Inspired by the genocide and political conflict that continue take place in Darfur as of time of writing, this book is a study in race, gender, community, and belonging.

Unflinchingly, Who Fears Death establishes a much-needed ground to address persistent social issues: from relatively generic ones like racism and sexism, to more specific horrors like systemic rape as a mean of genocide in conflict zones and, of course, the all-too-familiar act of wielding religion in order to achieve moral superiority and rationalise the most horrendous of crimes. There was even a significant take on FGM which earned a magical element like almost everything in Who Fears Death, but it retained its core values of being an outdated falsely glorified mean of oppression. Somehow, the author managed to go through it all while constructing and maintaining a solid plot. The begining was a bit slow for me, but once the story began to roll, I adored every aspect of it: the fiery protagonist, the magic system, the politics, and the complex character relationships. All that coupled with an epic hero's journey, leading to side adventures, character growth, and most charming encounters. My only qualm was the ending:

Spoiler

it felt as if the whole narrative was building up for this grand world-shaking showdown between Onyesonwu and Daib, but then the act fell short of expectations. If I remember correctly, the damage was all done by Mwita. She did not even assert herself in front of the man she lived in fear of for most of her life. I see why the author did what she did: Onye was breaking the stereotype of violent Ewu and that was admirable, but as I read it, it still felt unsatisfactory all the same.