“Never take your glasses off outside the walls of our home.”
When Fibikemi loses her glasses and inadvertently breaks her mother’s rule, she encounters something strange, and it is only the beginning of a weird and terrifying journey; in a matter of time, someone dangerous will come for her.
Her friend Aaron Oni has just two more months to live, and Fib’s obsession with saving Aaron pushes her to do the unimaginable.
Eventually, she discovers exactly why she must never take off her eyeglasses outside her home.
Fib and the Axe of Fury by Esosa Kolawole. Book # 1 in the Risen Evil series. Published by Zuma Publishing, June 2019. Triggers: Animal death, sexual assault, bullying. I was given an advanced reader copy of this book, from the author, in exchange for an honest review.
Fib and the Axe of Fury is a beautiful novel, filled with urban fantasy and African mythology. Even though the culture maybe a little bit unfamiliar to the reader, the themes of love, friendship, family, loss, revenge, and longing to fit in are all universal. Themes everyone on the planet feels a connection with, no matter where you are from. Fib’s journey may be one filled with magic, but her raw emotions are what draw you in. You can’t help but want to cheer for her as she takes her first steps in a world filled with dangerous enchantment.
With great power comes great responsibility. Fib knows that deep in her bones, even before she is fully aware of what exactly her powers are. This is only the start of her magical journey, and she starts off small with what she can do. The power of a Seer is amazing, though, and I loved watching Fib grow in to her abilities. It will be very interesting to watch her as the series continues.
Axe of Fury is the start of a series, so expect a lot of set up in this book. With danger lurking around every corner, though, there was never a dull moment. Between school bullies, family drama, and plenty of suspicious people, the tension always remained high. I kept biting my nails with anticipation while waiting for the main bad guy to finally show up! Would Fib be ready in time?? I could hardly wait!
The big show down at the end was one epic battle! I loved all the action. It was amazing getting to see Fib carry her passion and power in to battle and kick some major butt. Extremely high tension all through the last few chapters of the book. What a cliff hanger the author leaves us with! Why kind of price will Fib have to pay for using the axe of fury? 😮
Fib and the Axe of Fury was a very entertaining read. This feels like a very promising start to an interesting series. I really enjoyed getting to experience Nigerian culture and African mythology throughout the book. That beautiful culture and mythology will really make this series stand out in the young adult fantasy genre.
Side note: Every time the author mentioned food – food I had never heard of or tasted before- my mouth began to drool!! Even when it sounded like a simply rice dish, my taste buds felt super jealous! So much yummy sounding food in this novel! Too bad Nigeria is too far away for a take out order! I would have loved to get my hands on some of that local cuisine.
Creature From The Book Lagoon 