*I received this ARC from Orbit Books for the Caffeine Book Tours. All views are my own*
Hey guys, welcome back! I am off my sabbatical with a brand new high fantasy novel called Son of the Storm by Suyi Okungbowa. This is the first in the Nameless Republic trilogy and Okungbowa’s second book to date. Alright, let’s get to it!
In the ancient 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. And the chaos left in the wake of his discovery threatens to destroy the empire.
Let me start this review by gushing over the book cover. Yaaaaaaas! I never knew dark-vibrant was a thing I needed to explore. I will have a ball featuring the aesthetics on the official TLL Instagram account (psst! It’s @TheLittLibrarian. Follow me!)
Son of the Storm was one of my most anticipated reads, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I will say, the world and character building are phenomenal. Okungbowa put some serious thought into how he wanted the story to be imagined. Instead of the typical warriors and swords, Okungbowa created scholars who unearthed magical elements. The story takes place on the land of Oon, which is reminiscent of the ancient Benin Empire in Nigeria. I had no trouble imagining every corner of this word through Okungbowa’s writing.
One thing I could not grasp was the age setting of this book. Son of the Storm is considered an Adult Fantasy, yet I got high Young Adult vibes throughout the entire story. The characters may be in their 30’s, but I swear they all think and act like children. There were more than a few times I was yelling at each character in the story. Danso mainly.
And speaking of the characters, I could have done without the multiple POVs. I understand it’s a chance to jump into the minds of the storytellers, but I think there were way too many people who were only around for five seconds having a say. The story could have been told with the three main characters – Danso, Esheme, and Lilong.
Overall I rated this book 3-stars. It was a slow burn. I was disappointed that the lessons stayed at a surface level and, of course, that damn cliffhanger. But do not let my review stop you from getting into this epic fantasy novel. Son of the Storm debuts May 11th.