Son of the Storm
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- Create Date：2021-05-24 10:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Suyi Davies Okungbowa
- ISBN：0356515826
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Summary
In the city of Bassa， Danso is a clever scholar on the cusp of achieving greatness-only he doesn't want it。 Instead， he prefers to chase forbidden stories about what lies outside the city walls。 The Bassai elite claim there is nothing of interest。 The city's immigrants are sworn to secrecy。
But when Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn't exist， he's put on a collision course with Bassa's darkest secrets。 Drawn into the city's hidden history， he sets out on a journey beyond its borders。 But the chaos left in the wake of his discovery threatens to destroy the empire。
But when Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn't exist， he's put on a collision course with Bassa's darkest secrets。 Drawn into the city's hidden history， he sets out on a journey beyond its borders。 But the chaos left in the wake of his discovery threatens to destroy the empire。
Reviews
Julie Ambani
，
（3。5）I would like to first congratulate Suyi for the release of Son Of The Storm - the first book in the Nameless Republic series。 That said， it took a while for me to get into this book。 The first several chapters are dedicated to world building - nothing unusual in a fantasy book。 However， the lack of any action during this period made the book a bit flat。 Nevertheless， once you get through the world building and understand the characters and the systems， the book becomes interesting。 While so （3。5）I would like to first congratulate Suyi for the release of Son Of The Storm - the first book in the Nameless Republic series。 That said， it took a while for me to get into this book。 The first several chapters are dedicated to world building - nothing unusual in a fantasy book。 However， the lack of any action during this period made the book a bit flat。 Nevertheless， once you get through the world building and understand the characters and the systems， the book becomes interesting。 While some parts are slightly predictable， Suyi has made some serious plot twists which made the second half of the book quite interesting to me。 I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers but remember， it is a slow burn and you'll need to be patient with the first half of the book。 Now that world building was done in detail in the first book， I am looking forward to book two and hopefully it will be more action packed！ 。。。more
Franscina
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The world building takes forever and a day but once you are over that then things get really interesting！Totally loved it。
Natalia
，
This book is full of morally gray characters， politics and important commentary on people's worth in relation to their skin color， power， and class。Like most epic fantasies， this book has a large cast of characters but each one of them has a very distinctive voice and I never found myself mixing the names up。 I also like that the story wasn't exclusively told from the main three POVs。 There are occasional chapters from point of view of side characters and I appreciated what additional perspectiv This book is full of morally gray characters， politics and important commentary on people's worth in relation to their skin color， power， and class。Like most epic fantasies， this book has a large cast of characters but each one of them has a very distinctive voice and I never found myself mixing the names up。 I also like that the story wasn't exclusively told from the main three POVs。 There are occasional chapters from point of view of side characters and I appreciated what additional perspectives brought into the story。 There are severe consequences from using magic and I was glad to see that play a role in the story。 However， there was a point in the story where characters recovered strangely fast。。。 but it's just one of very few and minor criticism I have for this book。 Worldbuilding is top notch。 Book one has barely scratched the surface of its vast， vivid world and I'm very excited for book two， in which we are supposed to explore the other side of the continent。Thank you to Orbit for providing an advanced reading copy！ 。。。more
Liz
，
Pretty good and refreshing to see a different setting than "western Europe medieval reflavor v12"。 I think this series and author have a lot of promise and look forward to book 2。 Pretty good and refreshing to see a different setting than "western Europe medieval reflavor v12"。 I think this series and author have a lot of promise and look forward to book 2。 。。。more
Nikki J
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Things I liked: I loved the change in setting and culture。 Very different from your typical fantasy but enjoyable。 Very well written/developed characters。 The political scheming was very intricate and thought out。 Multiple POVs Things I didn’t:Lack of magic， action， and fantastical elements that make a fantasy a fantasy。 Pacing- EVERYTHINGS HAPPENING for five pages and then NOTHING for a hundred。 More was needed to help break up the journey plot and dialogue。 This did get better towards the end Things I liked: I loved the change in setting and culture。 Very different from your typical fantasy but enjoyable。 Very well written/developed characters。 The political scheming was very intricate and thought out。 Multiple POVs Things I didn’t:Lack of magic， action， and fantastical elements that make a fantasy a fantasy。 Pacing- EVERYTHINGS HAPPENING for five pages and then NOTHING for a hundred。 More was needed to help break up the journey plot and dialogue。 This did get better towards the end though and came together nicely。 Overall I would recommend and look forward to the sequel。 。。。more
Tammie
，
Thank you so much to Orbit Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！This is the first book to what I can forsee being a new favourite series。 I absolutely loved the world that Okungbowa has crafted - I thought that the way the plot played out lended itself really well to allowing us as the reader experience various parts of this world in an organic way。 The worldbuilding here is very lush and easy to visualize， which I love。 I also just love the character work in Thank you so much to Orbit Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！This is the first book to what I can forsee being a new favourite series。 I absolutely loved the world that Okungbowa has crafted - I thought that the way the plot played out lended itself really well to allowing us as the reader experience various parts of this world in an organic way。 The worldbuilding here is very lush and easy to visualize， which I love。 I also just love the character work in this book。 I thought our two main characters had fantastic character arcs， and while the side characters weren't as well-developed as the main characters （obviously）， we still got to know a few of them quite well。 Zaq and Lilong in particular were favourites of mine。 I do wish we got to know the parent figures in this story a bit more than we actually did， but I'm hopeful we'll get more of them in future books。 I really loved that in this story， we are primarily following characters who aren't your typical types of characters in fantasy - we're following scholars， rather than fighters， and I loved it。 Esheme is， of course， my favourite character - I have a soft spot for villainous women， and she really is no exception。My absolute favourite thing about this book， however， is definitely the themes that are discussed， as well as the execution of these themes。 A core theme in this book is cultural identity and heritage， and I loved that we got to explore a variety of different cultures through different characters， as well as seeing some characters grapple with mixed heritage and what that meant for them personally。 I also really appreciated the conversations surrounding privilege and oppression， and how just because someone is oppressed in one way doesn't mean they can't be privileged in others。 Other notable themes that were touched upon were immigrant/diaspora experiences， and environmentalism。 Honestly， if you're like me and are a very theme-driven reader， this book really shines here and I would highly recommend picking it up。My only real criticisms of this book are that the middle section did drag a little for me， but once we passed the 2/3 mark， the pacing picked up and it wasn't really an issue anymore。 The other thing that I didn't love personally was that we did have a magic system in which different users have varying levels of power based on their natural affinities， and our main character did reach a level of proficiency with far less training than others in the book （not quite but almost a Mary Sue， if you will）， which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine。 However， I don't think this would bother the average reader as much， and I do hope that we'll get to see him hone his skills in the next book。 All in all， I really loved this book and I cannot wait until next year for the second book。 Highly recommend this one， especially for fantasy fans who are more character-based or theme-driven readers！ 。。。more
Jelena Milašinović
，
Wow！ Since reading David Mogo， Godhunter I knew Suyi Davies Okungbowa is an author you need to keep an eye on。 When Son of the Storm， the first book in a series was announced I was beyond excited， preordered the book as soon as I could and when it finally came out it rocked my socks off！ The world of Oon the author created is rich and diverse， just like the cultures that inspired it。 Okungbowa's characters are wonderfully complex and thought through。 I was thrilled when I noticed how complex and Wow！ Since reading David Mogo， Godhunter I knew Suyi Davies Okungbowa is an author you need to keep an eye on。 When Son of the Storm， the first book in a series was announced I was beyond excited， preordered the book as soon as I could and when it finally came out it rocked my socks off！ The world of Oon the author created is rich and diverse， just like the cultures that inspired it。 Okungbowa's characters are wonderfully complex and thought through。 I was thrilled when I noticed how complex and intelligent all of his characters were; how Danso （one of the main characters） was really intelligent and naive at the same time， but his naivete never made him stupid or less of。。。 And how when someone pointed out that his views or thoughts were naive or at times not correct Danso would take this into consideration and think about it！ It was so refreshing。Another refreshing thing was that in every character Okungbowa brought to the stage you could find something you could relate to; even in the characters you didn't particularly like。 But there was always something relatable - perhaps a reaction to a situation， or something that happened to them or their environment， or a character trait。。。 Son of the Storm is definitely a book that requires a bit more thinking before writing a review that it deserves。 However， I wanted to type some initial thoughts and express my joy and excitement about the book。 If you can， please go read it！ The story is mesmerizing， the characters beautifully complex， the writing is elegant and powerful。 。。。more
Bernice
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Not going to lie while reading the book with the term yellow skin and the name Lilong，I did think sheandher people were Asians， however after reading the author's clarification， I feel a little foolish because yes her pupils and her reaction to sunlight was indeed very in line with albinism。 Not going to lie while reading the book with the term yellow skin and the name Lilong，I did think sheandher people were Asians， however after reading the author's clarification， I feel a little foolish because yes her pupils and her reaction to sunlight was indeed very in line with albinism。 。。。more
KinkyCurlyNerdy
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Wow！ Fantastic read！ Okungbowa is an author to look out for！
drey
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I’ve been looking forward to reading Son of the Storm since I first saw its cover， and even more so when I found out it fit my requirements for reading more diverse books， with diverse characters， from diverse authors。Son of the Storm is a fantasy set in an African-inspired world， with castes， guilds， forbidden magic， and all the fixings of a growth-quest journey complete with misaligned adventurers。 There are a lot of characters to meet and get to know， and a lot of background to set， so it’s a I’ve been looking forward to reading Son of the Storm since I first saw its cover， and even more so when I found out it fit my requirements for reading more diverse books， with diverse characters， from diverse authors。Son of the Storm is a fantasy set in an African-inspired world， with castes， guilds， forbidden magic， and all the fixings of a growth-quest journey complete with misaligned adventurers。 There are a lot of characters to meet and get to know， and a lot of background to set， so it’s a somewhat slow read。 Then again， this is true of a lot of epic fantasy first-in-series – and I quite liked all the detail Okungbowa imbues into Son of the Storm。Our hapless hero Danso is a scholar who’d rather just spend his time and life following his curiosity， even if it’s gotten him in hot water quite a few times。 His thirst for knowledge knows no bounds， to the dismay of his intended Esheme， his Second Zaq， and his father。 Danso is that one friend who has their heads so far up in the clouds they wouldn’t notice they’re sinking in quicksand。 Esheme is totally badass。 I’m still not quite sure whether I like her – she’s brash and abrasive， playing a role when she has to and letting it all hang out when she doesn’t give a damn anymore。 And when power falls into their laps， it’s almost a race to see who’s going to do what with it。Son of the Storm is also a fascinating read in how a people use borders， immigration regulations， education， housing， et al to reinforce a projection of authority and power。 And what happens when its citizens rebel and revolt against the lies they’re told。All in all， this first is worth a follow-up; I can’t wait for the next in this series。drey’s rating: Excellent！ 。。。more
Dustin Johnston （dragonarmybooks）
，
I have a BookTube channel where I review books， give reading suggestions， and more！ Check it out here: https://www。youtube。com/dragonarmybooks---My Rating - 4。5 StarsA clever scholar boy with bigger dreams than allowed。 An ambitious achiever who hopes to crawl out from under her mother's shadow and claim power for herself。 A persecuted foreigner， out of place and away from her home， who wields a dangerous magic and is seeking retribution。 The fates of the three unexpectedly intertwine in a thril I have a BookTube channel where I review books， give reading suggestions， and more！ Check it out here: https://www。youtube。com/dragonarmybooks---My Rating - 4。5 StarsA clever scholar boy with bigger dreams than allowed。 An ambitious achiever who hopes to crawl out from under her mother's shadow and claim power for herself。 A persecuted foreigner， out of place and away from her home， who wields a dangerous magic and is seeking retribution。 The fates of the three unexpectedly intertwine in a thrilling story of bold characters， bloody action， and brutal politics。I really loved this story！ Suyi Davies Okungbowa is an excellent storyteller and quite possibly an even better worldbuilder。 The Nameless Republic is a unique world with African-inspired cultures， castes， and conflicts。 All of the worldbuilding was done in an excellent way， more shown than told。 I never felt bogged down by details and quickly caught on to the intricacies of the setting。 Furthermore， Okungbowa not only builds tension within the story， but sets up issues in the prologue that promise to have series-shaking impact as the series continues。While there are a number of POVs， Son of the Storm primarily focuses on three: Danso， Esheme， and Lilong。 All three of these characters are unique。 All three of these characters have varying backgrounds and skin shades that have significant impact on their relationships with the world around them。 All three of these characters are fully fleshed out with their own goals and aspirations。 One of these characters has an arc that I absolutely loved。 This character begins the book relatively kind and harmless and ends the book striking fear in the other characters and in me as the reader！ I also love the magic system。 It reminds me some of the magic system found in Jade City， however， instead of jade， a mineral called ibor is the source of magic。 As some kind of mixture of meteor and the old bones of beasts， ibor is incredibly rare and can only be wielded by certain people。 There's white ibor that allows control of air and light。 Grey ibor grants its user manipulation of fire。 Amber ibor can possess solid inanimate objects。 And the power of the red ibor， the rarest of all， has remained a mystery for a very long time， until now。。。It is super important to realize the cultural inspiration behind the writing of this novel。 Every single one of the characters in this story is Black/African-inspired。 Furthermore， the varying range of skin tone is central to the story and caste system in the world of Son of the Storm。 While some of the terms used to refer to these skin shades are pejorative within the story， the terms have zero relation to our world， specifically to historical America in its denigration to Asians。 I find it unfortunate that Okunbowa has had to defend this since the release of his book， but I understand。 One of the slang words， in particular， caught me off guard when I first came across it。 But as soon as I understood the fuller context， it didn't bother me again。This is one of those books that is teetering on rolling over into being a 5-star review from me。 In fact， I think I will give it some time， maybe a few months， and then do a re-read to know for sure。 Regardless， it's an incredible work by Okungbowa and I am so looking forward to reading the sequel， Warrior of the Wind， in 2022！Provided by the publisher， Orbit， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jasmine
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I got this book in a giveaway so I feel obligated to write a review。 I came into the book with high hopes， a fantasy/sci-fi book set in an African setting （specifically Nigerian culture and influences）？ Sign me up！ Unfortunately， it went downhill from there。 Although I appreciate the different POVs that show how every cog in the caste system of Bassa works and thinks， it does make the plot plateau as we see how each person reacts to events。。。。Then we go into the Yellowskin and Diwi parts。 I had I got this book in a giveaway so I feel obligated to write a review。 I came into the book with high hopes， a fantasy/sci-fi book set in an African setting （specifically Nigerian culture and influences）？ Sign me up！ Unfortunately， it went downhill from there。 Although I appreciate the different POVs that show how every cog in the caste system of Bassa works and thinks， it does make the plot plateau as we see how each person reacts to events。。。。Then we go into the Yellowskin and Diwi parts。 I had high hopes that since this was a non-European fantasy/sci-fi book so the Yellowskin parts surprised me。 What disappointed me was to see the trope of "mixed race people hold a magic that is inaccessible by others"。 As a mixed-race person I'm quite sick of seeing essays and fiction that paint mixed-race people as holding the power to stop racism， power imbalance， etc。 The fact that the villain finds out that she needs to have a mixed-race baby in her womb that she slowly kills as she uses it's powers？ Whew， that hit very close to home to people telling me they want to date people of a different race just so they can have beautiful babies。Tl;dr basically I was expecting to read a sci-fi/fantasy book without any microaggressions and instead got a heaping plate of them， along with the plot going very slowly because we must see how each main character thinks of events。 。。。more
Kristine
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Through about 20%， I was really enjoying the story about Denso， his desire to find his place， his life as an outsider， the awkward arrangement with his betrothed who clearly didn't want anything to do with him， his intelligence and work and school and family， all of it。 （Think， five-stars-shouting-from-rooftops。） Suyi， the ideas are so great here， and more time with editors to hone in and craft the story would have solidified your place in YA canon。The book is written in third person limited but Through about 20%， I was really enjoying the story about Denso， his desire to find his place， his life as an outsider， the awkward arrangement with his betrothed who clearly didn't want anything to do with him， his intelligence and work and school and family， all of it。 （Think， five-stars-shouting-from-rooftops。） Suyi， the ideas are so great here， and more time with editors to hone in and craft the story would have solidified your place in YA canon。The book is written in third person limited but jumps focus every chapter between Danso， his servant Zaq， his betrothed Esheme and her mother Nem， the yellowskin Lilong， Biemwense， Kakutan， Oboda 。。。 8 different people 。。。 it should have been written in third person omniscient or just focused on Danso and Esheme， maybe Lilong as well。 The jumping around made it harder to follow as the voice was really the same for all。 How Danso interprets the actions and mysteries would be far more appropriate， especially as they are traveling and meeting new people。 All the viewpoints also took away part of the mystery （as we are being told the thoughts and motivations） and part of my personal investment in a main character and their story （because we aren't sticking with them）。 Part of building the world thoroughly is of course having and knowing these additional stories， but the stories belong in a novella alongside the book if the author wants to share。 So much of the first quarter and last quarter is focused on Danso anyway。 It would have been a much richer experience had the book been focused in and edited more thoroughly。Esheme is a BAMF， by the way。 I liked the ending。 。。。more
laurel [the suspected bibliophile]
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*hyperventilating wheezing*That。 Is。 How。 You。 Do。 Epic。 Fantasy！The scope， the stakes， the characters， the world-building。 Everything was fantastic and spot on and all-encompassingly breathtaking。It is slow to start， and the build is forever， but once I was hooked I was HOOKED。Definitely a must-read if you are into epic fantasy。Full RTCI received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review
KristopherGrows
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I'm conflicted over this one。 A fantasy world built on African folklore instead of European was very refreshing。 Using the story as a means to explore power dynamics in myriad forms throughout the narrative made a decent socio-political point successfully while still managing to tell a story; often novels that try that are so focused on their point that they forget to tell the story， and thereby fail to make the point （Iron Council by China Mieville veered toward incoherence because of this）。 T I'm conflicted over this one。 A fantasy world built on African folklore instead of European was very refreshing。 Using the story as a means to explore power dynamics in myriad forms throughout the narrative made a decent socio-political point successfully while still managing to tell a story; often novels that try that are so focused on their point that they forget to tell the story， and thereby fail to make the point （Iron Council by China Mieville veered toward incoherence because of this）。 The problem is that structurally the narrative was sought to tell the reader everything without showing the reader little fi anything， creating a series of info-dumps strung together by anachronistic language and cliche。 It reminded me of Elantris by Brandon Sanderson， where characters simply wouldn't shut up about information that did not pertain to the characters in the scene， but simply needed to be put out there somehow。 Sanderson improved a great deal in this respect with further experience， so I expect Okungbowa will likewise improve。 That being said， it wasn't just scene descriptions or historical background either as most of the character development was done by means of info-dumps; I hadn't even realized that an info-dump of emotional content was even possible before this。 Lengthy segments of navel-gazing in the internal monologue alternated with extensive 'As you know Bob' dialogs where characters simply announced their feelings for pages on end。 It wasn't boring or unimportant content， it just wasn't presented with anything approaching subtlety。 。。。more
Pia
，
Did I see the cover for this book and immediately put it on my want to read list， and only then read the synopsis？ Yes， so please， mind your business。 You saw nothing here。
Kat
，
One Sentence Summary: When a yellowskin is sighted in Bassa for the first time in countless generations， a curious scholar goes on the quest of a lifetime and an ambitious fixer's daughter sees her opportunity。Holy cow， Son of the Storm is incredible！ It's intense and so character driven I literally can't think of a way to do this book justice by using my usual format。 I wanted to read this book because it's West African-inspired and， for a number of reasons， I'm really intrigued by African-insp One Sentence Summary: When a yellowskin is sighted in Bassa for the first time in countless generations， a curious scholar goes on the quest of a lifetime and an ambitious fixer's daughter sees her opportunity。Holy cow， Son of the Storm is incredible！ It's intense and so character driven I literally can't think of a way to do this book justice by using my usual format。 I wanted to read this book because it's West African-inspired and， for a number of reasons， I'm really intrigued by African-inspired fantasy these days。 I wasn't even too sure of what it was about because the description felt a little vague， but I ended up really enjoying it。 It's unapologetic and intense， sometimes brutal and sometimes naive。 There are a lot of moving parts， a lot of things hinging on the decisions of the characters。 I couldn't not think of Son of the Storm as being anything other than character driven。 So it feels only fitting to focus on the three main characters in my review。DansoDanso is a scholar， and far too curious for his own good。 Despite his somewhat lighter than acceptable skin， he's allowed to become an Idu， a scholar welcome to learn at the university。 He's bright， so they made an exception。 But he's also far too bright， far too curious， and it leads him to potential expulsion。 Before that can happen， though， he comes across a yellowskin in hiding， a woman who shouldn't exist， a woman he should report。 Danso being Danso， he keeps her secret， and it starts his journey into the unknown。Danso is naive。 Smart， but his curiosity makes him single-minded in his pursuit to the point where he forgets the people around him have their own lives， their own needs and wants， and that what he wants is not always practical or possible。 But it was absolutely amazing to see the world through his eyes。 He willingly leaves Bassa and finds an entire world like and unlike what he knows。 The world building is incredible， but comes from the launching pad of what Danso has been taught and believes。 He often felt like a wide-eyed child gazing at everything in wonder， learning with a childish delight， making him also feel very innocent and perhaps the bearer of too good of a soul。Overall， I really liked Danso。 I loved the wonder he took with him， though his innocence often got him into trouble。 But， of all of the characters， he was the most accepting of his lot。 His decisions and how he influenced the characters around him really helped drive the story forward。EshemeBack in Bassa， Esheme was Danso's intended。 His very irritated intended who didn't actually seem to care much for him。 She's a perfect foil to Danso: cool， competent， ambitious。 Where Danso simply wants knowledge， Esheme wants power。The daughter of a fixer， she and her mother are on the fringes of society， but society couldn't exist without everything her mother can do。 Esheme and her mother Nem have a fascinating relationship， one where they both really want the same thing for Esheme， but there's a lack of communication。Through Esheme's eyes， we learn about how Bassa operates。 Because Esheme wants power and wants to change things。 We learn about a coalition working to undermine the Elders and councils。 We learn about how Bassa segregates people of various skin tones into different groups with the darkest skin being the most desirable。 We learn about how Bassa is organized into various wards and what it means for how society functions and how people of different skin darkness are treated。Just like Danso， Esheme pushes the story forward。 She's smart， ambitious， and manipulative。 She'll do anything to get ahead， will use anyone available to her， and her willingness to do so makes her difficult to stop。 Esheme is relentless in pushing， in shifting people to do what she wishes， just as Danso is relentless in his pursuit of knowledge and the unknown。I didn't find her to be quite as likable， but I do have to admire her ambition。 While Danso explores the wider world （and what an incredible world it turns out to be）， she's confined to Bassa， almost as though she's providing a counterpoint to him， a point of reference for the reader to highlight the world and how it all operates。LilongLilong is a mythical yellowskin。 According to the people of Bassa， the islands her people come from sank too long ago for anyone living to remember seeing one。 As such， she's secretive， but wields an incredible power。 It's her duty to keep Danso in the dark， but， over the course of the story and her journey with him， she softens， and it's fascinating to get to know her and the Nameless Islands she comes from。Lilong felt like the most elusive character to me。 She felt like she was mostly going along with the flow， stuck with Danso while constantly pulling away and denying him the knowledge he thirsts for。 But she is the one who sparks everything in the book。True to her people's decision to stay secret， Lilong offers very little about herself， her people， and the magic she wields。 The magic is incredible and fascinating and plays a big role in the story， but I have to admit I still feel vague on how a lot of it works。 But I really enjoyed watching her relationship with Danso settle into something less confrontational and more resigned。 They played off of each other really well and sometimes lent something of a lighter air to a really dense read。OverallSon of the Storm is an incredible African-inspired fantasy。 The characters are extremely well fleshed out and their choices directly impact the story。 They're three very different people surrounded by people who both support them and want to kill them， creating a bit of a brutal society。 The world is incredible and well-detailed， making it feel like a living， breathing （literally） thing。 Son of the Storm is often intense， often brutal， but surprisingly focused on the different kinds of relationships between the characters。 The characterizations are so well done that I almost believed I was actually settling into the world， into their shoes， every time I opened the book。 If there was one thing that didn't really work for me， it's that the ARC I have lacked a map， so the world felt a little vague to me， and it was difficult to keep track of all the skin tone based classes。Thank you to Angela Man at Orbit for a physical review copy。 All opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Liz
，
DNF。 Couldn't get into it -- after about 20 chapters， there wasn't any action to speak of， and I couldn't relate to the main character。 Danso is apparently around 20 years old， but he certainly didn't act his age。 I expect the author started him so immature so he would have room to grow later， but in consequence he doesn't gain the reader's attention like a main character should。 Esheme was much more interesting， but there wasn't enough of her。 The first part of the book was very heavy on worldb DNF。 Couldn't get into it -- after about 20 chapters， there wasn't any action to speak of， and I couldn't relate to the main character。 Danso is apparently around 20 years old， but he certainly didn't act his age。 I expect the author started him so immature so he would have room to grow later， but in consequence he doesn't gain the reader's attention like a main character should。 Esheme was much more interesting， but there wasn't enough of her。 The first part of the book was very heavy on worldbuilding and exposition， but I would have preferred more focus on the characters。 。。。more
Laura （crofteereader）
，
I will preface this review by saying two things: go read a review by an OwnVoices reviewer and take their thoughts over mine; and go read the material that the author has provided to explain the intricacies of this world he has created。 One of the things that I really loved about this book was how it handled privilege。 The nations in this book are governed by a strict caste system influenced by the color of people's skin and their heritage （everyone is Black so it's a colorist system， not a raci I will preface this review by saying two things: go read a review by an OwnVoices reviewer and take their thoughts over mine; and go read the material that the author has provided to explain the intricacies of this world he has created。 One of the things that I really loved about this book was how it handled privilege。 The nations in this book are governed by a strict caste system influenced by the color of people's skin and their heritage （everyone is Black so it's a colorist system， not a racist system）。 We see a mixed-heritage person of high "rank" （often accused of faking his rank but also having more privilege than others of similar heritage to his） embodying imperialist ideals and the selfishness inherent in trying to free only himself。 We see an indentured immigrant whose goal is to achieve the highest status available to him （which is comparatively low） so that he can marry and enjoy a life of relative ease; he is willing to go along with the rigid structure because he doesn't have any other choice that will not result in more suffering。 And we have a high-caste woman who is given an unexpected amount of power， who stirs up the people with talks of patriotism and returning the empire to greatness （sound familiar？）I will say that the book involved a lot of political machinations， but once the weapons （and magic） came out about halfway through， it was compulsive。 Especially when we see how the characters either embraces or shirked the expectations thrust upon them。 How do they handle power？ How to they learn from it？ Who can help them？I cannot wait to see where the characters and the series go from here！{Thank you Orbit Books for the finished copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own} 。。。more
Hannah Thistlethwaite
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*3。5* "You say you want liberty， but you can never be free alone。 None of us are free until all of us are。" *3。5* "You say you want liberty， but you can never be free alone。 None of us are free until all of us are。" 。。。more
Manjot Singh
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WOW！ what a journey， loved it looking forword to book 2
Arina
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Son of the Storm is a story of truth， freedom， and the reality-shaping power of knowledge。 It’s also about borders imposed in the name of self-interest， and how curiosity and openness can be tools to shatter oppressive dominant narratives。Inspired by the great Kingdom of Benin， Son of the Storm mingles a multitude of journeys that expertly build up the narrative and world， introducing exciting elements like ruthless， complex women and a non-binary assassin side character。 It focuses on Danso， Li Son of the Storm is a story of truth， freedom， and the reality-shaping power of knowledge。 It’s also about borders imposed in the name of self-interest， and how curiosity and openness can be tools to shatter oppressive dominant narratives。Inspired by the great Kingdom of Benin， Son of the Storm mingles a multitude of journeys that expertly build up the narrative and world， introducing exciting elements like ruthless， complex women and a non-binary assassin side character。 It focuses on Danso， Lilong， and Esheme， while at the same time broadening the reader’s scope to a wider comingling of perspectives that so fascinatingly depicts Oon and its people。Telling of fallen empires， the rise of revolutions， betrayal， the political machinations and ambitions of the powerful， and forbidden magic， it has everything of the best of Fantasy。 With some characters scheming political interests and others shattering them， Son Of The Storm discusses the sanitization of history， imperialism， corruption， migration， and builds analogies to the persecution of Black/African people with albinism。 We enter a world that reads so plentiful; novel and imaginative but likewise familiar， an evocation of both the ancient and the modern。 It pieces together a unique and exciting magic system based on meteorites and one’s connection to the earth， intricately molded worldbuilding， and shocking， violent action scenes。At the very beginning of the book， the author mentions his intent to “subvert the understanding of heroism and villainy” and that’s exactly what he accomplished。 There are still forces of good and evil， but， alongside the characters， there are also all shades in between， unbinding the story from the expected。******************A warm thanks to the publisher and @caffeinetours for the beautiful arc of the book， for my participation in the tour。 My opinions remain honest and my own。 Read the full review on my blog。 。。。more
FantasyBookNerd
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Son of the Storm is the first in a new series by Suyi Davies Okungbowa set in a rich West African based society。When reviewers read books and subsequently post reviews， we attempt to convey our own interactions with the books。 What captured our imagination， our level of engagement with the book and the emotive impact that it had to make us feel the way that we do。Sometimes a book hits right to the very heart of all these things， and sometimes it misses。 I suppose what I am trying to say is that Son of the Storm is the first in a new series by Suyi Davies Okungbowa set in a rich West African based society。When reviewers read books and subsequently post reviews， we attempt to convey our own interactions with the books。 What captured our imagination， our level of engagement with the book and the emotive impact that it had to make us feel the way that we do。Sometimes a book hits right to the very heart of all these things， and sometimes it misses。 I suppose what I am trying to say is that whatever we write， positive or negative， the review is about the reviewer's own opinion， and whilst is not necessarily correct， it is how they feel。Unfortunately， Son of the Storm did not hit the mark for me。 I know a lot of reviewers will say “I really wanted to like this book” and I think that you can guess， that is pretty obvious because that is why I clamoured to review this book， and I am indebted to Netgalley and the publishers Orbit for a chance to review this bookThere are a lot of positives in Son of the Storm， such as Suyi Davies Okungbowa’s vibrant voice that is prominent throughout this book。 He writes with a distinctive voice that you can immediately grasp the vocal tones that the characters are speaking with。In addition to that， he has created a world that is full of colour and it was one of the things that struck me with its vivacity。He also describes a rich socio - political system that is complex and at times quite oppressive in its insular vision。However， as I have said， I failed to make a connection with this book。 It does have a lot of positive points， but I just could not get emotionally invested in the story。 I have learnt in my time that sometimes this happens。 Sometimes， a book fails to click and attach itself at the basest level。 This led me to have difficulty with the book and rather than a growing investiture in the plot， I found myself becoming more and more detached from the book。There is a multi point of view in relation to characters。 Again， this was one of the areas I had problems。 I could not relate to the main character of Danso and found myself not caring about what happened to the character in the story。The breakout character for me was Esheme and her constant striving to increase her status。 As a result of this she will do anything。 She is a dichotomy of characteristics。 On the one hand she is highly passionate about her standing， and on the other she is cold and dispassionate， and in her ambition she finds herself being led down a dark path。As the story progresses， the character of Lilong is introduced， and similarly as with Danso， I found it hard to connect。On the whole， I found a Son of Storms a mixed bag。 Whilst there were positives， such as the vibrant world， the complex socio - political system and Suyi Davies Okunbowa’s distinctive voice but the book unfortunately did not grab me and narratively whisk me awayAs I said at the beginning of this review， as a blogger the main thing that I try to convey is my opinion。 There are times that I hope that you will agree with what I write。 However， on this occasion， whilst I hope you understand that this is my perspective， I hope that you disagree with everything I say。 。。。more
Evan Thomas
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book is Black Panther meets Game of Thrones。 It has some magic in it and mysticism as well as a LOT of politics。 I could imagine Danso looking like Jaden Smith and Esheme resembling Keke Palmer。 Igan would probably put me in the mind of Michael B Jordan。 Zaq， Danso's bodyguard would be like Anthony Mackie。 I see books as movies in my head。 Oboda would be best portrayed by Nonso Anozie the 6'6 Nigerian British actor who was in Game of Thrones。 Lilith would be best played by Amanda Steinfeld This book is Black Panther meets Game of Thrones。 It has some magic in it and mysticism as well as a LOT of politics。 I could imagine Danso looking like Jaden Smith and Esheme resembling Keke Palmer。 Igan would probably put me in the mind of Michael B Jordan。 Zaq， Danso's bodyguard would be like Anthony Mackie。 I see books as movies in my head。 Oboda would be best portrayed by Nonso Anozie the 6'6 Nigerian British actor who was in Game of Thrones。 Lilith would be best played by Amanda Steinfeld I think she could pull it off after acting in Insurgent and Hunger Games。 Nem would be portrayed by Viola Davis she is a strong actress。 David Kaluuya could play Tamino and Jodie Turner Smith could play Olabana the tall woman。 Basuaye the money hungry revolutionary could be played by Morgan Freeman。 Dota could be played by Forest Whitaker。 Esheme was engaged to Danso she cheated with Igharo and got pregnant by him。 Then she leaves him and gets with Igan aka The Left Hand of Darkness。 Danso runs off with a yellowskin whose a fugitive because Bassa has been trying to get rid of the yellowskins becaus ethey can wield a magical stone that the others can't。 Danso's mother was a yellowskin I think and that's why he is obsessed with helping Lilith the yellowskin who comes to get the ibor that agents of Bassa stole from her father。 Basically they spend the whole book or most of it running from Bassa's iron political grip。 Esheme becomes a murderous power hungry tyrant whose pregnant by Igharo an outlander so her baby has the power to wield ibor。 Now Esheme can control the dead。 Oboda her bodyguard is killed in combat。 She will bring him back as an undead grim reaper that does her bidding。 She ends up killing a man who thretens her Ariase with a knife and she sets Danso's father on fire。 It is very extreme how bad she is。 I see a lot of women in my generation who have Esheme's personality traits but usually not as bad。 。。。more
Lara
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Very detailed and impressive world building with an interesting magic system。 This is an Own Voices fantasy set in an African inspired continent with warring factions。 I liked the characters and how nuanced they are。 Danso is naive and has a lot to learn about the world。 He seems to pick things up along the journey but is still wide eyed and optimistic。 Lilong is the foil to his with her distrust and pessimism - she’s definitely jaded so they balance each other out。 I even like Esheme - she’s en Very detailed and impressive world building with an interesting magic system。 This is an Own Voices fantasy set in an African inspired continent with warring factions。 I liked the characters and how nuanced they are。 Danso is naive and has a lot to learn about the world。 He seems to pick things up along the journey but is still wide eyed and optimistic。 Lilong is the foil to his with her distrust and pessimism - she’s definitely jaded so they balance each other out。 I even like Esheme - she’s entitled and devious and conniving， but you have to admire her guts and her ambition。 She’s like the mean girl who you hope time and experience will eventually curtail。 I can’t see her as completely evil even though she does some despicable things， plus weirdly Danso who’s the “innocent” one ends up killing more people。 They are both intentional in who and how they kill people so it will be interesting to see how they are portrayed in the future books - I think it will be a lesson in how power corrupts and who is able to rise above it。Overall it’s an interesting book with lots of action and character development。 It is quite dense so took me some time to read but the storyline pulled me along。 Will definitely be checking out the rest of the series。 。。。more
Heather
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“This journey has shown me there are good and bad people everywhere。 So perhaps， harboring just a little faith， a little bit of trust， even when you’re unsure。。。 maybe that’s how we make change。”Son of the Storm is a West African inspired fantasy that follows three main characters and a few side characters。 Danso is a Shashi （mixed race） scholar that is promised to Esheme。 Esheme is the daughter of the town’s fixer and is in a position of power。 Lilong is a foreigner who came to the city to retr “This journey has shown me there are good and bad people everywhere。 So perhaps， harboring just a little faith， a little bit of trust， even when you’re unsure。。。 maybe that’s how we make change。”Son of the Storm is a West African inspired fantasy that follows three main characters and a few side characters。 Danso is a Shashi （mixed race） scholar that is promised to Esheme。 Esheme is the daughter of the town’s fixer and is in a position of power。 Lilong is a foreigner who came to the city to retrieve something that was stolen from her。The beginning of this book was extremely slow for me。 I’m typically a pretty fast reader， but this book took me 21 days to finish and put me in a fantasy slump。 That said， the last quarter really picked up。 I ended up enjoying the ending and am happy that I stuck with it。“The world needs at least one person to harbor a little belief， a little trust in things， or else what a horrible， horrible place it’ll be。” 。。。more
Tammy V
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Just finished it and my only complaint is that it is a first of a series and I new， so the rest of the series has not yet been written and I will forget to follow it up。Well written - a lot of fantasy stories are into world building， so much so I get lost trying to figure out what the author wants me to see。 Not this book。 The world was introduced gradually as part of the story， not told - shown。 Excellent writing！and it is more than just a fantasy - it deals with class and caste and skin color Just finished it and my only complaint is that it is a first of a series and I new， so the rest of the series has not yet been written and I will forget to follow it up。Well written - a lot of fantasy stories are into world building， so much so I get lost trying to figure out what the author wants me to see。 Not this book。 The world was introduced gradually as part of the story， not told - shown。 Excellent writing！and it is more than just a fantasy - it deals with class and caste and skin color and gender identification and politics and power。 All the best stories do。 It ended too quickly。 I could not stop myself and parse it out。 My bad。 Now I wait and hopefully remember。 。。。more
Sophie Ligaya dela Cruz
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a full review for Son of the Storm will be available on my blog， Sophie and Their Stories， very soon！SCREAMINGWHAT A MASTERPIECE。 I AM TELLING YOU， THIS IS A MASTERPIECE。 HOW DOES ONE FATHOM THIS BOOK ESHEME CAN STEP ON MY FACE（Thank you to Caffeine Book Tours and Orbit Booms for providing me an ARC of Son of the Storm in exchange for my participation in the Nameless Republic book tour！） a full review for Son of the Storm will be available on my blog， Sophie and Their Stories， very soon！SCREAMINGWHAT A MASTERPIECE。 I AM TELLING YOU， THIS IS A MASTERPIECE。 HOW DOES ONE FATHOM THIS BOOK ESHEME CAN STEP ON MY FACE（Thank you to Caffeine Book Tours and Orbit Booms for providing me an ARC of Son of the Storm in exchange for my participation in the Nameless Republic book tour！） 。。。more
Kate
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HOLY MOLY THAT WAS SO GOOD。Full review to follow！
Sifa Poulton
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I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 It has not affected my opinions。The marketing for this book claims it's the start of a big， unmissable epic fantasy series - and it really does have impressive scope。 This is a story set in a sprawling world， rich in cultures and mythology， without being told from a half dozen unconnected POVs。 The characters are all linked from the minute they are introduced - which is what I like in multi-POV books。It's such a hard t I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 It has not affected my opinions。The marketing for this book claims it's the start of a big， unmissable epic fantasy series - and it really does have impressive scope。 This is a story set in a sprawling world， rich in cultures and mythology， without being told from a half dozen unconnected POVs。 The characters are all linked from the minute they are introduced - which is what I like in multi-POV books。It's such a hard task， to create a story that feels epic while all the parts are deeply connected。 Often， an "epic scope" book reads like separate stories that （if you're lucky） link up by the end of the first book。 Here， it's one unified story made of interweaving threads。 Some， like Esheme， are in a different location and with a different primary goal， but she is still part of their story。 It's so engaging because everyone is linked to everyone else， such that you want to keep reading to see how this character's actions have affected the others。There are a lot of POVs in this book， three main （Danso， Lilong， and Esheme） and a host of others who pop up occasionally。 While it helps with the epic feel of the book， the early POVs never returning or late ones popping up well over 60% in was a little distracting。 It meant there was this "oh， right， another character to understand。 Oh wait， they're only here for three chapters。" Lilong doesn't even start narrating until the second act， and as her name hadn't been introduced yet （though her character was）， it took me most of her first chapter to work out that we were following events from the previous chapter rather than being somewhere else。So many scattered POVs who popped up and then dropped out gave the book a bit of an unfocused feel at times。 There are three in particular （Nem， Oboda， and Khartum） who felt like they weren't adding anything， and that their chapters could easily have been told by someone else of covered in a line of reporting， but that's the story telling style - encompassing so many people as it's not a story about individuals but communities。The world was fascinating， vividly imagined with so many little details that helped bring it alive。 There is a complex caste system at play， making for interesting dynamics in the city。 The world beyond the city is full of danger in unexpected way （the Breathing Forest was such a cool location！）I am excited for the next book！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Son of the Storm
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Son of the Storm&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Son of the Storm&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0