I enjoyed reading about both sisters, but I found Sinai’s chapters particularly compelling because of her relationships with Meekulu, the wise palace chef, and Ina (to my surprise). Meekulu is kind but also tells it like it is, and I rather liked the development of the “mentor giving the mentee a task” subplot since it went in an unexpected but welcome direction. That’s also what I loved so much about Ina’s progression: at first, this seems like the usual tale of a cruel girl hating a sweet girl because of a man, but it doesn’t follow the typical trajectory when Sinai makes a choice that changes everything. Ina actually ended up being my favorite character after the two main protagonists.

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. 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. Esinaala (called Naala in the book) is easy to root for as she's keen to stay true to herself and say things how she sees them. She doesn't shy away from fighting for herself and others and she's always trying to be helpful to others around her.

Customer reviews

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. I really enjoyed reading Daughters of Nri! The cover art is stunning! It is based in the Kingdom of Nri which is now Nigeria. So in a way it is a historical fiction I think? The story involves a lot of political and religious elements along with some fantasy. The nature and people are described colorful, I loved Amayo's writing it made everything spring to life. The story follows Naala and Sinai, twins seperated at birth. They grow up thinking they are human. But in truth they are Goddesses and the ones left to defeat Eze Ochichiri, the ruler of Kingdom of Nri who is mighty and caused the Gods to leave. He does everything to keep his position safe, lives don't matter. 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! Ugh I feel like this is one of those times where I’m speechless about a book. Like it just astounded and entertained me completely. I don’t even know how to describe it. I loved this story, I think it was beautifully done, and if you’re a fan of strong female-led fantasy rich in culture and history, this one's for you. It’s a dream.

At Onwe Press, we value three things above all: unforgettable stories, author ownership and highlighting diverse voices. We’re small but we’re mighty and we have a team dedicated to ensuring that writers, especially underestimated and underrepresented writers, get paid their due for their world-changing words. Sinaikuku (called Sinai in the book) is a different kind of character who likes to take her time and think more before rushing headlong into action. She felt a little harder for me to connect to and I did find her plot to be a bit slower and lower stakes at first.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.

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. Strong-willed Naala grows up seeking adventure in her quiet and small village. While the more reserved Sinai resides in the cold and political palace of Nri. Though miles apart, both girls share an indestructible bond: they share the same blood, the same face, and possess the same unspoken magic, thought to have vanished with the lost gods. 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.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.

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. 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.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.