Nnedi Okorafor

Twelve-year-old Sunny Nwazue, an American-born albino child of Nigerian parents, moves with her family back to Nigeria, where she learns that she has latent magical powers which she and three similarly gifted friends use to catch a serial killer.

Akata Witch

Sabrina D. 

The only sources of light were three kerosene lamps, one hanging from the low ceiling and two others on stacks of books. The place was full of books—on a small table in the middle of the room, packed under the bed, stacked against the wall all the way up to the ceiling. The corners of the ceiling were clotted with webs inhabited by large spiders. A wall gecko scurried behind a book stack. She sneezed again and sniffed. 

Boothby

The world was inventive and fun, and there were so many fun moments and witty little details. Chichi was a shining delight, as was Orlu, and Sunny herself. The end happened all at once, and exactly what happened during the climax felt unclear and underdeveloped. There were several repetitive scenes that were little more than Sunny asking for explanations about things, and having her questions (which I had too as a reader) brushed off. Nonetheless there was so much to like, and some very touching moments, particularly between Sunny and her mother.

Can’t wait to read this lovely magical book again!!

Ryan LaFerney

Akata Witch is the story of twelve-year-old Sunny Nwazue, an American-born albino child of Nigerian parents, who moves with her family back to Nigeria, where she learns that she has latent magical powers which she and three similarly gifted friends use to catch a serial killer.

Nnedi Okorafor, author of the wonderful adult fantasy sci-fi novel Lagoon, creates a brilliantly distinctive world in this magical-realist synthesis of West African and American history and mythology. Fantasy fans will enjoy familiar themes in a new and original setting. Just like any young magician, Sunny must learn the rules of her magic and pay the price when she breaks them -- such as when she uses her "spirit face" to scare a bullying classmate. Readers might be tempted to compare the Leopard People’s magical village of Leopard Knocks to Diagon Alley and the Zuma Festival to the Quidditch World Cup, but beyond these surface similarities to the Harry Potter series, the world and society of the Leopard People is truly unique. This isn't a Nigerian Harry Potter story, as it has been dubbed by some., This is highly original stuff that draws on Okorafor's heritage (as she was born in the US to two Nigerian parents) to create a very fascinating story embedded in a sense of place. Okorafor never loses sight of the believable trials of her characters, conjuring a world in which magic doesn’t feel so far removed from the wonders and mysteries of growing up in our own world. 

The novel may start slow but grows into quite an action packed and scary ride. Fans of world mythology, paranormal thrillers, & the works of Neil Gaiman and Ursula K. Le Guin will love this novel, because it shows just how close we are to a magical and dangerous reality. There's both good juju and bad juju out there. Be careful.

Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits in. And then she discover

Janice Hopper

There are a lot of things in this book that make me think of Harry Potter. There's the mysterious school, the magically gifted students who have to work together to defeat an evil wizard, eccentric transportation.

The difference is it's set in Nigeria. The myths and motifs are African. That part is delightful. 

The quibbles I have are with the plot. The ending seems a little rushed. It always seems a little lazy to me to have a Character Who's Never Done a Thing be suddenly, magically Very, Very Good At the Thing. In this case, it's Sunny's skill at soccer, even though she's never played the game before except with her brothers. But I guess it's part of the Special Magical Character trope. 

But the characters are nice, and pretty well differentiated. I liked the magical system. I liked the environment. 3 stars because I thought the ending wasn't as satisfying as it could have been.

Her earlier novel, Zahrah the Windseeker, was, IMHO, superior to this one in imaginative work. It had a more fantastical plot and situation. Read that one too.

(quick spoiler, down below):












The bad guy is defeated pretty easily, even though we've been warned about how very, very difficult and dangerous it would be.

Connor 

4.5. This was FASCINATING and I am very glad there will be a second book. I read a lot of fantasy--YA and otherwise--and this was a beautifully, beautifully written story (the style is more narrative than I usually like, but once I got used to it I found Okorafor's writing worked, as it should, seamlessly with her story).

A.L.L.

Fantastic book and I highly recommend the audio book narrated by Yetide Badaki, who does such wonderful voices for each character and whose narration is so lovely I could listen to her all day. 

I could not stop listening to this book once I started. I loved Nnedi's version of magic and magical society, or more accurately, Juju and Leopard Society.

I had someone hype this book to me by describing it as "the African Harry Potter" and I guess I can understand the comparison, but at the same time there is no comparison. There is a vibrancy in Nnedi's world of juju that Harry Potter will never come near. 

Nnedi gives so much more life to each character than I am used to in a book. You can easily imagine each sidecharacter and even background characters having an entire series from their perspective, somewhere out there, full of their own adventures.

jess

I really wanted to like this book but the writing just wasn’t resonating with me. Full review to come.

ivan

Wow this was such an amazing read! The writing is simple enough that young readers can still enjoy this, but with an intricacy that I haven't seen in a while. Very refreshing and beautiful. This is just so wonderful I don't have the words for it!! Such an amazing book ahhh

Patricia Macías García

Tan pronto como lo acabé me pedí Akata Warrior. Ojalá me llegase mañana porque NECESITO leerlo YA. Y eso que a la mitad me estaba desilusionando un poco, pero al final vuelve a arrancar y ¡AY! Si sois des esas personas como yo que os encanta leer historias donde hay magia chachi, leedlo. Además se aprenden cosas muy interesantes sobre Nigeria, donde se desarrolla la historia. 

A pesar de lo que he dicho al principio, el libro es autoconclusivo y no hay necesidad de leer el segundo. Lo que pasa es que me ha encantado el mundo mágico que ha creado Nnedi y quiero MÁS.

Fraser Simons

It’s fantastic reading something that isn’t steeped in Western culture. I thought the approach to teaching kids in contrast to Harry Potter was refreshing and great while creating real stakes. The magic and relationships were much more nuanced and interesting. It was an incredibly enjoyable read for me.

Sierra

"There are more valuable things in life than safety and comfort. Learn. You owe it to yourself."

If you're looking for a middle-grade read full of magic and wonder, this is it. The world is captivating and watching the young cast of characters work together to take down evil was so much fun. 

The plot is beautiful. The story is based in Nigeria and the hidden magical community that's been under young Sunny's nose the whole time. Ostrascisted for her albinoism, she struggles to fit in and spends her time trying to be the perfect daughter for her strict family. The strange happenings in her life lead her to befriend a classmate who helps her begin her journey in discovering who she is. The descriptions are colorful and you find yourself just as captivated by the hidden magical world as Sunny is. It felt wholly original in its take on magical kids defeating an evil sorcerer. Despite being a middle-aged book, it acknowledges real-world problems, and Sunny is considered an "akata" by fellow Nigerian classmates due in part to her birth and upbringing in America. West African culture comes alive in this book and it's a refreshing take on all things magical.

One little detail I also really appreciated was how ones "disabilities" such as dyslexia or ADD in the Lamb world were considered strengths and signs of power in the magical Leopard world. I think my only complaint was that the characters seemed to be automatically prepared for the "boss fight" and that it seemed relatively easy for them. After all, our 12-year-old main character IS still pretty new to the magical world. It just made the end feel a little sudden and left a little to be desired.

Overall, if you're looking for a new magical world to dive into that is not Eurocentric, this is a great book to pick up. With a great plot, colorful setting, unique magic and mythology, and enjoyable characters, there's a little something for everyone.

Sarah Wakefield 

This book sucked me into its world & kept me there for a weekend until I finished it. An original & enjoyable read, especially if you like fantasy.

Anna Campbell

Very interesting to read a book with a system of magic that wasn’t so American and European centralized. No vampires or werewolves mentioned. I tend to like books set in Nigeria, but this one was very different for me. Fairly predictable, but still good!

Nadine 

A great story with well rounded characters that is unique and not just another Harry Potter wannabe. Nice blending of African mysticism with current day realities. Looking forward to reading the 2nd book in the series.

Evan Carter

I read this back in middle school, but it felt like everything that I ever wanted from a book. I’ve only just now taken up to reading and it’s because of seeds of what these kinds of books left behind. The magic, the characters, the conflict, all of it was lovable and attracting. 

Samiha Tasnim

Home will never be the same once you know what you are.


Chichi said. “Just trust us.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re your friends,” Orlu said.
“And we’ve changed your life . . . maybe,” Chichi said.


“Things have a way of working themselves out,” Anatov said. “It’s as I taught you: the world is bigger and more important than you.”


“Let me tell you something Chichi and Sasha have a hard time respecting,” Orlu said, putting his fork down. “Leopard People—all our kind all over the world—are not like Lambs. Lambs think money and material things are the most important thing in the world. You can cheat, lie, steal, kill, be dumb as a rock, but if you can brag about money and having lots of things and your bragging is true, that bypasses everything. Money and material things make you king or queen of the Lamb world. You can do no wrong, you can do anything. “Leopard People are different. The only way you can earn chittim is by learning. The more you learn, the more chittim you earn. Knowledge is the center of all things.


All through the night, she battled herself. Or battled to know herself. She fell apart and then put herself back together and then she fell apart again and put herself back together, over and over.


Realizing what she was was the beginning of something, all right . . . but it was also the end of something else.


This world is bigger than you and it will go on, regardless.”


There are more valuable things in life than safety and comfort. Learn. You owe it to yourself.


“Because life doesn’t work that way,” Anatov said. “When things get bad, they don’t stop until you stop the badness—or die.”


It wasn’t hard to find, even in the rain. Trouble is never hard to find.


There is something coming. This is all I can say. Not soon but eventually, soon enough. Maybe you know about this already. Don’t fear it, if you do. There’s more to it than you think.


“You’ll get used to it,” he said. “Having two lives is better than none.”

Vera Sokolyanskaya

The author of this book is a professor of Creative writing. The only explanation I have for this book is that she was trying to illustrate how to NOT write Middle Grade and Young Adult books. What I can't explain is all the praise and awards this book has received and how it landed on 100 best fantasy books list (but to be fair this is not the only book on the list that has me rolling my eyes). 

I don't even know where to start:
- it's too dark for a middle grade book and too primitive for a young adult book. The writing is very rudimentary and not in a good beautiful way. 
- there is no story structure and we don't even know what characters are supposed to do until 50% into the book.
- the adults in this book are terrible - first they don't really teach the children anything and rely mostly on their self-learning, then they send them on a dangerous quest without giving them any support. Do I need to mention that they've sent other kids on the same quest and they died? That's called negligence in my world.
- And yes, let's punish a young teen for doing something she can't control instead of teaching her how to avoid the situation in the future. That should teach her!
- universe giving you money for learning something is an interesting idea but I don't approve monetary rewards for growth, it's a motivational trap.
- the last "battle" is a series of random people taking random actions, there was no plan, there was no team and it feels like they have survived out of sheer luck.
- why give the main character "embrace your flaws" speech only to magically cure her from sun sensitivity? 

The main characters in the book are probably its brightest spot, they come from different backgrounds and have their own voices.

Elizabeth Garza

So, this is my first book that is very steeped in African folklore and culture and it was AMAZING. 

My library has this in the YA section and while reading it makes perfect sense why it is in that area, BUT the main character is 12 ... I tended to forget this while I was reading it, picturing Sunny as like 15 or 16, but when I would remember she was only 12 I'd be like, HUH? But that's not what made this book great, that's just a weird train of thought that kept popping in my head. 

Moving on... one thing a book has to have to really grab me is great characters, character development, and character relationships. If it has those things but is kinda lacking in other departments I won't care, haha. This book has all of the above and didn't give up on any other aspects of it. The plot is interesting, the world building is pure damn magic, and that ending. It's satisfying but I am most definitely ready for Akata Warrior.

Luke Kanies

Great fantasy that is unlike most of that genre you might read. It is awesome reading fantasy from a very different mythological legacy, all taking place in a different culture. (Written as a western white male who was steeped early in western myths and western fantasy.)

The only ding is it never quite built characters I couldn't let go of, or even that I felt I knew well or understood. Fun, but not deep.

I've read far more that's far worse, though, and I look forward to reading the sequel and many others by Nnedi.

Megan Lapides

laura

I really wound up enjoying this read. I loved the setting of this book so much. I also really enjoyed the world building info that was given at the start of the book through various books. I really liked the four lead characters. I found the magic system was not as clear in the middle and felt confused at times. But i really liked the element of the murder mystery as well. It was a fast pace read. I am hopefully book 2 will make the magic system even clearer! I am excited to read it!

Nickie Mohler

2.5 stars

I'm a big fan of the Binti series so I decided to try this one. Sadly, it just wasn't for me. I thought it was ok, but I didn't enjoy it enough to continue the series.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought this book! Support your authors! All opinions are my own.

Book: Akata Witch

Author: Nnedi Okorafor

Book Series: Akata Witch Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Nigerian characters, Black albino main character

Recommended For...: ownvoice, magic, murder mystery, finding your hidden power

Publication Date: April 14, 2011

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 14+ (gore, violence, sexism, slight emotional abuse TW, sexual mentions, teen pregnancy mention)

Publisher: Viking Children’s

Pages: 349

Synopsis: Akata Witch transports the reader to a magical place where nothing is quite as it seems. Born in New York, but living in Aba, Nigeria, twelve-year old Sunny is understandably a little lost. She is albino and thus, incredibly sensitive to the sun. All Sunny wants to do is be able to play football and get through another day of school without being bullied. But once she befriends Orlu and Chichi, Sunny is plunged in to the world of the Leopard People, where your worst defect becomes your greatest asset. Together, Sunny, Orlu, Chichi and Sasha form the youngest ever Oha Coven. Their mission is to track down Black Hat Otokoto, the man responsible for kidnapping and maiming children. Will Sunny be able to overcome the killer with powers stronger than her own, or will the future she saw in the flames become reality?

Review: Oh my goodness I loved this book so much! This book was an amazing ownvoices novel with a very unique magic system. I loved the character development and I loved seeing Chichi and Sunny’s friendship grow, along with Sasha and Orlu as well! I loved the world building and I thought this was the strongest part of the book. The pacing was right on key and the plot kept me intrigued from start to finish.

The only issues I had was the pacing, which was a bit rushed in the middle of the book, and that the fighting scenes were a bit hard to follow along with. The book could have easily slowed down, added 200 pages to explain a bit more about what was going on, and I would have consumed it all the same.

Verdict: A well done book! Highly recommend!

I liked it. The story has a lot of potential. 
I just had some pacing/writing issues. 
A lot of dialogue consists of "'blabla'...said, 'blablabla'....said" and that felt a bit repetitive and lazy - but it is a minor complaint. I did enjoy the overall story.

Akata Witch

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