Empires
Wish
Curse
Betrayal
Me, mine, she’s me & she’s mine.
When you meet this boy in the portrait, when you love him the most, & when he anoints you as his own… I commant you to kill him.
You caged me like a bird, but you couldn’t make me sing.
We shine as moonlight, we reflect the morning star.
For the kid scanning fairy tales
for a hero with a face like theirs.
And for the girls whose stories
we compressed into pities & wonders,
triumphs & cautions,
without asking,
even once,
for their names.
13 causes of mortal death.
Poison, contagion, gluttony, burning, drowning, suffocation, bleeding, beast mauling, disaster, organ death, witches’ hexes, battery, old age. Raybearers were blessed with 13 immunities after annointment. Only old age can kill them or one of the council members chose to turn traitor.
Fresh & utterly transportative, this book is a fantastical fight for freedom, family & justice at all costs. A phenomenal fantasy that begs readers to revel in its brilliant world. The prose is effortless & poetic from the very beginning. The storyline stuns the readers as it weaves a tale of loyalty, fate, destiny, family, grudge & revenge. Can’t believe it’s really a debut novel. The plot is full of lush world building & detailed, Nigerian-inspired mythology, giving life to a myth of epic proportions & a tale that is bound to stick with readers long after they finish it. It also asks provocative questions in a much satisfactory way about identity, choice, power & obligation, against a vivid, richly imagined backdrop of west African-inspired magic.
