By E.O. Odiase
&
K.N Pumpuni

Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Publisher: Ghagerian
*Gifted

Watch the breakdown

In 1267A whilst ruling the Mombaka Kingdom in peace, King Ewuare’s mind is far from being at peace. A father of 5, with 2 wives he has a lingering emotion. His father was killed in the previous war a generation ago and he can’t seem to move forward without getting revenge. After sleeping underneath an ancient tree in efforts to get clarity from the God’s, Ewuare makes his decision.

He chooses to avenge his father’s death, by sending his second son Mandisa, next in line to rule the kingdom, to kill the son of King Jabbar. King Jabbar killed Ewuare’s father and he wants his son’s life in return. The assassination is successful, but not everyone has the same vision to get Mandisa home safely back to the Mombaka kingdom and a series of things happen resulting in a death and a near death of another. One young man’s journey ends and another one’s has just begun as he navigates the other kingdoms faced with slavery, beasts and heartbreak whilst trying to find his way home totally unaware of the pending war.

Meha, the second wife of King Ewuare has her own agenda about their future and is plotting hardcore. Oh yeah she’s also having an affair with someone very close to home. The revenge, of the revenge attack bounces back around pretty fast and war breaks out. Meanwhile, in the Agbon mountains men are unaware of the sorcery and supernatural forces which are planning their ultimate end.

“What kind of a King am I? One that hides from revenging the death of his father or a king who chooses to forget the past, to maintain peace.”

— King Ewuare

Is that how you're feeling yeah?!

Let me two-step in with the positives first. I did enjoy learning about Thirteenth century West Africa, and appreciated how no attention to detail was left out when describing some events and locations. One event in particular I felt like I was really there. The Royal wedding of King Ewuare’s daughter, I attended, wearing my cloth of course.

The book caught my attention at the beginning and then just as quickly as it caught it, it was gone because of some random 50 shades of grey scene that hit me out of nowhere. The sex scene was real graphic, and considering how lengthy the book blurb is definitely needed a ‘hey FYI’ warning or some sort of notice that sex would be such a large part of the book. All of the sex scenes were very vivid, and were given more presence and commitment than war itself. Which undermines the book title.

Within the beginning two chapters, yoo a lot of characters and names came up. From the get go, too many names and characters were mentioned, and this continued throughout the book. It weren’t relevant to mention them all and it made things too fuzzy.

A large reason why the book didn’t bang was that the author’s tried to cover so many topics that some parts were overlooked or kept to an absolute minimum. One part to note is Kamunde, King Ewuare’s first son. The concept is fire, but as a reader the book needed more time to explain as it covers sorcery and supernatural behaviour but it was left way too late to leave an impact.

It Hit Me When

It hit me right by the end when it became clear King Ewuare’s fate and expiry date. The physical element of death isn’t what got me. It was that big realisation that came to me and I just said ‘raaar the need for revenge can really be the death of you.’ How one decision that is yours can really trigger a series of events with the results being totally out of your control.

Favourite Character

Eweka was my favourite character hands down. Throughout the story and the various things he’s dealt with he has proven to himself how much of a survivor he is, adapting to even the most harsh environments. Slavery, betrayal, heartbreak and he’s still standing! I stand by a strong man.

Kwame was a close second favourite. His kind heart and wisdom was admirable. I was sad with how ruthless King Jabbar was when dealing with Kwame and his wife. Turns out Hangman really is a real thing!

Length

316 pages. I didn’t like the ending, it ended on a cliffhanger. The book didn’t seem ready to end as there was too much left unexplained.

Seasoning level

CO2 | Salt | Pepper | Mixed Herbs | All Purpose Seasoning

Salty. The book flowed and the main plot was engaging but there were too many sex parts that felt out of touch with the book, especially with the language used for them. Saying that though, I would give the sequel a try. I feel like the book has potential, but potential is also just a fancy word! It needs to get rid of some ingredients, freshen up the seasoning, and then marinate in the fridge again.

The BIG Quote

“We may be from different Kingdoms, different customs and different religions, but today we stand as brothers, as equals with a common goal!”