Daughters Of Nri (The Return Of The Earth Mother): 1

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Ugh I feel like this is one of those times where I’m speechless about a book. Like it just astounded and entertained me completely. I don’t even know how to describe it. I loved this story, I think it was beautifully done, and if you’re a fan of strong female-led fantasy rich in culture and history, this one's for you. It’s a dream. My other issue is that the book kind of dragged. It took a long time to get to the point of why the twins are special, and by the time their actual twin action happened, it was a rushed conclusion that's only a little satisfying. Added to that is the fact that the Eze's villainy is pretty passive for most of the book. We get reports on what people do on his behalf, we're told how "scary" he is, but we're not actually shown him doing all of these horrible things. He's just some powerful asshole who fits the role of the necessary antagonist in a sort of remote way. Nri tradition was based on the concept of peace, truth and harmony. [23] It spread this ideology through the ritualistic Ozo traders who maintained Nri influence by traveling and spreading Nri practices such as the " Ikenga" to other communities. These men were identified through the ritual facial scarifications they had undergone. Nri believed in cleansing and purifying the earth (a supernatural force to Nri called Ana and Ajana) [23] of human abominations and crimes. [2] Year counting ceremony [ edit ]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has elements I liked from the first one, with richly described characters and colorful worldbuilding. I liked the pace as well, the tension is kept throughout and I think this is largely attributed to the short chapter style which makes it fly by fast. More books should do that. It took a few chapters for Daughters of Nri to completely draw me in since the beginning alternated the past with introducing Naala and Sinai, but I found it engrossing as the twins’ stories moved forward. It’s not a book to read if you’re looking for plot twists and action but one to read if you’re looking for a book that immerses you in the characters’ lives. I particularly appreciated its focus on community, Reni K Amayo’s adeptness at bringing to life the various bonds between characters, and that the two sisters’ journeys were unique yet mirrored each other in some ways. So, here my fan cast of them. Some are adults actors not teenagers because I found it hard to find dark skin actors :( we hate colourism but Hollywood casts 27 year old to play teens anyway so.Onwuejeogwu, M. Angulu (1975). The social anthropology of Africa: an introduction. Heinemann. ISBN 0-435-89701-2. However there is still a villain problem in this book. The author seems clear on where they are taking the girls but the villains thrown in their path feel very random and irrelevant to the arc of the trilogy. There was not enough room for some new characters to exist since they weren't given that space from the first book iirc. I also think the third act could have taken place in the same place as the second.

I think this might even be more of a problem with the editor, because I think if I read this as a manuscript in maybe its fourth draft, I'd think it was great. I genuinely had to just keep telling the editing side of my brain to shut up and let me enjoy the story, but it just felt rough around the edges. What I wouldn't give to go at this book with an editing pen! That isn't to say there weren't plenty of scenes that were great, but then I felt like I was noticing the fact that it was a good scene instead of just experiencing the story. It appears that Nri had an artistic as well as religious influence on the lower Niger. Sculptures found there are bronze like those at Igbo-Ukwu. The great sculptures of the Benin Empire, by contrast, were almost always brass with, over time, increasingly greater percentages of zinc added. [5] I really enjoyed reading Daughters of Nri! The cover art is stunning! It is based in the Kingdom of Nri which is now Nigeria. So in a way it is a historical fiction I think? The story involves a lot of political and religious elements along with some fantasy. The nature and people are described colorful, I loved Amayo's writing it made everything spring to life. The story follows Naala and Sinai, twins seperated at birth. They grow up thinking they are human. But in truth they are Goddesses and the ones left to defeat Eze Ochichiri, the ruler of Kingdom of Nri who is mighty and caused the Gods to leave. He does everything to keep his position safe, lives don't matter. Religious beliefs were central to the Kingdom of Nri. [20] Nri oral tradition states that a bounty of yams and cocoyams could be given to the eze Nri, while blessings were given in return. [2] It was believed that Nri's influence and bountiful amount of food was a reward for the ruler's blessings. [2] Above all, Nri was a holy land for those Igbo who followed its edicts. It served as a place where sins and taboos could be absolved just by entering it. Even Igbo living far from the center of power would send abnormal children to Nri for ritual cleansing rather than having them killed, as was sometimes the case for dwarfs or children who cut their top teeth before their lower teeth. [21]Nri had a network of internal and external trade, which its economy was partly based on. Other aspects of Nri's economy were hunting and agriculture. [16] Eri, the sky being, was the first to 'count' the days by their names, eke, oye, afor and nkwo, which were the names of their four governing spirits. Eri revealed the opportunity of time to the Igbo, who would use the days for exchanging goods and knowledge. [17] Culture [ edit ] Art [ edit ] 9th-century bronze vessel in form of a snail shell excavated in Igbo-Ukwu, in Nigerian National Museum ( Lagos) This is not debatable and to clarify this, Obi has 3 different meanings in Igboland and Igbo languages depending on how you pronounce it; òbi means the first born of every family thus the eldest in the family. õbi is a thatched hut which every wealthy man built to receive visitors. In Igbo land a man will build his hut and a hut or huts for his wife or wives. The hut is where Igbo men received their peers who come to visit and to talk about farming and trade. Lasty, obi means heart and none of these has any reference or anything to do with the oba of the Edo Benin Kingdom. Lovejoy, Paul (2000). Identity in the Shadow of Slavery. Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8264-4725-2. The truth is we have no control ,everything we gain every morsel we grasp onto can be taken away from us in a snap second, that’s the illusion right that we’re safe because we have control, but there is no promise there is no guarantee, all we have are these moments”

In 1911, the names of 19 eze Nri were recorded, but the list is not easily converted into chronological terms because of long interregnums between installations. [2] Tradition held that at least seven years would pass upon the death of the eze Nri before a successor could be determined; the interregnum served as a period of divination of signs from the deceased eze Nri, who would communicate his choice of successor from beyond the grave in the seven or more years ensuing upon his death.According to other authors, Eri, the god-like founder of Nri, is believed to have settled the region around the 1500s. [6] [7] The first eze Nri (King of Nri), Ìfikuánim, follows directly after him. According to Angulu (1981), oral tradition suggests an accession of Eri in 1043. [ contradictory] [7] With the Eze dead, twins Sinai and Naala had hoped for peace in the kingdom of Nri, but it seems that now there are many new power plays to rule the kingdom. With their enemies desperate to gain all the pieces of the Mother’s crystal, the twins will have to set their differences aside to try to protect all the people they hold so dear. But when the enemy is closer than they think, how will they know friend from foe? The prose was mostly smooth and sometimes elegant, although there were a few times it was a bit stilted, especially toward the beginning. Some of this could have been easily fixed and may have been in the final version, though. The largest issues I had with this novel were unrelated to the writing style but had to do with the Eze and the ease with which magic overcame obstacles. The Eze is an uninteresting villain: he’s the type who thinks he’s just but has no apparent redeeming qualities. It makes sense that he’d be set in his ways since he’s been alive for a while and it certainly makes it easy to want to see him defeated, but his dialogue and Big Villain Monologue are rather trite. I’m more divided on whether or not magic happened too accidentally and conveniently. After all, Naala and Sinai are goddesses, even if they don’t realize it yet, and magic seems like it would come naturally to deities. But training does prove to be beneficial in helping them control these abilities, and given that, I do feel like inadvertent use of power was relied upon too much to neatly solve problems. This book was enjoyable, but it felt very debut-ish to me. There were a lot of times I just felt the writing didn't quite flow, and it was hard for me to become immersed in the story. The ending was pretty good though, and I think the sequel will be much better.

About a century before these two were torn asunder, the long-lived Eze of Nri encountered an oracle, who predicted the coming of the Earth Mother’s twins. She foresaw that they would be born in the kingdom he ruled and would bring about his end, just as he once brought about the end of the Earth Mother and the old gods who once roamed the land. After that, the Eze decreed that all twins born in Nri be put to death. The setting is incredibly engrossing, and since I'm not very familiar with the part of history the world was based on (medieval Nigeria I believe), it was fascinating to learn about. The god system hasn't been heavily developed in this first book, but it's interesting and unique so far- I always love mythology in fantasy. I think the world was by far the best aspect of this book. World-building isn't always the most important element to me personally, but when you do the research and put effort into your world, it shows.Naala and Sinai have different personalities and experiences, but there are clear parallels between them and their paths. Both are considered to be unconventional, but they express this distinctly. Naala disturbs the other villagers by questioning their customs—and is punished for daring to disagree with their chief when she insists the group approaching is a dangerous army rather than tax collectors—and confounds them by rolling around in the dirt in her wedding dress and climbing trees. She’s more naturally inclined to take matters into her own hands than Sinai, who does not want to draw attention to herself. Sinai puzzles others by dreamily wandering the palace lost in her own thoughts, and she can be rather naive about the social workings of the nobility. Though their situations are not similar, the broad strokes share common elements. Both find friends and allies among others with similar goals and values, and both of their stories are about survival. Naala literally learns to survive in the wilderness after escaping the village with her life, and Sinai’s story is about survival as a woman surrounded by powerful men after escaping the fall with her life.