were very big stakes...
motheroffae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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.