ARC provided by Netgalley.

Jordan Ifueko is an incredible author and The Maid and the Crocodile did not disappoint. It takes place in the same world as the Raybearer series, but can be read as a standalone. I recommend this book to readers who loved the Raybearer series, love romantasy books, or are just looking for an incredible new book they can lose themselves in.

Small Sade lost her mom when she was a young girl. During the time after she lost her mom and aging out of the adoption homes, Sade learned to make herself small. She did things that wouldn’t cause attention to herself because causing attention to herself is what killed her mother in her mind. After the orphanage, Small Sade looks for a job as a maid. She eventually runs into the Crocodile God and learns more about herself and what she is capable of. In the end, Sade makes the best decision of all for herself; not choosing between one opportunity or the other. She balanced both and it was the best decision that she made for herself.

I can certainly see the Howl's Moving Castle inspiration in this book, which is a very good thing for me.

After loving the Raybearer duology a few years ago, I was super excited to read The Maid and the Crocodile. It's out August 13th, thanks so much @abramskids and Netgalley for the eARC.

The Maid and the Crocodile follows Small Sade as she leaves her orphanage and goes out into the world to make a living as a cleaning maid. She accidentally catches the attention of the Crocodile, who is known as a God who devours girls, and has to deal with that alongside trying not to end up in the streets.

Sade is also a curse-eater and can see and clean spiritual dirt that can influence and weigh on people. Her powers were super interesting and one of my favourite parts of the book. The main strength of this book is its characters and their interactions. The different ways people treat Sade based on the fact she walks with a cane and has vitiligo, how that changes when they learn her power. The difference between the genuine relationships she builds vs those who want to use her.

I liked that it's smaller in scope than the last books, it's about a person and her life rather than an empire, and it provides a very different perspective on the world. It looks a lot more closely at class barriers and the perceptions of those on each side. How those in positions of power can have a disproportionate amount of impact on those who are not, and how even well meaning actions can have unknown consequences.

Obviously, the crocodile has a big part to play but I don't really want to talk about him! I feel like it's better to go in with no expectations and just see how the story plays out. He's very well drawn as a character, compelling and frustrating in equal measure.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Sped through it on a long train ride and was very glad I picked it up. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Raybearer. And if you haven't read that yet, read it! This book does stand on its own but lots of characters from the original duology pop up so I personally think it's more fun if you know who they are. ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5 stars)

I’d forgotten just how much I love Jordan Ifueko’s writing until I read this book. It’s honestly just so captivating. I was absorbed in this book and enjoyed it all.

The first thing I’m gonna say is do not read this unless you’ve read Raybearer and Redemptor or aren’t planning to read them. It goes into a lot of detail about what happens in both and much of the events on this book were caused by the events of the last two, so there are a lot of spoilers.

I loved the disability rep in this book. Sade’s foot was injured when she was a child so she uses a cane and struggles with things like stairs and it was nice to see that Ifueko didn’t shy away from showing her dealing with it. It was a fact of Sade’s life but it also didn’t hold her back from the plot of the book. More and more books are embracing disability in a positive way like this and it’s really good to see.

Sade also has vitiligo and it was good to see a positive representation of this. Ifueko didn’t ignore the prejudice that surrounds this skin condition, but she also showed it in a positive way and described it so beautifully in parts of the book. It was interesting to see a main character with vitiligo.

Honestly these books are just so good. Beautifully written, full of plot twists and strength of character. I really love them.

This is an excellent follow up to Ifueko's Raybearer duology, and I love that it was set in the same word. Sade was a wonderful, complex main character, and the world-building and romance with the Crocodile was equally well-developed and walked a deft line between deeper, darker emotions and fun fantasy.

I loved this book and the story! I feel like it could have used 100 more pages to flesh out some more of the characters and their journeys but overall amazing!

This is a fantastic young adult fantasy with characters that you will care about from the very beginning. I absolutely loved our disabled female main character, her beliefs, her character growth, and the difference she was able to make in the world while still remaining true to the life she wanted for herself. I love a quiet main character who is not weak. I am always thrilled to have a romance with a powerful paranormal, and while the romance was very much a b plot, it was very enjoyable. The social commentary in this book was easily one of my favorite parts of the writing.

{AD} I've been in a reading slump for months now but this book had me reading as often as possible over the last 12 hours just to finish it. I'm a huge fan of [book:Raybearer|50158128] and [book:Redemptor|55624056] and THE MAID AND THE CROCODILE is set in the same world. It even features some of the same characters but can also be read as a standalone. I'd definitely recommend reading the duology if you haven't thought as it's incredible.

Sade is such a compelling and powerful protagonist. Her struggles and hopes are those the majority experience rather than the elite minority. Her journey is at the centre of this story, learning to take up space in a world that wants to grind her down. The Crocodile is a very fun character and I loved his playful dynamic with Sade. His journey also explores identity and belonging, but almost in the opposite direction to Sade.

Honestly, I just loved this from beginning to end. The prose was engaging, the characters compelling, and the plot kept me turning the pages. Definitely one to pre-order!

I love being back in Aritsar! Something about the way that Ifueko writes just gives me everything that I need in a fantasy. This is a young adult fantasy romance inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Howl's Moving Castle. This is very much a slowburn and if you've read the Raybearer trilogy you will see some familiar faces along with some loveable new ones. Ifueko does a great job writing social commentary in an accessible way and also having the best found family that just makes you instantly fall in love with the characters.

I adored everything about this from the plot to the characters to the phenomenal world building. I can't recommend this enough!

A standalone set in the same world as the Raybearer duology, featuring one of our favorite darlings from Redemptor? Do I really need to say anything else? This was as perfect as I imagined a romantasy set in the world of Raybearer would be. I laughed, I cried, I rallied behind the characters, I felt transported, and I finished wishing it wasn’t the end.

If you haven’t read the Raybearer duology, you’re really doing yourself a disservice, as it is one of the best YA fantasy books I have ever read. Jordan Ifueko is an immensely talented storyteller, her prose is gorgeous, her world-building is lush, and she knows how to craft a found family worth pinning for.

If you’ve not read the Raybearer duology and you’re wondering if you can still read The Maid and the Crocodile, yes you absolutely can - the author builds a world that is detailed and feels full without having read the previous work. There are some general spoilers for the Raybearer duology, although nothing you wouldn’t assume yourself. BUT, reading the duology before hand would be my preference - it is too good not to and it will set you up for a deeper understanding of our main characters.

The Maid and the Crocodile has…
- A rich West African inspired world
- Disability representation
- a swoon worthy romance where he falls for her value and not her beauty
- found family (Jordan Ifueko is the queen of found family imo)
- symbolism and imagery delivered via the most beautiful prose that you won’t be able to stop thinking about
- a narrator that tells her story in a way that transports you - really, she makes you feel like you’ll being told the story around a fire, not reading words on a paper
- a beastly and cursed, sometimes idiotic MMC
- a way of representing real-world problems in a meaningful way without shoving it down your throat
- dense, multi-layered characters that jump off the page and into your heart

I have literally nothing but praise for The Maid and the Crocodile!

Additional TW: The note in the beginning of the book includes most notable trigger warnings, however I would also add an additional warning for self-harm.

Thank you NetGalley and Abrams Kids (Amulet Books) for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Jordan Ifueko, the writer you are! I will buy anything she writes, and I am picky with YA.

I was a bit nervous about this book after being so enamored with the Raybearer duology, but this was a perfect addition to the beautifully crafted world of Aritsar. The characters were dynamic, the messaging was deliberate and carefully delivered, and the plot was well-paced. Some of the plots wrapped up a little too perfectly for my usual taste, but it was so earnest and heartwarming that I didn't mind at all. Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC!

What a privilege to be back in Aritsar again. I've missed the magical lands of Ifueko's imagination and the people and animals and things that contribute to its livelihood. As an African reader myself, Oluwan City, in all its beauty and ugly, resembles my home in the DRC (minus its very cool magic). Sade is such a dynamic and unique character. She represents the downtrodden everyday folk, just trying her best to survive in a world that doesn't consider her kind important enough to warrant consideration. I applaud Ifueko for writing about mobility disabilities and facial/aesthetic differences with such relentless care and compassion. As an able-bodied reader, I cannot know for certain what is good or bad disability representation, but I would like to believe that Ifueko's account of Sade's disability will comfort more than hurt.

As always, nobody writes found family like Ifueko. After the comfort that the love amongst the Anointed Ones in *Raybearer* and *Redemptor* provided me, I was excited to see how Ifueko would deliver on that end in *The Maid and the Crocodile*. And deliver she did! The Amenities are brought together by unfortunate circumstances but their love and care for each other remains a steadfast and supportive pillar. The romance between Sade and the Crocodile was slow like molasses, just how I like it. I appreciate that the focus of the book was about both of their relative growth as people and how they helped each other achieve that, rather than how they meshed together romantically. Overall, I cannot wait to see more people pick up this book and travel with Sade on her adventures to heal and find herself.

An excellent read Full of folklore, excitement, and even romance - Jordan Ifueko doesn't disappointment. It was a title I was sad that ended and I can hardly wait for more.

This book is a welcome return to the world of Aritsar for fans of the Raybearer books while also serving as a thoughtful introduction to the world for new readers. There are connections to the original books sprinkled throughout that add layers of richness to the story for returning readers or inspire new fans to go back and learn more about this beautifully constructed world, without feeling lost or left out of this story. I absolutely loved Small Sade, with her strong spirit, deep compassion, and fierce persistence. She’s an orphan aging out of the foster system who must find work, but in the process finds herself torn between her connection to a Crocodile God and the relationships she is building at her new job. Her world is further complicated by her unlucky foot and her unique skill as a Curse Eater. All she wants is to belong to a community, but the gods may have other plans for her.

I absolutely ate this book up. Back in the world of Raybearer, we get to see what the world is becoming as our heroes from the original books have become leaders. This is exactly what I hope for when authors revisit a series. I do think reading the Raybearer books will make the experience much more fun but I suppose you could do without.

This book isn’t quite cozy but I would say cozy-adjacent. I really enjoyed Sade’s character. She has such a clear voice and personality and her growth was so satisfying. The romance is quite fun but I thought the friendships were just as strong which is always fun to see. I knew this book was going to be really strong but I was thrilled to see how good it is.

Jordan Ifueko is an auto-buy author for me and this book will be no exception! I loved it so much, Sade exists in an already richly built world of Raybearer and Redemptor. You don't necessarily have to read those books to enjoy this one (but you should 100% read them) and there are spoilers for them in this book so you should read them first if you plan to.

The Maid and the Crocodile is a companion book to Ifueko’s Raybearer world but is easily enjoyed without having read the other books. Sade is an orphan is an orphan in search of a job. The Crocodile is a mysterious god who is rumored to eat girls. Their paths cross and entangle. Sade wants to work quietly as a maid but it is discovered that she can eat curses, a reason to be more used and abused by the upper classes. The Crocodile wants to teach her how to lead rebellions. They have much to learn from each other.
A thoroughly enjoyable read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Kids for this DRC.
#TheMaidandtheCrocodile #NetGalley

Thank you so much to Amulet Books for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Where do I even begin with my love for this book?? It was beautiful in so many ways, and I have no idea how to even inadequately capture the ways it touched my heart and held my mind. For starters, the writing style is so fresh and fun and I was not expecting the ending and who the audience of the story really was. It was unique and ended up being the absolute perfect way for the story to unfold.

The disability representation is exquisite in so many ways that I could spend all day describing everything that I adored about it. It goes hand in hand with the talk of classism and wealth, and I think they are all expertly done and expertly intertwined to give such powerful statements about the unfortunate state of our world while also giving hope and joy through it all.

The romance was so cute and I can't even begin to describe my love for Croc. If you need me, I'll be fangirling about him until the end of time. But the romance also held a lot of growth and self-discovery in its depths and I loved watching them both navigate who they wanted to become and how they wanted to shape the world for the better.

I will adore this book forever - it certainly has a special place in my heart from now until the end of time!