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Sunny has always been different. She's Nigerian, but was raised in America and has the pale coloring of an albino. And in adolescence, it turns out she's magic, as well. Although magic lets her play soccer in the sun and see wasps that create tiny fantastical scupltures, it also alerts her to grave danger. A magician named Black Hat is mutilating and sacrificing children, and only Sunny and her oha coven can stop him.
I like some components of this book much more than others. The background chara ...more
I like some components of this book much more than others. The background chara ...more

This isn't what I expected. This is a fine children's story, in the tradition of magical children's quest stories (such as, yes, Harry Potter): a young girl, who has always felt somewhat ostracized, discovers that she really is different, and she has magical powers! and there is an entire magical world that she didn't know about! And she, alone, may be the one who can save the world, but not without the help of her friends ...
But like children's stories often are, this is very simple: there is g ...more
But like children's stories often are, this is very simple: there is g ...more

I loved this book so much.
I was trying to describe this to a friend, and I think I used the words, "like Harry Potter but in Nigeria," which I guess was kind of true but also an incredible disservice to Okorafor's amazing world-building and story-telling, which should never be implied as being inferior to or copying another work. But for somebody who has not read much non-Western based speculative fiction, that was the easiest way to describe it (both for me and for my friend).
This book defied ...more
I was trying to describe this to a friend, and I think I used the words, "like Harry Potter but in Nigeria," which I guess was kind of true but also an incredible disservice to Okorafor's amazing world-building and story-telling, which should never be implied as being inferior to or copying another work. But for somebody who has not read much non-Western based speculative fiction, that was the easiest way to describe it (both for me and for my friend).
This book defied ...more

There has been so much love for this first book in the Akata Witch series that I was eager to read it. I chose it as my next audiobook following Stephen King's Elevation and hunkered down with it.
My attention kept wandering. I don't think it had anything to do with the narration by Yetide Badaki because I actually enjoyed hearing her tell the story. The story, however, left a lot to be desired.
Twelve-year-old Sunny is an albino living in Nigeria. She wants to be a regular kid but is unable to be ...more
My attention kept wandering. I don't think it had anything to do with the narration by Yetide Badaki because I actually enjoyed hearing her tell the story. The story, however, left a lot to be desired.
Twelve-year-old Sunny is an albino living in Nigeria. She wants to be a regular kid but is unable to be ...more

Jan 24, 2012
Hannah
added it
I'm doing some co-reading and co-blogging funtimes with this book:
http://mclicious.org/2012/12/15/co-re...
http://thecanaryreview.com/2012/12/15...
http://mclicious.org/2012/12/26/preli... ...more
http://mclicious.org/2012/12/15/co-re...
http://thecanaryreview.com/2012/12/15...
http://mclicious.org/2012/12/26/preli... ...more

May 18, 2012
martha
marked it as gave-up

Jun 24, 2012
Lisa Vegan
marked it as to-read

Apr 29, 2014
Liz
marked it as to-read

Oct 14, 2015
Phoenix
marked it as to-read

Feb 03, 2017
Paige
marked it as to-read

Oct 09, 2017
krystal
marked it as to-read

Jan 05, 2018
Debbie Barr
marked it as to-read

Feb 27, 2018
Colleen
marked it as to-read

Apr 24, 2018
Natalie Pietro
marked it as to-read

Nov 12, 2018
Kristy
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Feb 03, 2021
Isabel
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
young-adult

Oct 21, 2022
Heather
marked it as to-read