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  Apart from the cover which I find absolutely fascinating, the Book was worth the hype. It drew me in to a world of fantasy and it was so nice to see it. A lovely fantasy set in  a place called Otera with diverse Characters. Deka the protagonist, was such a beautiful young girl and although she had a lot of traumatic experience, she  was able to rise up to her call. I absolutely love the plot. Some parts of the story were predictable yet it was satisfying to watch them unfold. I mean, I was literally playing out the war scenes in my head. I really enjoyed the book and I like the fact that it emphasises the friendship bond and looking out for one another, the way Britta, Deka and the girls looked after one another. And the end? wow, I never expected it. It's a 5 star rating for me!

This has been on my reading list for a while now and I am glad I finally picked it up. Set in the 80s in Lagos and Kano Nigeria, the book tells the story of a young girl named Ogadinma who found herself at a disadvantage in gaining admission into the university and a series of events that followed in quick successions such as sexual abuse, pregnancy, abortion and domestic violence including physical assault. Her non-objection may seem like consent but it was definitely abuse, she was just 17 years old and they made it seem like getting married was a chance for her to right her wrongs. When she was going through the abuses they advised her to stay through it and endure because that is what marriage is supposed to be about and she should not disrespect her husband. Although I kept yearning for more at the end,  it was a good read overall and it further shows the way society heaped unreasonable expectations on females back then and even now and how there is still more to be done. ****  

  Queenie!  Strong, fierce, firm, vulnerable, and funny. A delightful read, made me have a rethink about bottling up emotions and taking it all in.  Queenie is a story of a British-Jamaican woman in her twenties. Set in south London, the book openly talks about sex, contraception, relationships, mental health, and STDs.  There is something about being black, being young, and navigating a career path as a young woman, it is tough! and for Queenie who carried the childhood baggage of trauma, it is worse. And yes, it is okay to seek help, enough of the stigma . Trauma changes us in ways that we do not expect and we can only hope to not just be able to recognize the changes but also to seek help to mitigate the damages.  Quite a lot of sex scenes, but it is a great read overall and yes go get it girl.