The New York Times Book Review - Jeff Giles
Okorafor invents wild, fantastical creatures and worlds, but she's got an even rarer gift, too: She can describe the effect of using magic—the emotional and physiological repercussions of it—so viscerally, it's as if it were a fever we'd contracted ourselves…What makes [Sunny] an irresistible character is that she's not just pure of heart, she's also a fiercely protective sister and a palpably real teenager…Okorafor describes Sunny's moments of anguish beautifully, as well as her feelings of kinship and wonder.
From the Publisher
Praise for Akata Warrior:
★ "Okorafor’s novel will ensnare readers and keep them turning pages until the very end to see if and how Sunny fulfills the tremendous destiny that awaits her." —Booklist, starred review
★ "Akata Warrior swiftly synthesizes the lessons and knowledge of the first book into a heart-racing story of resilience and a determination to save the world. This title is a unique coming of age story, coupling the distinct experience of the cultural duality as both African and African-American with lessons of love, loyalty, and the pains of adolescent insecurities." —BCCB, starred review
★ "Don’t miss this beautifully written fantasy that seamlessly weaves inventive juju with contemporary Nigerian culture and history." —School Library Journal, starred review
"Satisfy fans eager for more of Okorafor’s signature brand of magic." —The Horn Book
"The narrative is well paced and multifaceted, taking the reader on a tour of both modern Nigeria and the mystical worlds of the Wilderness (sometimes simultaneously). Along the way, the reader is given a fascinating glimpse into Nigerian culture." —VOYA
Raves for Nnedi Okorafor's writing:
"There’s more imagination on a page of Nnedi Okorafor’s work than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics." —Ursula K. Le Guin, award-winning author of A Wizard of Earthsea
“The most imaginative, gripping, enchanting fantasy novels I have ever read!” —Laurie Halse Anderson, National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Speak
"I always loved science fiction, but I didn’t feel I was part of it—until I read first Octavia Butler, and now Nnedi Okorafor." —Whoopi Goldberg
"Highly original stuff, episode after amazing episode, full of color, life, and death. Nnedi Okorafor's work is wonderful!" —Diana Wynne Jones, award-winning author of The Chronicles of Chrestomanci
"Jam-packed with mythological wonders." —Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series
"Okorafor's imagination is stunning." —The New York Times Book Review
"A marvelous and uplifting read, heartwarming in its portrayal of true friendship, heartbreaking in its portrayal of headstrong youth and the perils of pride." —Cory Doctorow, award-winning author of Little Brother
"The voice of Nnedi Okorafor does not obey the rules of distance, time, or place. Hers is the voice that fuses matter and imagination. She shows us just how close we are to that alternate reality." —Tchidi Chikere, Nigerian award-winning film director and screenwriter
School Library Journal
★ 09/01/2017
Gr 7 Up—Fans of Akata Witch will fall again for the wondrously intriguing fantasy world in modern-day Nigeria in this imaginative sequel. Ekwensu, the evil spirit that Sunny, now 13, and her leopard society friends defeated in the previous book has returned. He severs Sunny's connection to her spirit face Anyanwu, and without it, Sunny feels lost and unsure of herself. The fact that the severing did not kill her means that the vision that she saw a year ago of a fiery apocalypse may come true. The prevalence of oil spills caused by companies in the Niger Delta makes the threat of a massive fire all too real. To restore Sunny's spirit face, she and the others must find the giant spider spirit Udide, ask it to spin a flying grasscutter (a van-sized rodentlike creature) for them, then fly it to the city of Osisi in Lagos to prevent the world's end. The magic in Sunny's world is not always kind or gentle, and the punishment for breaking the rules can be brutal. This, alongside the novel's portrayal of contemporary Nigeria with its cuisine, multiethnic groups speaking many languages, economic inequality between social classes, and threats against albinos, will make readers believe that this magical world could really exist. The story has playful elements too, like Grashcoatah the grasscutter and Sunny's wasp artist. VERDICT Don't miss this beautifully written fantasy that seamlessly weaves inventive juju with contemporary Nigerian culture and history.—Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton
JANUARY 2019 - AudioFile
Narrator Yetide Badaki’s dynamic voice returns with this story of Sunny, an Igbo and American albino girl with the juju needed to save humanity. Badaki enlivens Sunny’s character with a bright American accent and gives her friends varied Nigerian- and American-sounding voices. Continuing on from AKATA WITCH, Sunny, Chichi, Orlu, and Sasha are growing as scholars, pushing the boundaries of the rules governing the magical Leopard People and coming full circle to challenge Sunny’s prophetic dream of the apocalypse at the start of series. Badaki’s animated voice is especially impressive during the dramatic encounters Sunny has with giant spiders, lake monsters, a djinn, and supreme beings. Listeners will dive into this story of magic, fantasy, identity, and destiny. E.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2019 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2017-07-17
A soccer-loving, American-born Nigerian 13-year-old matures into her mystical powers.A few years after her Igbo parents brought their children to live in Nigeria (Akata Witch, 2011), Sunny Nwazue had learned she belonged to the mystical Leopard People. Now she alternates among regular school; Leopard training with her teacher, Sugar Cream; training with her magical alter ego spirit face; and hiding her secret life from her parents and brothers. Sunny is albino, though her magic has eliminated most disabling effects aside from a need to wear glasses. A superstitious bigot accuses Sunny (who does draw supernatural power from her albinism) of being a witch; as albino Nigerians suffer genuine harm from such accusations, the truth in this attack strikes a discordant note. The magic appears influenced by Igbo religious practices in Sunny's diverse Nigeria, populated by Muslims and Christians, where Sunny and her African-American and Nigerian friends learn magic and eat in Uzoma's Chinese Restaurant. Sunny's been having strange nightmares, possibly tied to new environmental disasters. An oracle explains that these dreams are prophetic and sends her and her friends to a magical city populated with spirits who chat on cellphones. Much like their magical world, it's "simultaneously ancient and modern West African." It's a hefty tome for a middle school read, but Sunny's an inviting character who keeps the pace moving. A charming adventure stocked with a house-sized spider, an Afro comb gifted by a goddess, and a giant flying rodent—one who loves hip-hop. (Fantasy. 11-14)
