Lila Tino

A MASTERPIECE. Thats all there is to say about the absolute greatness that is this book. Adeyami pulls you into a world which absorbs you in its richness and delicacy whilst also simultaneously standing in for real life oppression. Never in my life have a read something so action paced - yet so well paced, that you never feel rushed. Everything seems to happen in such a perfectly woven pace. You are sucked into this legendary place of Orisha - and it took me a minute to get out of it. Then there are the characters. I will start by saying (very unpopulaurly) that the main protagonist Zelie was not my favorite character. Instead it was Inan. This characters complexities and dynamics make his POV the most compelling and interesting. I felt engrossed when reading about what he himself thought about his ulterior decisions and motives (which - no spoilers - changes quite often throughout the book). He in my opinion is the most misunderstood in his motives and although his final actions push him to an inevitable end, he held most of my attention throughout the book. That is not to say Zelie and Amari are two awesome female protagonist, struggling to survive in this race against time. I should stop typing and you should start reading this absolutely FANTASTIC book. It is a book for generations that tells the poignant love story of a young girl and her rise against the oppression. It pulls you in and does not let you out. A must read!