A review by cakt1991
Warrior of the Wind by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 While I had somewhat mixed feelings about the first book in the series, Son of the Storm, my impression leaned towards the favorable, so I was intrigued enough to pick up the sequel, Warrior of the Wind. And I more or less enjoyed this one, being more impressed with how most things developed overall. 

I had forgotten that there had been a mini-controversy due to a review bringing up the way the term “yellowskin” could be seen as racist to Asian people. That was clearly not Okungbowa’s intent, and it did not register with me to take it that way, but I respect the grace with which he handled it, providing context both in a review response (one of the few times I’d say an author response to a review was warranted, and it remained more or less civil on both ends from what I could tell) and also providing fuller context on how albinism is stigmatized in Africa and how that creates its own form of discrimination, and is  “not intended to be representative of real-world racism, especially not ‘reverse racism’ or ‘inverted oppression.’” Even without knowing this context, I felt the story stood well on its own, and now, with this knowledge, the story feels even richer and more unique in that regard. 

The cast, particularly the POV characters, feels much larger, although at its core, the central focus is still on Danso and Lilong, as they are on a new adventure as fugitives. With them being on the run, it was interesting seeing how their tenuous alliance would shake out, given that while they had a reason to work together for the moment, their goals weren’t necessarily fully aligned. 

I also enjoyed getting more of the scope of the world and its politics through other major characters, especially Esheme and Nem. 

The plot was pretty interesting, and I liked that there was a heist element, adding more intrigue. There were still some pacing issues, with it being a little slow in places, but given that my investment flagged a lot more while reading book one, this one engaged me a lot more by comparison. 

I’ve enjoyed this series so far, and I can’t wait to see how it ends! If you’re looking for an epic fantasy series with a unique, African-inspired setting and colorful cast of characters, I’d recommend checking this out!