Why did I take soo long to read this!? It’s definitely gonna be one of my fave reads this year — and one I won’t be forgetting for a very long time!

Drawing on her Nigerian heritage and her beautifully skillful prose, it’s easy to see why Tomi Adeyemi’s sweeping YA fantasy debut has become such a beloved book to millions worldwide. 

The rich magic system, vividly detailed lore and pacy, high stakes action will have any fantasy adventure aficionado on the edge of their seats. But Adeyemi’s ability to weave such dark (yet incredibly relevant) themes into such an empowering story — imbuing her cast of characters with such depth and poignancy that had me crying (and during the lighter moments laughing) alongside them.  

Zelie (one of our MCs and the first POV of  character we meet) was probably my favourite of all three of our POV characters. Headstrong, short tempered but utterly invested in protecting her family from the kingdom’s oppressive regime.

Delving deep into her fears, insecurites and childhood trauma we get to explore Zelie’s connections with the Orisha, her magic and her bond to her maji powers —which really brought her to life for me and helped me to understand her motivations and thought processes. 

Runaway Princess, Amari and Zelie’s steadfast older brother, Tzain were both really fascinating characters too and I look forward to following the journeys in the rest of the series, I just wish we got the explore Tzain’s POV.  

With the themes of oppression, inequality and genocide at the forefront of the story, it’s definitely not hard to see comparisons to current world events— highlighting the work that still needs to be done to create a safer, more equal society for everyone. 

It’s rare that a book will leave me utterly speechless (and unable to think about anything else) but this one certainly managed to , and that ending?! I won’t spoil it, but if you love your plot twists frequent and shockingly unpredictable then you’re gonna be incredibly satisfied. 

Overall, a phenomenally adventurous, epic fantasy that really lived up to the hype, I’m soo excited to read the rest of the series! Though do check TWs beforehand.

Also, a huge thank you to Pan Macmillan/ Macmillan Children’s Books for the finished copy.