- Reaper of Souls by Rena Barron
2021 [448p] (Kingdom of Souls)
Trade ed. ISBN 9780062870988 $18.99
E-book ed. ISBN 9780062871008 $10.99
Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 8-12
In this sequel to Kingdom of Souls (BCCB 9/19), Arrah must deal with being the only surviving witchdoctor after the death of her mother and half-sister. When Arrah hears that that some tribal people may have escaped before her half-sister's genocidal slaughter, she sets out with friends to find out the truth. Meanwhile, Arrah's lover, who can't touch her because his anti-magic conflicts with Arrah's magic, sets out to stop a demon from opening the gate to the demon world as Arrah finds an even bigger disaster waiting in her search for her sister's victims. This novel continues the epic proportions of the last in another high stakes West African–inspired fantasy where anyone, even the orishas, can die. Reveals of mythological proportions are abundant here; there are demon possession, secret identities, and even the return of the Demon King. Barron once more expertly paces her plot twists, this time interspersing the interesting backstory of the unnamed orisha and the Demon King before he became the Demon King to foreshadow a big reveal and the epic orisha battle that takes place at the climax.