Reaper of Souls by Rena Barron

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Kingdom of Souls was a whirlwind of a book and I was excited to jump back into this world. I've said it before and I'll say it again that this book is what I wanted from Children of Blood and Bone. Thanks to Harper Teen I was able to read this one in advance in exchange for an honest review. And for a sequel it was surprisingly easy to jump back in and have the book flow without needing an extensive recap.  

One thing I love about this series is that the world is lush. I love when a fantasy paints a clear picture of it's setting. I think one of Rena Barron's strengths is creating the atmosphere with food, clothes, the hustle of the market place. The magic system is well thought out and it's fascinating reading about how it formed. It's not oversimplified nor overly complex. 

This time the story splits the narrative between Arrah and Rudjek's POV's with flashback's that give the orisha Dimma's memories. I thought this format was much better because it allows us to become familiar with Rudjek. While I still wasn't fully convinced of his love story with Arrah; I felt more of a contention to him. He like Arrah was also discovering his powers. Rudjek's anti-magic powers prevent him and Arrah from touching and being around each other long. How can their love survive when they can't touch? Then the changes in the Kingdom and Rudjek's family coming in to power provide another obstacle against them. Arrah sets off to explore the tribal lands to look for survivors after hearing that some may have escaped. While Rudjek is hunting down a demon army. 

I liked Dimma's memories because she had a relationship with the Demon King who is the big antagonist in this story. Arrah and her friends have an image of him based off the stories told to them however she shows the loving and vulnerable side of him. 

Every time I was infuriated at this book and wanted to scream, "Why is this happening?!" it turned out that what was happening was truly a bigger part of the overall plot and not just some meaningless plot point to be forgotten. Just like the last story this was full of twists and red herrings. Every time I thought I knew what was going on I realized I had no idea. I love when a fantasy can keep me fully engaged throughout. This story did a very good job of balancing action and emotional beats. Neither side is completely good or bad in this story. This is a phenomenal follow up and I look forward to book 3.