I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Nnedi Okorafor is such a phenomenal author that I found myself enthralled into this story. There were points I didn’t understand because I didn’t read She Who Knows but it mostly didn’t matter.

*In order to understand this book I HIGHLY recommend reading Who Fears Death as it is the story about Najeeba’s childhood*

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Najeeba is all alone now. After Onyesonwu saved the world, Najeeba is left to live her life without anyone remembering her daughter. She now decides to ask the sorcerer who trained her daughter to train her as she has always stifled her witching powers. As she begins to learn, she realizes she must take on difficult things from her past while also forging her new future.

This was a different pace than She Who Knows. The stakes are not nearly as high. I still enjoyed this book quite a bit! There’s very little that Okorafor writes that I won’t enjoy. This may or may not be a spoiler to some so proceed with that expectation.
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The ending is ambiguous. I’m not sure if there will be another installment in this series or if it will be the end with this very liquid ending. For this reason I did give it 4/5 stars.

I loved Badaki’s narration! She did a tremendous job with it. It made the book feel more atmospheric and in an expected voice. 5/5 stars for her!

My thanks for the audio ARC goes to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing, Brilliance Audio. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Afrofuturism, African Literature, Fantasy
Spice Level: Sex on the page
Content Warning: The consequences of rape are prevalent throughout this book.

I'm a big fan of the world where ONE WAY WITCH takes place because I feel like it captures a land where I've never been—it's very relatable but distant from my experiences, which is something I love in fantasy.

ONE WAY WITCH centers on Najeeba and her growth. This is after the death of her child, and Najeeba is coming to grips with the new world compared to the old. It has themes of forgiveness, change, coming-of-age, and wisdom to name a few.

Having centered so much on the rape and the aftermath made it a hard read for me. I still thought it was thought-provoking and a valuable story.

The narrator did an excellent job performing this story!

I really enjoyed She Who Knows, and I think that One Way Witch may have suffered a little bit from being the middle book in a trilogy. It was all necessary information for the overall story, but didn't feel as cohesive or satisfying as the first book. The beginning was a bit disjointed as well. However, I love the characters and the themes and can't wait to for the final book in the trilogy.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen and review. I will be posting it on Instagram tomorrow for publication day.

I just listened to this and I cannot hold a conversation about what happened or why this story was needed.

One Way Witch is the second novella in a planned trilogy, set in the same universe as Okorafor’s previous novel Who Fears Death.

I decided to go back and read Who Fears Death before reading One Way Witch. I am so glad that I did! The added context and history of Who Fears Death definitely gave me a greater appreciation of One Way Witch.

One Way Witch draws us further into the world of Who Fears Death with a focus on Najeeba’s story. A solid follow-up to She Who Knows, this book captivates and Okorafor’s character-driven storytelling shines.

I tandem listened to audio while reading a digital copy. Yetide Badaki delivers a stunning performance on audio. I highly recommend this format. She brings the world and characters to life. Okorafor’s writing translates seamlessly to the audio format.

After finishing She Who Knows, I immediately grabbed One Way Witch — and it did not disappoint. This story felt a little darker, a little edgier, but still had that beautiful storytelling voice that I’m starting to recognize as Okorafor’s signature.

The main character’s struggles with identity, tradition, and destiny were so relatable, even within a fantasy setting. I really appreciated how layered the magic was — it wasn’t just spells and powers, but about choices, sacrifice, and survival. One Way Witch felt like a coming-of-age story wrapped in a spellbinding adventure.

It kept me thinking even after I finished the last page. First time reading Okorafor, and I can confidently say it won't be the last. She has a way of weaving stories that feel ancient and futuristic at the same time. Highly recommend!

One Way Witch is a slower, more contemplative sequel to She Who Knows, told through the eyes of a very different Najeeba, one who has lost almost everything and carries the scars of those losses like armor. Set twenty years after the events of the previous book, this second installment trades fast-paced urgency for introspection, grief, and power reclaimed.

As the synopsis describes, “As a teen, Najeeba learned to become the beast of wind, fire and dust: the kponyungo. When that took too much from her, including the life of her father, she let it all go. Now in her forties and years beyond the death of her second husband, Najeeba has just lost her beloved daughter. Onyesonwu saved the world. Najeeba knows this well, but the world does not.”

This novel is steeped in that pain, the ache of what’s been lost, of being forgotten, of the quiet rage that simmers over years. Najeeba’s decision to seek out Aro and learn the Mystic Points gives the book its narrative spine, but One Way Witch is far more about reckoning than revenge. Okorafor has never shied away from writing women with agency, depth, and flaws, and here, she gives us a protagonist who is both weary and formidable.

That said, One Way Witch is not a straightforward continuation. To fully feel the weight of Najeeba’s story, readers will benefit from having read Who Fears Death, which bridges the gap between She Who Knows and this novel. While it’s possible to follow along without it, some of the emotional beats, especially those surrounding her daughter, won’t land with quite the same impact unless you understand the full arc of her legacy.

Even with its slower pacing, the novel still carries all the hallmarks of Okorafor’s work: evocative worldbuilding, potent magical realism, and characters that feel fully, fiercely alive. The story is layered, emotionally rich, and, in true Okorafor fashion, rooted in West African culture and spirituality.

Though not as urgent or action-driven as She Who Knows, One Way Witch is a worthy continuation. I’ll definitely be continuing with the series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

Well this made me have a new fear. "One Way Witch" by Nnedi Okorafor continues the She Who Knows trilogy (out 29 April 2025).

Having the world forget your daughter existed sounds like a nightmare. But her actions might have saved the world. Najeeba has to live with this knowledge, on top of the horrors she has already experienced. But someone else does remember, the sorcerer who trained Onyesonwu, now will train her. She can turn into a kponyungo, but there is more to learn. And she needs it if she is to kill THAT.

Narrated by Yetide Badaki, there is a scene that had so much going on in the story, the emotions, the rawness because of how Najeeba has spoke the entire book. Chills, whooph.

Reasons to read:
-New existential horror
-Narration floored me
-Progression in a way that works for her
-Did not see them coming
-That final talk with that person was so much

Cons:
-I did not need my mind to be aware of something like that happening, makes all those similar moments freak me out just a bit more

This is a riveting adventure through magic and time, led by a matriarch and mother of the woman who saved the world.

Let me start by what struck me here. Our hero is an older woman, not old per se, but older than most adventurers and on top of that, mother to the protagonist and heroine of the previous novel. Rather than continue with Onyesonwu's arch, we access a new story centred on her mother. Not only that, but Najeeba's future, rather than the past. And Najeeba still has much to learn.

This is a coming-of-age novel in a lot of ways, despite the age of the protagonist. This is a second life story. Najeeba embarks on an adventure to become a sorcerer, at least on the surface. Her adventure ends with a deeper dive into her psyche and the greatest personal challenge she might ever need to face in her personal history.

It's this point that I really didn't like. I hate that the obstacle women and genderful folk face is almost always sexual violence of some kind. But the story was already writ, I suppose, and a retcon may have felt evasive. The way Okorafor handles this battle is new and compelling. What if you had the power to heal all wounds?

Part of what I loved about this adventure was the wanton, no-holds-barred flight of our heroine. She experiences it all! She defies her stuffy mentor, defies societal expectations, and loves freely (if you know what I mean). All the while she grapples with her selfishness and making amends for that selfishness, even while taking good care of herself and never losing sight of her value.

The narration by Yetide Badaki was superb. Frankly, Badaki elevated Okorafor's already compelling prose.

What more can I say?Yetide Badaki knocks it out of the park with her narration here again. Really made my ears happy even if the content could get tough at times.
Thanks to NetGalley for the audio arc :)

This is the second book in the She Who Knows trilogy. The author recommends that the reading "Who Fears Death" before reading this book. I read the first book in this trilogy ("She Who Knows") and then read "Who Fears Death" and finally "One Way Witch". This was a great reading order. I was introduced to the characters in book one and then continued on into the world to learn the story of Najeeba's daughter Onyesonwu. Then I came back to Najeeba's story line in this book, One Way Witch. During this process the world and the characters have been very well developed. This is a wonderful series and I can't wait for the next book!

I wasn’t able to read the other story that connects w/ this one (Who Fears Death) Which would probably heighten this experience, but it was still beautifully told!! The deep Nigerian mythology mixed in w/ the growth of Najeeba’s character adds so many layers of depth to the story, I just wish I had read WFD beforehand lol! Yetide Badaki was a wonderful narrator as always, I’m such a fan of her work!!
On & off screen, a Goddess fr 🫶🏽

I read and loved She Who Knows (the first book in this series) last year. This book is a continuation of the prequel series and bleeds into the events of the main novel Who Fears Death.

This is a story about Najeeba dealing with a traumatic event and learning sorcery as an apprentice.
This was mostly a character driven story. There's conversations around trauma and how the body/mind holds onto trauma. There's some fantastical elements with separation of body and spirit, flying, and witchcraft/sorcery. These fantastical elements were my favorite, but something felt off with this book. It didn't grab me the way the first book did.

I'll still read anything Nnedi Okorafor writes (I love her writing and the worlds she creates). This one just wasn't my favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the audiobook for review.