Twist-filled Kingdom of Souls is an imperfect but ultimately worthwhile fantasy epic

Rena Barron’s Kingdom of Souls is a fantasy that covers some familiar territory, but it’s unique setting and perspective makes it worth your time.

A YA fantasy about a young girl finding herself while trying to save her homeland from a malevolent magical force is hardly a new thing in this genre these days. But what makes Rena Barron’s debut Kingdom of Souls stand out is the way it expertly flips many of these well-established genre tropes on their heads.

Yes, this is a fantasy story about a girl discovering her destiny. But it’s also a dark, dark tale of rogue witchdoctors, renegade demons, sacrificial child murders and possession. And Arrah is hardly your typical YA fantasy heroine. Born to a long lineage of powerful shamans and priestesses, Arrah herself has no magic, and isn’t exactly what you’d call a Chosen One. After she turns 16 without developing any of the magical gifts that generally mark her people, she throws herself into discovering the identity of the person kidnapping children in her kingdom. But when the orishas – the gods her people worship – fail to answer her prayers, she must make a costly and dangerous choice – to trade years of her life for access to magic to help her.

Her quest to save innocents also comes with disastrous consequences, as well as a personally devastating loss upon discovering the kidnapper’s identity. And the aftermath could very well destroy her life, as well as that of her family, and her kingdom entire. Because the evil Demon King, a monstrous figure believed vanquished by the orisha thousands of years ago, is attempting to return, and Arrah’s destiny is (somehow??) tied to his. And she may well lose everything she cares about, and even herself, before their story is over.

Occasionally, the premise of Kingdom of Souls – warring gods, disparate magical factions, and mysterious, centuries-old grudges – can field a little unwieldy and overcrowded. There’s a lot of story to cram in here, and if the novel’s ending is any indication that’s a problem that’s unlikely to go away in the second installment. Yet its relentless pace, complex heroine and willingness to tackle very dark subject matter make it worth the effort to sort out exactly what’s going on in its often uneven and overstuffed plot.

But this story is honestly relentless. The twists just keep coming, as Arrah must face so many difficult choices and impossible scenarios one after another that it’s virtually impossible not to feel fully invested in how her journey is going to turn out. Though, fair warning, you may skip a few pages here and there as the story recovers well-trod ground a few times. (Like, we get it, Arrah’s lack of magic is a constant disappointment to her very powerful mother, Arti.)

Barron’s novel particularly shines when it comes to its world-building and mythology. The West-African-inspired setting of Kingdom of Souls is rich and varied, and the story takes the time to really lay out the cultural and regional traditions of the various tribes in great detail. Her pantheon of gods is equally intriguing, both in terms of their history and individual character. These are divine beings that not only speak but regularly insert themselves into the goings on in the mortal world. They all have distinct personalities, desires and goals, which are not always in concert with one another. These orisha are fascinating figures and one can only hope we learn more about them as the series continues.

There’s clearly a great deal more story to be told in this universe generally and about Arrah herself, specifically. There are so many unexpected shocks in this tale that trying to get too specific is impossible, due to the risk of spoiling one of the many twists. But suffice it to say, it’s such a good ride.

Kingdom of Souls is available now.