Moses Ose Utomi wasn't on my radar before this stunning cover caught my eye, but he is now.

This dark-fantasy, African-inspired novella is everything you want a fable to be. It strikes with precision and surety, and is incredibly effective in driving its message home. Utomi's writing is relatively simple, but there's a richness to it that I adore.

The Lies of the Ajungo was beautifully crafted and juuuust shy of perfection. What I personally found a little lacking was the exploration of Tutu's relationships with the people he loved - namely the people he met on his journey. I know it wouldn't have suited the fable-ness of this book very well, but I'd have really loved to see Tutu's relationships with Funme, Asilah, and Lami delved into a little more so that we could really feel the impact of the events of the book, and so that Tutu's emotions and decisions had bigger punch.

But that's just me, and I still think this was fantastic regardless. I can't wait to read more of Utomi's work.