Daughters of Nri: The Book Taking TikTok by Storm (The Return of the Earth Mother series 1)

Product Information

Their recently released first book is young adult historical fantasy located in the titular Kingdom of Nri (a region within present-day Nigeria), mainly set during the year 994 AD, and is the opening installment in The Return of the Earth Mother series—and is a lovely story centered on twin sisters unaware of not only the fact that they are goddesses but also the existence of the other, having been separated shortly after birth for their own protection.

Omg so so beautiful. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Weruche Opia and I loved it so much. Her pronunciation of the words and the names were so good, and the Nigerian accent she did was also very amazing. She performed the story in a way that really carried the listener I long. My other issue is that the book kind of dragged. It took a long time to get to the point of why the twins are special, and by the time their actual twin action happened, it was a rushed conclusion that's only a little satisfying. Added to that is the fact that the Eze's villainy is pretty passive for most of the book. We get reports on what people do on his behalf, we're told how "scary" he is, but we're not actually shown him doing all of these horrible things. He's just some powerful asshole who fits the role of the necessary antagonist in a sort of remote way.The magic of this world is small and I wanted more. Though the characters do discover their magic and potential I felt like for me it was a bit too little explanation and a bit low impact but I think this is probably going to be expanded in book #2. I devoured the first half of this book literally in one sitting, I didn’t wanna put it down, I was so intrigued and invested in the story from the get go. Considering it had quite small font well as being fantasy, my intimidation was completely irrational - it was really easy to read and get through in next to no time. The writing was immaculate, the world building was really gradual and well paced, the magic system was also really gentle and easy to understand. I loved the plot and the set of characters we had were so vibrant and headstrong, I was obsessed. The dual narrative/perspectives really worked well here and we got enough time with each character to fall in love with them both as individuals. Someone tell Naala I would actually die for her please, she is such an angel. This was a fantasy book heavily set in a version of Eastern Nigeria (mostly in 944 AD, and some years before then). Our protagonists, twin sisters separated very early in their lives - Naala and Sinai - are two very powerful and loveable heroines. I enjoyed reading about each girl on her journey towards the resurrection of the Earth Mother. One of my favorite things about this book is that the sisters weren't just dumped together and expected to work/figure things out together. We were able to see each sister as an individual, in separate situations and with different people. It was impossible not to root for these girls, and the writing was also very amazing. I definitely think the sequel will work a lot better because now the stage is set, and the last few scenes were really ramping up to some good action. Hopefully Amayo's writing can mature a bit too. Although I wasn't absolutely thrilled with this book, it's absolutely worth a read, and I have every intention of continuing with this series.

To be entirely honest, I think a lot of the issues I had with this book mostly resulted from the fact that I'm currently editing a project of my own, so I've been coming at a lot of my recent reads with a very critical eye. That means that there were just a lot of odd choices I noticed that really took me out of the story and prevented me from being fully taken in. A lot of the dialogue feels a little clunky, and there were some scenes that I wasn't quite sure had to be there. It is quite a slow paced story where we follow Naala and Sinai on a day to day basis. Going through hardships and finding out slowly about their powers.They are both fierce and you see them grow. The friendship bonds in this book grow in unlikely places and I love how they are portrayed. Some genuine some through traumatic occurrences. There is some romance in the book that is not the center point and feels natural. I appreciate that a lot! I think this might even be more of a problem with the editor, because I think if I read this as a manuscript in maybe its fourth draft, I'd think it was great. I genuinely had to just keep telling the editing side of my brain to shut up and let me enjoy the story, but it just felt rough around the edges. What I wouldn't give to go at this book with an editing pen! That isn't to say there weren't plenty of scenes that were great, but then I felt like I was noticing the fact that it was a good scene instead of just experiencing the story.This book was enjoyable, but it felt very debut-ish to me. There were a lot of times I just felt the writing didn't quite flow, and it was hard for me to become immersed in the story. The ending was pretty good though, and I think the sequel will be much better. Meekulu Kaurandua was a cool character who plays the role of a kind of mentor for Sini. She is a tough older lady character who has more knowledge than she first lets on and I think she came into her own as the book progressed. I liked her odd detours in conversation to prove a point. The pacing in this book really varied. While some things moved along fast and some events happened at a fast pace, there were still some points where the story seemed to drag and it seemed like the sisters would never meet. The world building was very good but not also extremely detailed. We were able to understand some parts of their world but there were still some lingering questions. I hope these questions will be answered in book 2. The setting is incredibly engrossing, and since I'm not very familiar with the part of history the world was based on (medieval Nigeria I believe), it was fascinating to learn about. The god system hasn't been heavily developed in this first book, but it's interesting and unique so far- I always love mythology in fantasy. I think the world was by far the best aspect of this book. World-building isn't always the most important element to me personally, but when you do the research and put effort into your world, it shows. About a century before these two were torn asunder, the long-lived Eze of Nri encountered an oracle, who predicted the coming of the Earth Mother’s twins. She foresaw that they would be born in the kingdom he ruled and would bring about his end, just as he once brought about the end of the Earth Mother and the old gods who once roamed the land. After that, the Eze decreed that all twins born in Nri be put to death.