Aug 31

Aug 31 A Song of Wraiths and Ruin (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, #1)

Author: Roseanne A. Brown
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

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Note: Trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?

The first in a fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.

TL;DR Review

I totally loved A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. It has a fantastic tangly plot, intensely lovable characters, and a top-notch ending.

For you if: You like YA fantasy, and especially if you’re trying to diversify the authors you read.

Full Review

“She told me that the people we lose never truly leave, but that only we get to define how they stay.”

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin has been on my TBR ever since it came out. More YA fantasy novels based on African folklore, heck yes! My hold on the library book came up right at the end of the month, and even though I had planned to read a different book that weekend, I decided to accept the hold and pick this one up. My heart and brain just really wanted a fantasy novel.

My friends: I was not disappointed. This was exactly what I needed. It was well-paced and engaging, such a great world built, such an adventure. As a YA novel, there were naturally a few writing moments that felt a little more tell than show. But it was totally forgivable for the great story.

We have two main characters: Malik, who is a member of a persecuted class, has smuggled into the city with his two sisters so they can earn money to rescue their mother and grandmother from a refugee camp. Meanwhile, Karina, the princess, grapples with her own trauma and complicated family dynamic. But when Malik’s younger sister gets kidnapped by a spirit out of legends, his own long-repressed magic sends him hurtling into Karina’s world.

What Roseanne Brown has done especially well in this story is give you just enough information at each stage of the novel so that you can almost guess the direction of the next part — just enough to make you go “OHHH SNAP.” And then there were things I never would have guessed, which made the end so exciting and fun to read.

Also, I would probably take a bullet for Malik. So there’s that. Never before have I read a character on such a personal journey, with so many vulnerabilities that are allowed to stay that way and build him into what makes him, him. What a thing Brown has done here regarding mental health. I love Malik. I would fight for him.

Can’t wait for the sequel.