This is the sequel to she who knows and set in the same world of who fears death. Like her previous books, this one is well written and uses Nigerian mythology for the story. I’m not really sure how much to say about this one for a summary since it’s a spinoff series and a sequel. Plus it’s so short. I think the most I can say is that I really enjoyed it, the world building was well done and Nnedi Okorafor’s writing is getting better with each book. My only issue is that it’s a novella. I rarely give out 5 stars to novella’s since I want more time with the story and characters.

One Way Witch continues the story of Najeeba, Onyesonwu's mother, as she follow her daughter down the road toward becoming a sorcerers. Okorafor provides a poignant and reflective novella as our beloved navigates self-discovery, love, grief and forgiveness.

This book was only okay personally. I think it had too much going on at once, with a lack of explanation, and it was still somehow slow and hard to read

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

With her daughter, Onyesonwu, gone from the world; Najeeba must find a new path and focus for herself. As a child she turned into a dragon-like beast of wind and fire, her father wished for a sorcerer child to Ani and Najeeba was born with power. So in her middle age she decides to become an apprentice to the town sorcerer and embark on a path she hopes will lead her back to her childhood home to destroy a creature that steals children away. The world has changed greatly with what her daughter has done but still she remembers as do most sorcerers and to some degree sensitives. Her journey will bring her to confront old pains and trauma, be forced to deal with old enemies, lose her closest friends and gain a new lover. She will learn the mystic ways of the world and reveal the cause behind why most of the planet is now a desert. This is an amazing and epic novel that requires slow reading to absorb it all and truly experience the epic heroes journey Najeeba is on. A brilliant new book from Okorafor.

2 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Najeeba is a witch who can transform to a spirit creature of flame and wind. Her daughter formed by rape is a sorceress who remade the entire world. But Najeeba wants more - to understand the Mystic Points of power in the world, and become a full sorceress herself.

Review
I said in my review of Firespitter that DAW didn’t seem to know what it was doing with the book, and this sequel hasn’t changed my mind. This book has even less going on than the previous one – it’s largely a description of the fact that the narrator is training in sorcery; not even really how she trains, beyond some vague, muddled description. It really made me lose patience with this series, and perhaps even with how Okorafor tells a story.

Okorafor starts with a defensive, ‘I can’t explain what my previous book was about, but here’s my [fairly useless] summary’. It refers to Who Fears Death, and seems to suggest this book and Firespitter are really just backstory for that novel, which I have not read. If so, that may explain why these books are so formless and opaque. It begins to feel as if many of Okorafor’s books are connected, and I just don’t have the right grounding, not having read the right set in the right order. However it may be, I found this book not only dull, but downright irritating. I’m taking a big step back from, ‘Okorafor is a very interesting writer new to me’ and toward ‘Okorafor’s books are occasionally interesting, but overall muddled’.

Very little happens in this book. Najeeba learns sorcery, but a) she was already a magician, and b) it all just sort of happens and she tells us it did. In a sense, we see the learning experience, but it’s so opaque that it’s hard to make sense of until she tells us the effect it apparently had. To make matters worse, she never accomplishes the one goal she set out for herself. Instead, a completely different and unheralded resolution worms its way in. I found the book boring, and was never invested in the characters. It’s a short book, but even so, I was never eager to pick it up, feeling more that it was a chore I had to accomplish. It feels like the middle of a novel, but not an interesting one.

In a way, it’s impressive that one book can me me reevaluate the author quite so much. But frankly, it’s really only the Binti trilogy that drew me in, and the other Okorafor books I’ve read have been disappointing. I’m willing to class this one as bad, more because it’s so muddled and flat than because there’s anything egregious in it. I haven’t read Who Fears Death, no longer want to, and am not interested to follow this backstory series any further. And that’s from someone who hates to quit something they’ve started.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Nnedi Okorafor does it again in the She Who Knows series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel in this world. It had that element that I was looking for from previous books from Nnedi Okorafor. Nnedi Okorafor does a amazing job in writing this and was engaged with what was happening and thought the characters worked well. I hope to read more in this world and from Nnedi Okorafor.

I found it heartbreaking as it's the story of a woman who lost her daughter and everyone she loved. A bleak story that becomes more intriguing and plot oriented in the last part
It was harsh to read and sometimes I found the misoginy unbearable even if I suppose it's a realistic description
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I’ve seen Nnedi Okorafor’s books around for a while, but it wasn’t until I happened across She Who Knows that I finally broke the seal, and I’m so glad I did. I made sure to read Who Fears Death before starting One-Way Witch and I absolutely recommend reading WFD before Najeeba’s series, but especially before this novella. There is so much that happens with Onyesonwu that creates so much of the reality for One-Way Witch, especially understanding the Before. I love Nnedi’s writing and storytelling, and these characters are so complicated and flawed. I can’t wait to see the conclusion of Najeeba’s story and more about the Cleanser.

This is the second book in the She Who Knows trilogy. The author recommends that the reading "Who Fears Death" before reading this book. I read the first book in this trilogy ("She Who Knows") and then read "Who Fears Death" and finally "One Way Witch". This was a great reading order. I was introduced to the characters in book one and then continued on into the world to learn the story of Najeeba's daughter Onyesonwu. Then I came back to Najeeba's story line in this book, One Way Witch. During this process the world and the characters have been very well developed. This is a wonderful series and I can't wait for the next book!

Absolutely love this sequel to She Who Knows. We get into more of Najeeba's story in adulthood and how she trains to become a sorceress. This woman pulls more men than me and I see husband #3 on the way. This concept of atonement is interesting. I cant wait to see how this all ends as she heads back to her village to face one final fear.

This novella is a fresh feel for me, a novel perspective from what I’m used to reading in the fantasy genre. The plot is a strong concept, a follow-on story from a previous novel, in which the mother of the previous main character is learning to awaken her magical powers in the way her daughter did. My favorite part of the book was these segments in which she’s fully realizing her strength and doing something fantastical, to great effect in her environment or on her life.

The writing style at times was not quite my thing, but I want to leave room for other’s tastes, so a few things I will go over that won’t affect my scoring. Read on to see if this sounds like something you’re interested in.

I could see this as a triggering text, as there is a lot of misogyny and discussion of rape. It’s pretty much the central thread of the plot. I understand it is describing a different culture, however, and the sexual mores of this culture are just different than what I’m used to. It’s not really the fact that there are characters that act agist and misogynistic exist in the book, so much as the fact that those types of interactions are the bulk of the book, so there’s nothing to balance it out. Many of the characters are rude, arrogant, and authoritarian, which can be harsh to read.

Even with the main character being this incredibly powerful woman sorceress, her entire life and essence is being talked down to by men, serving them, being used and abused by them. They fear her, put her down, make demands of her. It’s just hard to watch. Even the one man in her life who’s supposed to be decent, all she does is cook for him and sleep with him. The last 1/3 improves in this regard since it becomes more heavily plot focused and less relationships with people.

Overall, if you read and liked the main novel this was based on, I would imagine this would be something you would like to pick up. Rating this on the world building, magic system, and novelty, 3.5 stars, check it out.

*An uncorrected proof of this book was provided by the publisher at the reviewer’s request in exchange for a fair and uncompromising review.

One Way Witch by Nnedi Okorafor is the second book in the trilogy of fantasy novellas set in the Who Fears Death and Phoenix universe, with a focus on Onyesonwu's mother, who turns out to also be a sorcress. It is quite a gripping book and I read it in a short while. I feel like one may need to reread Who Fears Death for better context. Thank you, Netgalley and DAW, for the ARC. All opinions expressed are mine