Onoh's work is a gorgeous dark fantasy that draws on African folklore and life. The descriptions throughout the book are vivid, and the overall plot solid and well-woven. I was always eager to see what came next.

The struggle I had with the novel was with Bata, our first person narrator. I never felt any connection to her for various reasons. One, admittedly minor, reason was uses repetitive descriptions and proclamations that I just got tired of seeing, The larger issue for me, though, was her lack of agency. Everything comes across as "happening to Bata" rather than "Bata participating" or "Bata initiating." She truly makes few choices that have any real impact on the story, and both her joys and her traumas seem... not earned, in a way. The ending also left me beyond puzzled. Bata is implied to be something special, but then her status and powers are transferred to another VERY easily.

Now, one could argue that's one of the overarching themes of the book, that Bata wants to obtain agency and live her life as she wishes, free of Bride Sentinel duties, family and village politics, and free to pursue education and her interests. The desire for agency, and lack of it, is also not uncommon in an 11 year old, which Bata is for the majority of the novel. That the taking away of her powers, like the giving of her powers, was completely beyond her control and, if anything, a corrective action from her family and the universe. That traumas and joys are like that, experienced without necessarily being earned. I can see that view. I just didn't find it made for a very exciting read.

If you enjoy dark fantasy with a folkloric vibe, particularly an African folkloric vibe, then I would highly recommend this book. All of what I loved about this book was its use of folklore, both in its horror and its beauty. Plus, my problems can really be chalked down to taste and not necessarily real weaknesses with the novel itself.