They had no idea that the other existed but they could feel the innate magic inside them that binds them together. Because of their powers and who they really are threatens the power of the ruler who happens to be a demon in denial of who his is and the role he plays both girls suffer tragedy, loss, and physical dangers. Their journeys to accepting their powers and recognising what that may mean was reminiscent of many us young people trying to understand our strengths. When her village is attacked in a heartbreaking scene, she’s forced to travel with a new group of people through the forest. I don’t have a single bad thing to say about this book, like I genuinely can’t think of a criticism or a fault.

We only find out how important the crystal is in the middle of the book, which isn't a great technique. 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. There really was a lot of telling rather than showing, which is a shame considering this is beautifully written.i liked Sinai as a character, I felt like she had such great growth in the book going from being scared of everyone and everything to sticking up for herself and the people around her? It is important for me, as an African lover of fantasy and sci-fi, to have books about African characters that aren't rooted in colonialism or slavery. She doesn't shy away from describing the colours and tones of the skin, nor the way that hair textures and practices differ, and I loved to see this representation as a strong stable of the whole book.

I had fun following the paths of Naala and Sinai respectively, learning about the past of the kingdom and its various gods, watching the girls grow through their experiences and into their destinies. But I found myself being slightly bored with the majority of this book and I was hoping for a bit more in terms of story progression and character development.She should be considered lucky in that sense because she had the education and wealth, some, including Naala, would dream of having. Sure, there are some points that could use a little polish but the story is absolutely worth reading and I am counting down the months until the sequel is published. The overall concept and plotline is great, and although it isn't the most out-of-the-box storyline I've ever read, it definitely hits on some unique ideas. The dual narrative/perspectives really worked well here and we got enough time with each character to fall in love with them both as individuals. Once I familiarized myself with all the characters I found that I actually enjoyed the book and the couple of plot twists.

I enjoyed the two main characters but there were certain times where each perspective hit a slow patch and I wanted it to speed up a little. They don't know about their heritage, but they live in vastly different places when the story starts and they have to gradually unlock their powers and find their way back to one another. One of my favorite things about this book is that the sisters weren't just dumped together and expected to work/figure things out together. At times, the main characters fall into the "special snowflake"/chosen one trope pretty heavily, but I guess doesn't bother me as much as it would other times.

The nature and people are described colorful, I loved Amayo's writing it made everything spring to life. My favourite chapter is actually the description of a tree and I love it simply because of the emotions in the scene and the simple and elegant way Amayo is able to weave the colours in.

She doesn't shy away from fighting for herself and others and she's always trying to be helpful to others around her.

Overall, Daughters of Nri is a novel inspired by medieval Nigeria that is all parts dramatic and wondrous. That means that there were just a lot of odd choices I noticed that really took me out of the story and prevented me from being fully taken in. Our beauty is recognised as power, and is wielded by characters when they do not even have magic or any other ‘skills’, and that is okay. Listen, I could go on and on and on about this book, I have a few issues here and there that have to do with personal preferences (mainly to do with the resolution of the villain’s arc, the POV style of writing that switches every time in the very short chapters and the slow start), but Ms Amayo did what she had to do. Though miles apart, both girls share an indestructible bond: they share the same blood, the same face and possess the same unspoken magic, thought to have vanished years ago with the lost gods.