Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
The first book in a fast-paced, witty, and bighearted debut Afrofantasy trilogy about a twelve-year-old apprenticing in the kitchens at the prestigious Academy of Shamans who must ally with a snarky goddess and a knife-wielding warrior to save her kingdom.
Perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and The School for Good and Evil.
Life is tough for twelve-year-old orphan Adia. Her aunt and uncle believe she’s an ogbanje, a demon-possessed child that brings misfortune wherever they go, and Adia can’t disagree—especially when she suddenly manifests mysterious powers that she can’t control, causing an earthquake in her village.
So when Adia is offered a kitchen apprenticeship at the faraway Academy of Shamans, she flees with nothing but a pouch of change, her cat Bubbles, and the hope that someone there can figure out what's wrong with her—and fix it. But just as she's settling in, Adia stumbles upon a shocking secret: Unlike her, the kingdom's emperor really is possessed—by a demon more wicked than any other. And he’s on his way to the Academy for a visit.
Joining forces with a snarky goddess, a five-hundred-year-old warrior girl, and an annoying soldier-in-training, Adia must travel through hidden realms to exorcise the emperor and save her kingdom. But to succeed, she first must come to understand the powers inside her….
The fate of the world hangs in the balance.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Adrenaline-fueled action and inventive worldbuilding personify this captivating Afrofantasy, a series-starting debut by Hendrix. Orphan Adia Kelbara lives with her neglectful aunt and uncle, who publicly claim that she is an Ogbanje—a child possessed by a demon said to cause misfortune—which leads to her becoming locally ostracized. She starts to believe them, though, when she suddenly develops mysterious abilities, as when an intense emotional reaction results in tremors erupting across her hamlet. Witnessing the destruction wrought by her burgeoning powers, Adia determines to find help in harnessing—or removing—her perceived curse. When she is selected to spend her Year of Practicality, during which youths train in a trade, as a kitchen apprentice at the famed Academy of Shamans, she hopes that a resident can extract the Ogbanje. But nothing is as it should be upon her arrival: the school has fallen into disarray and an ancient evil has returned to wreak havoc. Fully fleshed out characters—including a snarky goddess and several effervescent allies—populate this clever adventure, which teems with smartly rendered twists and oodles of hope and heart. Ages 8–12.
