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A review by annotatewithsara
The Kimoni Legacy: Initiation by Omari Richards
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is an epic political fantasy, firmly in the canon (in both length and style) alongside Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time and the like.
OVERVIEW:
First in a planned series
Slow-paced
Features cutthroat familial and societal politics
Multiple POVS
3rd person (limited) narrator
Afro-centric Igbo-influenced lore, language, mythology, religion, and world building (Savanna setting)
Large cast of characters, comprising many clans and cultures
Multiple, intersecting plot lines, including a unique take on the combo of drugs, zombies, and plague
Large-scale world building
Secretive magic users
Caste system
No spice
PLOT:
Book 1 is a coming of age story of three siblings from a powerful clan, each with with their own goals, traumas, and demons. Masilo (oldest), the warrior, seeks peace and restoring a family connection. Kamau, the overlooked middle child, seeks recognition and has a very interesting awareness and critique of justice in his society. Raziya, a scholar and talented arbiter, believes in saving underrepresented women. Her storyline was my favorite. Series wise, I think it’s heading in the direction of proving that if a society values and saves its most underrepresented, it can in fact save and uplift EVERYONE.
RANDOM THOUGHTS/NOTES:
Unlike Game of Thrones and Wheel of Time series, there's no misogyny, but the text does deal with scary and difficult issues (TW/CW: genital mutilation, child-adult arranged political marriages)
Explores the right and wrong of justifying violence and whether some violence is more justifiable than others depending on the nobility/necessity of the cause, i.e., state-sanctioned war vs violent revolution. The writing doesn’t tell the reader what to think. It leaves us tense in gray area, as it should.
Explores climate themes. Humanity has caused too many natural imbalances. The land and other natural forces are at play, right alongside the characters, to restore balance and equilibrium.
The magic system relies on cultivated connections with the spirit world and spiritual knowledge of herbs.
No spice until the end of the book where there is a not-explicit intimacy featuring Masilo, the only adult-age main character, and another consenting adult and possible future love interest. (Kamau and Raziya, his siblings, are teenage children.)
Tips:
I recommend the digital version. This is a long, complicated book, and I mean that as a compliment! I utilized the search feature for quick lookups. Seeds of knowledge are dropped throughout the book, and several times I was thankful for the convenience of the search function to reacquaint myself with names, topics, patterns, and historical events.
OVERVIEW:
First in a planned series
Slow-paced
Features cutthroat familial and societal politics
Multiple POVS
3rd person (limited) narrator
Afro-centric Igbo-influenced lore, language, mythology, religion, and world building (Savanna setting)
Large cast of characters, comprising many clans and cultures
Multiple, intersecting plot lines, including a unique take on the combo of drugs, zombies, and plague
Large-scale world building
Secretive magic users
Caste system
No spice
PLOT:
Book 1 is a coming of age story of three siblings from a powerful clan, each with with their own goals, traumas, and demons. Masilo (oldest), the warrior, seeks peace and restoring a family connection. Kamau, the overlooked middle child, seeks recognition and has a very interesting awareness and critique of justice in his society. Raziya, a scholar and talented arbiter, believes in saving underrepresented women. Her storyline was my favorite. Series wise, I think it’s heading in the direction of proving that if a society values and saves its most underrepresented, it can in fact save and uplift EVERYONE.
RANDOM THOUGHTS/NOTES:
Unlike Game of Thrones and Wheel of Time series, there's no misogyny, but the text does deal with scary and difficult issues (TW/CW: genital mutilation, child-adult arranged political marriages)
Explores the right and wrong of justifying violence and whether some violence is more justifiable than others depending on the nobility/necessity of the cause, i.e., state-sanctioned war vs violent revolution. The writing doesn’t tell the reader what to think. It leaves us tense in gray area, as it should.
Explores climate themes. Humanity has caused too many natural imbalances. The land and other natural forces are at play, right alongside the characters, to restore balance and equilibrium.
The magic system relies on cultivated connections with the spirit world and spiritual knowledge of herbs.
No spice until the end of the book where there is a not-explicit intimacy featuring Masilo, the only adult-age main character, and another consenting adult and possible future love interest. (Kamau and Raziya, his siblings, are teenage children.)
Tips:
I recommend the digital version. This is a long, complicated book, and I mean that as a compliment! I utilized the search feature for quick lookups. Seeds of knowledge are dropped throughout the book, and several times I was thankful for the convenience of the search function to reacquaint myself with names, topics, patterns, and historical events.