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A review by rebeccazh
Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
4.0
So good!! A bit of a slow start but near 50% it really picks up, with lots of plot twists. I've read a few African inspired fantasies and always found them quite generic, despite the lush and evocative settings, so this was a pleasant surprise. The main character is a child of two prestigious bloodlines, but inherits none of her parents' powers - a hard situation to be in. Her own disappointment and her fear of disappointing others, coupled with her strong morals leads her to make a deal with the devil when she becomes truly desperate: trading years of her life for magic. She gets more and more trapped in this Faustian deal in a slippery slope situation and brutal plot twists unfold. In the end, she manages to subdue the Big Bad, but only after a huge amount of loss.
I really loved the family this book portrayed. I was just thinking how they would do in family counselling lol. It's so screwed up. Arrah's mother is one of the most complex 'mother knows best' type of villainous mother I've ever seen. The author was very careful when writing her character - her back story is shown, and while it's not an excuse for the things she does, it makes a powerful statement about how abuse and unprocessed trauma often turns the victim into someone with abusive behavior, taking out their pain and suffering on others, and in the worst cases, internalising the values of their abuser, which Arrah's mother did. Her father was a total sweetheart. I loved him. I quite liked that his character flaw was his overly idealistic view of his wife. I loved Efiya's characterization! I'm quite fascinated by children who are given a great deal of power, much more than they should be given or are capable of handling when they're at an age where they don't understand right from wrong, and as a result, becoming sociopathic and narcissistic. Also, special mention of her grandmother, whom I loved and wish I'd seen more of.
The biggest plot twist about Arrah's identity was predictable because of the heavy foreshadowing. But other than that, what a ride. Excited for the next book.
I really loved the family this book portrayed. I was just thinking how they would do in family counselling lol. It's so screwed up. Arrah's mother is one of the most complex 'mother knows best' type of villainous mother I've ever seen. The author was very careful when writing her character - her back story is shown, and while it's not an excuse for the things she does, it makes a powerful statement about how abuse and unprocessed trauma often turns the victim into someone with abusive behavior, taking out their pain and suffering on others, and in the worst cases, internalising the values of their abuser, which Arrah's mother did. Her father was a total sweetheart. I loved him. I quite liked that his character flaw was his overly idealistic view of his wife. I loved Efiya's characterization! I'm quite fascinated by children who are given a great deal of power, much more than they should be given or are capable of handling when they're at an age where they don't understand right from wrong, and as a result, becoming sociopathic and narcissistic. Also, special mention of her grandmother, whom I loved and wish I'd seen more of.
The biggest plot twist about Arrah's identity was predictable because of the heavy foreshadowing. But other than that, what a ride. Excited for the next book.