Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from an event with @yatllive! Thanks! All opinions are my own!

 

Book: Kingdom of Souls

 

Author: Rena Barron

 

Book Series: Kingdom of Souls Book 1

 

Rating: 1/5

 

Publication Date: September 19, 2019

 

Genre: YA Fantasy

 

Recommended Age: 16+( I dnf-ed but I did want to point out there is blood magic all throughout this book, so if you’re not into that then you might want to skip this read)

 

Publisher: HarperVoyager

 

Pages: 496

 

Amazon Link

 

Synopsis: Magic has a price—if you’re willing to pay.

Born into a family of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah yearns for magic of her own. But each year she fails to call forth her ancestral powers, while her ambitious mother watches with growing disapproval.

There’s only one thing Arrah hasn’t tried, a deadly last resort: trading years of her own life for scraps of magic. Until the Kingdom’s children begin to disappear, and Arrah is desperate to find the culprit.

She uncovers something worse. The long-imprisoned Demon King is stirring. And if he rises, his hunger for souls will bring the world to its knees… unless Arrah pays the price for the magic to stop him.

 

Review: I had to DNF this book for now. It’s going back on the shelves to be tried again later, but I couldn’t really get past the first 100 pages. I felt it was very repetitive in its narrative and I couldn’t connect with the main character. She was too much for me and I felt very exhausted by her. I also didn’t like how some of the scenes were rushed and how the time seemed to dip back and forth throughout the book. Hopefully, I’ll try again later.

 

Verdict: It wasn’t for me but it might be for you!

The Sigil by Shakeil Kenish and Larissa Mandeville Promo Tour!

synopsis:

A tragic death.
A dangerous obsession.
A desperate mission.

Lake:

Lake Smithson has everything a boy like him could ever want. Loving, adoptive parents and a brother who feels like his other half. So why does something inside him yearn for more? Fate has other plans for him. A tragic event obliterates his world, forcing him to find a reason to go on. His obsession to find the answers makes him question everything he has ever known and thrust him into a world that has hidden in plain sight for centuries.

Nova:
Nova Rathers has always been looked down upon by those who are ‘gifted’. Determined to prove she can be more than her circumstances, she struggles to find a way to make a name for herself. Until an uninvited visitor makes their way to her world, setting off a chain reaction of events that go against her entire way of life. Leading her to make choices that could tear apart everything her people worked so hard to keep secret.

Joined by new friends, Lake and Nova attempt to piece together mysterious clues about what’s happening. Unfortunately, their hunt might lead them to something even more sinister. Something that could destroy everything that they have left.

Author Bio:

Shakeil Kanish loves to write, which, considering you’re holding this book, makes perfect sense. The Sigil is his debut novel and he’s super excited about being an openly gay author and getting the chance to write about an openly gay protagonist. He feels it’s something sorely missing from the writing world, and he wants underrepresented kids everywhere to be able to root for a new type of hero. He loves playing video games enjoys snacking down on apple pie, as any sane person should. You can become his best friend by asking him to duet any song from the Greatest Showman. No, seriously, please do it.

Larissa resides in northern California with her husband and two daughters. When she isn’t working as a professional writer, she enjoys cooking and volunteering with local non-profits, helping girls of all ages find their voice. She has felt honored to be a small part of telling a story that so sorely needed to be told. Bringing The Sigil to life with Shakeil had been an adventure that had colored every aspect of her life since their very first meeting.”