Okorafor continues to impress in this YA series. In this novel we learn some more about Nigerian culture, including the very real and dangerous secret societies/gangs ruling Nigerian universities. This sounds fairly ridiculous to the western ear, universities are about the furthest thing from gang territory possible, but I looked it up, it's no joke. I feel like I've been missing this from so much other fantasy: you mean I can get a kick out of exploring this new amazing world, but also learn something about other cultures at the same time?
Sunny struggles with loyalty to her family, and pushes the limits of how she can use magic against/for Lambs. There's also an extended dreamlike episodic sequence as our merry band of Leopard kids heads on a dangerous quest. I loved this bit: giant spiders, and grashcoatah who is now one of my favourite fantasy characters of all time. I loved the description of him/it getting birthed by Udide in a cave full of spiders:
The mass was undulating. The blue marble light only lit part of it. There was something inside. Unt, unt, unt, the thing inside grunted. It sounded like a giant pig.Like the first book, the climax seems over too quickly and implausibly. I loved that she poked at bit of fun at the obvious Harry Potter similarities:
“You mean being doubled?” Sunny said. “Sheesh, it’s not like Voldemort’s name, you can say it aloud.”Random questions/comments:
- What's up with Guinness? Is that seriously a popular drink in Nigeria? It's mentioned a lot in the book.
- Sunny, it's time to eat something other than fried plantain, you need some vegetables.
- I had no idea teeth sucking was a thing, I had to go look it up.
Favourite quote:
When Lambs don’t understand something or they forget the real story of things, they replace it with fear.5 stars.
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