The setting for this book is what intrigued me and made me curious enough to request this book. Kadogos being a Swahili name also caught my interest. I soon found out that most of the characters had names based on Swahili words such as Fanaka, Amani, and Madini. The book is well-written with an easy flow. It was quite action-packed and hence a page-turner.

There were a few issues that bothered me about the world building in the book but this didn’t stop me from enjoying it.

War Child is a gripping page turner, filled with beautiful (and sometimes brutal) scenes of Africa and a tribe said to have Leopard blood running in their veins from ancient times.

The tribe has many traditions of old, the largest of which is that boys will become warriors and women will be cut to become mothers when they reach adulthood. A tradition our heroine Kadogos is resisting - and rightly so! Particularly as her brother finds himself becoming a warrior - a warrior who she is sure she can best! However, her tribe is quickly decimated, the young kidnapped and many killed by a troop with guns, leaving only the old and few warriors left to fight back and rescue their tribe.

The World building is fantastic - I felt fully immersed into the stunning plains of Africa, especially when the hunters are prowling for their kills. Whilst some of these scenes were quite graphic and not suitable for all readers, the brutal realities of hunting to survive for this tribe, alongside some of their traditions, made this description quite powerful.

The plot moves swiftly and has a few surprises throughout - I was so intrigued by Kadogos ability to communicate with her brother telepathically and the addition of some magical elements like this made for a fun read. I also enjoyed Kadogos relationship with nature, particularly her leopard friend, and the way the author alluded to a deeper connection still to be revealed.

There were some minor issues for me however. I often found Kadogos to be quite a difficult character to relate to. At times she was strong, interesting and made me excited to hear more but sometimes her character became quite bossy and arrogant which I found harder to enjoy. Equally, I found some of the dialogue a little slow and predictable, lacking in any original personalities - none of the characters especially grabbed me as a favourite to become too invested in.

Nevertheless, a well written tale of fighting to survive, with absolutely beautiful and immersive world building. I'm eager to see what happens next to our warrior tribe!

This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.