Interview with Rena Barron for Kingdom of Souls

Kingdom of Souls

by Rena Barron
Publicist: HarperTeen
Release Date: September 3rd 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

THERE’S MAGIC IN HER BLOOD.

Explosive fantasy set in a world of magic and legend, where one girl must sacrifice her life, year by year, to gain the power necessary to fight 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.

An explosive fantasy set in a world of magic and legend with a twist you will never see coming.

Can you briefly describe KINGDOM OF SOULS and the characters? 

Kingdom Of Souls is about sixteen-year-old Arrah who hails from a powerful family of witchdoctors, but she doesn’t have magic of her own. When the Demon King threatens her kingdom, she must trade years off of her life in exchange for the magic she needs to stop him. But each trade brings her closer to death and to a devastating truth. Arrah, the main character, has a complicated relationship with her family. Although, she does have a great group of friends around her, including Rudjek, her love interest, Sukar and Essnai, her friends from the tribal lands, and Majka and Kira, who grew up competing in the arena with Rudjek. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why? 

Arrah’s grandmother is one of my favourite characters. She’s the leader of her tribe, strong, iron-willed, patient, and always has a trick up her sleeve. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere? 

The story was inspired by tales of people in my community who practiced voodoo and the stigma around the tradition. Although it was always talked about in a negative light, I found myself drawn to it. It was both scary and fascinating. In a sense, this story is my exploration of my coming to terms with how those tales shaped my perception of my family’s West African roots. 

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be? 

Elastic Heart by Sia 

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters? 

Arrah – Yara Shahidi 

Rudjek – Marcus Scribner 

Oshhe (Arrah’s father) - Idris Elba 

Arti (Arrah’s mother) – Kerry Washington 

Sukar (Arrah’s friend) – Tequan Richmond 

Essnai (Arrah’s friend) – Coco Jones 

Majka (Rudjek’s friend) – Nadji Jeter 

Kira (Rudjek’s friend) – Erika Tham 

Fall is here and we love to go out and enjoy the sun. What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date? 

Since KINGDOM OF SOULS deals with some heavy topics, the perfect book date would be someplace to unwind and relax. My pick would be a rooftop lounge sipping sangria made with sparkling grape juice, oranges, apples, and cherries. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish KINGDOM OF SOULS? 

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad, King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton, Wicked Fox by Kat Cho, We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal, and Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor.

What’s next for you? 

I’m currently crafting some more twists and turns for Arrah and her friends in the second book in the Kingdom Of Souls series. I’m also drafting the second book in my middle grade contemporary fantasy which debuts with Maya And The Rising Dark in May 2020.

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 loves all things science fiction, ghosts, and superheroes. She’s a self-proclaimed space nerd. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading or brushing up on her French. Follow her at @renathedreamer and renabarron.com. 

Rena prefers not to be tagged in reviews to save her sanity.

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

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Entangled Teen Release: The Rising King & Creators

Today is release day for two amazing Entangled Teen titles and we are excited to share them all with you. There's a little something for everyone this month so read on to find out more about them.

All the digital books are on sale for just $.99 for a limited time so be sure to pick up your copy today before they go back to full price! 

The Rising King (Keepers of Life #3)
by Shea Berkley
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Release Date: April 28th 2014

Synopsis:

The summer before Dylan Kennedy’s senior year in high school is turning out to be anything but boring. Ridiculously hot girlfriend? Check. Killing evil Dark Souls who suddenly have aspirations of taking over the magical realm of Teag because its protective spell is gone? Check. Not even Teag’s King, Dylan’s father, Baun, can stop them. People are dying, and a dark magic that his girlfriend, Kera, received from Baun is growing stronger. Dylan wants to believe Kera is suppressing the darkness that’s in her, but every day he sees that control slip just a little more.

Baun sends Dylan to find a powerful magic that stop the Dark Souls, a magic so strong that Baun hid it so no one else could use it. When Dylan doesn’t expect to find along with it, are consequences that could end the lives of those closest to him.

Follow the blog tour HERE! (Starts 4/21)

I'm an author of YA fantasy novels, which means I'm the luckiest person alive 'cause I get to spend my day playing with my characters. Some are totally cool, others aren't so nice, but they all bring something to the party.

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Creators (The Lost Souls #3)
by Tiffany Truitt
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Release Date: April 28th 2014


Synopsis:

The dramatic conclusion to the Lost Souls trilogy, which answers readers’ questions and finally pits natural Tess against the true enemies of Templeton, the creators.

Heartbroken but more determined than ever after a tense showdown in the woods, sixteen-year-old Tess once again returns to the safety of her community of Isolationists. Bolstered by new alliances and desperate to protect those she loves, this time she knows she can return stronger and more powerful than ever to take back what is hers. As she trains in combat and grows more confident, Tess receives beautiful letters penned by her forbidden love, the chosen one James, from his prison in Templeton. He is now serving as a bodyguard to the creators-the team of scientists who created artificial life in the first place. And what he has discovered about the true origin of the illness that halted natural life could change everything. Enemy will become ally and death will bring new hope in this stunning conclusion to Tiffany Truitt's epic Lost Souls trilogy.

Follow the blog tour HERE! (Starts 4/21)

Tiffany Truitt was born in Peoria, Illinois. A self-proclaimed Navy brat, Tiffany spent most of her childhood living in Virginia, but don’t call her a Southerner. She also spent a few years living in Cuba. Since her time on the island of one McDonalds and Banana Rats (don't ask), she has been obsessed with traveling. Tiffany recently added China to her list of travels (hello inspiration for a new book).

Besides traveling, Tiffany has always been an avid reader. The earliest books she remembers reading belong to The Little House on the Prairie Series. First book she read in one day? Little Woman (5th grade). First author she fell in love with? Jane Austen in middle school. Tiffany spent most of her high school and college career as a literary snob. She refused to read anything considered "low brow" or outside the "classics."

Tiffany began teaching middle school in 2006. Her students introduced her to the wide, wonderful world of Young Adult literature. Today, Tiffany embraces popular Young Adult literature and uses it in her classroom. She currently teaches the following novels: The Outsiders, Speak, Night, Dystopian Literature Circles: The Hunger Games, The Giver, The Uglies, and Matched.