Some books intrigue you, some entertain you, some leave you reader’s-blocked, but ADANNA? Adanna shakes you to your core, makes you question some people’s reality and takes you on an emotional rollercoaster then dares you to survive it.

Ah!!!!!

I picked this book up at 5am and somehow, I stayed glued till I completed it by the afternoon — in between everything I had to do. Yes, it was that mind blowing!!! 😫😫

PLOT

What happens when a powerless woman is the suspect of one of the biggest murder mysteries???

Life can be extremely tough for some people — so tough that all hope of a better future disappears. For sixteen-year-old Adanna, an extremely gorgeous girl, the only way to put food on her family’s table and save her dying sister is by marrying a man almost three times her age.

That is Adanna’s reality.

Her first love was Chief’s last son — the boy she had promised to wait for until he returned from the UK. But circumstances took a dark turn, and she found herself married to Chief instead 😑

To top it all off, there’s Chief’s first son — a brute of a man — who sees no problem with pursuing his father’s wife.

I think this is where I should warn you about sensitive themes, including rape.

😫😫😫

I almost dropped the book after this because — Why would someone knowingly rape their father’s wife… and their brother’s first love?! Is that person not possessed in all possible ways? 😞

But then again, Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi is an exceptionally good writer. Just when you’re left feeling empty, she fills you up again. At times, it might feel too much, but honestly — what is a good book without suspense? I mean a good book oooo! 😉

Did I mention that Adanna is a book that ages you alongside its characters? Fair warning! You have been warned!

THE CHARACTERS?

You’ll love some of them:

Jidenna — Her overprotective brother whose power is sadly limited.

Naeto — Who starts as a flat character but evolves beautifully to a round character.

Daluchi — The free-spirited girl you just want to befriend.

Chizu — A boy who just wants to love a woman freely.

And then — there are so many characters to hate. I assure you that on my cup of cold coffee.

THE GOOD?

Apart from the intriguing plot, the writing is exceptional, deeply relatable, and culturally rich. I also loved the code-switching and code-mixing — it made the dialogues feel so real. 🤭

THE BAD?

It was very triggering at times, and I kept hoping nobody’s reality should ever be this way.😞

THE UGLY?

LOL!!! The moment you find out who murdered Chief and how it all led up to that? You would NEVER have guessed it! My jaw is still on the floor. Trust me on this one.😂

Okay, nobody deserves to die like that, but Chief?? He had it coming!!!

Let me also add — in all this drama, love still found a way to prevail. Oh love, sweet sweet love 🥹

RATING??

I give it a firm 8/10.

Simply because I forgot to eat breakfast while being lost in the pages!! 😭

RECOMMENDATION??

Big YES. But please take note of the trigger warning‼️

Read it at your own risk — especially if you have a couple of tears to spare.

YOUR TURN!

Have you read Adanna? Tell me in just one word how you felt after reading it!! 🌚