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bluberrybooks's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Body horror, Bullying, and Misogyny
Minor: Police brutality
purplepenning's review against another edition
Graphic: Child abuse, Bullying, and Child death
Moderate: Body shaming, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Kidnapping, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Death, Murder, and Violence
Serial killer preying on children for ritual murders; corporal punishmentqueer_bookwyrm's review
- 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
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor is book one in the Nsibidi Scripts series. This book was great! This is another of those books I wish had been around when I was in middle school. This would honestly make a great replacement for HP if you need Magic School recs.
We follow Sunny, a girl born in the US to Nigerian/Igbo parents, but raised in Nigeria, and is albino. Sunny starts making friends with a boy named Orlu after he helps stop bullies from hurting her. Orlu has another friend named Chichi who doesn't attend school, is very direct, antagonistic, and mysterious about her age. When Chichi and Orlu tell her about juju, she discovers she's like them: a Leopard Person, a person with magical abilities using natural talents and powders and symbols and such. Sunny gets to join Orlu and Chichi in what is basically juju school, but Sunny is at a huge disadvantage since she's the only one who didn't grow up knowing about any of it.
I loved the group we got. We meet an African-American boy named Sasha who was sent to Nigeria for bad behavior and will be studying with them. This whole group was about balancing each other out: Sasha and Chichi being the hard headed, firery ones; Orlu and Sunny the more calm, sensible, and quiet ones. Together they make an Oha coven, and they are tasked with something no teen should have to deal with alone.
I loved the world-building in this! So many cool and interesting things! In Leopard People world, knowledge is the most valuable thing and so as you learn new things you earn chittim (various precious metals that serve as currency). Since Sunny is completely ignorant of Leopard People ways, she earns big chittim. Each Leopard Person has innate magical abilities they can utilize without powders or using a juju knife. The abilities usually correlate to the person's physical appearance, often a disability or deformity, and is seen as a good thing. I loved the concept of spirit faces and I hope we learn more about them throughout the series. I want Della the Art Wasp! So tiny and desperate for praise.
It was interesting reading about the way Native Nigerians view African-Americans. The word Akata in the title refers to Black Americans or foreign-born blacks as bush animals, and is very rude. Since Sunny is also albina she gets called a witch a lot, and she has taken these names back. I want more African fantasy!
Definitely looking forward to Akata Warrior and to Okorafor's other books.
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Violence and Physical abuse
Minor: Child death and Kidnapping
jenny_librarian's review
3.0
I was interested by the culture in the beginning, but that quickly took a turn with the sheer amount of child abuse and sexism dismissed as a culture quirk.
The editing and flow of the story also lacks. There’s no major buildup and the final confrontation makes you wonder why the adults couldn’t take care of it themselves.
As far as this type of stories go, it was subpar.
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Child abuse and Kidnapping
Minor: Fatphobia, Transphobia, and Gun violence
zombiezami's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Suicide, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Child death, Murder, Torture, Animal death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexism, Misogyny, Ableism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cursing, Excrement, Racial slurs, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Drug use
cataglyphis's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Child death, Blood, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, and Death
Minor: Racism and Vomit
kateloveswords's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Cursing, Animal death, Bullying, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Kidnapping, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Xenophobia
strange's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Violence and Physical abuse
Moderate: Child death
valpyre's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
i enjoyed the lore in this book a lot, particularly the magic system and the culture of leopard people focusing on community welfare instead of material greed. sometimes the characters felt a bit muddled in my head, but i liked them overall.
the ending honestly felt a bit anticlimactic, but i understand that not everything can be cleanly explained and squared away, so i will probably check out the rest of the series.
Moderate: Violence, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Gore
angelbabe_cj's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Child death and Physical abuse