Reviews

Onyeka and The Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu

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bookishrealm's review against another edition

4.0

This is definitely the beginning of what is going to turn out to be an extremely fun middle grade fantasy series. As a comic book fan, it was nice to see the way Okogwu used certain comic elements to create this narrative. If you're a fan of superheroes like X-Men, I think you'll enjoy this one.

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun follows Onyeka who lives in the UK with her mom. It's clear from the beginning of the novel that Onyeka struggles with her hair. She has a whole lot, a lot more than the average person and it's often difficult to manage. When she makes the decision to go swimming with her close friend Cheyenne, she knows that she shouldn't get her hair wet. Her mom is very adamant about how Onyeka manages her hair and whether she is able to manage her temper. While at the pool, Onyeka not only gets her hair wet, but also has to save her best friend from drowning. Surprisingly, Onyeka's hair begins to show unnatural abilities. Her mother then tells her that she has special powers and belongs to a group called the Solari. In order to better understand her own abilities and the mystery surrounding her missing father, Onyeka and her mother make the decision to travel back to Nigeria so that Onyeka can visit the Academy of the Sun. It is there that the story really begins!

One of the things that I loved about this book was the magic system which also has roots in technology. It definitely gave me X-Men vibes which is probably one of Marvel's most complex groups of superheroes. While at the school, Onyeka learns more about her abilities and the abilities of the other Solari. Okogwu does an excellent job crafting her own system so that while readers are reminded of X-Men, these characters and their abilities stand on their own. There is also an element of real world experience that quite a few readers will be able to relate to. Okogwu has an authors note at the end that details why she chose to create a Black girl as the main character and why so many aspects of the book were connected to her experience with her hair. It does end up playing a big role in Onyeka's confidence and how she is able to connect with the other characters.

The pacing of the book was interesting. There were quite a few twists and turns towards the end that I didn't necessarily see coming and were strongly connected to Onyeka's missing father. It will definitely read a little slow because a lot doesn't necessarily happen until the end of the book. This is a first in a series, so a great portion of this was dedicated to the set up of the characters, the school environment, the magic system, vast descriptions of abilities, and more. This definitely provided a touch of issue for me because I typically gravitate towards books that are heavy on the action, but I could respect how this was primarily about introducing readers to a new and exciting world.

There are quite a few people (as other reviewers have stated) that are comparing this to Amari and the Night Brothers, but I would implore people to stay away from that comparison. While I enjoyed Amari and the Night Brothers, these two books are nothing alike and share very few elements in common. Overall, this was a great read and I'm definitely looking forward to what Okogwu has for us in the future.