From the Bookshelf of SFF Hot from Printers: New Releases…

The Maid and the Crocodile

Jordan Ifueko

Start date: February 1, 2025

Finish date: February 28, 2025

Discussion: Monthly Reads

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Monthly Reads

* October 2025 - Esperance (No Spoilers)
By Oleksandr · 1 post · 4 views

last updated Sep 29, 2025 10:03PM

* October 2025 - Esperance (Spoilers Allowed)
By Oleksandr · 1 post · 3 views

last updated Sep 29, 2025 10:04PM

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Feb 07, 2025 Oleksandr Zholud rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is a standalone afro-fantasy novel set in the author’s universe of her Raybearer duology. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for February 2025 at SFF Hot from Printers: New Releases group. I haven’t read the abovementioned duology, and it hasn’t hampered me in any way.

This is the story of Small Sade. She lost her mother at a young age and grew up in an orphanage. At the start, she leaves and tries to enter the labor market in the capital city of Oluwan. Shade has a problem: she has This is a standalone afro-fantasy novel set in the author’s universe of her Raybearer duology. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for February 2025 at SFF Hot from Printers: New Releases group. I haven’t read the abovementioned duology, and it hasn’t hampered me in any way.

This is the story of Small Sade. She lost her mother at a young age and grew up in an orphanage. At the start, she leaves and tries to enter the labor market in the capital city of Oluwan. Shade has a problem: she has vitiligo (depigmentation of skin patches), which is viewed as a sign of bad luck; one of her feet is severely damaged, the result of an accident at work as a child; she has no experience. Shade also has a unique talent: she is a Curse-Eater, i.e. a person who can attract bad spirits away from other (usually wealthier) persons. Most of such Eaters are fakes, but Shade is actually is able to see a spiritual world, mostly as the silt, and really consume it, clearing the place.

She is hired by an owner of the Balogun Inn and Philosophy Salon, a woman from a noble but impoverished family, who hopes to reverse her luck by making her name as the main entertainment venue for the wealthy and influential of the city.

Shade also accidentally ends up in one of the sacred houses of the Crocodile God. She was prepared to die there, like previous offers supposedly have done, but actually meets there a handsome young man (the book is sometimes promoted as romantasy, but it is still more a fantasy with romantic elements). The man is cursed and one day he will turn into a crocodile if not saved…

The story is interesting and unusual. However, it also has some problems, which lowered my enjoyment. Firstly, all the characters are either good or bad and this is largely determined by their class/social status. Therefore, all servants are good, while the inn’s owner and her wealthy clients are bad. It may be a novel approach for Western literature, but it was a (hated by me) norm of ‘social realism’ of Soviet literature on which I partially grew up. I in no way want to say that there are no social conflicts, but that people are individuals and not solely determined as a part of a given group (social, religious, etc.) Moreover, my knowledge of the results of socialist revolutions (be it in the former Russian empire, China or Cuba) shows that there are many more shades of grey, therefore I’m strongly against modern eat-the-rich attitudes that are supposedly supported by a lot of the youth in the West. Say just right now I’m also reading a historical novel by a Polish (Silesian) author, where the story is set in the revolutionary 1918-1919 Berlin and the characters there are way more nuanced, far from glorious Spartakaans vs evil Freikorps (or vice versa). ...more

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Jun 13, 2025 Natalie rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This African-inspired tale has much in common with Cinderella but adds, curses, bad spirits and a variety of gods. So despite using some old tropes (wealthy vs the poor, lazy vs hard-working, good vs evil), the gods and curses add some intrigue. The writing is lively and the story has nice cultural elements.
Our main character, Small Sade, has lost her mother but has the gift to clean out curses and bad spirits. She can see the evil piled like silt, dust, or fog over surfaces in people's homes an This African-inspired tale has much in common with Cinderella but adds, curses, bad spirits and a variety of gods. So despite using some old tropes (wealthy vs the poor, lazy vs hard-working, good vs evil), the gods and curses add some intrigue. The writing is lively and the story has nice cultural elements.
Our main character, Small Sade, has lost her mother but has the gift to clean out curses and bad spirits. She can see the evil piled like silt, dust, or fog over surfaces in people's homes and businesses. Despite her maimed foot, she works hard to scrub away the evil around her. In the beginning, she finds her way into the Crocodile Man's home (guided by a gecko, Clemeh) where she discovers he's a former ruler who has been consigned to becoming a beast over time. He knows Sade can free him from the curse but he wants to rescue her instead.
Sade is hired by the overbearing Mamadele whose house and business are coated in curses and evil. Mamadele also refuses to recognize that her daughter, Dele is in love with a lower class woman (who runs a flower shop). Sade is forced to swallow the evil she can't clear away, choking it down and causing her pain. Eventually, Mamadele gets the idea to bring all the wealthy people in Oluwan City to come to her business and have Sade swallow all their guilt and evil deeds. But midway through the ceremony, Sade cannot sing away the evil, as she usually does.
Sade is taken away by the Crocodile, who tells her she is worth so much more. He tells her she has the power to bring the poor and lowly up and throw off the lies of the wealthy. His love for her surprises and encourages her. But despite his confidence in her, he feels worthless and consigned to his fate to become a beast. Then, a god (Ixalix) arrives to take the Crocodile away but Sade turns the tables on her.
Rather quickly, Sade and the employees of Mamadele's business take over (because Mamadele has left) and make it a community gathering place where everyone can share their stories. Sade is hopeful. (view spoiler).
Sade loves to clean away the evil, which I found a nice way to portray cleansing the evil away. However, the wealthy are all selfish and mean while the poor are all hard working and kind, which makes the story feel like a fairytale. Also, Sade seems to have learned everything by intuition. I would think this method would create misconceptions. The strongest elements of the story are the prose and the African cultural elements, which are much more complex than I have summarized. ...more

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Feb 07, 2025 Rebecca rated it really liked it

I struggle a lot with this author, I love the setting and storylines of their books, but not the characters. I think this will be an unpopular opinion but I’m not very patient with MC that don’t know their worth and don’t stand up for themselves. I think this is likely a bias of mine and perhaps I can work on my empathy. I just got frustrated with Sadie needing to be told her worth vs knowing it intrinsically.

Someone in my book club pointed out that the prominent classism (know your place and s ...more

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