Kingdom of Souls - The Last Witchdoctor
By Rena Barron
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Released: 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Watch the Breakdown
This story is all about betrayal, love and adventure. Where myths and hear-say become reality or at least part of it. Magic is everywhere around Arrah, she can see it but she can’t use it. Arrah comes from a lineage of important witchdoctors on both sides of her family. Her father, the son of the Aatari tribe’s leader, even calls her ‘Little Priestess’ Which makes it all the more disappointing that she can’t channel what should be her birthright. She craves magic. And whilst lurking in the shadows, where she shouldn’t be, discovers that there is a way to call magic, but it comes at a proper cost. It takes years away from your life, literally.
Whilst visiting her family in the tribal area for the Blood Moon Festival, Arrah goes through a yearly ritual of tests with the Chieftain, her grandmother, to try and awaken her magic. She’s coming up to the age of sixteen, no one has ever come into magic naturally after that age. Even her grandmother breaking the ancestral ritual bringing Arrah into the magic circle doesn’t awaken it. One thing that does come out of that festival is a vision that her grandmother has, and the fact that there is a green-eyed serpent hovering around Arrah. A strong one that challenges her grandmother and brings fear to her.
When children start going missing from her town, Arrah makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to catch the child snatcher, by trading her years. Familiars keep appearing around her city. They are said to be the souls that got lost, where they appear death follows. Finding the child snatcher is just the beginning of Arrah’s worries though and the journey she sets out on is testing. The fate of the world is in her hands, and each time she uses magic she’s dying. Can she make things right before she runs out of time?
I don’t want to ruin the story. But I’ll say that when you insert green-eyed demons, cravens, orishas and a half-human half-demon into the mix the plot is popping.
“The green-eyed serpent.” Grandmother says after a weary breath, “is said to be a symbol of demon magic.”
Is that how you’re feeling yeah
The book is so refreshing. Partly because of the timing, and because it is just magical. The story is about magic but the plot, the content and the characters all added to the sparkle. How would I describe the book? Definitely intense, very intense, real dark, fascinating, and unpredictable. The book had me attention from start to finish, and one night I actually stayed up all night because finishing the book seemed more important than sleeping. (P.S: I like my sleep)
When I went to my bookcase I had one rule. I was not going to pick up a book about race or racism. That didn’t mean the book I picked up would be good though! Spoiler: this book is a full blown fireworks display litty! This is my first time reading Rena Barron and I connect with her writing.
I felt that there were quite a few characters but they all had a purpose. That’s usually my complaint, “why so many characters?” But the clear connection and bonds made even someone who wasn’t around for long like little Kofi make me feel emotion when he was killed. I enjoyed the other characters coming into their own more and more towards the end of the book. Because it’s a 3 part series, I’m hoping this is a set up to get to know them more.
The book was oozing in details. A lot of detail went into the characters physically, especially the 5 different tribes and their attributes. With all that detail, take away the fact that I can’t sew, I could definitely creatively direct the wardrobe for the cast if a movie were to be made. *Just throwing it out there*
I’m feeling sentimental but this is why I’m so big on diverse voices and authors. I was ready to rule out fantasy books. The few I’d read just didn’t do it for me. Even though the book is fantasy you can picture and clearly feel the inspiration from the African continent. I’d say in particular West Africa. The different tribes, calling on the ancestors for support when facing challanges and the overall spirituality throughout the book are uplifting and pay homage.
The Orisha’s/ God’s input were valuable. Every now and then there would be a dialogue, only a couple of pages, of them reflecting on things. I’d describe it as someone whispering in your ear a story whilst the main plot is brewing. I looked forward to those parts because I knew what was going on in the story, but the WHY element was sometimes unclear. The Orisha’s always knew why.
“The Aatiri do not walk or leap, for clouds of magic carry them. Grandmother’s silver locs coil on top of her head like a crown, and she wears half-dozen necklaces of teeth. The Aatiri are tall and lean with prominent cheekbones and wiry hair braided like mine. Their skin is as beautiful as the hour of ösana.”
Favourite Character
Arrah was my favourite character. She had so much depth to her and even though was scared she was always courageous. Arrah’s journey was really something. I think though that even if the children hadn’t disappeared she would have still found an excuse to call magic. Cravings and attachment really can be your downfall.
The bond between Arrah and her father made me love Arrah’s character even more, as a stand alone character he wasn’t special but how he loved and cherished her and knowing the love she had for him was everything.
It was a hard choice picking my favourite character in this book, because the characters all felt very real. They weren’t just names or faces. They had so much substance.
It Hit me When
When I read through my notes and thought about how the theme of love was explored throughout the book: The sacrifices people are willing to make for love. How those that claim to love you can hurt you the most. How love can make you blind. When the main character Arrah found out who was kidnapping the children, it was a heart stopping moment. Imagine thinking you know someone truly, then you find out the cruel things they are capable of doing.
Length
439 pages, which includes an interview right at the end with the author Rena Barron. It was the perfect length, and I saw on instagram that the sequel is coming out soon!
Seasoning Level
CO2 | Salt | Pepper | Mixed Herbs | All Purpose Seasoning
The big quote
“Blood rains down on the Kingdom. Puddles of it turn into lakes and lakes turn into raging rivers.”