This was an interesting… Prequel Novella? I thought it was all 3 books, but it seems like this is… A prequel novella for all 3 lol? Either way, the premise was interesting. The jump def surprised me. I thought it was just Orisha’s & then all kinds of Mythology entered the chat lmfao.

The narration was cool though, I loved all the added effects. Nekia Renee Martin did an amazing job, their range is crazy lol!! Overall, listening to this def tempts me to read the main series.

I was gifted an advanced reader copy of this work in audiobook format via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The narration is excellent, the music included between stories is atmospheric and beautiful.
I have loved getting to know TJ and learning about Yurba and the Orishas mythology. These stories fill in time before, between and after the events of the third book. I really enjoyed them alot.

A perfect read or listen for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

This audiobook is a whirlwind of mythology, magic, and adventure. The narrators, John Joseph Rogers and Nekia Renee Martin, bring the story to life with their dynamic performances. The world-building is rich, and the characters are compelling. If you're into stories that blend folklore with modern twists, this one's for you!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Audiobook fantasy for teens and YA, based around West African mythology. Two short and one longer interludes/additional vignettes which intertwine between, and add to our interactions with the characters in the TJ Young series books.
I’ve listened to the first two audiobooks in this series, they are fun fantasy adventure stories.
These additional stories work if you’ve already read the books, but equally will add to your enjoyment if you are a newbie to this series. The author tells you the best place to listen if you are going through the books in turn.
If I’m honest I probably enjoyed the first two shorter stories more. I think they have more of the fun found in the books. But the third story does bring extra understanding of the bigger story to the listener.
Thank you to Bandele Books and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

These were great intro novellas for folks interested in learning more about the Orishas. I’ve never seen stories about them set modern day (with things like social media), so I loved that! I also loved that in the third novella, other deities from other cultures show up, like Thor. It was a cool blending of cultures.

The author jumps in between narration of the novellas to encourage you to read the full stories for each diety, and those longer stories are supposed to connect the novellas together. I’ll note that I was able to follow the novellas without reading the larger stories, but it’s great to have the option. I thought the stories were interesting and easy to follow and generally enjoyed reading them.

Now I was unaware that this was part of a series (Novellas for each book in the series) but the narration was so good that i didn’t care. In each story the narration changes and each person did such a great job with the characters. There is music that also caught me off guard at first but honestly i love it. And the sound effects for each chapter was a nice idea. This audiobook makes me want to listen to the original series even more. The second novella was my favorite bc the story was good and the narrator really did well.

This was a fun listen and I really enjoyed it! Orishas Among Mortals is a cool addition to the TJ Young universe and I think it adds a lot, especially if you've read the other books. But even if you haven’t, these stories are a solid way into the world. There’s two shorter stories and one longer one build on the magic and the world building in a really creative way.

I liked how much of the West African mythology came through—it felt rich but still super readable (or in this case, listenable). The narrators were great across the board. Each voice brought the characters to life and the little sound effects and music in between chapters were a nice touch. Really helped the atmosphere and made it easy to get pulled in. I think each of the narrators for each story did a great job with embodying the characters and the emotion that was be conveyed through scenes.

Honestly, I liked the first two stories the most. They had that fast-paced, adventurous vibe that reminds me of other YA myth-based books I’ve loved, but still felt fresh and grounded in this world. The third story was more serious and a bit choppier in flow, but it did deepen the overall lore and helped connect a lot of things from the main series.

Also, I appreciated how the author lets you know where this fits if you’re reading through the whole TJ Young series. That’s super helpful for any new listeners. Overall, I’d definitely recommend this to anyone into YA fantasy with a rich mythos and strong characters.

Thanks to Bandele Books and NetGalley for the audio ARC

This was such a fun listen—I genuinely enjoyed it! Orishas Among Mortals feels like a welcome addition to the TJ Young universe, especially if you’re already familiar with the other books. But honestly, even if you’re new to the series, these stories are a great way to dive into the world. There are two shorter tales and one longer one, all packed with creative world-building and magic that really bring the setting to life.
I loved how much West African mythology shines through; it feels rich and vibrant, yet still super easy to follow (or listen to). The narrators? Amazing across the board. Each one brought their characters to life with their voices, and the little sound effects and music between chapters added a nice layer of atmosphere that made it easy to get totally immersed. The emotion and character embodiment through each narrator really helped me connect with the stories.
Honestly, I was most hooked by the first two stories. They’ve got that quick, adventurous vibe that’s reminiscent of other YA myth-based books I love, but still managed to feel fresh and rooted in this universe. The third story was a bit more serious and a little choppier in flow, but it was crucial for deepening the lore and tying things together from the main series.
One thing I really appreciated was how the author clearly shows where these stories fit into the larger TJ Young series—super helpful for newcomers and longtime fans alike. Overall, I’d definitely recommend this to anyone into YA fantasy with a rich mythos, great characters, and a world you’ll want to keep exploring.

I went into Orishas Among Mortals without having read any of the main TJ Young books, and came out both entertained and intrigued enough to want to pick them up.

This is a collection of three stories set in that universe, and while they connect to the broader series, some stand on their own surprisingly well. The first story worked especially well independently. A fun, myth-infused tale featuring a trickster god who’s wily, conniving, and charming.

The second story was a bit less self-contained, and the third felt more like a lore-deepening interlude that probably lands better if you already know the series. That said, as someone who doesn’t mind spoilers or being dropped in the deep end, I still enjoyed all three.

What really stood out to me was how the third story blends West African and Greek mythology in a way I haven’t seen before. It’s a clever twist that adds texture to the worldbuilding, and Bandele, an BIPOC author, does a great job of making the mythologies feel both familiar and fresh.

I listened to the audiobook version and really enjoyed the narration. The performances were strong across the board, and the music was a subtle but effective touch. I don’t usually like music in audiobooks, but as short interludes between chapters, it worked well and added to the atmosphere.

This was a fun introduction to the world and a great taster for the series. I’m definitely curious to see what the full novels are like.

All in all a vibrant, myth-rich (African meets Greek) short story collection that makes for a great entry point into the TJ Young universe. With standout narration and immersive audio touches.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the review copy.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Orishas Among Mortals
Antoine Bandele

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back in March, I read a great little short story collection by this author - Tales From The Otherworlds - and although I was a little above the target age audience, I really enjoyed exploring this authors fantasy ideas.

This collection includes the 2 short stories and the longer novella which were written to accompany this author's TJ Young series of novels.
Now, these fantasy reads are not normally my go to reads, so I was particularly drawn to these shorter reads rather than the novels - and as such, I did not read these in tandem and haven't read any of the TJ Young series ......yet!

However, I could tell that these stories would fit brilliantly between the novels to add extra background and character development.
That said, I don't think that I was wholly hindered having not followed each with it's novel.

These stories took us to other realms and introduced the Orisha characters to us.
A diverse bunch of Gods based around West African mythology.

The first two short stories were super quick reads and I loved learning about each Orisha and seeing how they interacted both between themselves and also with us mortals.
This quick introduction was just enough to see the characters and little of what they could do - enticing us to read their full story.

I think my favourite story though, was the final novella, which being a longer read, really allowed us a greater insight into both the characters and the overall greater battles that the Orishas are facing.
I loved that this story brought together not only a mix of the Orisha Gods and mortals - but also combines Gods from other realms that we are more familiar with - Thor, who is prominent in this story, being one of my favourites - but we also see Greek and Egyptian Gods featured too.

These are really well written and interesting stories and I could easily fall into the TJ Young series having read these - but they are definitely chunky reads (which scare me slightly!) - one day, I'm determined to overcome this fear and head on in, so watch this space.....


💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

3⭐ (for now)
This is an absolutely stunning world I've jumped into based on African mythology!

Although the author states you don't necessarily have to read the actual series first, I feel like this would've slapped 100x more if I had read the actual series first. (hence the "for now).

Will definitely be picking up Book #1 of this series soon.

*** the production of this audiobook was TOP TIER! I actually want to consume the whole series in audiobook format because *chef's kiss*

Thank you NetGalley, Bandele Books & Independent Book Publishers Association for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

These are fun stories that feature Orisha characters as mythological magical figures from the TJ Young Universe. This has Shango & Thor, Eshu & Obatala and Oya as characters on missions. This works as a fun and dynamic expansion of this story universe. These short stories also function as background to the overall series narrative but are also fully contained and interesting short stories on their own. I think this serves as a fun introduction to the series for new readers.

This audiobook is narrated by Nekia Renee Martin and John Joseph Rogers. These stories have slight sound effects between chapters. The Interludes offer explanations and background on the stories and are vpiced by the author. This is a high quality audiobook production which in my limited experience always makes these more accessible for children.

Thank you to Antoine Bandele, Bandele Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

I would like to begin by saying that I understand that the whole idea with novellas like this is to give something more to the people, who are already interested in the series and they are not meant to be an introduction to the series, however, you are not required to read the series before reading the stories, so no one can really stop me.
I found some ideas expressed in the story rather uncomfortable, such as the expressed need to kill your enemies in a war. The impression from the stories is that the Godkillers (I assume it is written like that, as I only had access to the audiobook) are mindless creatures that just attack and might be controlled by something bigger, so we as readers should not feel for their losses, but if something is mindless, you can't have a war with it. My point being - this is a slippery slope.
Further on, there was discussion of how soldiers should follow order and not "venture out of their own volition" which is also a sentiment that is rather dangerous.
Both of the points above were from the last story, but there are also other things, that stood out to me in the other two stories as rather dangerous and problematic opinion. In the first story, we have not only the idea of making "the trickster" into an evil character, but we also have the villain of the story actively making someone go against their beliefs and opinions for their sake (even if in the end we are told that none of it was true, so there is no worry). Yes, I get that this helps to build him into a better villain, but while reading it just felt uncomfortable being in that situation. And in the second story we have amounts of sexism that the alpha male crowd is dreaming about.
In conclusion, this felt icky to read and made me push away from the idea of further reading this author. If you do not mind your author casually dropping some conservative takes - this is a good author to read, the writing is good and the mythology is interesting, but I guess I am just "too woke" for this.

This was my first time reading anything from this author and I loved the pacing and the stories kept me entertained about the TJ Young universe. It feels young and fun with lots of adventures.

This is a collection with two short stories and one a little bigger. What I loved the most was the blend from different mythologies with the West African gods. For a first step to the series this one offers a few spoilers, but all in all, it’s very well explained and fast paced. The narration was so good and had a few interludes that made it so much more.

This was a fun introduction to the world and a great taster for the series. I’m definitely curious to see what the full novels are like.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the review copy.