What do you think?
Rate this book
A Dance For the Dead
On a moon-lit night, Diké , heir to the Kingdom and leader of the terrifying warrior cult, the Ogwumii, falls asleep inside his bedroom. He wakes up to find himself trapped within the secret shrine of the village deity, a dark cave forbidden to all save the powerful witchdoctors. Overnight, the mighty warrior-prince becomes an Osu— an untouchable and outcast.
In disgraced exile in the forbidden shrine, his sole companion is the raging ghost of a murdered slave girl, wrongly sacrificed to the gods on the false prophecy of a lecherous witchdoctor. To break the Osu curse, Diké must find the traitors who orchestrated his downfall and embark on a terrifying journey to the ancestors’ realm, a deadly quest that could end his life or return him to full citizenship and glory.
In disgraced exile in the forbidden shrine, his sole companion is the raging ghost of a murdered slave girl, wrongly sacrificed to the gods on the false prophecy of a lecherous witchdoctor. To break the Osu curse, Diké must find the traitors who orchestrated his downfall and embark on a terrifying journey to the ancestors’ realm, a deadly quest that could end his life or return him to full citizenship and glory.
292 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2022
9 people are currently reading
2286 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 16, 2022
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the cover, very stylish, the demon on the front looks stunning and the font used makes it look more like a movie poster, the sort of a movie I would most definitely want to watch. The next thing that grabbed me was the fact it was African horror, something I don't think I have ever read before and I'm always up for something new. When it comes to the horror genre I am pretty fussy, I need a bit of imagination to be used by the author to make the book stand out from the many many books out there and A Dance for the Dead does not disappoint. It is a spiritual book with an ending that is like a coming of age moment, not just for one person but for a whole civilisation. There is plenty of violence and gore, scary spectres and giant Gods, our hero Diké is a fantastic character, a proper good old fashioned hero a selfless person who always puts others before himself and the bad guys are of the type that makes you cheer on the hero that much more.
I loved the plot and the setting, there are a lot of terms and names which would normally confuse but Onoh starts of the book with a glossary, I personally always prefer these at the front to give you a little taste of what you can expect. Onoh keeps the writing simple, none of those over the top long descriptions, as Diké starts his trials to reach the land of his ancestors the amount of detail is spot on and you can easily visualise what Diké sees. I do not know how much of this is based on true tradition but it feels very real and authentic.
Nuzo Onoh has a huge collection of work and all highly rated, I am looking forward on reading another of her books, I am hooked and you'll be too once you've had a read.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2022...
I loved the plot and the setting, there are a lot of terms and names which would normally confuse but Onoh starts of the book with a glossary, I personally always prefer these at the front to give you a little taste of what you can expect. Onoh keeps the writing simple, none of those over the top long descriptions, as Diké starts his trials to reach the land of his ancestors the amount of detail is spot on and you can easily visualise what Diké sees. I do not know how much of this is based on true tradition but it feels very real and authentic.
Nuzo Onoh has a huge collection of work and all highly rated, I am looking forward on reading another of her books, I am hooked and you'll be too once you've had a read.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2022...
August 3, 2022
A Dance for the Dead by Nuzo Onoh is part of the African Horror genre. It is a story of two brothers, sons of the village king, one a strong warrior (Dike) and the other a dancer (Ife). The two undergo incredible trials including a journey to the land of the ancestors. Onoh takes a patriarchal tradition and transforms it into a more humanist tradition.
I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. While I found it hard to get into for the first few chapters, by the end I could not wait for the denouement! Highly recommended, especially for horror fans.
I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. While I found it hard to get into for the first few chapters, by the end I could not wait for the denouement! Highly recommended, especially for horror fans.
August 1, 2022
Nuzo Onoh writes simply and powerfully, masterful at a calibre of African horror that yanks out your outrage, solidifies your fear. A lethal yet riveting dose of magical realism.
September 4, 2022
I would like to thank Stygian Sky Media LLC for providing me with an ARC.
A Dance for the Dead is a fantastic African horror. Onoh's writing is brilliant and features some great characters and imagery. She does a fantastic job describing the setting and the traditions of the area.
The writing is great and does not get bogged down at any point. The pacing is great. There was a fantastic buildup to the scary elements of this book. I think horror fans will love this book.
A Dance for the Dead is a fantastic African horror. Onoh's writing is brilliant and features some great characters and imagery. She does a fantastic job describing the setting and the traditions of the area.
The writing is great and does not get bogged down at any point. The pacing is great. There was a fantastic buildup to the scary elements of this book. I think horror fans will love this book.
Read
December 25, 2022Nuzo Onoh lives up to her title of “Queen of African horror” with her latest novel, A Dance For The Dead. Stitched with powerful imageries of dark magics and secret rites, Onoh weaves a macabre tale of revenge.
A Dance For The Dead takes place in the Kingdom of Ukari and the ten villages. The world Onoh depicts is one of cruelty and raw beauty. I was mesmorized with the culture, from the famed festivals featuring dancing and drinking sweet palm-wine to ritual sacrificing and the nightmares plaquing the Ukari village every night.
The morality of the characters in A Dance For The Dead are complex as their culture demands of them. The Kingdom of Ukari has many enemies and scheming allies. Slavery is rampant and even those born into power can have their titles stripped all so easily. Learning the hidden secrets and traumatic pasts of these morally gray characters intensified the frightening moments of Onoh’s novel.
A Dance For The Dead is told from three points of view. Diké is the first-born son of King Ezeala and leader of Ogwumii, the deadly warrior cult. While he was asleep, traitors had moved his body into the forbidden Shrine of Ogu n’Udo. In a span of one night, the heir to the Ukari throne has become an Osu, a fate worse than death. To reclaim his name, he must risk his life and face horrors in the ancestral realm. Big-Bosom is a woman haunted by her late father’s dishonored legacy. While she is of marrying age, no man will ever wed into the clan of the traitor. She longs to escape her abusive brothers and to have the affection of Ife, the youngest son of the King.
Among the first introduced in A Dance For The Dead is Ife. He is titled “Feather-Feet” and famed as the reincarnation of Mgbada, the greatest dancer in the ten villages and beyond. He resists traditional expectations of marriage, preferring to spend his nights dancing and getting drunk on palm-wine. His merriment days end when his older brother Diké falls from grace. Now he must find his courage to save his brother.
A Dance For The Dead is fast paced and flushed with bone-chilling scenes. I love how Onoh uses horror to drive character development. Nothing is scary for the sake of jump scares, rather her horror elements give expression to past wrongs. I did wish certain parts were slowed down, especially relationships between certain characters. While the outcome felt natural, I wanted to see more of their development.
A Dance For The Dead is a celebration of nightmarish imagination. It is African-horror triumphant. I am eager to read more from Nuzo Onoh.
Review first published in Grimdark magazine https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/revi...
A Dance For The Dead takes place in the Kingdom of Ukari and the ten villages. The world Onoh depicts is one of cruelty and raw beauty. I was mesmorized with the culture, from the famed festivals featuring dancing and drinking sweet palm-wine to ritual sacrificing and the nightmares plaquing the Ukari village every night.
The morality of the characters in A Dance For The Dead are complex as their culture demands of them. The Kingdom of Ukari has many enemies and scheming allies. Slavery is rampant and even those born into power can have their titles stripped all so easily. Learning the hidden secrets and traumatic pasts of these morally gray characters intensified the frightening moments of Onoh’s novel.
A Dance For The Dead is told from three points of view. Diké is the first-born son of King Ezeala and leader of Ogwumii, the deadly warrior cult. While he was asleep, traitors had moved his body into the forbidden Shrine of Ogu n’Udo. In a span of one night, the heir to the Ukari throne has become an Osu, a fate worse than death. To reclaim his name, he must risk his life and face horrors in the ancestral realm. Big-Bosom is a woman haunted by her late father’s dishonored legacy. While she is of marrying age, no man will ever wed into the clan of the traitor. She longs to escape her abusive brothers and to have the affection of Ife, the youngest son of the King.
Among the first introduced in A Dance For The Dead is Ife. He is titled “Feather-Feet” and famed as the reincarnation of Mgbada, the greatest dancer in the ten villages and beyond. He resists traditional expectations of marriage, preferring to spend his nights dancing and getting drunk on palm-wine. His merriment days end when his older brother Diké falls from grace. Now he must find his courage to save his brother.
A Dance For The Dead is fast paced and flushed with bone-chilling scenes. I love how Onoh uses horror to drive character development. Nothing is scary for the sake of jump scares, rather her horror elements give expression to past wrongs. I did wish certain parts were slowed down, especially relationships between certain characters. While the outcome felt natural, I wanted to see more of their development.
A Dance For The Dead is a celebration of nightmarish imagination. It is African-horror triumphant. I am eager to read more from Nuzo Onoh.
Review first published in Grimdark magazine https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/revi...
March 5, 2023
This is what I want to read when I look up Afro Fantasy. As someone who grew up in Nigeria I find that a lot of the books tagged afro fantasy that have come up recently don't really feel like they don't really delve into the rich traditions, mythology and beliefs that make up pre-colonial west africa. The village life that made up majority of the country, the emphasis on taboos, the masquerades, the witchdoctors and medicine men, the inter tribal wars, the tribal marks, the dancers and praise singers.
Nuzo Onoh is my go to author for someone who deeply understands the culture. In her case the traditional igbo culture and lifestyle specifically. She knows how to craft her setting with a voice that is distinctly nigerian. To weave a fantasy tale directly from that setting with its myths is fantastic. I loved her previous work and I loved this even more as this specifically takes place in a precolonial/medieval igbo setting which makes it firmly fantasy horror which is what I want.
The characters in this book were particularly strong. I loved Ife and that his character specifically was a famous dancer. Thats the kind of characters we don't get in stories a lot and it was intriguing to see him as well as his flaws. The man made me extremely frustrated with him at various points. But his titular dance for the dead was a fantastic sequence that captured my imagination.
Big-Bosom was a brave, headstrong, and likeable character from page one. It's also hilarious to me that we went through the entire novel referring to her in her nickname. I don't quite know how I'll describe this character to my friend but it makes up the charm of the book and again brings a distinctly Nigerian voice to it.
Dike's arc was strong and solid.
I will say the books weakness would have to be its plot. The first half with its exploration of characters and the slow unravelling of the plot, right up to where Dike becomes an Osu and meets chicken-legs had me captivated. But then the second half from the arrival of the ancestors seemed to just come a bit out of nowhere and sort of derailed the story for me. Also how Emeka got dealt with was very abrupt, and the ending was quite rushed.
Nevertheless I loved the setting and the uniqueness of the characters. The Queen of African Horror seems to be the only author giving me the Afro-Fantasy stories I've been looking for and I will continue to look forward to what she puts out next
Nuzo Onoh is my go to author for someone who deeply understands the culture. In her case the traditional igbo culture and lifestyle specifically. She knows how to craft her setting with a voice that is distinctly nigerian. To weave a fantasy tale directly from that setting with its myths is fantastic. I loved her previous work and I loved this even more as this specifically takes place in a precolonial/medieval igbo setting which makes it firmly fantasy horror which is what I want.
The characters in this book were particularly strong. I loved Ife and that his character specifically was a famous dancer. Thats the kind of characters we don't get in stories a lot and it was intriguing to see him as well as his flaws. The man made me extremely frustrated with him at various points. But his titular dance for the dead was a fantastic sequence that captured my imagination.
Big-Bosom was a brave, headstrong, and likeable character from page one. It's also hilarious to me that we went through the entire novel referring to her in her nickname. I don't quite know how I'll describe this character to my friend but it makes up the charm of the book and again brings a distinctly Nigerian voice to it.
Dike's arc was strong and solid.
I will say the books weakness would have to be its plot. The first half with its exploration of characters and the slow unravelling of the plot, right up to where Dike becomes an Osu and meets chicken-legs had me captivated. But then the second half from the arrival of the ancestors seemed to just come a bit out of nowhere and sort of derailed the story for me. Also how Emeka got dealt with was very abrupt, and the ending was quite rushed.
Nevertheless I loved the setting and the uniqueness of the characters. The Queen of African Horror seems to be the only author giving me the Afro-Fantasy stories I've been looking for and I will continue to look forward to what she puts out next
May 20, 2023
I've never read a book like 'A Dance for the Dead'. I'm so glad I have now.
Nuzo Onoh was kind enough to send me a copy of this book, which I'd heard a lot about both before publication and since. She's received much recognition for her work, culminating (so far!) in the 2022 BramStoker Lifetime Achievement Award. I can absolutely see why.
This book is marketed as 'African Horror', and that's not wrong - but it's so much more. From the first, the tone of that of an African fairytale combined with the historical realism of tribal society. This is where I found myself drawn in.
Thinking on it, the only books even remotely like this that I'd encountered before were 'The Number One Ladies' Detective Agency' and Kipling's 'Just So Stories'. Both written by (very literary) white men. There's nothing wrong with that, and the latter tales were absolute favourites of mine as a child, but this is one of the first books I've read by an African woman about her own culture. Even histories of African women specifically have been written by white academics, and it's long been a frustration as I've sought something more 'true'.
Because it's not just the characters and action of this story that are compelling and memorable - it's the fact that we're getting to read this at all. I'm beyond glad that it's reaching an audience, because it should. I love hearing voices beyond that of my own culture, because we all have stories to share; so I'm prepared to sing about this one gladly!
The story starts with subtle intimations of what is to come, with a wicked man stalking an innocent girl. But then we shift to a party as merry as anything in Shakespeare, meeting the Oma Clan, its King and his sons. We quickly learn of their society, expectations and life paths, duties as warriors and families, with soap-opera-like relationship dramas bubbling away. It may seem remote in time and geography (to me, reading in 21st Century England), but it's perfectly familiar, with very human hopes and dreams, worries and regrets.
I felt the Shakespearean analogy continue with the tricks of the medicine man, the corruption of jealous villagers and threats of outside Clans. As the tale unfolds, the dramatic tension ramps up fast, with powerful spirits, Gods and monsters joining the cast and events rocket towards their conclusion. At many points doom seems certain, but the strength of the protagonists makes us cheer every time they succeed and push through.
As I said, this is a 100% human story. Once I let myself be swept up in the manner of the telling - which is VERY different to what I'm used to! - the words became beautiful, emotional and powerful. Even the occasional crudeness was somehow real and necessary (I adore the strong woman that is 'Big Bosom!'). The closeness of the Clan is something that we've lost, and it was a delight to see its up and downs, loves and sorrows.
I used white male writers as my frame of reference here, because that's my greatest experience to convey tone to you now. But this book is absolutely its own story, in its text and events. Nuzo speaks her truth brilliantly, and I sincerely look forward to her future work - and hope that this is optioned for a TV or audio serial, as there's so much here that should be shared.
Pull this book up to your virtual fireside and open the pages to explore something wonderful.
Nuzo Onoh was kind enough to send me a copy of this book, which I'd heard a lot about both before publication and since. She's received much recognition for her work, culminating (so far!) in the 2022 BramStoker Lifetime Achievement Award. I can absolutely see why.
This book is marketed as 'African Horror', and that's not wrong - but it's so much more. From the first, the tone of that of an African fairytale combined with the historical realism of tribal society. This is where I found myself drawn in.
Thinking on it, the only books even remotely like this that I'd encountered before were 'The Number One Ladies' Detective Agency' and Kipling's 'Just So Stories'. Both written by (very literary) white men. There's nothing wrong with that, and the latter tales were absolute favourites of mine as a child, but this is one of the first books I've read by an African woman about her own culture. Even histories of African women specifically have been written by white academics, and it's long been a frustration as I've sought something more 'true'.
Because it's not just the characters and action of this story that are compelling and memorable - it's the fact that we're getting to read this at all. I'm beyond glad that it's reaching an audience, because it should. I love hearing voices beyond that of my own culture, because we all have stories to share; so I'm prepared to sing about this one gladly!
The story starts with subtle intimations of what is to come, with a wicked man stalking an innocent girl. But then we shift to a party as merry as anything in Shakespeare, meeting the Oma Clan, its King and his sons. We quickly learn of their society, expectations and life paths, duties as warriors and families, with soap-opera-like relationship dramas bubbling away. It may seem remote in time and geography (to me, reading in 21st Century England), but it's perfectly familiar, with very human hopes and dreams, worries and regrets.
I felt the Shakespearean analogy continue with the tricks of the medicine man, the corruption of jealous villagers and threats of outside Clans. As the tale unfolds, the dramatic tension ramps up fast, with powerful spirits, Gods and monsters joining the cast and events rocket towards their conclusion. At many points doom seems certain, but the strength of the protagonists makes us cheer every time they succeed and push through.
As I said, this is a 100% human story. Once I let myself be swept up in the manner of the telling - which is VERY different to what I'm used to! - the words became beautiful, emotional and powerful. Even the occasional crudeness was somehow real and necessary (I adore the strong woman that is 'Big Bosom!'). The closeness of the Clan is something that we've lost, and it was a delight to see its up and downs, loves and sorrows.
I used white male writers as my frame of reference here, because that's my greatest experience to convey tone to you now. But this book is absolutely its own story, in its text and events. Nuzo speaks her truth brilliantly, and I sincerely look forward to her future work - and hope that this is optioned for a TV or audio serial, as there's so much here that should be shared.
Pull this book up to your virtual fireside and open the pages to explore something wonderful.
October 11, 2025
Oh God, I feel a bit bad because all the reviews are 4 or 5 stars, but I didn't like it at all. I had many problems with this book😂. I will try to explain them without making any spoilers and sorry if I have grammatical mistakes, English isn't my first language.
First of all, the plot for me is kind of weak, the plan of the younger brother doesn't make sense. Maybe it had worked for 1 or 2 months, but after that, the father had come back to the original plan for his younger child so the plan is meaningless.
Second, the African culture for me is wasted, it gets adapted to make it easy for the people outside Africa (I suppose is looking to reach easily the european and north american market), for example, all the idea of a polygamist society with a lot of half siblings is wasted since all the characters shown are single or married with one woman, and it is explain constantly how both brother's relationship is pretty strong because they have the same father an mother (never showings any half sibling).
Third, the characters are so simple, all the antagonist characters are terrible people who only make terrible things, and the good ones are pretty good people who only make good things or have mistakes (I will explain more of this in the next point.)
Fourth, the writer looks terrified about the idea of people disliking her characters, when the protagonists make something wrong, immediately it is excused or justified, for example, they are a society with slaves, but immediately it is justified that they handled their slaves kindly, they are a society that kills other towns, but the other towns are inmorals and bad (and this is approach at the ending and solved very poorly, but I can't explained it because it would be an spoiler, let's just say it is solved in 3 or 4 paragraphs).
Resume, the characters for me are extremely simple, the plot pretty weak and the African culture is more an aesthetic than a relevant point for the context or the story.
Resumen en español: los personajes son planos, los buenos muy buenos y los malos muy malos; la trama es muy debil, siendo que el plan del prota no tiene sentido; la cultura africana es más estética que algo importante, siendo que es adaptado para que sea de fácil acceso para el público americano o europeo; y la escritora justifica todo el rato a los protas, pareciendo que tiene pánico a la idea de que no los amemos.
First of all, the plot for me is kind of weak, the plan of the younger brother doesn't make sense. Maybe it had worked for 1 or 2 months, but after that, the father had come back to the original plan for his younger child so the plan is meaningless.
Second, the African culture for me is wasted, it gets adapted to make it easy for the people outside Africa (I suppose is looking to reach easily the european and north american market), for example, all the idea of a polygamist society with a lot of half siblings is wasted since all the characters shown are single or married with one woman, and it is explain constantly how both brother's relationship is pretty strong because they have the same father an mother (never showings any half sibling).
Third, the characters are so simple, all the antagonist characters are terrible people who only make terrible things, and the good ones are pretty good people who only make good things or have mistakes (I will explain more of this in the next point.)
Fourth, the writer looks terrified about the idea of people disliking her characters, when the protagonists make something wrong, immediately it is excused or justified, for example, they are a society with slaves, but immediately it is justified that they handled their slaves kindly, they are a society that kills other towns, but the other towns are inmorals and bad (and this is approach at the ending and solved very poorly, but I can't explained it because it would be an spoiler, let's just say it is solved in 3 or 4 paragraphs).
Resume, the characters for me are extremely simple, the plot pretty weak and the African culture is more an aesthetic than a relevant point for the context or the story.
Resumen en español: los personajes son planos, los buenos muy buenos y los malos muy malos; la trama es muy debil, siendo que el plan del prota no tiene sentido; la cultura africana es más estética que algo importante, siendo que es adaptado para que sea de fácil acceso para el público americano o europeo; y la escritora justifica todo el rato a los protas, pareciendo que tiene pánico a la idea de que no los amemos.
May 8, 2023
Finally won a giveaway on Goodreads and I'm glad it was this one because I very much enjoyed this book. It felt completely immersive but also welcoming into a culture I know nothing about. The way the story unfolded, eventually leading to a sort of spiritual epic was super entertaining. I was hooked pretty early on just from getting to know how cast of characters and the tribe functioned. The political intrigue and groundedness of the first part of the story worked so well for me when we were ready to move to a more spiritual and abstract place in the story I thought I may lose some of the interest previously built up. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The spiritual journey our character had to go on was so cool to watch unfold and I thought the author did a fantastic job of taking us through this journey that deals with some pretty fantastical concepts like different planes of existence, different phases of deaths, links between the living and the dead etc. while always feeling accessible and entertaining. I also found the ending to be incredibly satisfying. A truly explosive climax for the journey we went on followed by all our main characters getting an effective emotional resolve one way or another. One of those books that shows you how a good ending can really leave you on a high note thinking back to where we started and where we ended up.
My one mention to those potentially interested, this isn't really a typical horror story. I'm a pretty big fan of horror so maybe it's just my sensibilities but I found the horror elements to be few and far between, but everything was so well done and interesting that's not a knock on the book at all. (And that's for sure not to say there's not a couple juicy little horror moments sprinkled throguhout) I've just read other books that sell themselves as a straight up horror story and when they offer something more without going full in on the horror, I've seen a lot of people disregard some great books. So check this one out!
My one mention to those potentially interested, this isn't really a typical horror story. I'm a pretty big fan of horror so maybe it's just my sensibilities but I found the horror elements to be few and far between, but everything was so well done and interesting that's not a knock on the book at all. (And that's for sure not to say there's not a couple juicy little horror moments sprinkled throguhout) I've just read other books that sell themselves as a straight up horror story and when they offer something more without going full in on the horror, I've seen a lot of people disregard some great books. So check this one out!
May 18, 2023
"A Dance for the Dead" is a thrilling trip for readers of Horror who enjoy contact with primal powers and fears: there will be blood and brains and plenty of worms feeding off living corpses. Nuzo Onoh possesses an amazing ability to stage complex characters and let the reader follow their singular developments as if they were careful carvings in wood. We'll see them evolve in some terrifying situations, giving away a rich variety of emotions translated into the corresponding physical attributes, odors, tastes, and even sounds. She is a thorough researcher of male and female psychologies, reaching subtleties that might terrify us or provoke us a smile. I fell in love with the supernatural lore that founds this exciting story, and that allows Nuzo to recreate liminal situations at thresholds that would delight readers of the Occult. Despite happening in a tribal realm with no specification of time, the stories she describes connect us with our human nature, and remind us what we were, what we are, and what we are capable of being. I can't wait to read her other work.
May 31, 2023
*Giveaway Winner Honest Review*
Starting with the cover, I think it is a stunning piece of art. It caught my attention, and it gave me an idea of how The Old Ones looked, and I just absolutely loved it.
I honestly enjoyed this read. I have never read horror from other cultures. This was my first one, and I just enjoyed how unique this was. I absolutely loved that the author added a glossary at the beginning of the book, it totally helps you throughout your reading journey. Nuzo Onohs writing is most enjoyable for the fact that her writing style is not overly complicated or how I like to call it, overly fancy. Nuzo Onoh keeps her writing simple and easy for the reader to enjoy and understand the plot.
I did not give a 5 star because personally, this is not my type of horror, but nevertheless, I did really enjoy reading this book and would totally recommend.
Starting with the cover, I think it is a stunning piece of art. It caught my attention, and it gave me an idea of how The Old Ones looked, and I just absolutely loved it.
I honestly enjoyed this read. I have never read horror from other cultures. This was my first one, and I just enjoyed how unique this was. I absolutely loved that the author added a glossary at the beginning of the book, it totally helps you throughout your reading journey. Nuzo Onohs writing is most enjoyable for the fact that her writing style is not overly complicated or how I like to call it, overly fancy. Nuzo Onoh keeps her writing simple and easy for the reader to enjoy and understand the plot.
I did not give a 5 star because personally, this is not my type of horror, but nevertheless, I did really enjoy reading this book and would totally recommend.
May 6, 2023
4.4/5
Firstly, thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this in a giveaway.
The positives: The cultural and world building were immense and immersive. Each mc had significant character development that flowed so naturally. The majority of the book had a fantastic pace and was engaging enough to finish in one night. Unfortunately, I did struggle through the first few chapters and felt the end to be too positive for horror. It felt a bit off with the rest of the story. With that being said, I absolutely enjoyed this book and have recommended it to others. Once again, thank you!
Firstly, thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this in a giveaway.
The positives: The cultural and world building were immense and immersive. Each mc had significant character development that flowed so naturally. The majority of the book had a fantastic pace and was engaging enough to finish in one night. Unfortunately, I did struggle through the first few chapters and felt the end to be too positive for horror. It felt a bit off with the rest of the story. With that being said, I absolutely enjoyed this book and have recommended it to others. Once again, thank you!
December 3, 2025
A Dance for the Dead is a gripping blend of African folklore, suspense, and supernatural terror. Nuzo Onoh crafts a world so vivid and haunting that every chapter feels alive with drums, spirits, and ancient power. The story pulled me in completely and reminded me of those old village Nollywood films from childhood: the ones that sent shivers down my spine yet kept me glued to the screen. Rich, eerie, and deeply cultural, this book is a memorable and thrilling read and I truly enjoyed it. This is my first read from her works and I can't wait to read the rest of them!
November 21, 2025
I wouldn’t necessarily call this a horror novel, but this book was good.
This novel is an incredible window into African culture and mythos. I had so much fun reading it and learning from it along the way.
This novel is an incredible window into African culture and mythos. I had so much fun reading it and learning from it along the way.
September 28, 2025
Beautiful, incredible storytelling.
February 11, 2023
I loved the ancestral misunderstanding that Dike works through and brings back his village to the true path.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2023
Once more, we return to the accursed Nigerian village of Ukari, the setting for many of Nuzo Onoh's stories, not unlike HP Lovecraft with his Arkham, Massachusetts.
It starts out a bit like a soap opera: the handsome Ife wants to dance and drink his life away, but his father, the village chief, insists that Ife marry Ada, the daughter of another chief. At the same time, Iruka loves Ife, but her brother is Emeka, and they are the children of a notorious traitor to the king. When Ife tells Emeka his fears about his impending wedding, Emeka gets the idea of kidnapping Ife's brother, Diké, the warrior who would be forced to drag Ife to the altar.
Meanwhile, Diké rubs the local witch-doctor, Dibia, the wrong way and gets a curse placed on him. Diké is cursed to become a ghost—a living man, but dead to his people. Among tribal cultures, this is truly a fate worse than death. Because of this, his brother, Ife, is now forced to marry not one wife, but two—his brother's “widow”! If that wasn't enough, Diké finds he has only one friend—a vengeful, shrieking ghost!
What follows tumbles rapidly into a tale of political machinations, conspiracy, murder, retribution, trickery, witchcraft, curses, and vengeance from beyond the grave—all subjects of which Nuzo Onoh is a mistress. I love the scene where a group of ghosts appear before Diké, apparently drawn by the spilling of blood—much like the scene in the Odyssey, where Odysseus summons ghosts by pouring a trough of blood.
And there are plenty of terrifying scenes where the Dead appear and take their revenge. The descent into the Underworld ranks up there with Ishtar's.
Nuzo Onoh is a sharp writer and it shows here as she details the various characters, their relationships, and the world in which they live. While her scenes of supernatural horror are scary, they also connect with the cosmos.
More of a curiosity than a complaint, but there are characters named Ezekiel and Theresa, Hebrew and French names, respectively. While there's a reason why the Nigerians at this time period would give Christian names to slaves, it's not really explained in the narrative. No biggie.
My only real complaint is that the book could have used a final edit. There are the occasional missing commas, or errors like “I thought we we're friends” and being told that Ifekandu means “child that is more precious than life” twice in successive paragraphs. And personally, I find it annoying when we see someone's thoughts (shown in italics), but the person refers to himself as “he”, not “I”.
Nonetheless, these are minor criticisms and they don't occur often enough to detract from the story. They take just a little sheen off the gem that is “A Dance for the Dead”.
I was sent a copy of the book by the publisher and received no compensation for this review.
It starts out a bit like a soap opera: the handsome Ife wants to dance and drink his life away, but his father, the village chief, insists that Ife marry Ada, the daughter of another chief. At the same time, Iruka loves Ife, but her brother is Emeka, and they are the children of a notorious traitor to the king. When Ife tells Emeka his fears about his impending wedding, Emeka gets the idea of kidnapping Ife's brother, Diké, the warrior who would be forced to drag Ife to the altar.
Meanwhile, Diké rubs the local witch-doctor, Dibia, the wrong way and gets a curse placed on him. Diké is cursed to become a ghost—a living man, but dead to his people. Among tribal cultures, this is truly a fate worse than death. Because of this, his brother, Ife, is now forced to marry not one wife, but two—his brother's “widow”! If that wasn't enough, Diké finds he has only one friend—a vengeful, shrieking ghost!
What follows tumbles rapidly into a tale of political machinations, conspiracy, murder, retribution, trickery, witchcraft, curses, and vengeance from beyond the grave—all subjects of which Nuzo Onoh is a mistress. I love the scene where a group of ghosts appear before Diké, apparently drawn by the spilling of blood—much like the scene in the Odyssey, where Odysseus summons ghosts by pouring a trough of blood.
And there are plenty of terrifying scenes where the Dead appear and take their revenge. The descent into the Underworld ranks up there with Ishtar's.
Nuzo Onoh is a sharp writer and it shows here as she details the various characters, their relationships, and the world in which they live. While her scenes of supernatural horror are scary, they also connect with the cosmos.
More of a curiosity than a complaint, but there are characters named Ezekiel and Theresa, Hebrew and French names, respectively. While there's a reason why the Nigerians at this time period would give Christian names to slaves, it's not really explained in the narrative. No biggie.
My only real complaint is that the book could have used a final edit. There are the occasional missing commas, or errors like “I thought we we're friends” and being told that Ifekandu means “child that is more precious than life” twice in successive paragraphs. And personally, I find it annoying when we see someone's thoughts (shown in italics), but the person refers to himself as “he”, not “I”.
Nonetheless, these are minor criticisms and they don't occur often enough to detract from the story. They take just a little sheen off the gem that is “A Dance for the Dead”.
I was sent a copy of the book by the publisher and received no compensation for this review.
September 6, 2023
Dance for the Dead is a horror novel with a basis in African culture and beliefs about the dead and the realm of the ancestors.
The core of the plot takes place within the Ogwumii tribe and focuses on the Oma clan. It is tight-knit and character focused. The youngest son, Ife Feather Feet, loves to dance. To escape an arranged marriage he hatches a plot to have his older brother, Diké, the warrior-leader kidnapped and hidden for a few days to distract his father so the marriage is called off.
This goes horrendously wrong - Ife’s accomplices betray him and put Diké in the forbidden shrine of the village deity and this leads to him being put under a terrible curse by the witch doctor. He is ’ghosted’ as an Uso meaning he loses his status and no-one can speak his name and he must live as a ghost.
With the guidance of the ghost of Teresa Chicken Legs, a slave-girl who was killed in the Ritual of the Soul Eaters, Diké not only gets to the bottom of the plot against him but unearths the darker deeds of the village witch doctor and his corruption of the rites for the dead.
To redeem the curse Diké travels to the ancestors realm where he must face the ghosts of those he has slaughtered in the past and deaths by the elements.
This is a story of brotherhood, love (both brothers are in love with Iruka Big Bosom but the choice is hers) and redemption. Although there are lots of horror elements - dark rituals, ghosts, walking corpses, talking skulls - the true horror lies in the experiences of the characters.
I empathised with Ife as the unwitting initiator of the plot who wanted nothing more than to dance and escape an unwanted marriage and Diké as its victim. His ghosting was truly harrowing and I found myself invested in his undoing of the curse and his exposure of the witch doctor’s crimes.
Diké’s experience of being ghosted got me thinking about the varying degrees to which our identity and well being and feelings of self worth are constituted by our role and status in society and our recognition by others.
I would recommend this book to readers who like a tight character centred plot and are interested in the representation of African beliefs in fictional narratives.
The core of the plot takes place within the Ogwumii tribe and focuses on the Oma clan. It is tight-knit and character focused. The youngest son, Ife Feather Feet, loves to dance. To escape an arranged marriage he hatches a plot to have his older brother, Diké, the warrior-leader kidnapped and hidden for a few days to distract his father so the marriage is called off.
This goes horrendously wrong - Ife’s accomplices betray him and put Diké in the forbidden shrine of the village deity and this leads to him being put under a terrible curse by the witch doctor. He is ’ghosted’ as an Uso meaning he loses his status and no-one can speak his name and he must live as a ghost.
With the guidance of the ghost of Teresa Chicken Legs, a slave-girl who was killed in the Ritual of the Soul Eaters, Diké not only gets to the bottom of the plot against him but unearths the darker deeds of the village witch doctor and his corruption of the rites for the dead.
To redeem the curse Diké travels to the ancestors realm where he must face the ghosts of those he has slaughtered in the past and deaths by the elements.
This is a story of brotherhood, love (both brothers are in love with Iruka Big Bosom but the choice is hers) and redemption. Although there are lots of horror elements - dark rituals, ghosts, walking corpses, talking skulls - the true horror lies in the experiences of the characters.
I empathised with Ife as the unwitting initiator of the plot who wanted nothing more than to dance and escape an unwanted marriage and Diké as its victim. His ghosting was truly harrowing and I found myself invested in his undoing of the curse and his exposure of the witch doctor’s crimes.
Diké’s experience of being ghosted got me thinking about the varying degrees to which our identity and well being and feelings of self worth are constituted by our role and status in society and our recognition by others.
I would recommend this book to readers who like a tight character centred plot and are interested in the representation of African beliefs in fictional narratives.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews