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A review by rosemarieshort
She Who Knows by Nnedi Okorafor
adventurous
dark
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
“There is no feeling like sitting in the dirt watching an entire market of men, fleeing from you. I felt like an abomination. I was an abomination. But, oh Ani, I was so powerful.”
She Who Knows: Firespitter is my first time reading anything by Nnedi Okorafor. A prequel to “Who Fears Death”, I found this to be a fine introduction to Okorafor’s style, which she describes as africanfuturism . The mix of West African culture, a post apocalyptic world and some lightly used science fiction detail work really well together. The mix makes the world in which Najeeba (our protagonist) inhabits unique.
It’s difficult to introduce a reader to a new world in a novella. However I found Okaorafor also did this well - there was a little too much exposition towards the end, however in the main I felt the scale of the story being told, in under 200 pages, fit well with the room needed to give a flavour of the environment and culture of the people of Adoro 5.
There are also strong elements of feminism throughout which I enjoyed. Najeeba is outside the norm and she embraces it for the majority of the book, refusing to cower from her growing gifts but instead pushing to utilise them.
Overall this was a really enjoyable introduction to Nnedi Okorafor, and has definitely put “Who Fears Death” on my tbr.
She Who Knows: Firespitter is my first time reading anything by Nnedi Okorafor. A prequel to “Who Fears Death”, I found this to be a fine introduction to Okorafor’s style, which she describes as africanfuturism . The mix of West African culture, a post apocalyptic world and some lightly used science fiction detail work really well together. The mix makes the world in which Najeeba (our protagonist) inhabits unique.
It’s difficult to introduce a reader to a new world in a novella. However I found Okaorafor also did this well - there was a little too much exposition towards the end, however in the main I felt the scale of the story being told, in under 200 pages, fit well with the room needed to give a flavour of the environment and culture of the people of Adoro 5.
There are also strong elements of feminism throughout which I enjoyed. Najeeba is outside the norm and she embraces it for the majority of the book, refusing to cower from her growing gifts but instead pushing to utilise them.
Overall this was a really enjoyable introduction to Nnedi Okorafor, and has definitely put “Who Fears Death” on my tbr.