As always, Emezi’s writing is incredibly beautiful and immersive.

The setting of Somadina is incredibly vivid and lush and I was captivated by the story. An excellent stand-alone fantasy story,

If you fancy a gripping coming-of-age fantasy, rich in indigenous Igbo folklore and culture, then I I can recommend this book!

Somadina is the tale of twins Somadina and Jayaike, whose existence causes tension in their village for various reasons. But when Somadina gets into hot water and Jayaike is kidnapped, Somadina must leave everything she knows to find him while coming to terms with the magic that has changed everything.

Somadina is my second read by this author, the first being The Death of Vivek Oji. I saw similar themes around complex families, living with bodies that don’t meet societal expectations and the impact of that, and strong references to Igbo folklore. I ate it up.

Emezi writes layered, fully fleshed characters, and crafts rich worlds in all their colour and darkness with a precision that is remarkable. The book has that unputdownable quality, so it had me up reading at most ungodly hours because I was locked in.

I liked Somadina as a protagonist and felt for all of the difficulties she went through. While she wasn’t perfect, I never felt irritated by her, but to pity her for her struggles felt like an insult. Instead, I was just swept along, willing her to find that sense of acceptance and alignment that she both needed and deserved. I’d like to think that this was an intentional effect.

In an ideal world, I would have liked this to be just a little longer, as I felt like I slammed into the ending suddenly and it was over so quickly that I was left breathless. But the fact I wanted to hang on to the magic a bit longer can only be a good thing, right?

I look forward to reading more by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-arc.

Emezi is a master of storytelling. Their characters are always full of depth and soul - even when they are deeply flawed. In this book, the two main characters will stay in your heart of a long time. The story itself has the simplicity of a fairytale, but it told in such a beautiful engaging way. This book was brilliant.

Everything in this book was so well rounded- realistic but ethereal. Somadina’s relationships with the other characters were rich and engaging- the romance aspect was balanced and added to the overall story without taking away from the depth of her family connections.

I loved the setting and the overall magic system- unfurling the mystery of who took Jayaike while discovering the magic of the jungle, villages, and spirit world made this an easy and really enjoyable read!

*I received this book from NetGalley but these thoughts are all my own!

I'm not sure why I didn't like this more... It has lots to recommend it: interesting worldbuilding based on African mythology, a well-rounded protagonist who holds onto her moral compass even when bad things are enacted through her, a story that propels you forward... and yet I didn't connect to it. I feel bad about leaving a mediocre review when I can't see anything objectively wrong with the book, but it just didn't click.

I have been so looking forward to this release - and I'm so thrilled it lived up to my very high expectations. I loved every moment of this and I couldn't recommend it enough.

This was an adventurous peek into the world of West African spirituality and beliefs! Emezi is a pro at adapting their writing and storytelling, depending on the age of the reader. Of their YA titles I think Pet is still my favourite, but Somadina is a strong contender! I found the story compelling and really bought into the family dynamics. I'll be recommending this one to fans of Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.

This is an absolute fire-cracker, tightly plotted, evocative and deeply immersive despite the relative* sparseness of the prose - every word felt deliberate. The relationships between the characters were the highlight for me, with Somadina driven throughout the book by her devotion to her twin brother, all while her other familial relationships buckle and reform under the stress of the nefarious magical interference in their lives. Deeply compelling all the way through. Couldn't put it down.

*compared with a lot of current offerings from YA fantasy.

Somadina is a beautiful, meaningful and thoughtfully crafted story.
I love Akwaeke Emezi infused Igbo culture, traditions and mythology into this story.
The writing evokes vivid imagery and i found myself in Somadina’s village.

This is not just a story of a girl who embarked on a journey to rescue her twin brother from a powerful enemy. It is a story that explores what it means to be too powerful or extraordinary beyond understanding.
It shows how society can alienate, fear and hate what they do not understand.

It shows the pain of being cast away by your community, and family because of their own ignorance.

The story reflects how easy it is to internalize other people’s opinions and perspectives of you.

I love how Somadina grew in this story. She went from a girl who saw her magic as only dangerous, dark and destructive to someone who sees the value and light in herself.

I also appreciate how it addressed the way history is hidden and how it affects the future generations.
However, I wish this story was a bit longer. It could have benefited from a little more development.

Overall this is a really fantastic story with so many amazing layers and I am looking forward to reading more fantasy books from this author.

Thank you to Faber for providing me an ARC of this book via NetGalley.

YA fantasy is not my usual fare, but I couldn't say no when I was offered an eArc. I've loved or at least really enjoyed everything Akwaeke Emezi has written, and their newest book didn't disappoint. It's equal parts coming of age and quest novel and is suffused with Igbo culture and mythology. Somadina and her twin brother come into their magic powers later than their peers, and when her powers appear they are unusually strong, perceived as dark and dangerous, and result in an incident that leads to her being sentenced to death until a dịbịa intervenes. Then Jayaike disappears, kidnapped by a powerful yet malevolent being, and it's up to Somadina to rescue him. Along the way, she learns a lot about herself and also discovers some surprising secrets about her family history. Emezi's prose was stunning as expected. Pretty sure I'd say that if I was reading their shopping list. For a fantasy story, this was relatively short, and the plot moved fairly quickly, not getting bogged down in a lot of in-depth world building. I had enough detail to understand what was happening but wasn't overburdened with extraneous details. The plot quickly captured my attention and kept me engaged from beginning to end. There's a strong element of risk and adventure and some heart-pounding tension as you'd expect from a quest novel, but there are also quieter moments of personal reflection, moral reckoning, and growth. Family relationships are a key focus, with the relationship between Somadina and her mother being particularly complicated. There is also an element of romance, but it doesn't dominate the plot. Somadina is feisty but flawed, being headstrong and impulsive. But she's also courageous, sensitive, loyal, loving, and self-sacrificing, the sort of protagonist I enjoy reading about. While this book isn't earth shattering and won't make my top 10, it is a book I'd recommend, particularly to YA readers and to those who want to explore the fantasy genre but are out off by in-depth, lengthy world-building.

I loved this YA Fantasy. It had action, adventure, romance and magic. Emezi did really well making us connect with the MC.
Can't wait to see if they create any more in this world.

Another amazing read from Akwaeke Emezi! I live her ability to create characters with depth and with an amazing storyline! And this book is no different! This is a YA Fantasy that follows the life of two twins, it’s a coming of age story and shows the deep bond that twins typically have. I love the west African setting and I love the struggles phased when they came into their own powers and how they navigated that as well as dealt wirh their separation! Would highly recommend!

3.25! Thank you for the arc!

A sound YA standalone seeped in indigenous Igbo culture which created a lush atmosphere and setting. I love Emezi’s writing. Overall, it didn’t quite hit for me and I found the last third to be less engaging. I thought the random romance wasn’t needed as it didn’t serve a huge purpose in the book. This was a good coming of age story with themes of family and identity.

Awake Emezi has a beautiful way with words almost like poetry. I loved reading this book the African mysticism and mythology was interesting and described so well it’s not a genre I’m very well versed in but one i definitely want to read more of.

Somadinas journey to find her twin and also find and accept herself was well portrayed and heartbreaking at times. A complex story of family, magic and being different.

This was such a special coming-of-age style story. Set in a magical, harsh backdrop with darkness and spirituality mixed throughout. I love Akwaeke Emezi's writing so much and this being the first of her YA projects that I've read is exciting, because I have a backlist of work to look back on while I wait for her next project.

Read as a YA fantasy adventure. Lots of action and set in a West African world. Strong female lead. Suit YA audience. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Somadina is a YA fantasy book inspired by African culture and mythology. It explores complicated family relationships, focusing on the depth of connection shared between twins who are outcasts of community.

There are so many different audiences who will adore this book, it is a YA book which will be enjoyed by all ages and I can see it becoming a favourite study book for high school classes.

Each sentence is written so purposefully inviting analysis into the full meaning of every aspect of the story. Although I can appreciate this craft, it did keep me at a distance where I am a reader who prefers to develop a deep connection with my characters, thus affecting my enjoyment.

I’m sure this book will find many a reader who adores it.

I was taken on a journey to a land rich with magic, to a place where Gods walk among men. Thank you to Akwaeke Amezi for this offering and for this ARC from NetGalley.

This book begins with the tale of a land before division, with whispers from a grandmother. From the onset, I knew each word and each detail mattered.

Somadina and Jakaiye have my heart. We watched this children grow into the hands of God, fold the land, and fix fissures.

This world that this book built was vibrant, teeming with life. I could see the shifting colours in the forest, I could feel the hum of magic in the air, I could feel the urgency when the air smelt of iron and the realm and spirit and man meshed together.

I felt so much for Somadina, this girl who is not a girl. Her insecurity, her fear, her anxiety and her confusion. It was very difficult shouting words of affirmation to her only to remember she’s in the pages of a book. Sometimes while reading I felt myself moving in her shoes as she felt strong emotions and I felt her loss.

I wonder what will become of Somadina and Uwafulamiro? I wonder what will become of Somadina and Jakaiye and whether their Crocodile God has more work for them to do…

I even wonder about Nkadi and how her own circumstances shape how she will move through the world with her gifts.

All in all, this was a beautiful book that held me from the moment I made the right space for it. The ending felt like closing a circle and it tied so beautifully into the beginning.

A SOLID 5 star read from me. Akwaeke has outdone themselves as they always seem to.

Somadina is a young adult fantasy, set in West Africa, that follows Somadina, who is coming of age in a town where teenagers develop a power. She and her twin brother are close, and they each develop their powers at the same time - but one of Somadina's powers is terrifying and dark. Her family and her community are now hostile towards her, and when her twin brother vanishes one day, she must go find him even though it's dangerous.

The setting in this novel is intriguing, the characters feel real and I loved how developed it felt. A lot of thought went into this book, and it's a book about acceptance - not just from yourself but from those around you.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in May. Holy shit. Akwaeke Emezi did not disappoint yet again. This story had me hooked and the almost poetic way of writing had me mesmerised. Heartwrenching and hearthealing.