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A review by thebakersbooks
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
5.0
4.5/5 stars — a magical YA book that will also appeal to MG and adult audiences
The Binti novella trilogy established Nnedi Okorafor as one of my favorite authors and Akata Witch cemented my high opinion of her world- and character-building prowess. This novel was wholly new, a riotous blend adventure and danger as preteen protagonist Sunny Nwazue comes to grips with her magical talents against the backdrop of modern Nigeria.
I actually read this book twice back-to-back, first in audiobook form and then paperback. There were so many wonderful details that I couldn't listen to the audiobook with half my brain the way I usually do with recorded books; I had to keep going back to listen to sections again! (Yetide Badaki's narration was excellent, by the way.) After listening to the audiobook, I wanted to see how everything was spelled, so I picked up a copy of the paperback. This wasn't a book with lots of foreshadowed twists to pick out during rereads, but it was still entertaining the second time!
The setting and plot were highly immersive without the prose seeming overwrought. Sunny and her three friends bickered in a way that reminded me of my own childhood experiences, but they also banded together to protect their community from a magical serial killer. Elements of Sunny's nonmagical life and her magical education were balanced in the plot, which allowed for some cool character growth as she quote-unquote "took a level in badass." With the antagonist a mysterious man who kills children, this story could easily have been very dark, so I loved the bits of humor and happy moments like Sunny realizing that her magic allowed her to play soccer during the day without worrying about sunburn. In short, I loved this book!
My favorite aspect of the world of juju-using Leopard People? Money is earned for acquiring knowledge, and the foremost aim in magical communities is to live in a state of constant learning. Material possessions and power are afterthoughts; the most revered people in the Leopard community are scholars and librarians.
I highly recommend Akata Witch to readers who enjoyed any of Okorafor's other work and also to fans of mythology-based fiction in general.
content warnings: insects, child death (mentioned), abuse by a parent, bullying, colorism, animal death
The Binti novella trilogy established Nnedi Okorafor as one of my favorite authors and Akata Witch cemented my high opinion of her world- and character-building prowess. This novel was wholly new, a riotous blend adventure and danger as preteen protagonist Sunny Nwazue comes to grips with her magical talents against the backdrop of modern Nigeria.
I actually read this book twice back-to-back, first in audiobook form and then paperback. There were so many wonderful details that I couldn't listen to the audiobook with half my brain the way I usually do with recorded books; I had to keep going back to listen to sections again! (Yetide Badaki's narration was excellent, by the way.) After listening to the audiobook, I wanted to see how everything was spelled, so I picked up a copy of the paperback. This wasn't a book with lots of foreshadowed twists to pick out during rereads, but it was still entertaining the second time!
The setting and plot were highly immersive without the prose seeming overwrought. Sunny and her three friends bickered in a way that reminded me of my own childhood experiences, but they also banded together to protect their community from a magical serial killer. Elements of Sunny's nonmagical life and her magical education were balanced in the plot, which allowed for some cool character growth as she quote-unquote "took a level in badass." With the antagonist a mysterious man who kills children, this story could easily have been very dark, so I loved the bits of humor and happy moments like Sunny realizing that her magic allowed her to play soccer during the day without worrying about sunburn. In short, I loved this book!
My favorite aspect of the world of juju-using Leopard People? Money is earned for acquiring knowledge, and the foremost aim in magical communities is to live in a state of constant learning. Material possessions and power are afterthoughts; the most revered people in the Leopard community are scholars and librarians.
I highly recommend Akata Witch to readers who enjoyed any of Okorafor's other work and also to fans of mythology-based fiction in general.
content warnings: insects, child death (mentioned), abuse by a parent, bullying, colorism, animal death