Fantastic, fun, YA fantasy read. Albino American born Nigerian girl finds out she has magical powers and is one of the Leopard People. She makes friends, explores her new abilities, and learns she and her friends are being prepared to face an evil threat that could end the world.
Great story, pacing, characters, and whimsy.

This book was described by multiple sources as a “new Harry Potter” which is what made me request an advacnced copy from Netgalley. The premise is similar - a young outcast discovers she has magical powers and must use those powers to defeat a powerful enemy. That’s about the only similarity to HP, and I think it is a mistake to compare these two richly imagined stories because they really are nothing alike.

Akata Witch introduces a whole new world of magic, raw and powerful, and a new cast of characters who (Hallellujah!) are young Africans, two of whom are girls! The language and culture of the story and the characters provided a palate cleansing freshness, and an i triguing, clever plot. There is nothing here not to love and I predict kids will devour this book. Recommended.

My teen patrons need diverse books and I think that this book did a fantastic job of bringing a diverse book and making it an amazing adventure that will entice lots of students to read it! You can't miss this magical book in the start of a series that I can't wait to read the next one !

I love a good female protagonist and this book did not disappoint. Unique worldbuilding and strong fantasy storytelling were enough to keep me interested, but the effortless discussions of so many pertinent social issues without distracting from the story being told really made this book a winner for me. A really fresh look at magical experiences.

Kids young and old will be waiting to turn the page and find aout more about our Akata witch.and her friends I (mean coven)!

A Nigerian female Harry Potter - that pretty much sums up Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. Akata Witch reads like fan fiction - really good fan fiction - written in response to a challenge to create a Harry Potter-like hero in another culture.

I give this well written book four stars instead of five because it is a little too much like Harry Potter. Sunny is not a witch but a Leopard Person; those without magical abilities are Lambs, not muggles. Instead of wands, Sunny and her fellow Leopard People use juju knives, but like a wand, the juju knife chooses you, you don't choose it. A football (soccer) match felt like a combination of Harry's first Quidditch match and the Quidditch World Cup; there is a Diagon-alley like place to buy things for juju.

The ending felt very rushed; main character Sunny and her friends seem to know things they've never been told or taught in their big showdown with the baddy of this particular book.

I liked that the students got paid for learning things, and I loved Sunny's wasp artist (who builds works of art for her every day in expectation of lavish praise).

I enjoyed Akata Witch, and I'll read the sequel, but if you read it and are a Harry Potter fan, expect the world to feel somewhat original and yet very familiar.

Akata Witch is a Nigerian based coming of age book that deals heavily in magic. The characters are well developed, and the plot is intense. I requested it after reading reviews that compared it to the Harry Potter series. Both books have magic and fighting evil, but Akata Witch is much darker and scarier in my opinion. I feel this book is best suited for teenagers and young adults. I, personally, would not recommend it to elementary aged students.