A review by ceallaighsbooks
Binti: The Complete Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

“Lightning flashed above and something in me decided to do something I’d never done: grab it.” 
 
TITLE—Binti Trilogy 
AUTHOR—Nnedi Okorafor 
PUBLISHED—2015-2019 
 
GENRE—SciFi / Fantasy—Africanfuturism / Africanjujuism 
SETTING—various settings in a futuristic Africa and outer space 
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—coming of age, identity and belonging, community, friends & family, spirituality, Math & Technology
 
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
BONUS ELEMENT/S—The philosophy in this book blewwww my mind. It was even too perfect for me to even fully comprehend. Like, I needed *this* book to help me get *there*. “All that she’d said was so contrary to all that I had been taught that I’d begun to feel a little dizzy.” 
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—“The type of harmonizer one was depended on one’s teacher’s worldview.” 
 
“The spirits and ghosts of the dead don’t stay where they’re freed.” I felt my right eye twitch slightly.” 
 
I’m not big on sci-fi, and more and more I find myself not enjoying YA as much, but I was drawn in by this book’s cover when I spotted it at my local bookstore and when I opened it and read the dedication page, “Dedicated to the little blue jellyfish I saw swimming the Khalid Lagoon that sunny day in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates”, I just felt like it was saying, “ok but this one you actually do need to read.” (Also literally everyone recommends it 😂) so I did! 
 
And yes, I loved it. 😂 Okorafor’s sci fi has none of the heavily contrived feeling of other sci fi lit that I’ve read and her work is also not anthropocentric at all but clearly incorporates and understands that the natural world doesn’t end where “space” begins. Okorafor emphasizes that Space is not a sterile emptiness for humans to invade and control, it is an extension of a world in which humans play only a very, very small role. I especially loved how the “space ships” were actually living organisms with a purpose and philosophy all their own. ❤️ 
 
The worldbuilding in this book was probably the best worldbuilding I’ve ever encountered in fiction. Okorafor’s imagination for vast planets and a diversity of species defies organization. The worlds she has created in these stories are tremendous and I found myself wishing I was reading a trilogy of dense 400-page novels instead of three smaller novellas--though these stories were did not feel incomplete by any means.
 
And finally the philosophy of the Binti stories was tremendous. Such a thoughtful exploration of the nature of identity, fear, family, purpose, and magic. I’ll definitely be reading more of Okorafor’s books in the future! And am VERY excited for the TV adaptation of this series coming soonnn!!! 
 
“What will you be?” she asked. “Maybe it is not up to you.” 
 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
 
TW // panic attacks, PTSD, violence (Feel free to DM me for more specifics!) 
 
Further Reading— 
  • more by Nnedi Okorafor!—TBR
  • A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle
  • The Broken Earth Trilogy, by N. K. Jemisin—TBR
  • How Long Til Black Future Month, by N. K. Jemisin
  • The Inheritance Trilogy, by N. K. Jemisin

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