*I received an audio review copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

What an incredible debut! I was initially drawn in by this gorgeous cover and then I saw Medieval West African political fantasy and I was sold. The book starts with Òdòdó in her hometown after it has been conquered by the king of Yorùbáland, then she is abducted and learns she is to become the second wife of the king that invaded her homeland.

I loved the world Sangoyomi created here and the way she took the bones of a Greek myth that's well known in Western cultures and used it to introduce her audience to history and culture of West Africa, which might be lesser known. I also found Òdòdó to be such a compelling main character. She is taken from her life where she was a social pariah and given power and fortune but it comes at a cost, and I loved following her as she navigates that. While this is classified as fantasy, it's more so historical/alternate history/mythology than a traditional fantasy book. There are mentions of witches, but in the sense that witches are women who live outside of traditional norms, and there are mentions of gods.

I will say that I found the first half to be quite slow. For a while I was thinking this would be a high 3-star read, but there are some twists in the back half that had me unable to put the book down. I absolutely love that Sangoyomi went there with her characters and I cannot wait to she what she writes next! I received an audio review copy and really enjoyed Ariel Blake's narration.