All sixteen-year-old Naborhi dreams of is sailing the seas. Instead, she feels suffocated, her life already laid out: she’ll have her rite of passage and spend her life bound to her house, husband, and children.

Beautifully written with great characters and wonderful world-building! An exciting debut!

I loved this book and the adventure it took me on. I connected with Naborhi and her desire to forge her own path.

The ending felt like it wrapped up a little too nicely, but it wasn't an unbelievable end, just unlikely. If it had been left open, I would have been curious to see and learn more about the mostly mysterious antagonist in another book.

It was the cover that caught my attention and then I read the synopsis and I just had to read this book! A young girl Naborhi has dreams to travel and live a full life of adventure even though her family has a different future for her revolving around their traditions. Her role is to marry, and be a good wife; that is what is expected of her. Erhu Kome does a wonderful job world building, and creating a variety of mysterious creatures and characters that enhance the plot paired with West African mythology and folklore. I was on the edge of my seat through out the entire book wondering what obstacles Naborhi and her travel companions would face next! This was a beautiful and wonderful young adult fantasy and coming of age story. The Smoke That Thunders was hard to put down; I absolutely loved this book, and look forward to reading more from Erhu Kome in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance read of this title. All opinions contained in this review are my own.

This is a wonderful coming-of-age novel perfect for the younger side of YA audiences. I loved the epic quest and the fact that romance was not emphasized. This is a lovely story about choosing your own path.

The world that Kome built is intriguing and deep. I’m very interested in reading more books that take place here. For a debut, I found the prose flowed smoothly, and the pacing was consistent. The nods to west African mythology and folklore add to the depth and interest for me.

This is for those looking for stories of a gods-touched adventure. A definitely lighter touch than many of my more recent reads. It just felt good overall. Still twisty enough to be interesting but more of a happy sigh at the ending book. I will be adding this to my physical shelf once it is released.

Naborhi has big dreams, but those dreams struggle to have potential because of her feeling suffocated by her family and their expectations for her. Once she starts having dreams, she starts going after them. After finding a lost prince, she finds herself stuck in the middle of a war that she must stop.
You don’t see very many stand-alone young adult novels. Even further in that minority are stand alone young adult novels that are actually good. That was this book. I walked into this with no expectations and no clue on what sort of adventure I was about to embark on, and boy did I have a great time. I’m almost certain that this book is going to be a big hit, between the adventure aspect, the mythology aspect and so much more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Norton Young Readers for an eARC of this book.

Naborhi dreams of a life away from a home that wants to suffocate her with a marriage not of her choosing. Then one day after her rite of passage she begins having dreams of a boy who needs rescuing. Naborhi has been chosen by the Gods to save not only her home but the other kingdoms as well.

The Smoke That Thunders is a debut novel that uses West African folklore to tell an engaging young adult fantasy. I was excited to read this novel that uses African folklore. The author was able to paint a picture of a world full of life that draws the reader in. The characters are believable and I felt for Naborhi as she made choices to leave the family that she loves. My only complaint is that the ending of the novel was too quick. Everything just got wrapped up too neatly for me.

This is a good debut novel and I look forward to more works by the author. Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a surprising read for me. I LOVE reading these BIPOC novels, they are always so beautifully written and they deserve all of the attention they can get! I knew I would like this novel, but I ended up loving it and I can't say a single bad thing about it. The journey this young woman goes through to begin her own life and find her own experiences despite family pressures is amazing and emotional. This is a great YA novel and I'm so glad I got the chance to be an ARC reader for it!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Norton Young Readers for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my review*

Let me dive into one of January’s best reads, "The Smoke That Thunders.” This carefully crafted narrative skillfully weaves a tale that resonated with my inner teen reader, making me feel a wave of all the nostalgic emotions.

Naborhi, the central character, stands out as a wonderfully portrayed female lead, challenging the conventional norms of storytelling. What struck a chord with me was her resolute decision to defy societal expectations, particularly the concepts of an arranged marriage and the conventional roles expected of her. Naborhi's journey was a breath of fresh air as she remained committed to pursuing her own ambitions. Beyond the incredible character dynamics, the plot and storyline held my attention effortlessly. The narrative was both engaging and cohesive, showcasing a seamless blend of adventure and character development. My only minor critique would be that the resolution felt a bit hurried. However, it's worth noting that this pace is not uncommon among some of my favorite YA authors.

Kome deserves so much praise for creating such vivid depictions, expert world building, and lovable characters. The beauty of this book lies not only in its fantasy elements but also in its ability to balance action and adventure without delving into excessively dark or graphic territory. This nuance made the reading experience thoroughly enjoyable and very appropriate for YA or younger readers.

This book promises a delightful experience for readers of all ages. Make sure to include it in your TBR list—missing out on it would be a literary loss.

I picked this up as a Read Now offer and I wasn't disappointed. Naborhi's drive and certainty while respecting tradition was stunning. Naborhi is reminiscent of Woman Kings Warriors with her prowess and need to take action for not just herself but everyone around her. But she isn't alone in that Atai and Tamunor are ride or dies. I hope that Naborhi and Atai are endgame because they are way too perfect for each other. I will admit they style was a little weird. I was waiting for an audience to be revealed. I did call the big reveals before they happened but the predictability was made up in later events. For anyone looking for an adventure with minimal to no blood or gore.

More than anything, I enjoyed the addition of Urhobo/West African folklore and seeing a young girl want to break the mold and make decisions for herself. Naborhi’s desire to experience and be more than her kingdom allows girls and women to be is what kept me reading. I wanted to see her achieve her dream.

I think early teen readers who enjoy a more simple story with low level action and adventure will like this. I’m an adult who frequently reads YA fantasy, so my issue isn’t that it’s YA. I found the conflicts to just be too easily overcome. The lack of tension and a prolonged sense of high stakes made the journey less exciting. Things were just too nice and neatly wrapped up. I’ve read middle grade plots that were more exciting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced eARC.

The cover of this book is what drew me in, and then I read what the book was about and was thoroughly intrigued.

This story follows Naborhi who is a 16 year old girl that wants to follow her dreams and not be tied down by marrying a man that she does not care for.

This story is a perfect book for people who are looking for action, adventure and a coming of age story. Who wants to learn a little bit more of African culture. It was beautifully written and inspiring.

I received this book from NetGalley as an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) and this is my honest review.

I loved the use of West African mythology and that it had a great fantasy feel to it. I was invested in what was happening with the characters and loved the adventure elements going on. It had everything that I was hoping for from the description and that the characters worked with this universe. Erhu Kome does a great job in writing this book and creating characters that I wanted. It was a great debut for Erhu Kome and can’t wait to read more.

I was drawn to this book to review based on the title and the cover. I had never read any books by this author, but was willing to try it since I like to review young adult literature. This is a fantasy story set in a region that would be like Africa. It is a time period of tribal communities within kingdoms. The women have one role--to get married and provide sons. This is how it's been done and what is expected for Naborhi who is almost of age when marriage happens. But she dreams of more. She wants more. And she's willing to do anything to get it.

This is a coming of age story for Naborhi who rises above what's expected to do what she is meant to do. There is story of family, of friendship, of heroism and bravery, and of so many ways there is beauty and value in a woman. You will get to enjoy Urhobo and West African folklore and mythology in this story.

I would consider this to be a choice for the 14+ age range who may be interested in fantasy and learning more about African culture.

4 Stars

*I received this book as a complimentary ARC from the publisher and Net Galley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to netgalley and W. W. Norton & Company, Norton Young Readers for allowing me to read this book. This was such an immersive story and the characters were so well developed.

The Smoke that Thunders
By Erhu Kome

A review by Jamilla (@Landsawaybooks a wordpress.com blog)

As soon as I saw the cover, I knew I had to request this! Naborhi had her knif to my throat daring me to enter her world and read her story.

And what a story it is! This is a story of a girl who knows she wants more for life than what she’s been offered, she desires more than just the path laid out in front of her by others. This is a story of her journey across deserts and through jungles to save the life of a child she doesn’t know. Of a fresh, intriguing world of The Smoke that Thunders.

I’m captivated by this world crafted by Kome, of its deities, of its religions, of the mysterious Ikere, an all female warrior tribe, who live in and control the forest but are rarely ever seen. I hope to see more work set in this enchanting place.

Although this is YA, I think that it’s very accessible for the younger end of the age range, a group I feel are left in the gap between the very popular upper YA genre and MG. So I definitely recommend this adventure focused novel for them!

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for providing a review copy.

such a beautiful story and i was obsessed with the characters, although it was extremely detailed and soo long, the story still intrigued me

This was a cute coming of age story, perfect for the early teen reader. It had a good balance of action with adventure. The characters were likable and the story was intriguing and inspirational. The implementation of elements of the authors culture was done well and really painted a detailed picture. Some parts of the story were a little long/ overly detailed but overall it was a good read. Felt like a story that your elders would share with you while sitting around the campfire.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC