This is another great book from one of my favourite authors. Pet is one of my favourite books of all time so when I saw Akwaeke Emezi has written another YA novel I was very excited. Thank you to Faber Books for sending me an early copy of this book!
The world created in this book, inspired by Igbo culture, is amazingly detailed and complex and sucked me in from the first chapter. The way the magic system intertwined with the worldbuilding creates a really solid background to the plot that had me constantly interested to see where we went next.
The plot was well crafted and kept me intrigued throughout. The mystery was well established and the reveals towards the end had a satisfying mix of things I had predicted and things that surprised me.
As I consistently find with Akwaeke Emezi's work though, the characters were my favourite aspect. The way Emezi is able to cram so much depth into these characters in a sub 300 page novel is a testament to their skills as a writer. From the start you empathise with Somadina, and as the story unfolds the developement she undergoes feels realistic and earned. One of my favourite side characters was Uwafulamiro, who doesn't get as much focus but still feels like a really integral part of the story and I enjoyed his dynamics with other characters.
I guess the book just didn't have the absolute wow factor I need to give it 5 stars but I still highly recommend it.