Reviews with content warning for Child death - Akata Witch

i liked it a lot! it just felt like a prequel, you know? i know there are two books after this one, so maybe my overall rating will go up after i get around to them. sunny was cute as a character!! ☀️ everyone was so mean to her :( - 0.25 stars for adults being mean

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abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I enjoyed this book a lot, it was an easy listen and the audio narration was on point. Very straightforward YA writing that still has lots of beautiful description and whimsy. It fits the standard “unique child finds magical community” story arc but fulfills it in a fresh and interesting way. The ending did feel rushed with little explanation, but I would still give the rest of this series a try.

Where this book lost me was some of the overdone, tired stereotypes and tropes: the main villain and other unseemly or mean people being described as fat, and the disability is magically healed trope

when Sunny no longer feels negative impacts or lack of access from her albinism and can go out in the sun without being burned

which I think will prevent young people with albinism from really identifying or feeling seen by this story.

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breeezzy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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megold12's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Loved this story. At times I wanted more of the lore or to read more about Sunny’s experience learning about her powers and this world. The ending also felt very fast

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haylzno's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

For the most part I loved the story. Person stumbled upon this world of magic and finds family along the way is one of my favorite tropes. There were times where I felt the story dragged a bit, taking me out of the story. And there were other times where it felt rushed? Like we spent 90% of this book working towards this end goal of confronting the Black Hat and when we finally get there the whole thing is over in less than a chapter?? Granted there are books after this one in the series so I'm sure it all is possibly revisited, but it felt like we were building and building and building to this moment and once we got there it was over in the blink of an eye.

However, the Leopard People, free agents, spirit faces, chitim, all of the other aspects of this story were so so so much fun to read I couldn't get enough of Sunny discovering this whole new world. I can't wait to see her continue to grow into her magic and hopefully learn more about her lineage!!

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emohell's review

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adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

read for class and absolutely loved it. took a bit for me to get really into it but i’m already looking into reading the sequel. incredibly vivid world building and lovable characters that each had their own arcs and development.

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jodieworton's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

My last read of August and it was bloody incredible.

Akata Witch is the first book of The Nsibidi Scripts series. The book genre is defined as Africanfuturism a term created by the author Nnedi Okorafor. I can not believe this book is 11 years old, and I only heard of it this year, I then added the trilogy to my book Wishlist!

This book is the start of a well development fantasy world, rooted in Nigerian culture, folklore and politics. There was many a reference throughout the book that I found myself researching the meaning and it aided in making this new world richer.

Akata Witch follows Sunny as she learns of her spiritual heritage, a ‘free agent’ with magical powers. Sunny was born to two nigerian black parents, born in the US but then moved back to Nigeria when she is nine, Sunny is also Albino and feels like she doesn’t ‘fit’ anywhere. This is until she learns of her hidden heritage.

We then meet Orlu and Chichi, who realise Sunny is a Leopard Person (holds magical power) before she does. They help Sunny and become best friends. Along with Sasha, who is also from the US and has come to live in Nigeria to learn the deeper meaning of Leopard culture.

Akata Witch is 100% a fantasy book, however it does have a thriller element mixed into the story telling with the mysterious character, The Black Hat, a serial killer who preys on children. We learn as the book develops that Sunny and her friends are put together as a type of task force to irradiate Black Hat!

The book has great detailing and I was able to envision Leopard Knocks (a place for only Leopard People) so very clearly. This book could most definitely be made into a film or tv series and would be gripping!

If you love fantasy, learning new cultures and languages, this book is a must!! Can not wait to continue with book 2, Akata Warrior!

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Akata Witch is the tale of a world within a world and a girl who doesn’t know her heritage or the mysterious power it brings. This sort of story may sound familiar, but at every opportunity Okorafor departs from the expected to build a magical coming-of-age story that is entirely its own. Sunny and her friends are given an impossible task, are immersed in an impossible world and it is beguiling, beautiful, and mesmerizing. I think it might be one of my favorite magical YA settings ever.

Let’s start with Sunny. First of all, Sunny proves that it’s possible to have an extraordinary destiny without being an orphan. She is exceptional in some ways – as most protagonists are. The most obvious is these is her albinism. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of another book featuring a protagonist with albinism, and a Black person at that. I applaud Okorafor for her choice! But Sunny’s albinism is about more that representation. There’s an empowering reason for it in the story and that matters most of all. Sunny is never defined by any of her individual traits, even though they weigh on her at times. Okorafor does an excellent job guiding her protagonist through a journey of self-discovery.

Sunny, Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha are a dynamic group and it’s fun to follow their journey. I appreciated the use of mentors and I appreciated the separate shining personalities. I didn’t feel we had too many tropes among them, and those that tried to surface were pushed aside. These characters are defined by themselves, not the role they play in the book, and that’s fantastic. It’s refreshing to see a group with a purpose, rather than an individual with a destiny.

I adore Okorafor’s writing. In Akata Witch, I especially appreciated her use of weather. Rain, sun, storm – all of them bring so much to the story’s atmosphere in a way I appreciate with most books, but am astounded with here. The climatic scene near the end of the book was astounding and immersive and I was enthralled. There are some writers who are so talented at atmospheric writing that from the first few sentences, you are transported. Okorafor is one of those authors.

Akata Witch is a fantastic dive into magic from a non-Western European perspective. The action scenes have amazing pacing, the characters jump off the page, and the writing is vibrant. I enjoyed this book so much – it’s definitely destined for my personal library. I’d recommend folks look past the ages of the main quartet – this book never felt catered to younger readers – and dive in. It’s wonderful.

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