Forged by Blood
by Ehigbor Okosun
Hardcover / Ebook
ISBN: 9780063112629
Harper Voyager, August 2023, 400 pgs

Nigerian mythology meets fast-paced fantasy in Ehigbor Okosun’s debut novel, Forged by Blood. The first in a duology, Forged by Blood is set in a magical reimagined Ife where a young woman, Dèmi, has lost everything that matters to her at the hands of the white colonizer rulers. They have outlawed and killed off Dèmi’s people because of their ability to use magic and their dark skin. When she gets the chance to land a direct blow to the King, Dèmi doesn’t think twice about joining with questionable allies—both new and from her past.

This is a really exciting story with so much action that it moved quickly through the novel’s 400 pages. Dèmi is one of my favorite types of main characters, someone who has not only power but empathy and an inner fire that leads her to act. Each time she’s faced with a hard decision, she goes with what she believes to be right—even if it’s obviously not the best thing to do. And that agency charges the story with Dèmi’s wants, desires, and intentions.

At the center of what Dèmi wants is revenge for her mother’s murder, which happened when she was a child. The death of Dèmi’s mom is brutal and heart crushing, as are all the depictions of how genocide has shaped Ife. Okosun doesn’t protect the readers from what colonization looks like, digging into the ways it affects Dèmi and the ways she must hide in her own homeland. She highlights how people are exploited and abused, enslaved based on their skin and magical abilities. I appreciated how Okosun balanced the harsh world of colonization with the small pockets of resistance—both magical and cultural—that the characters created.

While Forged by Blood is very much a story of Dèmi and her fight for herself and her people, there is a rich world to find in the novel. The action of the story is well-paced with the slower moments of world-building and exposition about the politics and history of Ife. Understanding this history of colonization and genocide gives the reader insight into why Dèmi makes the decisions she does, often putting herself and others at risk.

With its tight worldbuilding, captivating main character, and unexpected alliances, Forged by Blood is a wild ride of twists and turns. Every time I thought I had an idea of what was going to happen next, Okosun flipped the switch, propelling Dèmi down a new path or throwing yet another obstacle in her way. Okosun’s debut is a thrill ride with romance, revenge, and magic, perfect for readers of fast-paced fantasies.