This was fun. Nnedi has been a defining voice in Africanfuturism and African Jujuism. This novella blends in elements of both, sitting in a sort of science fantasy niche in a post apocalyptic vision of Africa. Despite the setting this is quite a hopeful story for the most part, although there are definitely some darker themes in place. Our MC, Najeeba, is a member of a tribe who controls the salt trade in this vision of the future. They know where and how to acquire the salt necessary for survival. Despite this, the tribe itself are considered outcasts by most.

There is some interesting mysticism at work with the salt trade organised by a mystical 'call' about when a give family has their slot to go and harvest the salt. This society is very patriarchal in its nature, but Najeeba despite being a girl gets this call (hence the allusion in the novella title), so she joins her father and her brothers on the trade.

There are lots of jujuistic elements at work here, like witches and mystical abilities such as spirit travelling. Everything is very rooted in the West African culture and I am all here for that - I love it when stories have a different cultural basis. Darker elements are worked in with tribal and sexist rivalries and prejudices, often times displayed in a violent way, but there is an inherent chirpiness to Nnedi's prose that gives everything a wonderfully bubbly feel.

This is a fun novella and whilst it expands upon a world previously visited by Nnedi, there is no prior reading necessary - this works perfectly as a standalone in that regard. A wonderful science fantasy take on West African culture.

I will read anything Okorafor writes and She Who Knows did not disappoint.
This is a novella featuring the back story of a character from another of Okorafor's books. Fantastic world building in this africanfuturism-post apocalyptic story. It's a book about challenging cultural norms that is steeped in tradition and magic.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC copy. This was interesting and not at all what I expected. For such a short book it took a while for things to start to go the route I thought would be the entirety of the book. I didn't like that there was the "having sex triggered the magic" though which I thought was unnecessary and especially with how that relationship went. There was just something lacking with this novella for me to fully enjoy it. I liked the overall story but it's so short I thought a lot more could have been shown and discussed between characters whereas it just lacked those moments for me. I get this is part of a universe I haven't read yet so that's on me for not fully grasping it.

This is listed as the first in a new series but is really a prequel to She Who Fears Death. I read that book six years ago so I am likely forgetting a lot of the context that may have made this book more meaningful. I loved the set up and the dead lake of salt. There was a lot of promise and the MC was great in what she was learning and then the book just ended. It read like a introduction to a book but the book never came. There is going to be a second novella and maybe that would give this book more plot as it is the origin story of the MC of She Who Fears Death’s mother but as of now, I loved the world but don’t feel like this can stand on its own at all.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was so interesting to read. Some of it confused me though. I usually dislike books told over multiple years, but since this is a novella, I didn’t mind it. I wish I had more of an emotional connection to the characters. The magic and world were intriguing. I didn’t expect that information at the end!

She Who Know is a short story set in the "Who Fears Death" world. However, I don't think you don't need to read the original novel for this story to make sense. Najeeba is a young girl in futuristic West Africa, belonging to the oppressed Osunu (untouchables) people, who one day feels 'the call'. The call is only experienced by men and boys but Najeeba's father allows her to accompany him and her brothers to the Dead Lake where they harvest precious salt and sell this commodity in the market to sustain them. It's the events that occur during this trip and the secrets revealed that change Najeeba's life forever She Who Knows is a great example of how you write a futuristic setting, without bogging the narrative with explanations of terms and a world-building that flows so wel with the story coming from the genre's pioneer herself. Okorafor's writing is magical and almost poetic but also straightforward and pulls you right into this futuristic part sci-fi part fantasy world of witches, sparkling salt, defiance and a girl who is larger than life.

Going into this read I hadn’t read the other books in the series and was curious to read it from the description. I enjoyed Najeeba’s journey as she changed gender norms and cultural norms in her society. The world building was great however I wish the “mystical” moments were more descriptive. There were a times I felt lost or confused in this story, I think the last chapter felt rushed and I wished there was more. After this read, I plan on reading the other books in this series as I want to learn more about this story!

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for providing an arc to this for an honest rating.

A delightful work. In a strange and distant future. While it’s great to have read Who Fears Death first, , it is not necessary. Nnedi Okorafor is a master of worldbuilding. When I pick up one of her books I know the societies and cultures she crafts are going to be rich and complex. The technology that is so much a part of our lives in 2024 has but a small part to play.

At the heart of this story is Jeeba, who starts the story by defying tradition and developing abilities that change not just her life, but that of her family and community. While there are rich rewards, there are also consequences that she could not have foreseen.. The reader gets to experience Jeeba maturing into someone beautiful and occasionally something terrible as she fights those who would oppress her family and community.

I want more stories in this harsh yet often touching universe. I put it down with a sense of wonder and amazement.

I read this courtesy Net Galley. Salt is life, we are told, and in this wonderful work of Afrofuturistic fantasy/science fiction, we have a coming of age story in which a girl experiences an instinctive call to travel the Salt Roads, to accompany her father and brothers to the Dead Lake to mine the most attractive and useful blocks of salt. But girls don’t do that - yet she does, and she discovers there is more to her life, and her people, than she could have ever considered. The reader can nearly touch the world in the description that Okorafor gives us, and we find ourselves entwined in the culture, the people, the very environment.

She Who Knows is a novella with a compelling main character, great worldbuilding, and straightforward yet slightly poetic prose. This is the backstory of one of the characters from Who Fears Death. While I haven't read this book, I was still able to enjoy this story on its own, and I am intrigued enough that I not only one to continue this new prequel series, but I'll definitely be going back to read Who Fears Death as well.

This story focuses on a 13-year-old Najeeba, who has recieved the mystical "calling" to travel the Salt Roads to a great dried lake where their people harvest salt that they then sell and trade to support themselves financially. Problem is, women aren't traditionally allowed to travel the Salt Roads -- but despite tradition and judgement form others in her village, she begins to accompany her father and brothers on this annual expedition, leading to adventure, discovery of hidden talents, and occasionally, perilous situations. Najeeba ultimately has to grapple with how becoming the person she wants to be sets her apart from the society that raised her.

Okorafor's writing is creative, confident, and immersive, and my only real complaint is that I wish this were longer: there are enough things going on with Najeeba's conflict, her relationships to her family and friends, and the fascinating lore and worldbuilding that I felt it left me wanting much more. Better than the alternative, for sure, and granted this is the first of three prequel novellas, and there's Who Fears Death that I can read, so perhaps doing that will round out the experience.

Overall I definitely recommend it!

It’s been a few years since I have read a book by Okorafor but her approach remains as compelling and distinctive as I remember. She Who Knows is a prequel for Who Fears Death and is the story of Onyesonwu’s mother Najeeba. The central theme of this novella is, as the author writes in the opening notes, that ‘there are always and descendants’, and the text follows Najeeba’s discovery of this through the middle and later part of her teens.

When the story opens, Najeeba is thirteen and she has been called to accompany her father and brothers to collect salt – a task previously exclusively undertaken by Osu-nu men. The novella is set in the Earth’s distant future, a time in which there are remnants of our current technology (including caves full of computers, air-conditioned archives, and portable devices with mobile phone-like functions), but in which salt is the most precious commodity.

Najeeba is a curious, driven, self-assured, and spontaneous young woman, who pushes against and through the boundaries of acceptability to defy cultural norms as well as redefining her spiritual and mystical capabilities. She refuses to accept the hypocrisy of a society in which only men are allowed to visit a place discovered by women and through being the most honest and uncompromising version of herself creates profound change in her own life and her community. However, she must struggle with reconciling her desire for acknowledgement with the readily apparent costs that come from breaking taboos, and grapple with the consequences, results and fruitions of her nonconformity.

Okorafor is an expert in complex world building and this novella is a masterclass in doing so much in a succinct, enthralling, and powerful manner. This is listed as being book 1 in a series and I’m excited to read the next instalment.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A powerful and unforgettable coming of age novella, about breaking generational curses, and daring to answer your own call. Really enjoyed it.

Thanks to DAW and NetGalley for this ARC of She Who Knows. There were elements of this that I very much enjoyed. The world building was solid and I enjoyed the mystical/magical elements of it all but was disappointed in how little is mentioned beyond that these powers exist. Najeeba's struggles felt very real world and I enjoyed her family dynamics but her as a character I found kind of bland. Everything came too easy to her. Even when her powers manifested it was like, "Guess I meditate a few times and I'm good to go." Then they became even stronger transforming her (which was dope) but she just knew what to do. Her skills at the market were the same and half the time her response to how she could do things was, "I don't know, I just can." The plot was simple and easy to follow but felt very mundane a lot of the time and there were moments I could feel my mind wandering at the mundane or repetitive nature of the story. Well written as all Okorafor is but this one didn't keep me very invested. The very last page seems to speak of events in the connecting book and that got me interested in more/that book. To quote the last page of the book, "Ah, I see now...his interest finally piqued." Really sums up my reading but I trust Okorafor in the novella game so I will probably be back for more in this series.

A young girl in a pseudo-dystopian desert of Africa dares to challenge cultural norms in this absolutely stunning coming-of-age novella steeped in tradition and magic.

I read it in one sitting. The world-building is beautiful, the writing is flawless, and the mysticism that feels so casual and effortless. But all of it flows together in the most epic backdrop for the protagonist to shine.

Najeeba embodies that curiousness and defiance present in every teenage girl. We follow her journey and growth over a few years as she tries to embrace a calling, only to be ostracized, berated, and gaslighted until we see the inevitable fire of feminine rage flicker to life within her.

Okorafor is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me. I’m on a quest to read her entire backlist, as everything I’ve read from her has blown my mind. She Who Knows takes place in the same world as Who Fears Death and kicks off a brand-new trilogy.

This book is incredible and I can’t wait to check out more of the universe from this one. I loved the blend of cultural roots, tradition, and the supernatural set alongside technology the likes of which we have never experienced. One of the camel’s being named Noor also took me out. 🥺 🐫

I don’t read as much fantasy nowadays as I used to, but I can easily say Okorafor is in my top 3 for fantasy authors. Check this one out if you like scifi with emphasis on the science, fantasy, witches, and bad-a$$ women challenging social norms.

If you are looking for a place to start reading this author, She Who Knows would be a great place to jump in! I also absolutely adore the Binti trilogy and Noor was a recent favorite. Check my stories for past reviews!

**Thank you to NetGalley and DAW Books for the eARC of this beautiful title!**

An enlightening story of Onyesonwu's (protagonist of Who Fears Death) mother's journey. Immersed in Okorafor's world-building from the first page, I found the book hopeful despite the hardship experienced within. Najeeba manages to affect change in her culture over the span of a few years, turning gender roles on their head. While this comes at a personal cost to her, it seems to be just the beginning of her journey and I look forward to reading the rest of her story.

Finishing this novella made me yearn for more. Najeeba’s story is absolutely fascinating, full of depths, magical and mythical, but also so human and so relatable. This is another amazing work of Nnedi Okorafor: fantastic storytelling, a fresh and creative idea, a unique, yet relatable leading character, great references… it’s such a wonderful read.
Najeeba is a unique character, a girl who gets the call that usually happens only to boys and men, and starts travelling with her father and brothers to extract salt in order to sell it. She manages to discover that she has unusual abilities, that make her not fit with her usual group of friends, relatives or even local communities and societal norms. The way her story unfolds is so engaging, that i couldn’t put the book away, i had to know what’s gonna happen next.
Can’t wait for the other books of the trilogy.

A solid prequel to Okorafor's Who Fears Death, this novella focuses on the extraordinary talents of Najeeba, a young woman who carves a path for other women in undertaking what has previously been men's work. It's a nice coming of age story, and can serve as an introduction to this whole universe of Okorafor's.

I received this via NetGalley as an ARC for review. I found the book easy to read and the plot moved quickly. The relationship development in the family was solid and I felt like I could connect with main character.

The novella is the story of Najeeba, the only daughter in a family of 5. Throughout the book she struggles to remain true to the confines of traditional expectations for women, versus what her drive is and what she is good at. I found her character interesting and appropriately rebellious. The magic system albeit not flushed out as fully as it would be in a novel, were easy to follow. There were elements of mystery to it that I'm sure are explored in Who Fears Death.

I do not generally read Sci-Fi and this was a prequel to an existing Sci-Fi novella. Although I did not rate this book 4 or 5 stars, I am intrigued enough with the plot and characters to now explore Who Fears Death. I would also be willing to revisit this story again after reading the existing novella. Overall, I would recommend to someone who enjoys Sci Fi novellas.

Salt, dust, wind and a powerful will - this is Najeeba's tale.
- Nnedi

These words from the author's note are a perfect description of the novella, as well as Nnedi Okorafor's writing style. She Who Knows: Firespitter is Najeeba's origin story, as it were, and set in the same world as another series (Who Fears Death). It starts with Najeeba's Knowledge of the ancient Call to the salt mines, traditionally heard only by the men, and follows her as she faces all the consequences of answering it in the next few years. This is a standalone and I was able to follow the story even without reading Who Fears Death.

The world-building is Nnedi Okorafor's trademark africanfuturism (or africanjujuism, see Nnedi Okorafor) and I am amazed afresh at the vivid worlds she can build in just a few short pages. The book is set in a sort of post-apocalyptic world where the use of portables for communication is seen but their manufacture doesn't seem to be common. The story is steeped in myths and folklore however and it's wonderful to read such a rich story.

Nnedi's writing style is almost poetic, and describes certain moments, magic and mysticism beautifully. We see Najeeba's character arc as a response to the magic unfolding in her and all the other characters in relation to her. I did wish we could have seen more character development for Najeeba, especially in the latter half of the book (late teenage years). But I've been completely invested in this tale, as well as this world, since the first chapter of this novella and I look forward to reading more of this series, this world, and of Nnedi Okorafor's work!

🌟🌟🌟🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the writing; One star for the world-building and description; Half a star for the characters and arcs; Half a star for the story - Four stars in total].

Thanks to NetGalley, Nnedi Okorafor and DAW Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.