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For a fantasy set in Nigeria, involving not only magic but violent serial murders, this book was remarkably dull. There was a lot of walking and expositing, and the setting, which could have been excitingly different from the genre-fallbacks, was oddly blank. Except for specific things which were described, I didn't get much sense of place. But my main complaint was the characters. I vaguely disliked most of them, but overall found them flat. Even when a teacher puts them in mortal danger they c
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I wanted to like this, but it was so boring. I liked the idea of a magical fantasy set in Nigeria, I liked the mix of realism and magic, I liked that coins fell from the sky like a video game when the characters achieved something. But nothing happened! The plot was like: Sunny gets in a fight at school and gets punished, then she goes to buy a book, then she buys a knife, then she plays soccer, then she finds a harmless and mildly amusing magical creature. There was no adventure or quest, and j
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There's so much in this book to like -- the ideas, the mythology, the culture, and the characters. Somehow, though, amidst all of that, the storytelling just fell flat. I didn't feel the emotions of the characters; Sunny, the main character, shone through best of all, but her friends just felt like peripheral characters, and if I'm being honest, I have to admit that even Sunny felt like she was getting short shrift. For all that happened to her and around her, I would've expected to be caught up
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In a way like Harry Potter in Africa. Except for where it's not. The heroine, Sunny, is an albino who burns too easily in the sun. She's from both Nigeria and America. She learns that she is magically gifted and goes to magic school with some mates (while still doing regular school too) and learns how to use the magic, and about her destiny to confront evil. There's sports and dances too. The African flavor of the story was well done, it made me want to know more about Nigeria.
The magic can be o ...more
The magic can be o ...more
This book is superb. It’s a rich take on teenagers learning magic. Definitely recommended if you are a fantasy fan - very original.
Didn’t finish. Got about 1/2 way through. Just not complex enough (character and plot, the setting is well-developed) for me.
It is easy to say that this is a Nigerian Harry Potter but any kids going to school to learn magic and defeat a dark wizard is going to be compared to Harry Potter. It is really much more than a Harry Potter readalike. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.
Genre: Fantasy fiction
Themes: Chosen one; Women of steel
Character: Culturally diverse
Storyline: Own voices; Plot-driven; World-building
Genre: Fantasy fiction
Themes: Chosen one; Women of steel
Character: Culturally diverse
Storyline: Own voices; Plot-driven; World-building
Just read out loud with my 8 year old. Took about 3 weeks. We both loved it. And just started the second book in the series.
My only regret is the Chichi/Sasha relationship, which was just too fast for my kid.
My only regret is the Chichi/Sasha relationship, which was just too fast for my kid.
7/18/18 Re-reading as I first read this five years ago and I want to read ‘Akata Warrior’ remembering more about the first book than I do now.
4 stars for the book but 5 stars for the audio. Loved the narrator.
Feb 27, 2013
Cait
marked it as to-read
Nov 23, 2014
Megan
marked it as to-read
Nov 15, 2015
Soren
marked it as to-read
May 07, 2016
Destiny
marked it as to-read
Sep 01, 2016
Kate
marked it as on-pause-want-to-finish
Apr 17, 2017
Michelle
marked it as to-read
Jan 23, 2019
Janet Whalen
marked it as to-read
Mar 07, 2019
Susan
marked it as to-read
Jun 08, 2020
Rachel
marked it as to-read
