‘We Were Once Girls’

All these reasons aside, I’ve been eagerly anticipating her next book since she offered a peek into it in a 2022 interview with The Republic. In the interview, she expressed her eagerness to ‘explore the lives of the daughters of the three main characters ’ in her next book, which she was working on at the time. ‘I cannot wait for readers to get to know Ego, Zina, and Eriife better, and perhaps see themselves in these terrific women,’ Odafen added. To my utmost satisfaction, her second novel, We Were Once Girls, will be released later this year. The novel follows the lives of best friends Ego, Zina, and Eriife as they navigate strikes and political turmoil, ultimately taking separate paths. United by their shared past, this novel seeks to answer the question: can they, and their country, overcome the challenges they encounter?

This year, I’m also excited about other offerings from women across the continent. Abi Daré returns after her widely read 2020 novel, The Girl with the Louding Voice. Her forthcoming novel, And So I Roar, is about a young girl who must advocate to save not only herself but the young women in her village. Additionally, in An African History of Africa, Sudanese-British journalist, Zeinab Badawi, guides us through Africa’s remarkable history. This year, Sierra Leonean author, Namina Forna, also presents the finale to her young adult fantasy series, Deathless. In the third and final book, The Eternal Ones, Forna takes us through her protagonist’s attempts to kill the gods, whose ravenous competition for power is bleeding her kingdom dry.

From exciting novels to thought-provoking non-fiction, these new book releases by African women promise to captivate readers with their stories, shedding light on the multifaceted experiences, cultures, and struggles of African women. They are as follows:

Sade Hussein, transitioning from home-schooling to the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy, faces unexpected challenges when her roommate, Elizabeth, disappears after the first night. Amid rumours implicating her, Sade gains attention from the popular ‘Unholy Trinity’ and gets drawn into their circle. Juggling class catch-up, grief from family tragedies, and an investigation into Elizabeth’s disappearance, Sade discovers hidden secrets at Alfred Nobel Academy that rival her own, especially as a student is found dead, revealing a complex web of mysteries. In Where Sleeping Girls Lie―a young adult contemporary mystery by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé―a girl new to boarding school discovers dark secrets and coverups after her roommate disappears.

When Zelie seized the royal palace that fateful night, she thought her battles had come to an end. The monarchy had finally fallen. Themaji had risen again. Zelie never expected to find herself locked in a cage and trapped on a foreign ship. Now warriors with iron skulls traffic her and her people across the seas, far from their homeland. Then everything changes when Zelie meets King Baldyr, her true captor, the ruler of the Skulls, and the man who has ravaged entire civilizations to find her. Baldyr’s quest to harness Zelie’s strength sends Zelie, Amari, and Tzain searching for allies in unknown lands. But as Baldyrcloses in, catastrophe charges on Orisha’s shores. It will take everything Zelieh as to face her final enemy and save her people before the Skulls annihilate them for good.Children of Anguish and Anarchy is the last novel in Tomi Adeyemi’s fantasy trilogy, Legacy of Orisha.

’Pemi Aguda opens her collection of twelve stories with the chilling tale of a woman who uncannily resembles her sinister, deceased grandmother. When the woman shows a capacity for deadly violence, she wonders—can evil be genetic, passed from generation to generation?

Set in Lagos, Nigeria, Aguda’s collection of short stories, Ghostroots, unfold against a spectral cityscape where the everyday business of living—the birth of a baby, a market visit, a conversation between mothers and daughters—is charged with an air of supernatural menace. In ‘Breastmilk’ a new mother’s inability to lactate takes on preternatural overtones. In ‘24, Alhaji Williams Street’ a mysterious disease wreaks havoc with frightening precision. In ‘The Hollow’, an architect stumbles on a vengeful house.