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laurentined's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Rare for me, but I think this is one i actually enjoyed reading more than my opinions on its quality actually imply. I had assumed there would be more politics or war strategy in a Queen Amina retelling but this is actually more about her personal relationships and ultimately her lifelong love affair with the god of war. A lot more sex scenes than I'd anticipated!
But it was genuinely just a fun read as Amina grows in power and confidence, expanding the territory and influence of Zazzau.
But it was genuinely just a fun read as Amina grows in power and confidence, expanding the territory and influence of Zazzau.
vortacist's review
adventurous
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
ksmarsden's review
4.0
Amina is a princess, destined to bring war and bloodshed on her nation. But surely you have to choose your destiny?
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This story follows the story of the historical Queen of Zazzau - Amina.
I really enjoyed this book. It has war, and interfering gods, and all the pain that comes with life. But it also has a rich feel of the culture, the life that Amina lived. I thought it balanced perfectly, both entertaining and educating the reader.
After the prophecy that she will bring war and death on her own people, the Gimbiya (princess), is raised away from any violence, in an attempt to stop the inevitable. We follow Amina as a young woman, as the gods start to rein her in and send her down her fated path.
I really liked Amina, she is a strong, independent character, who cares deeply for others. She's not afraid to be in charge, and she refuses to marry, as she wants to retain her independence. The only thing she does fear is leading her people to their deaths, but as time goes on, her naive ideas about what her curse means, begins to adapt.
The first half of the book has an innocence to it, and mostly dances around Amina's relationship with Suleyman, and her life as Gimbiya to her people. There is a shadow of danger hovering at the edge of her world, threatening to come crashing down.
In the second half, Amina becomes the person she was meant to be. A warrior and a great leader, along with the sacrifices she has to make. The gods are real, living things, not to be taken for granted.
The only detriment was I found it a little slow in places - although, to be fair the beautiful writing did make up for that. I personally would have loved to read about Amina's visits as a representative of Zazzau, I was curious what they would have entailed (I'm guessing not all of them ended in a surprise battle!).
The writer has taken on something ambitious, covering such a long period of time, and you can tell where there's a couple of awkward time skips.
I really enjoyed this book, and I would look forward to reading more from Emuakpor.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This story follows the story of the historical Queen of Zazzau - Amina.
I really enjoyed this book. It has war, and interfering gods, and all the pain that comes with life. But it also has a rich feel of the culture, the life that Amina lived. I thought it balanced perfectly, both entertaining and educating the reader.
After the prophecy that she will bring war and death on her own people, the Gimbiya (princess), is raised away from any violence, in an attempt to stop the inevitable. We follow Amina as a young woman, as the gods start to rein her in and send her down her fated path.
I really liked Amina, she is a strong, independent character, who cares deeply for others. She's not afraid to be in charge, and she refuses to marry, as she wants to retain her independence. The only thing she does fear is leading her people to their deaths, but as time goes on, her naive ideas about what her curse means, begins to adapt.
The first half of the book has an innocence to it, and mostly dances around Amina's relationship with Suleyman, and her life as Gimbiya to her people. There is a shadow of danger hovering at the edge of her world, threatening to come crashing down.
In the second half, Amina becomes the person she was meant to be. A warrior and a great leader, along with the sacrifices she has to make. The gods are real, living things, not to be taken for granted.
The only detriment was I found it a little slow in places - although, to be fair the beautiful writing did make up for that. I personally would have loved to read about Amina's visits as a representative of Zazzau, I was curious what they would have entailed (I'm guessing not all of them ended in a surprise battle!).
The writer has taken on something ambitious, covering such a long period of time, and you can tell where there's a couple of awkward time skips.
I really enjoyed this book, and I would look forward to reading more from Emuakpor.
utopiastateofmind's review
4.0
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I opened up Queen of Zazzau. But what I found was an expansive story about a girl, Amina, who has to grow into her power. We are able to witness her entire character development as she has to learn just how much power and responsibility her life entails. As the princess, Amina takes it for granted that she will become the queen, but without a real concept of what it means.
What it takes. And what sacrifices need to be made.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-queen-of-zazzau-by-j-s-emuakpor/
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I opened up Queen of Zazzau. But what I found was an expansive story about a girl, Amina, who has to grow into her power. We are able to witness her entire character development as she has to learn just how much power and responsibility her life entails. As the princess, Amina takes it for granted that she will become the queen, but without a real concept of what it means.
What it takes. And what sacrifices need to be made.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-queen-of-zazzau-by-j-s-emuakpor/
bookishharlot's review
4.0
It’s no secret that African American representation in the literary fiction world is practically nonexistence and in nonfiction, it’s all about slavery and whatnot. Even if not done right I appreciate the effort being taken to include the darker side of the world in literature as something besides their equivalent dark past.
Please keep in mind that history is a complicated and delicate matter, especially African history, that is difficult to define in a single margin because there is always more than one version of what truly happened. And, this story also incorporates fantasy so do not everything told is true to the tea. The Queen of Zazzau tells the historical tale of Queen Amina, a young queen predestined with a power that may destroy her and her people. With war, gods, and rich culture entwined, we follow Amina as she grows from her innocent self into the woman the gods prophesized her to be. The culture mentioned in the story is old but rich and the gods who Amina interacted with often are real and not to be taken lightly.
The writing was fascinating but sometimes the imagery was very strong and unnecessarily dragging the story along which made the pacing slow at times.
In this story, I have learned that being a good leader takes more than just courage or pretty words and that one slip up has real consequences that may damn you and the lives of your citizens.
Blog| Twitter| Instagram
Please keep in mind that history is a complicated and delicate matter, especially African history, that is difficult to define in a single margin because there is always more than one version of what truly happened. And, this story also incorporates fantasy so do not everything told is true to the tea. The Queen of Zazzau tells the historical tale of Queen Amina, a young queen predestined with a power that may destroy her and her people. With war, gods, and rich culture entwined, we follow Amina as she grows from her innocent self into the woman the gods prophesized her to be. The culture mentioned in the story is old but rich and the gods who Amina interacted with often are real and not to be taken lightly.
The writing was fascinating but sometimes the imagery was very strong and unnecessarily dragging the story along which made the pacing slow at times.
In this story, I have learned that being a good leader takes more than just courage or pretty words and that one slip up has real consequences that may damn you and the lives of your citizens.
Blog| Twitter| Instagram
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