Kingdom of Dust
#6274.00 adjusted 3.95 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2024 Reading commitment Low Lisa Stringfellow Last reviewed 2026-11-01
Overview
Kingdom of Dust is a standalone middle-grade fantasy by Lisa Stringfellow, published by Quill Tree Books on August 20, 2024. It is set in Kun, a West African-inspired kingdom that was once green and has turned into a dry, famine-stricken land. Twelve-year-old Amara lives with her adoptive mother, Zirachi, and is forced to flee when the king's guard attacks them. She searches for the griots, a vanished group of magic-users who serve the goddess Oala, and learns that her own origins may be tied to Kun's fate. The author has described it as a reimagining of the princess-in-a-tower story drawing on Igbo mythology. It is Stringfellow's second novel and has no sequels.
Mythic fantasy, Fairy-tale retelling · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Kingdom of Dust Lisa Stringfellow
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Kingdom of Dust | 2024 | 1 | core | 4.00 (78 ratings) |
A standalone West African-inspired fantasy about a girl who flees a famine-struck kingdom to find the griots who can restore its magic.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Kingdom of Dust? Kingdom of Dust's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Kingdom of Dust finished? Complete (2024).
- How much reading does Kingdom of Dust take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is Kingdom of Dust ranked? #627 in this site's official ranking, based on 78 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #627?
Ranked #627 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.00 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (78 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #626, Tumble & Blue (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 78 ratings · Ranks #627 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Kingdom of Dust and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Black Bird, Blue Road Historical fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.13
- The Rat Prince Fairy-tale retelling · Unfinished · Low commitment · 4.13
- When You Trap a Tiger Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.13
- The Chronicles of Prydain Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.10
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.00 across 78 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 27 universes from the candidate register; 3 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-01
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Publishers Weekly listing Tier 2
- Horn Book review Tier 2
- Africa Access Review Tier 2
- The Winsor School: author news Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-01
Rule: Core Canon = Kingdom of Dust (2024).