I really loved this book, and enjoyed following the journey of Adia as she discovered her abilities in a world where the ‘shamans’ are believed to be very rare. The other characters she had positive interactions and even friendships with were also very interesting and I thought the book was nicely written and the world-building was riveting. I would love to read more stories with Adia as I thought she was a wonderful protagonist and I think anyone, regardless of age, would easily enjoy this fantastic novel.

A well plotted, entertaining and compelling fantasy story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I strongly recommend it
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

12-year-old orphan Adia Kelbara lives with her aunt and uncle in the Swamplands. They call her ongbanje – a demon child that brings misfortune. With her newly acquired mysterious powers, she accidentally destroys her village and runs away to an apprenticeship at the Academy of Shamans. She believes they can fix her. Instead she gets caught up in a mission to save the kingdom with a snarky goddess. They are joined by an overenthusiastic soldier-in-training and a 500-year-old warrior girl.

With a friendly narrative and a great sense of humor, the admirably evocative story sports a protagonist who steals your heart from the very beginning. The unassuming or/and unwilling hero that needs to be persuaded is always a fave. And a girl who believes she is destined to be alone tugs at your heartstrings. I loved how the POV was right to the point, in Adia's head, but I also felt like I could actually touch what was happening.

The world comes to life with the soaring imagination of the author, an absolute delight to read. Whimsy is a delicious ingredient. The characters are so enjoyable to read, even the ones that are horrible. And a great villain who actually believes they are a hero. Can a school be a favorite character? Far from predictable and so much fun you just gobble it up, this immensely smile-worthy story is thought-provoking in a comfortable manner.

Touching on matters like prejudice with examples like colonialism without preaching it just nudges in the right direction. It is about questioning how things are. Also about coming into your power and not hiding who you are because of fear of what other people might think.

Adventurous, thrilling and belly-achingly funny I was totally enchanted by this tale. Classified as a middle-grade book I would say it is for children of all ages, like me.

A fun read that fits in to a very over saturated genre very well. I enjoyed it and really enjoyed learning more about the main character.

2.5/5 stars rounded up.

This book has a lot of good ideas, but I found the execution of those ideas sort of lacking. While I admire Hendrix for exploring the themes of colonialism, colorism, and religious doctrinarian in a way for the book's middle school audience will understand, the plot stretches itself out thin at the half-way mark. Also, I felt like it took a bit too long for Adia to realize she was a shaman - it took til the 300 page mark. There are two more books coming out that will definitely explore her shamanism further, but the reveal felt incredibly rushed just for the sake of having a big finale.

Overall, this was an okay book with a lot of good ideas. I don't know if I want to keep up with this series to see if it gets better, but, as of now, it seems like I won't.