Kingdom of Souls (Kingdom of Souls trilogy, Book 1) Rena Barron 9780008302276

Explosive fantasy set in a West African world of magic and legend, where one girl must sacrifice her life, year by year, to gain the power necessary to live up to the expectations of the mother she has never been good enough for.

Perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas, Tomi Adeyemi and Black Panther

There's magic in her blood.

Arrah is a young woman from a long line of the most powerful witch doctors in the land. But she fails at magic, fails to call upon the ancestors and can't even cast the simplest curse.

Shame and disappointment dog her.

When strange premonitions befall her family and children in the kingdom begin to disappear, Arrah undergoes the dangerous and scorned process of selling years of her life for magic. This borrowed power reveals a nightmarish betrayal and a danger beyond what she could have imagined. Now Arrah must find a way to master magic, or at least buy it, in order to save herself and everything she holds dear.

Rena Barron grew up in small-town Alabama where stories of magic and adventure sparked her imagination. After penning her first awful poem in middle school, she graduated to writing short stories and novels by high school.

Rena has an affinity for good cheese, wine, and nature. For a time, she lived in the Franche-Comte region of France, where she hiked to her heart's content and explored the ruins of old castles. When she's not writing, she can be found reading or brushing up on her French.

She is represented by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc.

"I couldn't get enough of Kingdom of Souls. Wonderfully written, and full of dark magic and danger, it was a story I couldn't wait to escape into. Highly recommended!"
Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series

"Magnetic and addictive, Kingdom of Souls turns ambition into sacrifice and blood into power. Magic is always worth the price-and the pain-and this book is black girl magic at its finest."
Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles

"A tough-as-nails protagonist overcomes odds stacked heavily against her in this captivating debut." (Booklist)