Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy of She Who Knows by Nnedi Okorafor in exchange for my honest review.

This was a well-written novella about Najeeba who is a female who has received “the call” which has only happens to males. Najeeba changes gender norms and starts on her journey.

This is a bit slow at first but it does pick up the pace as it goes along. The last half is so interesting and I can't wait to see how this story connects with what else is to come in the future.

This story is about gender, race, and coming of age.

part scifi, part fantasy, she who knows: firespitter offers a glimpse into distant-future earth with a mystical environment akin to that of arrakeen (only because i've recently watched dune 😅). technically a prequel to one of the author's popular series, but this novella (and series) stands on its own. it's impressive how the author managed to build a detailed world in such a short story that gives a pretty good introduction for someone who hasn't read the original series. thanks to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my copy!

10/10 (5/5 stars)

Nnedi Okorafor is a brilliant writer and her craft shines in this novella prequel of Who Fears Death. The pacing of this book is exquisite and I loved every moment I read it.
She Who Knows is a prequel to Who Fears Death (which I have not yet read, but is on my TBR as of yesterday!!) and is told from the point of view of Najeeba. Najeeba’s daughter is Onyesonwu (the protagonist of Who Fears Death). While I’m certain that having read Who Fears Death would add a whole new layer of rich depth, this book is already wonderful and mysterious on its own. I can’t wait to get my hands on Who Fears Death.

Okorafor manages to perfectly encapsulate the changing and questioning experience of a growing young woman. Najeeba defies cultural norms with and without the support of her family. As Najeeba changes, so do her friendships, experiences, and hopes. Najeeba growing, exploring things that are perhaps taboo, finding empowerment, and discovering herself is a vivid and compelling experience.

She Who Knows stands out as my first 10/10 book of 2024 and left me with just the right amount of wanting to linger in the universe, without feeling like I was missing anything. Perfection.

This book was full of fantastical description and emotive elements. Even though it was only short, you got to know the main character quickly and cared for her throughout. It touched upon some interesting dynamics - I haven’t read the first book but I certainly want to now!
Thank you to DAW for the ARC.

Science fiction fantasy mix in African backdrop. 13 year old girl is lead and has feminist leanings. Young adult fit. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Nnedi Okrafor always has a way with words and clear story-building. I like that she is, sort-of, bending the “rules” of science-fiction putting her stories in futuristic African countries. This novella is a prequel to Okrafor’s book “Who Fears Death” and it is a nice addition to that universe.

Thank you Daw Books and net galley for an ARC of She Who Knows Firespitter in exchange for an honest review.

The cover alone 🏆🏆🏆

The imagery in this novella is so well written I felt like I was covered in sand the whole time. 🐪

Najeeba is a a child of the Osu-nu. The Osu-nu are hated by others because they choose slavery to the goddess Adorno. In their custom salt is life and only those enslaved to the goddess Adoro can travel the salt road.

Najeeba feels the calling to travel the salt road which is something only done by men. Facing the pressure to act more like a “girl” Najeeba follows her calling to journey the salt roads and faces the scrutiny of her community. The story follows Najeeba being true to herself even when the world tells her she does not belong.

I really wish this was longer, I was mentally prepared to cry my eyes out after reading the synopsis but didn’t come across in a novella. The ending left me a bit confused too. Who is Aro? Where did he come from? Where and when did the last conversation happen?? When does the next novella come out ? I need to know 😭

3.75 Stars

This novella was very adventurous and well-written. Despite the shortness of it, I believe I got everything out of this world that I needed, and didn’t think anything was left untouched. It was empowering, heartbreaking, mystical, and audacious. Watching Najeeba grow and come into herself over a period of years was fascinating to read, and I look forward to seeing more from the world Nnedi Okorafor has created. The only reason it wasn’t a full 5 star read is because I struggled slightly with the magic of it, and picturing what Najeeba “was”. (If you read it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.) But my inability to imagine some aspects didn’t hinder my enjoyment.

As always with Okorafor, I adored this short story! My biggest complaint about all of her writing is that it isn't longer, because I never want to leave these beautifully crafted worlds and people that she has created! The discussions about feminism and independence are deeply interwoven into the story and leave us thinking about our modern day society, and the combination of technology and (what seems like) magic is seamless. This book is about becoming who you truly are, regardless of the barriers placed in front of you. But also about the risks and consequences that can happen along the way. Okorafor is officially one of my all time favourite authors and I can't wait to read anything and everything she comes out with next!

Part science fiction, part fantasy, and entirely infused with West African culture and spirituality, this novella offers an intimate glimpse into the life of a teenager whose coming of age will herald a new age for her world. Set in the universe Africanfuturist luminary Nnedi Okorafor first introduced in the World Fantasy Award-winning Who Fears Death, Firespitter is the first in the She Who Knows trilogy

When there is a call, there is often a response.

Najeeba knows.

She has had The Call. But how can a 13-year-old girl have the Call? Only men and boys experience the annual call to the Salt Roads. What’s just happened to Najeeba has never happened in the history of her village. But it’s not a terrible thing, just strange. So when she leaves with her father and brothers to mine salt at the Dead Lake, there’s neither fanfare nor protest. For Najeeba, it’s a dream come true: travel by camel, open skies, and a chance to see a spectacular place she’s only heard about. However, there must have been something to the rule, because Najeeba’s presence on the road changes everything and her family will never be the same.

Small, intimate, up close, and deceptively quiet, this is the beginning of the Kponyungo Sorceress.

My Take:

I am most familiar with Okafor's work when it is accompanied by graphics. If you are like me, then this novella is a great place to start. Okafor is a great writer and I did feel like I was transported with Najeeba on her journeys- I also understand that is a teaser for what comes next in Najeeba's life. This novella made me curious enough to learn what happens next. All told, a good job.

An interesting novella, and Najeeba is a proactive, vocal protagonist. Fantastic worldbuilding, and certainly a setting I would like to see more of. My biggest issue was this really feels like the prologue of a bigger novel. Whilst there is a satisfying conclusion to the events within the novella, there is a much bigger story left hanging.

Once more we are back to the world of Who Fears Death, though now we are focused on Najeeba, a character first seen in the original books. Still, now we have more details of her life before we first meet her in the other books.

Najeeba is the youngest child of her parents, and like her older Brothers and her Father, she has felt the call to travel the Salt Road. But the problem is, she is a girl, and girls are not allowed. But she goes, dressed as a boy, and she learns so much about herself that she had not known before. Follow her story and see how it makes her the woman she will become.

This was another wonderful story from Nnedi Okorafor, set in her Africanfuturist land, and the wonderful mix of myths, and legends that made the other books so wonderful. A must-read.

This novella is a sequel to She Who Fears Death and is the second book in the trilogy. The story is set in an earth that is basically now a desert and inhabitable, forcing humans to adapt to desert life. I haven’t read the first book yet, but was able to understand and follow the events in this book. I plan to read the first book next since enjoyed this so much.

Things I absolutely loved:
It was easy to follow along with and the world Nnedi created set the tone for the story beautifully. I can’t wait to read the third book already 😩

Things I didn’t love as much:
I want more 😭. I wish I got to see more of Idris how things played out once he was introduced in the book. Perhaps I feel like this because I haven’t read the first one yet so we’ll see if my feelings change after that.

In all, I enjoyed reading this and can’t wait to read the other books in the series.

Oh wow. This was such an unexpected gem. I haven’t read the first series, yet oriented myself in here instantly, and now I feel like I have to read the first series, just to marinate in this world some more.
This west african sci-fantasy felt like a warm caress. Its more laid back story, a character exploration and a coming of age journey. Everything felt so vivid, as if I was standing right there. It brought a sense of nostalgia, those transportative stories I grew up on.
I do not know what else to say, go read it for yourself

“There is no feeling like sitting in the dirt watching an entire market of men, fleeing from you. I felt like an abomination. I was an abomination. But, oh Ani, I was so powerful.”

She Who Knows: Firespitter is my first time reading anything by Nnedi Okorafor. A prequel to “Who Fears Death”, I found this to be a fine introduction to Okorafor’s style, which she describes as africanfuturism . The mix of West African culture, a post apocalyptic world and some lightly used science fiction detail work really well together. The mix makes the world in which Najeeba (our protagonist) inhabits unique.

It’s difficult to introduce a reader to a new world in a novella. However I found Okaorafor also did this well - there was a little too much exposition towards the end, however in the main I felt the scale of the story being told, in under 200 pages, fit well with the room needed to give a flavour of the environment and culture of the people of Adoro 5.

There are also strong elements of feminism throughout which I enjoyed. Najeeba is outside the norm and she embraces it for the majority of the book, refusing to cower from her growing gifts but instead pushing to utilise them.

Overall this was a really enjoyable introduction to Nnedi Okorafor, and has definitely put “Who Fears Death” on my tbr.

I’ve read Okorafor’s work before, and her writing style absolutely shines in this one. I think this will be a solid four to five stars for her fans. I did stop after chapter 1.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the ARC.

Nnedi Okorafor has been on my radar/tbr for years, and after reading this I am truly disappointed I didn't start reading sooner. Absolutely gorgeous writing, vivid imagery, and characters I fell in love with. I can't wait to read the other books in this universe - it stood on its own, but it made me so hungry for more.

I quite enjoyed Firespitter - although I didn't realize until the intro that its a sort of prequel to Who Fears Death, and in some respects a strange prequel as its the MC's Mother's origin story!

And its not filled with references or missing introductions or anything, I just had a sense that readers of Who Fears Death might have got MORE from this story.

Firesplitter reads as a sort of biographical folklore (which is what its supposed to be so, yeah) but just a caution that its not really a 3 act structure raising of the stakes work of fiction - though it does have some full on scenes and what I really enjoyed is the Culture of the world really showed through, reading this you have a strong sense of who people are and how they do things (and where the dangers lie).

This does create a strange sense while reading however, where you're not too sure what to cling to in the story, a bit like the opposite of Chekov's Gun, where there are quite a few things going on around the place and these are all vivid and interesting moments but because its more of a character biography - there is some 'payoff' but again I think the real payoff is fans of the OG books getting more material in this fascinating world.

This book really does give us African fantasy vibes, if you liked the Wakanda movies you will definetly love this book full of strong African culture

Nnedi Okorafor does it again!

As someone who loves all of Nnedi's work, I immediately requested this as soon as I possibly could. There are no words to describe the wonder of the world building, the absolute mastery of the storytelling. In this novella we are told the story of Najeeba, a (then) 13 year old girl who receives the "Call" to go and gather salt. In this world, salt is life. Najeeba experiences a series of incredible events that culminate in the discovery of who she is, and who she will yet become. This is a story of growing into who you really are, of discovering what it means to go beyond society's boundaries, and most of all, the power that a woman holds.

I cannot recommend this novella enough, and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy! As always, all my thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.