Akata Witch (original 2011; edition 2011)

Although the characters in this are textually in their early teens, they felt much younger to me; the whole book did not feel like a YA novel, it felt like a children's book. Can I put my finger on why? No. (That would be obvious.)

This was definitely one of those fantasy novels where the main characters Have A Destiny. There was very little suspense in the climactic battle because, seriously, no one was going to die, the damn novel was told in first person. And I was INCREDIBLY NOT HAPPY that the ending was all, "no, actually, what matters most is your bloodline, that's how you get your abilities la la la!" ( )

I really enjoyed this fantastic tale of a young American Nigerian girl who discovers her special powers in a candle flame. She doesn't quite belong anywhere- born in the US of Igbo parents, moves back to Nigeria as an adolescent, and to top it off, she's albino. She meets up with some other kids who are... different, and otherworldly adventures ensue. There are elements of this story that moved too fast for me, and certain plot points that were a hair too tidy. Neither of these things interfered with my enjoyment of the story, though. I especially liked the African setting, and the descriptions of food made me want to try everything! ( )

I loved it! A beautifully written story, with really interesting characters, a great plot and a beautifully realized and (to me) exotic setting. You will love this one if you liked Nancy Farmer's "The Ear, the Eye and the Arm." Great writer, great book. ( )

AKATA WITCH first came to my notice last year and I liked the sound of it and bought it straight away. It then languished on My TBR Mountain until I picked it up the other day. Why, oh why did I wait so long!!!? Gosh it’s SO good!

Sunny finds out she is a Leopard person – capable of great magic. The non-magical part of the population is referred to as ‘Lambs’. Author Nnedi Okorafor bases her fantasy world in the real Nigerian world, and gives very plausible reasons as to why ‘Lambs’ won’t discover the magical elements that go on around them. Having Sunny as a newcomer to the magical side of Nigeria the reader learns about the alternative world as information is given to Sunny. The first inkling Sunny get that she is different is when she sees a horrific premonition of a nuclear holocaust in a flame. After Sunny is bullied at school she is befriended by Orlu; introduced to Chichi and then initiated into Leopard people where Sasha is added to the group. The newly formed coven has to go into a fast-tracked training course to destroy a leopard person who has turned into a serial killer of young children. Of course teens never do anything by the book, and this group are no different, get into lots of mischief before they face their foe as a team in the very last pages.

Each of the four young people has flaws – Sunny is an albino, Orlu is dyslexic, Chichi has a photographic memory (therefore a know-it-all) and Sasha is a trouble maker and has been slung out of the USA as punishment. They each have to accept their flaws and overcome their differences and learn to trust each other and take advantage of those differences to work as one unit.

Also the Leopard people in this book are quite different from the Leopard men my old Ana use to frighten me with as a child when I lived in Nigeria – the Leopard Men were a West African cult where its members would dress up as Leopards and kill the same way a leopard does, by slashing, gashing, and mauling their human prey with steel claws and knives. I use to spend hours awake at night watching the branch of the tree outside my bedroom window! Obviously one never turned up to do me in :)
AKATA WITCH is a blend of fantasy, science fiction, paranormal and adventure. It is the first in a proposed series, but the story was completed in this novel, with the opportunity to expand into future magical adventures.

A beautifully written, richly and vividly imagined fantasy set in Nigeria. Wonderful characters and a compelling story. ( )