Nsibidi Series: Akata Witch and Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor

“Okorafor does an amazing job with detailed imagery. You can taste the spices in the egusi soup. You can smell the heat from tainted peppers. You can feel the stealth fur of the flying grasscutter.”

“Akata Warrior.” Written across the front of the book in big blue writing on an off-gray background. On the cover: a side profile of a young girl with bouffant hair, white skin, green eyes, and what appeared to be white symbols scattered across her face and body. Also the silhouette of a large spider nesting in her hair. The book was dense in my hands. I hadn’t actively read a non-fiction book in an uncountable number of months; dare I say years.   

“Greetings from the Obi Library Collective of Leopard Knocks’ Department of Responsibility. We are a busy organization with more important things to do. However, we’ve been ordered to write you this brief letter of information. It is necessary that you understand what you are getting into before you begin reading this book. If you already understand, then feel free to skip this warning and jump right into the continuation of Sunny’s story at chapter 1.” 

The very first paragraph was a warning. At this point, I was absolutely reeled in. I continued on reading an allegory that started to make absolutely no sense to me. Aside from the African verbiage, there was this strange sensation overcoming me as I continued reading that I was supposed to know a lot more about who Sunny was, her origin, her background, and her current estate than I actually did. Let me cut the suspense right here- I accidentally began reading the second installment of the series first. 

It took me almost two months to get through “Akata Warrior” as I was befuddled by every ounce of information coming my way and lacked any direction toward making sense of it. I didn’t realize I was reading the series out of order until I finished the book and went back to get what I thought was actually the second installment of the series. “Akata Witch” appeared at the top of the much smaller, white paperback book. Akata in blue and Witch in red. On the cover was an image of a young, green-eyed girl with white skin, bouffant hair, white symbols on her face, and a green wasp planted in the middle of her forehead. I laughed at myself as I knew every question and minute moment of confusion was about to be answered as soon as I opened the first page. And it most certainly was.

Warning: major spoilers ahead!

Nnedi Okorafor’s “Akata” series is about a young girl and her journey in finding her true self and saving the world. Sunny Nwazue, age 12, was born in New York City and recently moved to Nigeria with her mother, father, and two older brothers. She spends her days doing school work, playing soccer, and being chastised and bullied for her albinism. One day at school a classmate, Orlu, sticks up for her in a fight against raging bullies. From that moment on Orlu and Sunny become inseparable. Orlu introduces Sunny to his childhood friend Chi-Chi, who lives in a hut with her mother near Sunny’s home, and his family friend Sasha. He also moved from the United States to Nigeria due to his reckless and dangerous habits. Upon meeting these friends, she quickly learns that her albinism isn’t the only thing that makes her vastly different from everyone around her. She learns that she is actually a member of a secret society of magical beings known as the “Leopard Society.” “Leopard People,” are people who are either born into the society via bloodline or are inherited members of the society by nature. Those members are called free agents because they are not a part of any specific clan or bloodline; that is what Sunny is. Free agents are known to be some of the most powerful Leopard people, and Sunny learns that she is more powerful not only of the way her albinism manifests in magical ways like being invisible but also because of her spirit face.

All Leopard people have what the book refers to as a “spirit face.” The spirit face of a Leopard person is an entity that lives within them. Their spirit face comes out anytime they engage in workings, wonder, and war within their magical society. Sunny’s spirit face is one of the oldest and most revered within the Leopard Society: Anyanwu. Anyanwu is known as a fearsome warrior and it is for this reason that the elders in the society council often use Sunny to achieve some of the most daunting tasks such as finding and killing the serial murderer “Black Hat Otokoto” in “Akata Witch,” and defeating the Goddess of the underworld herself “Ekwensu” in “Akata Warrior.” With the help of her mentor, Sugar Cream, and her teacher, Anatov, Sunny and her friends embark on a journey to learn the truth about themselves and the magical world with which they reside.

“Leopard Knocks” is the home base of this secret magical society. “Lambs” otherwise known as people with no powers, are not to know about the existence of this magic. Juju spells and powders often keep all aspects of Leopard society hidden from Lamb people and trust knots made at the culmination of one’s entrance into the society forbid them from telling any Lamb person anything. Sunny has a hard time balancing her leopard life and her lamb life throughout the series but with the help of her friends and a few juju spells here and there, she manages to keep her lives separate like Hannah Montana.

I could expound on all of Sunny’s major adventures like playing her first soccer game in a full arena, her first time riding a magical flying beast, or how she managed to save herself in a dungeon full of spiders, but that would leave nothing for you to be interested in reading. The biggest takeaway that I’ve gotten from reading this series is belief in oneself. 

Okorafor does a fantastic job with detailed imagery. You can taste the spices in the egusi soup. You can smell the heat from tainted peppers. You can feel the stealth fur of the flying grasscutter. You can sense the fear of facing Udide, the great big Spider as you read. I honestly can’t wait for this book to become a movie whenever it does! This book found me at a time in my life in which I too was connecting with my spirit face. Who I am when I am most confident, most unstoppable, most beautiful, most overcome by purpose. Learning the version of myself that exists in being and the version of myself that exists in a higher being. Pushing my strength, my capabilities, my mindset, and my growth. In so many ways I relate to Sunny Nwazue. Learning how to step fearlessly into trusting yourself, the people you surround yourself with, and surrendering to your calling no matter what it is. I thank Okorafor for teaching through this book that though there may be a reservation, there’s nothing to fear in intrinsic greatness.