Daughters of Nri

"I have a strong fascination with twins and the cover of this book is incredible, depicting the beautiful twin protagonists. I just had to read it! This is the story of Naala and Sinai, twin girls separated at birth and growing up under very different circumstances. They are yet to find each other and discover the dormant magical power that lies within them. And together they will have to face the Eze, the terrible ruler of the Kingdom of Nri, who separated them, who defeated the gods himself and will go to any length to keep the power in his hands. Reni K Amayo draws you into her intricately crafted world with vivid scenery and a lot of imagination. Absolutely! And she creates fascinating, multi-layered characters and relationships, thereby touching on feminist themes like solidarity between female enemies in the face of a greater enemy: a patriarchal society . The story takes a gentle hold of you but then tightens its grip firmly until you can’t drop the book. I was particularly intrigued by the creation myth and the departure of the gods and goddesses from earth. Not everything was revealed in this book and I look forward to the sequel which I believe will reveal more of this beautiful creation myth. That’s very possible! I am sure that, to some extent, we will have had different reading experiences. Equally enthusiastic and impressed experiences, I can imagine, but perhaps with some more moments of recognition on my side and admiration for the finesse with which mythologies, history or traditions have been intertwined with creative storytelling. Sign up here for our newsletter featuring the best children’s and young adult books, as recommended by authors, teachers, librarians and, of course, kids. I just began reading A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown which has started off just as beautifully as the previously mentioned books and is alternately narrated from the perspectives of a female and male protagonist. I recently read Ayesha Harruna Attah’s The Deep Blue Between which is a beautiful story of family, fate and loss set in 19th century West Africa and Brazil. It is not fantasy but I’ll mention it here because I really loved the incredibly vivid depiction of life and its challenges in that period of history. It will appeal to young readers and anyone who loves historical fiction . As mentioned before, the number of African inspired fantasy books for teens and young adults has greatly increased in the past few years. I have only highlighted and discussed five here but there are so many more. However, what I still miss are more African-inspired books for younger readers. This was why I felt the urge to write Children of the Quicksands for my daughters. There are still so many stories that need to be told, so many beautiful African mythologies, traditions, folklore and settings to draw on and I hope more authors will be inspired to write for younger readers as well."