Akata Witch

Quotes

Genre

• Fantasy
• Young Adult
• Fiction
• Middle Grade
• African
• Magic School

Trigger Warnings

• Ableism & ableist slurs
• Misogyny
• Slavery
• Child mutilation
• Child death
• Murder (multiple, on-page)
• Bullying

*There will be spoilers in this review. I will try to avoid major spoilers but some need to be brought up to be discussed.

Summary

Born in America, but living in Nigeria, twelve-year old Sunny is understandably a little lost. She is albino and incredibly sensitive to the sun. All Sunny wants to do is be able to play football (soccer) and get through another day of school without being bullied. But once she befriends Orlu and Chichi, Sunny is plunged in to the world of the Leopard People, where your worst defect becomes your greatest asset. Together, Sunny, Orlu, Chichi and Sasha form the youngest ever Oha Coven. Their mission is to track down Black Hat Otokoto, the man responsible for kidnapping and maiming children. Sunny has to learn her new powers to be able to overcome the killer with powers stronger than her own and save the world she has only begun to discover.

Characters

• Sunny Nwazue – Twelve year old albino girl displaced and trying to learn about herself and her powers.
• Orlu – Sunny’s school friend that introduces her to the Leopard People and the world of magic.
• Chichi – Orlu’s friend that helps Sunny learn about her powers
• Sasha – Comes from America to learn how to control himself with his powers.
• Anatov – The teacher to the coven.
• Sugar Cream – One of the council and Sunny’s teacher
• Sunny’s Family – Mother, father, two brothers.
• Chichi’s Mom – believed to be a witch with great powers
• Black Hat Otokoto – Leopard Person serial killer

Setting

Set in a small town in Nigeria, there are also scenes that take place in Leopard Knocks, a magical meeting place in Nigeria.

I do feel like more time could have been spent on setting the scene. I have never visited Africa and I don’t know what the air feels like, how the land sits. I probably would have eaten up Sunny’s description of Nigeria.

Overview

Overall, I loved it. It was fresh and new with the familiar territory of a magic school. The characters felt real and were likeable and the story flowed naturally. I sincerely wished I had known about this sooner because I ate it UP.

I do feel like more time could have been spent almost all around. Not saying you have to follow the same formula but the Harry Potter series had a book span a year and you felt the time move naturally. You got to know the school and what it was doing all through the year. It felt intimate and at home. I wanted the intimacy here as well. I like the magic, it’s new to me and I want to learn more about it, especially since it feels so personal for the characters.

I do know I am reading Akata Warrior as soon as I can.

Pros

The juju and the spirit faces were incredibly cool and new. They were personal for the characters and I really liked the visuals it inspired. The Masquerades in particular were a new concept on the spirit world. It was awesome getting to know a new culture and lore and the characters that carry the audience there were enjoyable and diverse.

I like Sunny. She’s independent, practical (most of the time), and fierce enough to stick up for herself. Sometimes it was hard to remember she is twelve.

Cons

Honestly, the one real con was it was so short.

Like in the overview, I wanted to feel a part of this world, get to know its secrets like Sunny should get to know this world. One of the things that makes this sort of story work is making a world you can disappear into, especially with a character in between like Sunny. She’s between America and Nigeria, black and albino, a free agent in the world of Leopard People.

I am itchy to get to the next book just to see how Sunny progresses in her new realm.

Final Thoughts

I can’t wait to get to the next book and now I am mildly bummed its only a trilogy (its probably great I just want more).

I loved the introduction of this new group of friends, I like their personalities, their magic, I like getting to know them. Sunny and Orlu are my favorites, I like their powers and I appreciate their approach to the world around them. Orlu’s powers are unique and he carries the weight well.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone remotely interested.

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