Daughters of Nri

I haven’t cried for a book in a hot minute and boy did I cry. The story was so beautiful written and pulled together. Amayo handles our heroines with such care that the readers wants to also take care of them. Naala and Sinai made me want to bundle them up and take care of them. Two twins who have to burden the weight of the world, separated yet connected through power, loss and more importantly love. Amayo creates a world that pictures Nigeria free from colonialism and the scars of Slavery and in her great imagination she’s created a magical realm. She imagines a world where Black women are allowed to access their power and not shamed for the whims of their emotions. There is no shame for wanting revenge or retribution their is only understanding. The pacing of the story is consistently engaging and mysterious. The stakes constantly rise as you continue and we are left wanting more. This book was a delight to read and I’m so happy it was plopped into my lap by my own attraction to beautiful covers. Further, this novel kept me up all night as I simply could not sleep until I got to the end. I am contemplating starting the next one as I finish this review. Who needs sleep really?

This is a fascinating listen. I am amazed the writer, Reni K. Mayo, can create such an amazing story of mystery, magic, violence, and love. The gods see tremendous tumult in the world. They decide to leave the people to their own devices. However, the ruler of longstanding knows that in the world there is a threat to his power. He has removed (killed) the Mother, loving guardian and protector of the world. He has sought those who threaten him and thinks he has removed the threat. However, Meekulu, who works as a harmless but very talented old cook is more than she seems. She is the keeper of the country's history and critical artifacts. She becomes the mentor for Sinai. Sinai is a young woman who lives in fear. She is on the lower wrung of nobles. Meekulu helps Sinai realize that she has the power to be more than she thinks she is. Meekulu is charged as a witch and burned alive. Actually, there are two young women who play important roles in this story. The other woman, Esinaala (Naala) is imbued with power. Further, she learns well into the story that she and Sinai are sisters who were divided at birth and assigned to different mothers so that the evil king in the story could not find them to kill them. That king, Eze, has magic powers and a ruthless army at his disposal to remove any and all threats. He did not learn until a group including the two young women snuck into the palace later on in an attempt to steal a object of power. Once aware of the two women and the threat they represents, he makes a move to kill them both. I won't spoil the ending of the story but giving away what is done by whom but I cannot wait to read or listen to the other books in the series!

I could not put this book down! I finished it in 2 1/2 days, it was that good...that gripping, that engaging! The characters and the world building were amazing. The prose is absolutely lyrical and the language (yes, I did put the story on hold to look up various words and whether each plant, tree, Ndu crystal or glowing insects really were real) and description of the Furuefu forest and the palace and all the dwellings in between really made me feel like I was there, that I was walking amongst Naala or awakening in my Awku nest like Sinai. I don't know which sister I loved more. I adored them both--Naala...beautiful, brave, strong Naala. How I loved her journey...how I loved her need for freedom, her fierce love for her family, and how I longed for the same revenge she was set on enacting. I loved her relationship with Eni, that sweet, beautiful slowburn...it's one of my favorite parts of Naala's journey. Sinai, the "unimportant", unassuming one. I adored her personality, her inquistiveness, her awkwardness. And her strength, which may not have been as prominent or pronounced as Naala's but there all the same. From her fall to the rise of her power, I was there, reading it all with bated, excited breath. From her relationship with Meekulu to her budding friendship with Ina, I was drawn to her journey. ...But I can't pinpoint a favorite character, not when they all were so vivid and lively and descriptive that they practically jumped off the page and into my heart. Seriously, from their personalities to their descriptions, these characters felt ALIVE. From Eni to Meekulu to Madi to Kora to Ginny to Ina, even Obe Ife and the Eze...no character left me indifferent. I enjoyed them all, for everything that they lent to this beautiful story and the roles they played in each sisters journey back home...back to one another. Fantastic characters and plot aside, the only con I can find in this story was the ending...it just felt rushed, incomplete, too abrupt. But I know...even now that it's over, this is a book I will be picking back up (again and again). Thank you Reni--for Naala, for Sinai, for the journey of these beautiful black sisters and all their black girls magic!

I’ve been reading this story for years and it’s just as good now as it was the first time I read it.

“‘I know you think I’m crazy,’ Naala said quietly. ‘And maybe I am … but try and understand … this is our time, our moment, and it just feels as though … we’re missing it. We’re just standing here, trapped by … customs, watching life go by.” - Daughters of Nri , Reni K Amayo _________________________________ Rating: 5/5 🌟 Author: Reni K Amayo Publisher: Onwe Press Released: 12/2019 __________________________________ QOTD: What’s your favorite 2020 read so far? _________________________________ The answer to today question is an easy one for me. It’s without a doubt Daughters of Nri by Reni so Amayo. Guys when I tell you haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, I 100% mean it. It gave me such a hang over, I am still experiencing it. I ended up staying up till about 3 am to finish it, it’s that GOOD! I have already planned to reread it before the year is over. If you asked me who my favorite sister was Naala or Sinai, I honestly could not pick. They are both such great characters and so well developed. The world building is breathtaking. I fe. The sisters are not the only well developed characters, all of the characters were amazingly developed. Even the ones that showed up briefly. It has definitely shot up into my top 5 favorite books. Daughters of Nri is AMAZING, don’t just take my word for it, please PLEASE read it. I promise you won’t regret it! I am eagerly awaiting book 2! I just have to know what happens next! Side note, I think Eni is hiding something BIG and I think it’s life altering, and if I don’t find out soon I might burst!

Incredibly well written, beautiful story, had me hooked from the start. 10/10 recommend. Can’t wait to read the next one!

It took me a long to finish this book. Frankly, I don’t even know if I want to give a star rating because I have such a mixed experience with this book. Daughters of Nri tells the story of twin sisters who are separated at birth. The story follows both of their perspectives and the relationships they form and the trials they experience leading up to the conclusion. Honestly, I struggled to finish this book. I just wasn’t connecting with the story or the characters and I just had to push myself to keep reading. Several times I asked myself why do I continue to read this and should I DNF this book. I felt like I was trudging along trying to get through the story, I just wasn’t engaged. I even started and finished other books while reading this one, it was that much of a struggle. I do not think that this is a bad book, for another person this book could be very engaging and entertaining. I think that this just wasn’t the story for me. This isn’t a critique but for anyone interested in reading this book, I will warn you that this book builds slowly. It’s not filled with fast-paced action-packed scenes, and even the reveals in this book are understated. The author wrote this story with meticulous detail and wanted to firmly build the world for the reader before diving into the drama. I respect this. I don’t think this is the reason why I didn’t connect with the book. I’m still trying to figure out why I didn’t connect to the story I do want to discuss the things I spiked about the novel. I liked the messaging in this book. I liked how the author described blackness in this book. Often descriptions of dark skin a quite lacking, but Reni K Amayo described black skin with such care, beauty, and appreciation! It was honestly beautiful. She described dark skin as being rich, supple, glowing...just beautiful. I just really enjoyed that and it was refreshing. Other authors unfamiliar with writing about dark skin should take notes. Another thing I liked about this book was that Amayo wrote the female characters with such complexity and dimension. Amayo also made it a point to write different types of young black women. Often black girls are characterized in such a narrow way and there isn’t a lot of room for black girls to be multi-faceted. Black female characters in media (not just books but also movies/TV) are often type-casted as loud, super-confident, and hyper-sexual. You know the strong, black female type who is always fierce. This the only imaging that black girls are portrayed with and it’s frustrating because not all of us are like that. So I really liked that Amayo wrote about different types of young black women. They were each so different in personality and demeanor. We have Naala who is terse, serious, headstrong, and even stubborn. Sinai is written with an innocence and fragility that’s refreshing. She’s sensitive, curious, and empathetic. She also experienced a lot of growth throughout the story. My favorite character, surprisingly, was Ina. In the beginning, she was intentionally written to be an antagonist to Sinai. She was calculating, kind of vindictive, and just not very likable. But she was still written with a lot of depth and her development was the most pleasing to read. Now I will say that something traumatic happened to Ina which I think triggered her change of heart but her development was still interesting (TW: this story alludes to sexual assault) Overall, I have a mixed response to this book. There are parts of it that I liked but I just didn’t connect with the characters or the story. If someone wants to give this book a try I would encourage them to do so! It just wasn’t a match for me.

Daughters of Nri is an interesting read that was able to hold my attention throughout . I like that remnants of history are found though out and I enjoyed the background. I’m planing to read the next in the series .

The jumping pattern between the two sisters and their individual journeys kept the story interesting with no dull points! Hope the 2nd book is just as good!

Fascinating world within the book and a gripping story! Very much recommend! I'm so looking forward to read the second one.

How to describe my feelings after reading this novel? I found that the story was kind of slow and I was bothered by the info-dumping in the beginning. Other thing that bothered me, was the end with the Villain Monologue and the combat scene that wasn't satisfying. Never really got attached to any of the characters. That being said: the worldbuilding was pretty cool and the descriptions vivid and pleasant. Lots of different women, which is super nice and all described as beautiful with dark skin and curly hair or braids, and even locs. That I loved. All in all, not a bad book per say (didn't contemplate on dnf'ing it) but not that great either. Just somewhere in the middle.

When I first heard about "Daughters of Nri", I was super excited at the prospect of two strong female protagonists! The cover art is so beautiful too. As I began reading, the storyline just brought so much warmth to my heart. I loved reading every chapter of the book and I just couldn't put it down. The dynamic between Sinai and Meekulu was so palpable and I really enioyed the blossoming love Naala finds in the forest after the village massacre. Its so gripping when the girls finally take on the Eze. Being Igbo, this book was profound; seeing our culture written so beautifully in text in the genre of fantasy meant everything to me for black representation in books. This book has changed my life and I'm so glad I read it. Looking forward to the sequel!

A very good easy read, value for money.