A fabulous adventure, with a strong black female lead who never gives up. Shows the power of emotions and how they can be hard to control. Loved it!

Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an e-arc of this book. I loved this book, it was a fast read which kept its pacing throughout. The characters were great, the plot was great and the twists and turns were unexpected. The way this story ended made me need to know what happens next so i cannot wait for the next book within this series.

The opening of this book was brilliant. An immigrant single parent family, struggling in poverty in the UK. It was fascinating learning about her life, and Onyeka has a fantastic best friend. When they go swimming and Onyeka's friend starts to drown, Onyeka discovers that her wild hair, powered by her emotions is magical, as she saves her friend's life. The flawed main character was compelling and I wanted to explore her story. They set of off to Nigeria, leaving her best friend in the UK, to find her father. However, from here the story changed to an X men boarding school that mum leaves her in to find the father alone. The plot driver ran out, the other pupils weren't half as compelling as the best friend left behind and I found myself skimming chapters . However, I pushed through and the ending was pretty good once the team left the school and faced the Rogues. The developing relationship with Adanna was nice too. The Nigerian touches were interesting and I wanted more of that and less school, although I see why it was there.

An interesting author who writes well but needed guidance from an editor to steer this story through the middle. It could have been brilliant with a little more help. Hopefully she will get this for book two.

I'm so happy a book like this exists and I can't wait to share it with my nieces. It was like a comfort read because Onyeka reminded me a lot of my Black-British friends growing up. I also have a lot of Nigerian friends and family so the inclusion of Pidgin English and hearing all the Nigerian dishes made me connect to the story even more.

The message of this story is an important one and I would definitely recommend this book to fellow MG lovers!

Onyeka is a very unusual girl. She has special powers that manifest through her, usually very unruly, hair. When her powers properly manifest, she and her mother have to travel back to Nigeria, from London, to find Onyeka's father who may hold the secret to her powers. While her mother searches for her father, Onyeka stays at the Academy of the Sun, a school for similarly gifted youngsters like herself. Like any school, it isn't always easy getting along with others and fitting in especially when your hair reacts to your emotions. Great for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and Harry Potter, the AOS makes Hogwarts look outdated and fusty by comparison. It has strong themes of friendship and self acceptance. For some children it will mean seeing themselves represented in fiction in a way that they won't have often, or possibly at all, and for others it will be something entirely novel that they've never encountered as it stands apart from the British and American set fantasy representations that we've seen before.

It’s exciting and refreshing with a rich cast of characters and a promising setting. I loved it!

ONYEKA AND THE ACADEMY OF THE SUN is a fun mashup of X-men and Black Panther for kids. Taking place in a futuristic Nigeria wherre kids called Solari have super (mutant) powers, Onyeka is a fun and fast paced romp with dashing action set pieces and loveable characters

ONYEKA AND THE ACADEMY OF THE SUN is an exciting story about a Nigerian girl with superpowered hair who finds herself in a world of superpowers, advanced technology, and mysterious enemies.

This is a story about the joy of hair like Onyeka's, hair that some might call unruly (at their "politest"), and whacking all the rude comments with a telekinetic bantu knots. As a premise, it's just so much fun and also incredible to see Black girl hair being centred. I also really liked the scene between Onyeka and Adanna (who have a rocky start to their relationship) bonding over hair care routines and showing the development of their friendship through the trust of helping with hair styling.

As much as it's a story about learning to control new magic powers (at a school with a very intense end of year test!) and finding out what happened in the (near) past, it's also a book about friendships - making new ones when unmoored from existing ones and trying to maintain old ones at a distance. We have her best friend (Cheynnei) in another country, and then new (and sometimes very prickly) friends-to-be-made at the Academy. I liked that mix between old and new friends, as often, when it's about making new friends in a new setting, the old friends don't appear again.

The world does have a Black Panther vibe, being a science-fantasy (I seem to be reading a lot of them of late!) centred around a technologically advanced African nation (Nigeria, in this case) For example, the unusual/magical abilities are explained as genetic quirks from exposure to a rare element and the near-future (2025) Nigeria setting is super high-tech. If it wasn't for how the abilities manifested (which certainly feel more magic than science), I'd call it a sci-fi book.

This is the first book in a series (I think a duology?) and the sequel is certainly one to look out for next year.

Onyeka’s hair has always made her feel anxious; there’s a lot of it and other people always notice. But one day, she discovers that she can control her hair with her mind! Following this amazing discovery, Onyeka is whisked off to Nigeria by her mother and she enrols in the Academy of the Sun, a school where Solari (children who have superpowers from the sun) are trained to become bodyguards. She is soon put to the test as she finds herself in the middle of a huge battle putting the future of all Solari, including her, at risk!

Onyeka is a gorgeous middle grade fantasy that falls under the ‘chosen one’ trope – one of my absolute favourites! However, Tola writes such an original story with Onyeka that no reader will feel like they’ve seen this before. Fiercely fast paced and exciting, it was seriously hard to put this book down at times – some really tense cliffhangery moments kept me wanting to read more and more. The ending left me with tons of questions and I just can’t wait for the sequel! Tola has built a fantastic world here with a magic system that makes me desperate to be a solari too.

The main character, Onyeka, herself is fiery and full of loyalty to those she loves. She has so much insecurity at the beginning, but throughout the novel she develops and learns where she fits in in her world amongst the other solari. I particularly liked Adanna and the depth in her character. What I love most about the cast of character is that this is absolutely the sort of book we need to be showing to children. Full of a majority black cast, this sort of diverse book is integral to black authors being heard and children seeing themselves in stories.

A compelling and dynamic fantasy story. More please. 5 out of 5 stars.

This book was a solid four stars until the end, but then I felt I still had some unanswered questions at the end, and was expecting more story. Perhaps there is going to be a sequel, but there is no mention of this.
I did enjoy this story. It was a fast paced adventure, with lots of unexpected twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. I learnt a lot about Nigeria, and the interactions between all the characters were great. It was an unusual idea about the hair, but it really worked well.

What an amazing concept for a book. The world building is strong but the characters really are the most important part of the story.This is brilliant for anyone looking to realize their own potential and to accept that being different is not a bad thing. It is about self belief, living with difference and the power of friendship.

Before I picked 'Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun' up, I had wondered if it was going to be possible for the story to live up the stunning cover. I did not have anything to worry about because it honestly blew it out of the park. It was everything I want from a middle-grade fantasy and I cannot wait to read the next one (and see what the cover is for that!).

Not too bad! not my favourite book, but it was a really good idea. I think i found it hard to connect with the characters, and none of them really stood out to me as a character that i really cared about.
however, i loved that it is essentialy an all black cast. it's wonderful that black authors are finally getting their voices heard and that kids can read about characters that look (and in the case of some characters in this book, sound) like them! I just hope the publishing industry keeps this up and also improves upon it, allowing more POC to get their books out there!
so although this wasn't my favourite recent read, it still enjoyed it. it was compelling and got me to the end of the book, though i'm not sure i'd read any more, as i said, i just didn't connect with the characters (but then, i am a white woman in her 30s, so really, these characters aren't exactly meant for me to connect to).
i would have loved a pronounciation guide, as a lot of Nigerian names and words were used, and I had no real idea how to say them, so i was just making up what i thought the names sounded like, but it would be nice to know how to say them properly.

A creative storyline - I was reminded of Black Panther, Hunger Games and Harry Potter at different points - very clever. It starts slowly but once the adventure gets going it is relentless. There is obviously a sequel coming and I can’t wait!

This book was so good! The magical system was fun and interesting to read about and Onyeka was a brilliant main character who I loved from the very first page and wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. I highly recommend this book to everyone even if you don't read middle grade or fantasy.

If you loved Amari and The Night Brothers, you will just love this. It is an action-packed coming-of-age story with a strong female lead. Onyeka is girl who has always struggled to fit in- a strict mum, moved away from her home country of Nigeria and most importantly an appearance that gets her noticed. When something both incredible and scary happens to her, she soon realises that life is going to change for her forever.
The story follows her journey to discover her past, accept her present and prepare herself for the challenges of the future. With the help of a solid group of friends and a pinch of magic, she soon learns that things she has always seen as a hinderance can actually be her strongest power. Although as always, nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
This fast-paced story resolves in a way that makes you feel satisfied once it's finished but drops enough hints and tantalising plot clues that it leaves you wanting more. For me, Tola Okogwu can't write the next one quick enough. I've walked through these pages with Onyeka and I want more!

I absolutely adored this book. It had such feeling for the characters and a deep understanding of their feelings and actions. The main character Onyeka is a bit of a lost soul , not sure where she fits in and mourning the loss of a father figure , but boy does she have strength and loyalty. Obviously part of a series and I need the next book NOW. Great adventure and great world and character building. Humour and adventure ,what more could you want ?

This book is going to be a hit! Perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and Nevermoor. A great fast-paced middle grade 'superhero' book set in a near future Nigeria. Onyeka discovers that the hair she and her mother constantly battle with contains her true power. A story about growing to love yourself and your strengths despite what society may have told you. Ending up attending an X-men type school in Nigeria, Onyeka learns more about her gift, her family and community secrets. Great world building and original character traits/superhero powers. Full of heart and brilliant representation. Sets up a sure to be thrilling second novel.

I was sold on this book from the beginning. The first six or seven chapters set in the UK are absolutely brilliant and so many children will be able to read them and feel seen. Onyeka and best friend Cheyenne are instantly likeable and the reveal of Onyeka's powers is superbly done. The rest of the story is fast-paced and gripping and I particularly liked the development of Onyeka/Adanna's friendship. The only slight negative (if I'm being picky) was that the ending seemed a bit rushed/sudden. In fairness though, the book is clearly written as part one of a duology (or more) and much of this book/ending is setting up the next book rather than a big finale. Some of the more technical language (science terms etc) will make this book particularly suitable for a slightly older middle grade audience who may have preferred a few things like the time in school and the big reveal to have been bit more prolonged, but I can see that having them a bit shorter will probably widen it's accessibility. As I said - the kids are going to love it.

An empowering and fast-paced adventure, albeit not an entirely original one, ONYEKA AND THE ACADEMY OF THE SUN is a book of self-acceptance of superheroic proportions.

ONYEKA has been a book I've been following since its announcement, from the (amazing) cover reveal to a Netflix deal, so I've been excited to read this for some time. Like the recent SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF, ONYEKA AND THE ACADEMY OF THE SUN is another soon-to-be blockbuster MG fantasy from Simon & Schuster. ONYEKA's heroine is the titular Onyeka Adérìnọlá, a young British-Nigerian girl that has always had a hard time managing her hair and, as such, feels self-conscious about herself and her appearance.

Whisked away to the Academy of the Sun, Onyeka meets Adanna, her prickly STEM-focused techno-empath roommate, Niyì, a determined young boy with ice powers, and Hassan, a jokester who can turn invisible. They're all fun, sweet characters with just enough depth peeking behind the plot to feel unique – Adanna especially is well characterised, even if her and Onyeka’s friendship progresses a little on the quick side.
Onyeka herself develops as a character as she learns to accept her hair and the truth about her past; the book does a decent job at establishing the mysterious Solari people, a race of genetically mutated humans, in the same ballpark as Marvel's X-Men, whose altered DNA allows them to harness Ike, essentially the magic that fuels their superpowers. Is it the most original magic system ever? Maybe not, but its execution strikes as much more unique and interesting when there's also a debilitating catch to using superpowers: sickness in the form of nausea and migraines, even once causing Onyeka to fall unconscious for a few days.

Stripped down to its fundamentals, the setting of ONYEKA's universe is not wholly unique either, but the secret superhero school is located in an oft-forgotten area in children's literature, Africa, specifically the city of Lagos in Nigeria. Technologically advanced, Lagos is given the spotlight as Onyeka and her friends explore the local areas, giving the book an original flavour of set pieces and places of interest, and whilst its execution might not be the most original you've ever seen, there is a great message, especially for black children, about accepting and loving yourself.

What had me less enthusiastic, however, was the ending. Imagine any derivative kids' film where the generic villain reveals their dastardly evil plan and then gets foiled at the last second by sheer stupidity. That's ONYEKA's climax. I wasn't expecting anything hugely mind-blowing, but I was hoping for something more exciting than that.

That said, for all its faults, I enjoyed ONYEKA. Original? No. Fun? Absolutely. For fans of the classic middle grade boarding school adventure, ONYEKA AND THE ACADEMY OF THE SUN is sure to be a hit, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

This was such a good read. It was quick, easy and everything that I didn't realise i needed and more. It was well written with an engaging storyline and well developed characters that knocked my socks off.
Whenever anyone thinks about a school for magical children, everyone automatically gets transformed to the school with the boy with the scar, and yet while reading this book I didn;'t think of that at all. This was refreshing and I loved it.
The storyline was packed to the brim with adventure, magic and incredible friendship. It is such a good read and I cannot wait to recommend it to all the children and adults that I know. I also adore the front cover it is stunning,