A Song of Wraiths and Ruin was a beautiful story. It centers around two teenagers: Malik and Karina. Malik is refugee traveling with his two sisters to Ziran, a wealthy and magic free city. Karina is the princess of Ziran, who is expected to fill the role of sultana when her mother steps down. When Malik’s sister, Nadia, gets kidnapped by a magical spirit, he is thrust into a quest to kill all of the Ziranian royalty. Karina is faced with a similar problem. In order to get back what was stolen from her, Karina too must take a life. As their paths intersect, both kids begin to see the truth behind the “paradise” that is Ziran.

This book was very good. The language was beautiful and the book was overall extremely well written. I loved the character development of each character and how, despite the challenges, each character was able to persevere. I loved the way Malik, specifically, was written. He starts out as a young boy who is taken advantage of for his compassionate personality. He is empathetic and constantly tries to see the best in everyone. Though it gets him in trouble, Malik always seems to put others before him putting aside all consequences. He is a strong character who I really liked to read about.

I also loved the west African mythology in this book. The story centered around magic and mystical beings, all of which stem from African mythology. The book incorporated various stories that I had never heard about. It was refreshing to read about other mythologies in this book, as I have only ever been exposed to greek and roman mythology. I really enjoyed how the book was a mix of this fanatical world that the author created and of real African mythology. 

This world is honestly insane and so much fun to read about. There are spirits and gods and journeys for revenge. Nothing is as it seems and everything is mystical. There are enemy tribes and cities as well as magical people who’s gifts have been suppressed. The book does a great job at mixing in real issues like oppression and racism into the story in a subtle, yet effective way. There are suffering populations, like Malik’s people, while those in power watch them suffer as entertainment. Though the book is fantasy, the author incorporates politics in a way that really captures the readers. I could see the desperation in Malik’s people from the smallest of interactions, which was both haunting and awakening. 

Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the story telling aspect. A lot of the book focused on the importance of story telling. As someone who loves to read and write, I really enjoyed reading about characters who were just as obsessed with stories as I am. The unique setting and storyline of this book was unlike any other I have read before. It was a story about family and love, but also about betrayal and loss. I enjoyed the sequence of events and was honestly shocked by the ending. The book was so unpredictable and fun.

There are some slow parts of the book however, though I would likely attribute this to the fact that this is the first book of the series. A lot of the plot was evidently exposition for the future books and, while reading, I understood that a lot of the events that felt somewhat silly or unimportant would come into play later. I have not read the rest of the series, but from the foundation that this book created, I can tell that this will be a promising series. 

I would definitely recommend this series. It is unlike anything I have read before, and I encourage you to dive into this magical world of wraiths and spirits. It is a really fun read!

Check out a Song of Wraiths and Ruin from the Newport Beach Public Library!