A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown. Grades 7+ 480 pages. Balzer + Bray, 2020. Review copy purchased.
This is the lush teen Afrofantasy that you want if you were a fan of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. As I was listening to the audiobook, I got flashes of The Hunger Games, too, so I think if you enjoyed any or all of that, you should seek this one out. Malik will stop at nothing to save his younger sister from the vengeful spirit that's holding her hostage, and when he's tasked with killing the princess of Ziran, he figures out a way to enter the Solstasia contest to get close her. Princess Karina's mother has been assassinated and Karina's only hope is a resurrection spell that calls for the blood of a king. So she makes her hand in marriage the Solstasia prize. As the fates of these two teens wind closer and closer together, they start getting to know each other, each with an ulterior motive. I loved the twists and turns and the well-built fantasy world that incorporates magic and legend.