The Maid and the Crocodile

Over the course of her 17 years, Sade has learned to stay small. She knows better than to meddle in the affairs of gods and Raybearers... until the day she finds herself in the home of the Crocodile, a god who seems very much like a troubled young man. Small Sade accidentally binds herself to him, but what she really wants is to make her own way as a maid. However, there's more to Small Sade than meets the eye -- and she must accept that she, and all of the common people, deserve better than what they have.

I have not yet read the Raybearers series, so this was my first point of entry into the world Jordan Ifueko has created. I enjoyed it so much! Great characters and strong worldbuilding that made sense to me even though I don't have show more the background knowledge of the earlier books. The audiobook narration is also excellent. Recommended, especially for those who like a Beauty and the Beast type framework for a story. show less

alright. i'm going to need more african inspired fantasies, like now.

HELLOOO? mrs. ifueko who allowed you to create this work of art? i will be keeping my eye on you.. totally not to like, oh i don't know, devour your books. i also had zero clue going into this that there were two prior books! it totally worked as a standalone though. perhaps i will read those in the future when i need another dose of this universe. i absolutely loved the addition of the amazon-like rainforest and animals. the way the edibles were written made me crave pepper stew and mangoes (my beloved). clemeh is a total matchmaker, what a homie shoutout to you lizard-rito. and yo, a 12 foot tall female nature demon in a spa is some next level horror. especially when show more you're alone with her...

previous media i've watched that came to mind while reading TMATC: the princess and the frog, wonka.

the end cleaning guide was so adorable. loved that addition.

FOUR STARS! my january 25' fantasy-romance reads have been ON POINT show less

Small Sadie is an outcast and an orphan, with a skin condition and a disabled leg she does her best to survive, she's a curse eater and can see the emotions in a room or space and clean them up. She can clear away the negative and make room for the positive to flourish.
When she accidentally binds herself to Crocodile, who is a handsome god who has a reputation for devouring pretty girls; he claims they are bound for life, but she has to find a way to live. She works in the Balogun Inn where her employer exploits her but she finds herself restless with the role that others are imposing on her and wants to find a path that speaks to her.
I really liked this one, the characters were determined to do their own thing and to carve lives for show more themselves, learning from each other and from the world. The things that Crocodile does to help Small Sadie were so interesting and it was fun to see the relationship develop. show less

Sade, a disabled curse-eater, tries to find work as a maid where she can clean the spirit silt that weighs down the wealthy. However, she inadvertently becomes bonded with a dangerous god known as the Crocodile who might just kill her.

Small Sade, crippled and an orphan, marked by vitiligo, must leave the orphanage to look for employment. This does not go well, and believing she has received a summons from the Crocodile god to whom the people of her city have been sacrificing girls, she goes voluntarily. She uses her curse-eating ability to ease the suffering of the handsome young and apparently beneficent god and leaves to take a position as maid and curse eater to a rich woman who runs an inn. The setting is colorful, the magic powerful but not overdeployed, the characters interesting if not deep, and the politics radical. Not a lot of anguish is spent on the central romance, but it is a constant element.

I feel like Ifueko has a large cast of characters that mainly remain shallow. I loved her Raybearer duology, but it had the same problem here.

And there wasn’t enough interaction with Sade and Crocodile. Their connection was insta-lovey, but I didn’t dislike them. Crocodile was in-story super fine and progressive, and Sade was resilient but kept her head down. The romance was lacking. But the magical cleaning was fun.

Overall, this had an interesting unique take on activism and class issues— activism will not look the same for everyone. Some will do it from positions of power as politicians, others in grassroots efforts, and some by raising awareness.

I enjoyed this book. I really liked the magic system and world building and it had a very satisfying ending. However, I thought the main plot and romance was not very engaging. Overall, I would recommend for fantasy fans who are looking for a unique and interesting magic system.