Sunny was by far my favourite character. At only 12 years old, Sunny has experienced more prejudice, discrimination, and misogyny than any child should have to endure. Her accent makes her a target for bullying at her school, along with her albinism. Her albinism is thought to be a mark of impurity and witchcraft. She also has to use an umbrella while in the son, because of her sun sensitive skin. She must overcome and persevere so much in her young life, but all of this makes her more powerful and resilient. She is strong, loyal, caring, and quick to anger towards those who would mock her, hurt her, or send her into a dangerous situation without all of the information she needs. I often found myself angry whenever Sunny was angry, and happy whenever she made an important realization. She was such a well imagined character that it was easy to become attached to her. The other kids play well off each other. Orlu is level headed, where Sasha is cocky and brazen. Chici is overconfident, where Sunny feels completely unsure of herself. Each of them provide an important part to their team, with their own unique abilities to contribute. In the novel their group are perfectly paired because each of them create "checks and balances." Orlu is obedient and makes sure the others are responsible, Sasha is boastful and provides boldness in the others, Chichi can be reckless but she helps the others to laugh and find the power within themselves, Sunny is new, learning, unsure, but she also pushes the others to see things in a new light and to question their own prejudices. This is one of those novels where the adults of the narrative put the children in harms way, with very little explanation or understanding of the task these children must accomplish. Often I felt disgust towards these mentors for how little care or compassion they gave their charges. The book highlights the flaw within society in which adults place undue responsibility on youth, and shame children when they act their own age. The amount of times Sunny was punished for not understanding something so new to her, and dangerous for her, was unbelievable. The evil within this novel was terrifying. Deeply unsettling and gory, with details that will churn your stomach. You wonder how it will be possible for Sunny to be able to learn all she needs to in order to combat such a powerful force. You fear for her, Orlu, Sasha and Chichi. I was glad I was walking out my frustration while listening to the wonderful audiobook, perfectly narrated by Yetide Badaki, so that I could vent by speeding up or stop when I needed to take in a surprising moment. I was often angry with Sunny, with the amount of prejudice thrown her way, both for being albino and for being a free agent Leopard person. Also, being a young girl made it even harder to exist in this male dominated society. While it seemed the Leopard people were above sexism, there were moments when women were clearly considered "less" or there were sexist stereotypes still exhibited. However, Sunny often showed everyone how wrong they were about girls, albinos, and free agents. If you enjoy fantasy, folklore, great world building and enticing characters, than this is a book you must read!
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