Tried multiple times but could not get engaged in this, not sure why. Felt vague and confusing, maybe? I know lots of folks who loved this but I just was not able to finish.

I gave this book a try and decided to DNF at 14%. I may come back to it at some point as the writing was good and the works building was extremely thorough.

The reason I DNFed was the pacing. 14% into the book I still felt like there wasn’t much of a plot. With multiple POVs I didn’t feel like I knew enough about any of the characters to be invested in them. With little plot and a lack of connection to the characters, there just wasn’t enough to hold my attention.

I do think the premise is extremely interesting and I can see why many readers would love this book, it just wasn’t right for me. If you love intricate works-building, multiple POVs, and political intrigue, this book is most certainly for you!

Wow, this book was EPIC. (Both in length and in storyline.) Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa follows Danso, a mixed heritage Bassai welcomed into the elite Bassai school due only to his extraordinary ability to remember anything he's read. He is intended to marry Esheme, a shrewd, determined woman striving to improve the standing of her household. Danso, though wanting to help improve the standing his and Esheme's families in Bassa - something their marriage would accomplish - is also eager to learn more about his outlander mother and escape the persistent racism he faces in Bassa for being lighter-skinned and not full Bassai. This background introduction is perhaps the first fourth of the novel, but it provides such detail that it makes it easy to visualize the world Okungbowa has created and to understand the motives of Danso, Esheme, and a cast of supporting characters (who also get their own interesting backstories). It also allows readers to follow along when you see the characters change as the novel goes on because though the setting changes and some actions become more severe, their motives remain the same.

Danso’s journey really begins when he meets Lilong, an intruder to the mainland searching to recover dangerous magical items that were removed from her home. Saving Lilong starts Danso on a journey off of the mainland to learn about himself and the world. But the repercussions of his actions are not simply forgotten. His lower caste Bassai-appointed companion, his family, and, even more dangerously for Danso, Bassa itself are all affected by his actions (and also by their own decisions), meaning Danso and Lilong’s escape will not be an easy one. And not everyone will make it through the journey alive.

Throughout all of this, not only are we following Danso’s path and frame of mind, but we are also learning more about Lilong, and Esheme, and the Danso’s mother's people from their own points of view. Esheme in particular is an extremely interesting character to me. Her metamorphosis is some peak storytelling! And even if Danso’s journey wasn’t enough to keep me wanting the second book, hers certainly would be. I also love books that give me a world that I can be fully drawn into, and this book definitely does that. I received this first book of the series for free in exchange for my honest review, but when the second one comes out, I’ll be pushing purchase immediately!

First off, many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

As expected, I loved this one! I loved the characters (Damso is a treasure and I adore him, while Esheme is fascinating despite her coldness), the setting (I've never come across an Africa-based fantasy before, and I'd love to read more like this!), and the writing, too, which was absolutely lovely.

This would have given it five stars, save two issues. One, there's a great deal of info-dumping, which is irritating. And two, there's no real romance. That's just a personal preference, but a book doesn't feel complete to me without a romance for the main character. It just feels lacking.

I give Son of the Storm four stars out of five!

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa failed to capture my attention beyond the beautiful, out-of-this-world cover. As an avid reader of fantasy, I had really hoped that the worldbuilding and the characters would be enough for me to overcome the writing style; however, this simply was not the case. The characters were largely unlikable and it was sometimes hard for me to understand their motivations. The worldbuilding did not captivate me, either. Son of the Storm was just not the right book for me, at this moment in time. To be completely honest though, it might be the right book for you, which would make me happy. After you are done appreciating the cover, please take some time to consider if Son of the Storm is the next book you should peruse. I remain hopeful that the sequel will improve upon the characters, plot, writing style, and worldbuilding, as the series becomes more developed. For some reason, I was also reminded a bit of Jade City by Fonda Lee…

3.0

A multi-POV West African inspired Epic fantasy.

Where to start ... The world building is complex. I would recommend Son of Storm to avid adult fantasy readers. It is a multi- POV fantasy with a heavy world building and politics. The magic system in itself is intriguing and I enjoyed getting to learn how it works.

What I enjoyed the most about Son of the Storm, is the focus on themes. Okuongbowa tackles cultural identity and heritage, oppression and privilege through a variety of voice and lenses.

Where this book failed for me is that it didn't have a strong beginning. It took me a very long time to get into. The first 150 pages or so feel dense and there is a lot of info dumping. If you can get past that, this is a solid start to a series. I'm looking forward to continuing on whenever more books come out.

TW: Violence

I really enjoyed the world building and multiple perspectives within this novel. So many of the contemporary issues in the African diaspora play out in very interesting ways, including classism and colorism. I am interested for what my students will find in this book and how it represents their lives.

The world-building in this book was amazing. I was beyond blown away by the images by imagination created as a result. I am looking forward to stretching the confounds of my imagination to being this to life.

This was such a cool fantasy book! I loved the three POVs, especially Esheme's. She is a very well written character. The world building was fantastic, and the writing was great. I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

Wow, thanks for granting my wish, Orbit! As an African American with family from Nigeria who grew up loving fantasy, but never saw myself in it, so this was a very magical and affirming read. I purchased the audiobook before Orbit granted my wish and it was fun to switch back and forth. It can move a little slowly at times but I found that relaxing here where it can sometimes be frustrating in other series. I can’t wait for the next one!

I absolutely loved this book. There’s so much nuance especially when it comes to colorism and colonialism that I love seeing portrayed in fantasies. Can’t wait for book two!

I loved everything about this book: the characters, the setting, the grappling with timely themes of discrimination and finding your own place in the world. Absolutely breathtaking!

Unfortunately, this book ended up a DNF for me after reading the first 100 pages. This was due to me not liking the writing style of the book. This is NOT a poorly written book, it's just more of a personal preference on my end. I thought the concept and the world were really fascinating and I'm really bummed that I couldn't connect with the writing. I do think this book will work well for most fantasy readers and would still recommend it.

Excellent debut! Great characters, interesting magic, complexly politics and in depth world building. Such a pleasure to read.

I'm really disappointed I didn't love this because on paper it had a lot going for it. Besides the obviously stunning cover it's West African inspired fantasy with strong female characters, politics and magic. All of which sounds right up my alley.

Unfortunately I found this to be quite dry with a LOT of info-dumpy exposition and characters who seemed interesting in theory, but always felt at arms length. I also have some feelings about our main female perspective character. I'm pretty sure she's intended to be sort of the villain of the story and while I'm all for a good female villain, the specifics of her characterization feel kind of rooted in misogyny. I'm still processing this and maybe I'm wrong about how we're supposed to read her but one of the first things we see her do is have a no-strings-attached sexual encounter with her hairdresser when she's betrothed to someone else. This leads to (spoilers ahead)....

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a pregnancy where she basically uses her unborn, biracial child as a source of magic that drains the life from that child. Which is pretty horrific, and could be read as an extreme vilification of women who end unplanned pregnancies. I'm not certain that's the intention here, but it's kind of how it comes across. So that plus the fact that this clearly villainous woman pointedly has sex with more than one person in semi-graphic scenes while our hero does not....reads as sexist. And honestly, that kind of sucks because initially I was really loving that we were getting this complex, strong female character who goes after what she wants. Except that it then seems she's intended to be the villain of the story. *sigh*

So yeah, I sadly didn't have a great time with this one, but I think your mileage may vary.

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa is one that caught my eye because of its elements of fantasy and that cover. Plus, I am making a concerted effort to read more by authors of color and from other cultures, so this ticked off a lot of boxes in books I like to read.

It's not that Son of the Storm is a bad story. On the whole, I did enjoy a lot of it. In particular, the caste system that exists in Bassa, with its focus on darker skin tones being better, is fascinating because it is such an opposite thought process to the caste system that exists in the United States. Another part I enjoyed was the idea that the general populace of Bassa wanted an emperor as their leader versus the committee rule that exists at the opening of the novel. Again, this is a shocking idea to Americans, as we learn from an early age that democracy or a democratic republic is the only method of government worth having (right or wrong).

Unfortunately, the characters are not quite as compelling, and the story has a tendency to drag on and on. There is so much exposition, which is understandable. After all, Mr. Okungbowa is creating an unfamiliar world for an audience who most likely is not familiar with African cultures. There is a lot to explain. Yet, I've read much more complex and foreign stories with little to no exposition where the author essentially throws readers into the deep end and lets them figure out things like setting and culture as the story progresses. As frustrating as that can be, I much prefer to sink or swim than to have an author hold my hand the entire time.

While I enjoyed Son of the Storm, I don't think I enjoyed it enough to want to continue the series. I loved the cultural aspect of the story. Unfortunately, I didn't care for any of the characters in a way that makes me want to learn their fate.

Epic fantasy with brilliant characters and strong world building. Evenly paced story with themes of betrayal, colonialism, and forbidden magic. Overall a solid read for lovers of high fantasy

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa is the first in a trilogy about an alt-African empire that is about to be turned upside down by a magical threat. Unless you're one of the elite Bassai, you're probably having a hard time of it as an indentured servant or living on the fringes of society.

Danso is a scholar who loves learning for learning's sake. Unfortunately, he has poor impulse and time management skills, which leads him to be late for an important gathering. This snowballs into him getting involved with a magicworker and having to abandon his home and family, traveling through a dangerous forest and savannah to reach what he hopes will be a sanctuary.

Having read Okungbowa's "David Mogo - Godhunter,) I wasn't surprised by the lushness of the story and the solidity of the worldbuilding. This is an Africa that never was, but this reads, in the way great fantasy books do, like a history. Danso is the well-meaning, naive hero who is forced to examine his culture and how it treats others as he works to find his place in the world. Lilong, the magicworker, is more jaded, but still has hope that the different groups can work together.

While the story plays out much as the reader will expect it to, there is no staleness. You want to know what happens next with Danso and Lilong, and learn how their magic will shape not only themselves, but their world.

Highly recommended. 4 out of 5 stars.

I received a copy from Orbit Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic world!
I adored the main characters from the beginning and I just really loved the magic system. Really looking forward to more in this world.

I went into this book knowing very little about the plot since I typically enjoy experiencing a story completely blind, and wow did this story end up blowing me away. This story primarily revolves around three separate characters who have very different backgrounds but whose lives are still interconnected. Each of these characters is looked down upon by their current society due to the fact that their mere existence goes against societal ideals. Throughout the story, two of the protagonists have to come to terms with the truths of the world and how they contradict what they've been taught their entire lives by those in power. Meanwhile, the third protagonist, who is of a race most people were told no longer existed, is stuck working alongside one protagonist as she helps him unlearn false truths and to be less naive, and is also working against the other protagonist who has suddenly gained tremendous powers and is seemingly on a path of destruction.

This world and each character are so incredibly complex that it's hard to even do the plot justice in a simple summary. The worldbuilding in general was fascinating to me, especially as the story branched out into places other than Bassa, where most power is held. Each location the characters arrive at unravels even more about Bassai society and does a great job displaying its flaws.

I loved seeing the character growth as all of this occurred as well. No character was the same at the end of this book compared to the start, and despite being exposed to similar truths, each character still went down a drastically different path. Many characters had storylines I wasn't expecting, and some reached drastic extremes in terms of their actions later on in the story. After seeing how dark this book managed to get, I am very curious to see how these characters continue to grow in future books. I am particularly curious about one of the protagonists' future developments because despite disliking her by the end of this first book, her character growth was fascinating to me and I would love to see if she continues to seem unapologetically bad, or if she later becomes a more sympathetic character.

Overall, I loved this story and how it balanced feeling like a fantasy book while incorporating aspects that still made this feel very relevant to modern society. The examinations of how different races and cultures interact, and how those in power can so easily oppress others that they deem beneath them, hit hard, especially regarding the suppression of information in order to further push their ideals on members of their society. The way in which certain characters tried to push their beliefs on others felt almost uncomfortably real because it mirrored things I have seen happen in politics in recent years. Okungbowa really nailed this, as it made it that much easier to understand each characters' perspective on events throughout the story.

This was a great start to a new trilogy, and now that I feel invested in this fantasy world, I look forward to seeing how the story further develops in the final two books!