This book blew me away in terms of it rich cultural undertones. It’s a cute story about the coming of age of a young girl who is very different from the rest of the people in her village. I am a huge fan of books that promote the differences of others and those books that teach us how to embrace ourselves for who we really are. This book does just that.

Here is a short synopsis from Goodreads:

Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are African, but she’s albino. She’s a terrific athlete, but can’t go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits. And then she discovers something amazing – she is a “free agent,” with latent magical power. Soon she’s part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But will it be enough to help them when they are asked to catch a career criminal who knows magic too?

My Review

First off, Sunny is a delightful character who starts off as sensitive and a little shy, but she quickly grows into a strong-willed and bold individual. From the first few pages, I knew I was going to like her. She is funny and sweet. The others characters, particularly Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha, all do a good job of supporting Sunny and helping her through the transition she goes through. They all make a fantastic group of friends. Each has their own personality which is reflected through their special powers. I love that.

I have no knowledge of African customs and practices, but this book was a nice introduction. The more I read, the more I wanted to learn about the customs, practices, and culture of Africans. I love to learn about new cultures, learn a few words in a new language, and even understand a cultures beliefs. This book introduces you to all of these – even if it is on the basic level. This is also what makes the story so special. It’s your typical magical coming of age story but magic is taken to a different level.

The book was very easy to settle into and I never found myself bored while reading it.  However, there were some things didn’t really add up towards the end. I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but it seemed to me that things moved way too fast in the end. I was left wondering ‘Where did that come from?’ Honestly, I wish the book had gone on for at least a couple of more hundred pages. (I read this on my Nook and it only has 208 pages in it).

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The book started off with a good premise, but towards the end things seemed rushed. For some reason, I really wanted this book to have some illustrations included and I think that had a lot to do with the cover art. It’s beautiful!

Short n Sweet Version

This book is filled with African cultures and customs. Plus, it’s all about witchcraft. Though the ending felt a bit rushed, I would recommend this book to anyone.

What are you reading this week?

Jayla

This post is part of the Black History Month Blog Hop hosted by Mocha Girls Read and Reflections of a Book-a-holic. This week focuses on Black Books. You can check out other reviews, author posts, and giveaways here. Be sure to check out another review from me coming later on this week!