Spring 2018 Kids’ Indie Next List

“When Zelie was a child, she saw her mother and all magic wiped from existence with a tyrant's single, sweeping order. Now she finds herself tasked with restoring that magic to the land of Orisha, with the aid of her brother and that same tyrant's daughter. As Zelie races against time, she reckons with her newfound abilities and the moral complexities they awaken her to. Adeyemi's debut features truly epic world-building without sacrificing the intimate character development that propels the narrative. Every action combines taut pacing with lucid internal monologue, lending each work of magic or physical blow a palpable emotional weight. Stunning, cinematic, and resonant.”
— Bill Grace, Buttonwood Books & Toys, Cohasset, MA