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A review by bookishharlot
Queen of Zazzau by J.S. Emuakpor
4.0
It’s no secret that African American representation in the literary fiction world is practically nonexistence and in nonfiction, it’s all about slavery and whatnot. Even if not done right I appreciate the effort being taken to include the darker side of the world in literature as something besides their equivalent dark past.
Please keep in mind that history is a complicated and delicate matter, especially African history, that is difficult to define in a single margin because there is always more than one version of what truly happened. And, this story also incorporates fantasy so do not everything told is true to the tea. The Queen of Zazzau tells the historical tale of Queen Amina, a young queen predestined with a power that may destroy her and her people. With war, gods, and rich culture entwined, we follow Amina as she grows from her innocent self into the woman the gods prophesized her to be. The culture mentioned in the story is old but rich and the gods who Amina interacted with often are real and not to be taken lightly.
The writing was fascinating but sometimes the imagery was very strong and unnecessarily dragging the story along which made the pacing slow at times.
In this story, I have learned that being a good leader takes more than just courage or pretty words and that one slip up has real consequences that may damn you and the lives of your citizens.
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Please keep in mind that history is a complicated and delicate matter, especially African history, that is difficult to define in a single margin because there is always more than one version of what truly happened. And, this story also incorporates fantasy so do not everything told is true to the tea. The Queen of Zazzau tells the historical tale of Queen Amina, a young queen predestined with a power that may destroy her and her people. With war, gods, and rich culture entwined, we follow Amina as she grows from her innocent self into the woman the gods prophesized her to be. The culture mentioned in the story is old but rich and the gods who Amina interacted with often are real and not to be taken lightly.
The writing was fascinating but sometimes the imagery was very strong and unnecessarily dragging the story along which made the pacing slow at times.
In this story, I have learned that being a good leader takes more than just courage or pretty words and that one slip up has real consequences that may damn you and the lives of your citizens.
Blog| Twitter| Instagram