I really enjoyed reading this book, it had everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the historical element to this. The characters were everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed the use of Africa as a setting. It was wonderfully done and thought the overall story was being told perfectly. Florence Ọlájídé has a great writing style and the characters were realistic and glad I got to read this.

Ѕeттιng вacĸ тo 1848 Weѕтern Aғrιca, тнe ѕтory ιѕ oғ a 14 year old тrιвal gιrl, Ѕιĸeмι. Ѕн. waĸeѕ υp тo ғιnd нer vιllage вυrnт , ғaмιly loѕт & нerѕelғ вeιng тaĸen aѕ a ѕlave. Wιтн ѕo мυcн ғear & тearѕ ιn нer eyeѕ , ѕнe ιѕ вeιng нarraѕѕed вy тнe people wнo тooĸ aѕ ѕlave & ιѕ мade тo worĸ aѕ per тнeм.

Ѕιĸeмι waѕ alѕo engaged тo вe мarrιed тo Ғlorence wнo waѕ alѕo caυgнт wιтн нιм. Deѕpιтe Ѕιĸeмι'ѕ aттeмpтѕ тo rυn away wнen ѕнe waѕ capтιvaтed, ѕнe ғaιlѕ & ιѕ ѕтιll ѕold ; тнιѕ waѕ тнe laѕт тιмe ѕнe ѕaw Ғlorence & тнoυgнт тнaт нe waѕ a coward. Ѕιĸeмι нad вeen тo ғoreѕт нυnтιng & learnιng aвoυт ιт a loт wιтн нer ғaтнer lιĸe oтнer вoyѕ.

Нowever, ѕнe ιѕ deтerмιned тo мeeт нer ғaмιly, ѕo wнen ѕнe planѕ тo rυn ѕнe geтѕ a cнance тo ѕave тнe lιғe oғ нer Мadaм & ιn reтυrn ѕнe ιѕ allowed тo вecoмe a warrιor. Тнιѕ вecoмeѕ нer ғιrѕт vιcтory & ѕтep тowardѕ ғιndιng нer ғaмιly.

Тнιѕ вooĸ ιѕ ғυll oғ нardѕнιpѕ ғaced вy тнe Aғrιcanѕ ιn тнaт тιмe. Тнere ιѕ a loт oғ ѕlavery мenтιoned & нow ѕlaveѕ were вoυnd тo ѕpend тнeιr wнole lιғe lιĸe тнaт wιтнoυт a ѕιgn oғ тнeιr ғaмιlιeѕ. Ι don'т тнιnĸ ιғ тнere were тrυely any ѕlaveѕ lιĸe Ѕιĸeмι wнo coυld вυy тнeιr ғreedoм ғroм тнeιr Мaѕтerѕ вeғore ιт'ѕ тoo laтe.

Тнιѕ вooĸ caмe aѕ a very eхcepтιon тo мe aѕ Ι never read ѕoмeтнιng lιĸe тнaт вeғore нowever, ιт waѕ тoo мυcн dragged. Ι ғelт lιĸe ιт waѕ leadιng nowнere & тнen ѕυddenly ѕнe ғιndѕ нer ғaмιly. Ι waѕ eхpecтιng a loт ғroм тнe вooĸ.

I enjoyed this book. I found the names of the characters hard to follow including their genders. but I really enjoyed the book.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. Sikemi is just a young teen when she is kidnapped from her home in Africa and sold into slavery. She longs to get back to them, but meanwhile she becomes a badass warrior on behalf of her owner. I really thought she was a fierce woman who used all of her strengths despite her circumstances. She still cared for others in her tough circumstances which made it hard for her to escape her captors at various times.

I thought this book was generally good historical fiction. It is a plot-driven narrative. The events start quickly within the first few pages of the first chapter -- Ṣìkẹ́mi's capture into slavery is the first thing that happens. It's unbelievable how Ṣìkẹ́mi survives and maintains hope to be reunited with her family. She becomes a warrior and conducts slave raids for her mistress, which adds a cruel and heartbreaking component to the story. However, the author does not take much time in descriptions or relationship-building in the first part of the story. Although I was invested in Ṣìkẹ́mi as a main character, I wished for more development between her and the other characters in the story. The side characters were a bit one-dimensional: the slave owner/tyrant mistress, the confidant, the former romantic interest, the man vying for her attention, various slaves who are jealous of her success and favor, etc. Without this character development to anchor the story, I began to lose interest in the second half of the book, which is filled with political conflict and surmounting tension between those in power in the region. Yet this is a narrative that I'm not familiar with (the experience of slaves on the African continent in the later 19th century) -- an important narrative -- and I am glad that I read this book.

Amazing story with incredible eye for details! I absolutely devoured this book, The main character Sikemis is a force of her own will and power. The strength, courage and resolve is something to envy. I loved this girl from start to finish!! Epic story and the telling of this story is masterfully written. I felt completely submerged in the setting and felt as though I was watching a movie I could not take my eyes from!

Ṣìkẹ́mi has always fought for her dreams. For the first 14 years of her life, in mid 1800’s West Africa, that meant fighting to be allowed to hunt and be part of the bush despite the village elders disapproval. After her village is raided and she is taken as a slave it now means fighting for her life, her freedom, and if the rumours are true, getting back to her family. After saving her Madams life, she is granted one wish, and she wishes to train as a warrior, to better aid her plan to be free.
I was entranced by this book from the start. Ṣìkẹ́mi is a formidable character and her development as she goes from a teenager in a small village to a warrior leader is amazing. When I started I did not realize this was based on true events and a real person, my own fault I read the first half of the description and knew I wanted to read it and didn’t finish, now knowing that I love this book even more. Florence Olajide made the politics of 1850’s West Africa, with an incredible amount of players, understandable and did not sacrifice the pace or the soul of the story to have it in there. A remarkable story for any lover of historical fiction and anyone who loves books about stand out women of history.
Thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for letting me review #thestolendaughter
Look for it May 31 2024
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In mid-19th century West Africa, teenage Ṣìkẹ́mi is an outlier in her village. Unlike the other girls, she wants to train as a warrior. But when her village is attacked by slave traders, and she is captured, her life changes beyond belief.

Her new existence in the home of major slave trader madam Tinúbú is one of unwilling service and hard graft, but Ṣìkẹ́mi never loses sight of her ultimate goal, which is to be reunited with her family.

An unexpected opportunity to gain favour with her employer comes when she discloses an assassination plot to Madam Tinúbú. She is given the opportunity to become part of the slave trader's elite personal guard. But how will Ṣìkẹ́mi use the new freedom that she has been given?

This historical novel brings to life a very different time and place from our own introducing us to the culture of one part of 19th century Africa. The characters are well drawn and vividly portrayed. This one is worth a read.

Book title:The Stolen Daughter
Author:Florence Olajide
Publisher:Bookoutore
Reviewed by:Rutendo Chitondwe aka viveonbooks
A captivating and compelling read from Florence Olajide that is sure to take Africans back in time,either to marvel and cherish some of their rich traditions and culture and/or to simply reflect on how far they’ve come and grown as a continent.On the same note,the read also conscientizes Africans not to forget their history,not so as to harbor animosity towards their past oppressors,African rulers and white settlers alike but to heal and grow from it as a continent.
Florence Olajide ‘The Stolen Daughter’ is a historical fiction about a young girl,AdeSikemi affectionately referred to as “Sikemi” sojourning through Yorubaland currently known as Nigeria after being captured by two different tribes and enslaved by the people of her own kind for years only to taste freedom years later.
The plot opens up with our protagonist,Sikemi a young girl at the brink of adolescence and her being her father’s former“pride and joy” that is,before the birth of his son and her brother Kunle,spent most of her time in her father’s male company.This led to her adopting male mannerisms and being more adventurous like a boy as she’d venture out into the forest to hunt,just to list one of the activities that boys took part in,in the company of her younger brother and only friend after being isolated alienated by her cousin sisters because she was different and preferred more rigorous activities,much to the dismay of her aunts who deemed this as an excuse to desert and abscond her feminine duties out of pure and utter laziness.Little did they know that Sikemi’s nature and the “little bush training,”as I’d like to call it,she got from her father would contribute immensely as it became her lifeline during her enslavement as well as the key to her survival and ultimately, her long sought freedom.

Though the author’s main thrust is slavery,which actually flows throughout the whole prose,Florence seized the opportunity to paint a picture for the readers of what life was like for the African woman before colonisation and maybe what it still was during and after it.She does so through most of the female characters,however Sikemi is the author’s main vessel or instrument rather as she highlights a number of issues such as female emancipation, male chauvinism, ,gender discrimination,polygamy,sisterhood,deception just to mention but a few as only a select few shall be discussed in detail below.
In the African context as well as culture,a young girl would be betrothed to a young man her or near her age,even older by eons and when she becomes of age she’d be escorted to her potential husband’s place as the bride price would’ve already been paid for.The same is true in the character Sikemi’s case as she is enjoying her life and her boy-like leisure escapades,she finds herself betrothed to Folarin,a sickeningly handsome yet arrogant young lad, by her father and uncles right under her nose,that too without her knowledge and consent only to find out through the grape vine especially from her potential would be- in-laws referring to her as ‘our daughter-in-law’ out of the blue.This act was chauvinistic in nature as a woman,in this case our protagonist,Sikemi was never asked for her consent or at least allowed to voice out what or whom she preferred.

On that note,the author highlighted the theme of female emancipation at some part of the novel.In my opinion,the author meticulously,maybe in a way only I noticed juxtaposed the oppression that came from the male chauvinistic nature versus female emancipation.I believe this is true in the case of the characters Sikemi,Madame Efunporoye Tinubu and Madame Efunsetan Aniwura.The author used these three characters to highlight that women during those strict times were required and expected to be more ‘conservative,’they defied the odds and participated in what were labeled male activities and were only reserved for men.For instance,Sikemi after almost being molested by Madame Tinubu’s foreman decided she’d train to be a female warrior like her initial captors and be able to defend herself from lustful men.Her training ultimately made her stand out from other slaves and was the key to her freedom later on,although it took years. This fact reminds me of how the Israelites took forty years to reach Canaan compared to the actual time they were supposed to take.The training Sikemi got,freed her from two bondages with the first one being male domination and slavery.In Madam Tinubu and Madam Efunsetan’s case these two thrived in the world of business by conducting slave raids on other tribes,though it is a social vice, that was their strongest arsenal in the world of politics,that was labeled a “man’s only” playing field,which they dominated and actually gained a firm footing in.On the contrary their successful slave rackets annoyed a lot their male adversaries as they were constantly plotted and conspired against,simply because they had enormous wealth,wealth that attracted power,power that could be used against them(male chiefs and generals) when the need arose.
Readers are simply going to fall in love with this prose as it is written in the most beautiful way possible,though it is a fiction it is written as honestly as possible and the details aren’t far fetched.

Overall,the prose was based on slavery but the author indirectly inspired women to become all they can be.This was a good read for me as it motivated me a lot to not let society set boundaries for me,but rather let the sky be my limit.I hope this novel will inspire others in the same way.
I rate this book a 6 out for five stars as it fast paced,unputdownable,straight forward and very much enjoyable.
Thank you Net Galley, Bookoutore Publishing and lots of love from the author Florence Ojalide.I look forward to reading more from Florence Ojalide!

Very interesting read. It gives great insight into slave trading. Many things I was not aware of. Very surprised to learn of the different tribes trading other tribes into slavery. Recommend. I was given an advanced reader copy of this well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

A wonderful and incredible story of a woman fighting for her freedom from slavery in Africa. Unlike other stories about slavery, this shows the moral ambiguity of a slave enslaving others to work for her freedom and the participation of the people in Africa in the slave trade rather than blaming it all on Europeans.

Western Africa, 1848. In a small Yorùbá village, fourteen-year-old Ṣìkẹ́mi refuses to live by the elders’ rules. All she wants is to learn how to hunt and defend herself, like the boys. But her father is quick to remind her that soon she’ll be expected to grow up and marry.
But Ṣìkẹ́mi’s world shatters when her village is ambushed by slave raiders. She watches in horror as she’s separated from her family before she is sold to Madam Tinúbú, a rich and powerful slave trader. With her heart in pieces, Ṣìkẹ́mi’s days are filled with back-breaking labour and constant fear of brutal punishment.
WOW! If this isn't a book to brag about I don't know what is... I started it late last night. Never did I anticipate I would be closing the book at 1am left in complete shock... A book I’ll be recommending to all!

As an avid fan of historical fiction, I’m always on the lookout for new books that showcase parts of history outside of the world wars, and this book obviously does that. It’s based in what is now Nigeria in the mid-19th century when a lot was changing as British involvement in the region increases and ultimately ends in the complete colonial takeover.

Fourteen year old Sikemi is stolen from her village by slave raiders, and over ten years or so, we see her as she struggles to survive not knowing what happened to her family and not knowing what her future holds.

As the description tells you, she does save her owner and is rewarded with the ability to train as a warrior. What happens after this is expected now that I look back, but I definitely not expect it whilst reading it. To avoid spoilers, I will just say that Sikemi is put in unimaginable circumstances and survives - I won’t judge how she does it.

What I enjoyed about this book was that it does not shy away from the dark parts of this history but it is not gratuitously violent. I think if you are reading this book (there are content warnings at the very start), you have at least some knowledge and awareness of the horrors of the slave trade both African and Atlantic.

Finally the pacing in this book was really good and the story got off to a quick start which pulled me in right away.

Thank you for NetGalley and Florence Olajide for this ARC!
4/5 ⭐️

This was really good! Very entertaining, with increasing tension all through the novel! I also found the story very interesting showing parts of a country we call Nigeria nowadays. In the mid 1850s much violence was everyday commonplace. Not only because kings and queens tried to overrule each other, not only because of the English intruders, but also because of slavery trading, these years were extremely turbulent. This will lead the main character, Ṣìkẹ́mi, a captured young girl sold as a slave to try and recover her freedom in order to return to her village. Her strong personality will make her follow a path full of twists and turns, danger, hope, despair and hope again.... The historical background is well researched and highly fascinating.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.