A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown | Book Review

On By HookedonBookzIn BOOK REVIEW

Title: A Song of Wraiths and Ruin (#1)

Author: Roseanne A. Brown

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: June 2nd 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

My Rating: 5/5

The first in an 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.

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?

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is an outstanding debut of Roseanne A. Brown which falls under the category of fantasy fiction inspired by West African folklore. It is the first time I read a book based on West African folklore and it was truly fascinating. Before going into the review let’s take a minute to appreciate how gorgeous this cover is. It’s one of those books I didn’t read the blurb before requesting. I’m glad I did.

The book follows the story of an Eshran boy named Malik and Ziran Princess Karina. Malik along with his sisters Leila and Nadia seek refuge in Ziran to make a fortune there. Unexpectedly, his younger sister Nadia was trapped by an ancient vengeful spirit. Malik made a deadly deal in exchange for his sister’s freedom. The Solstacia festival is the only way Malik can get closer to the princess to end his side of the bargain. But princess Karina has her own plans, she wants to resurrect her mother, for which she needs a King’s heart to complete the ritual and she see a fair chance of getting one by giving her hand in marriage to the winner of the Solsticia contest.

Brown is an amazing storyteller. Like the griot in her book, who drew the undivided attention of the crowd, Brown through her captivating storytelling caught my attention from the very beginning. The world she has created was richly drawn and spell bounding. As she describes the streets of Jezibah Square on the eve of Solstacia, I felt like I was right there in the middle of the bustling sounds. Such is her flamboyant narrative.
I love books and movies that have tournaments in them. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and The Hunger Games (I have only watched the movie) are my all time favourites. ASOWAR has the Solstacia festival tournament. Like the Triwizard tournament the Solstacia festival also has three rounds. I enjoyed all the three tasks but the third task of making way through the trap-laden labyrinth is my favourite among them. It reminded me of the Triwizard Tournamnet in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
I liked the character arc in this book. Karina is portrayed as an outgoing and careless princess who has no interest in ruling. She is not a character who you can instantly connect to and her anger issue really made it harder to even like her sometimes. But her character gradually evolves over time from the careless princess to a more responsible and determined person at the end.
Malik, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of Karina. He is shy, soft, kind and affectionate. A boy who would do anything and go to any extent to protect his sisters. The way he took care of Nadia made him an absolute favourite from the very beginning. The bond the three (Leila, Malik and Nadia) siblings shared was so heartwarming.

I liked the secondary characters Aminata, Afua and Dedele. I’m curious to know more about Idir’s son in book two. Brown has very well reflected the class inequality that still prevails in our society through Malik’s character. It is a shame that even in this 21st century, racism and classism still remains unchanged.

ASOWAR has one of my favourite Enemies to lovers trope but I didn’t enjoy it much because of the insta love between Malik and Karina. A slow burn romance would have worked for me. But I did enjoyed their adventure together in the releam of the dead. The releam of the dead gave Mummy movie vibe.

I liked the magic system portrayed in this book especially Malik’s illusionary magic. But while some have access to magic others can’t and there is no proper explanation of why. The book has queer and mental health representation as well. There was no direct representation of queer characters but how it was acceptable by the system. Both the protagonists suffered mental illness.

This is probably the lengthiest review I have ever written because this book has so much in them and I can’t omit anything. But I made sure the review is spoiler-free. Okay, I’m gonna stop here I have already talked too much about this book now it’s time for you to pick this up for your next read.

1. He would have taken death a thousand times over if it meant his sister could live.

2. I think anything is worth protecting the people you love.

3. “Do you know what it’s like to be surrounded by the reminders of those who detest your very existence?”

“I do, Your Highness, ” he said softly. “I do.”

4. “Everyone gets scared, he said gently. I’m scared of a lot of things. Small spaces. Big dogs. Dying. . . dying alone. I know it doesn’t mean a lot coming from me, but I don’t think you’re weak for being scared. I don’t think you could be as strong as you are if you weren’t.”

5. He had a face made for smiling, like the sun breaking through the clouds after a storm; it was a shame he had not done it more when he’d had the chance.

Roseanne “Rosie” A. Brown was born in Kumasi, Ghana and immigrated to the wild jungles of central Maryland as a child. Writing was her first love, and she knew from a young age that she wanted to use the power of writing—creative and otherwise— to connect the different cultures she called home. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and was also a teaching assistant for the school’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House program. Her journalistic work has been featured by Voice of America among other outlets.

On the publishing side of things, she has worked as an editorial intern at Entangled Publishing. Rosie was a 2017 Pitch Wars mentee and 2018 Pitch Wars mentor. Never content to stay in any one place for too long, Rosie currently teaches in Japan, where in her free time she can usually be found exploring the local mountains, explaining memes to her students, or thinking about Star Wars.

AUTHOR LINKS: Goodreads | Website |Twitter | Instagram

PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGN

Link to the pre-order submission form is here.

A pre-order/order from any retailer or a request to your local library will get you:

* A bookmark!

* 2 character cards featuring Karina and Malik!

* A limited edition signed bookplate

* An exclusive digital fairy tale from the A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN world!

An order from indie bookstore Books With a Past will get you:

* A bookmark!

* 2 character cards featuring Karina and Malik!
* A limited edition signed bookplate

* An exclusive digital fairy tale from the A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN world!

* A handwritten note and personalization from the author!

Rules:

* You must submit proof of purchase/library request. Screenshots and photos of receipts are fine.

* Only orders and library requests dated through June 30, 2020 are eligible

* Only orders made through Books With a Past will receive the note and personalization.

* All swag will be sent out on a rolling basis starting June 2nd

* Entrants under the age of 18 must obtain parent/guardian permission before entering

GIVEAWAY

Prize: Win an ASOWAR bookplate, bookmark, two trading cards, and access to the exclusive short story (INT)

Starts: June 2nd 2020

Ends: June 16th 2020

Direct link to participate!

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