Queen of Zazzau

Queen of Zazzau

by J.S. Emuakpor

4 out of 5

Synopsis
Amina is heir apparent to the throne of Zazzau and must prove herself worthy of the crown. As foreign invaders close in on them, she is the only thing standing between her people and their destruction. Caught in a web of prophecies and intrigue, she must defend Zazzau, but cannot do so if she wants to prevent the future that was foretold. She did not seek war; it found her. Unwilling to be the plaything of gods or men and determined to take control of her own destiny, she tracks down the god of war himself. But has her destiny already been written? Can she choose her own fate? And can she protect her kingdom, no matter what price she must ultimately pay? Because, gods always want something in return.



Review
Amina is a princess, destined to bring war and bloodshed on her nation. But surely you have to choose your destiny?

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows the story of the historical Queen of Zazzau - Amina.
I really enjoyed this book. It has war, and interfering gods, and all the pain that comes with life. But it also has a rich feel of the culture, the life that Amina lived. I thought it balanced perfectly, both entertaining and educating the reader.

After the prophecy that she will bring war and death on her own people, the Gimbiya (princess), is raised away from any violence, in an attempt to stop the inevitable. We follow Amina as a young woman, as the gods start to rein her in and send her down her fated path.
I really liked Amina, she is a strong, independent character, who cares deeply for others. She's not afraid to be in charge, and she refuses to marry, as she wants to retain her independence. The only thing she does fear is leading her people to their deaths, but as time goes on, her naive ideas about what her curse means, begins to adapt.

The first half of the book has an innocence to it, and mostly dances around Amina's relationship with Suleyman, and her life as Gimbiya to her people. There is a shadow of danger hovering at the edge of her world, threatening to come crashing down.
In the second half, Amina becomes the person she was meant to be. A warrior and a great leader, along with the sacrifices she has to make. The gods are real, living things, not to be taken for granted.

The only detriment was I found it a little slow in places - although, to be fair the beautiful writing did make up for that. I personally would have loved to read about Amina's visits as a representative of Zazzau, I was curious what they would have entailed (I'm guessing not all of them ended in a surprise battle!).
The writer has taken on something ambitious, covering such a long period of time, and you can tell where there's a couple of awkward time skips.

I really enjoyed this book, and I would look forward to reading more from Emuakpor.

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