- Author: Rena Barron
- Books Published: Book 2 of a Trilogy (*still deep sighing*), 3rd book published *nay nays*
- Genre: YA Fantasy
- Background: Black with West African Ancestry
- Social Media Accounts: IG–@Renathedreamer, Twitter– @renathedreamer
- Website(s): www.renabarron.com; www.kingdomofsoulsbook.com
- Release Dates: 2/16/21 (US), 2/18/21 (UK)
- Publisher: Epic Reads
- My Favorite Character: Rudjek will ALWAYS AND FOREVER remain my favorite…I will fight for him, period…I will not bend on this! EVER!
- Favorite Quotes: I’ve got a few from the beginning of the book (to avoid any possible spoilers) so here we go! “For Heka’s Sake, if you’ve given me ugly tattoos, I swear…”-Sukkar…this is a WHOLE A$$ mood for those of us with tattoos. “Another step and I’ll shatter every bone in your arm.”-Essnai…THAT WARRIOR ENERGY DOE!!! I Loved Essnai in this book and she has forever cemented the reason I would want her on my crew! And finally: “I would love tea if it’s not too much trouble.”-Rudjek…it’s an innocent statement but you have to read the book to understand why it could be totally blush & swoon worthy…I just love him so much.
So anyone who has been following me on social media and this blog KNOWS how much I ADOREDDDDDDDDD (and that’s an understatement) Kingdom Of Souls…if you forgot for some strange reason, click here for my very first post which is about KOS…and fair warning, there is cussing so enter at your own risk!
With that reminder said, you may have been able to guess that I was BEYOND READY for the sequel, Reaper Of Souls! If you didn’t know, Rena sure did from the way I blew up her DMs about it, lol (sorry, not sorry Rena). The Way I screamed when I got the email notification that I was granted a pass for this book…. my ENTIRE LIFE WAS MADE! I was not an e-book reader but I had to put that aside to read ROS because I had been waiting the better part of TWO YEARS for this sequel!
Let me tell y’all…IT.DID.NOT.DISAPPOINT! It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FREAKING GOOD and I think that is an understatement as well! I ended up with at least one visible gray hair at the end of this read and I do not regret it…I did fuss at Rena a little bit about that but it was a well meaning fuss…she also told me that I would live (*Cues Tayce from Drag Race UK* “The cheek, the nerve, the gall, the audacity and the gumption”)…
Anyway, since this is a sequel and I’m not about that spoiler life, I’m just going to affirm some thangs in this post. Whatever edges I have left, they are gray from this book…if you don’t recognize me whenever you see me next…it’s not the weight I gained from being in quarantine, it’s the way this book added a few years to my face from stress…and I REGRET NOTHING…NOT.A.THING! It was so good and everything I could’ve possibly expected from the sequel to one of my favorite reads of ALL FREAKING TIME and more! Sequels are not easy because there are so many expectations but I promise you all that Rena did not let any of us down…y’all may even decide to find ways to yell at her because she did so much during this book but know that 1) she expects it, 2) she did it on purpose and 3) I suspect that she feels no remorse for going as HAM as she did during this book! Sis went ALL THE WAY OFF and I LIVED though my eczema begs me to sit down somewhere before it sits me down (anyone with eczema knows the weight of this statement). Now lemme talk a bit about my favorite characters because I need to!
My love for Rudjek remains eternal…he is my first bookish boo and he will always remain that… The way he defended Arrah and looked out for her throughout this book makes me all flustered & swoony just thinking about it. I need to find a real life Rudjek STAT…but can any human man reallyyyyy live up to Rudjek… *taps chin* I kind of doubt it *shrugs*. I am willing to share Rudjek with Arrah but I don’t have very much of a choice, do I? *sigh* The way he matured but maintained his boyish charm… #RudjekIsBae
On to one the realest to ever grace the pages of a book… Essnai remains THAT CHICK! If anything, she ascended to a whole other level of That-Chick-ness… I just seriously appreciate how fierce and loyal she is…like we all need an Essnai to ride for us. She’s not just about words but backing them up with actions and I’m here for ALL of her antics! Get chu an Essnai in yo’ lyfe STAT cause she is bout it bout it (All Juvenile)! I’m looking for the Essnai to my Arrah because no crew would ever be complete without that Big Essnai Energy…I said What I said!
I can’t talk about Arrah’s crew without talking about Sukkar…our dear, sweet…oh who am I kidding! He’s not sweet, he’s actually quite spicy throughout this book! There were so many points where I was like “Sukkar…is dat you? When did you get like dis?” *shifty eyes* Sukkar basically responded “New book…who dis?” and to that, all I could say was “aiight, I see you sir” *shrug* and kept it moving! He was quite the character and always showed up with that “I wanna fight” energy…I had to put some respek on that!
All of Arrah’s crew came with that ready-to-rumble type energy and I was here for every moment of it! I would be lying if I said they didn’t have reason to! Thanks to all the shenanigans that went down in KOS, they had to stay on guard at ALL times! When your best friend somehow gets in to trouble each time she breathes, wouldn’t you be on high alert too?! *pauses* That’s what I thought… it just is what it is!
Speaking of Best Friends…let’s touch on Arrah for a hot second. Sis was a whole mess in this book but what teenager isn’t?! Arrah lost so many things and people in KOS so who wouldn’t feel like the world would crumble around them as she did? I completely understood her and what she was dealing with, especially her fears and guilt. She made so many things happen, both good and bad throughout this book. I love how she doesn’t forget who has been lost, how she attempts to watch everyone’s back but also loses herself a little because her concern for others overrode her own well-being… Welllllll, I didn’t exactly love that part of her but I related heavy to it… After this book, Arrah (and Rena for that matter) deserves HELLA self-care days! Since this is a trilogy, we know she & her crew will be going through even more so all I can say is…BUCKLE THE EFF UP and keep your arms inside at all times throughout this ride!
Reaper Of Souls comes out SO SOON so if you haven’t pre-ordered this book yet, GO DO IT NOW! IF you haven’t read Kingdom Of Souls for only whatever Divine being you follow knows why, GO GET IT so you won’t be out of the loop for this one! Rena Barron remains QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN and I will continue to love her work, no matter how much it stresses me out! I also am the self-proclaimed head of her street team that does not exist but definitely should!
Anywayzzzzzz! Happy Reading and sending Bookish love your way! Feel free to find me on Instagram @bookishgirlmagic or Twitter @bookishgrlmagic for more bookish banter! Until next post, byeeeeeeeee!
Bookish Girl Magic 