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Dazzling

A bewitching tale of magic steeped in Nigerian mythology
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( 639 ratings, 171 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Dazzling follows two young girls bound by destiny and the legacies of their fathers. Treasure, mourning her father's death, encounters a spirit who offers to bring him back at a cost. Meanwhile, Ozoemena wrestles with an unsettling itch that signals her transformation into a leopard, a fierce honour her father spoke of before vanishing. As Ozoemena's peers mysteriously disappear from her boarding school, both girls face harsh choices in a world that often denies women their rights. Their intertwined journeys explore sacrifice, power, and awakening wildness.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$3799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This historical fiction, rich with African mythology and magic, will appeal to readers who enjoy powerful prose and stories of female strength and supernatural intrigue. Suitable for mature young adults and adults interested in culturally infused fantasy and complex characters navigating difficult social landscapes.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A bewitching and immersive Nigerian magic realist novel from an extraordinary literary voice, for fans of Chigozie Obioma, Abi Darรฉ and Deepa Anappara

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'I am truly dazzled' Tracy Chevalier

'A rich tapestry of African mythology and magic' Cherie Jones

'Bursting with magic, bright and visceral' Jennifer Saint

'One of the brightest stars in the literary world' Kirsty Logan

'A feast of shimmering, beautiful prose' Chika Unigwe

Soon you will become the thing all other beasts fear.

Treasure and her mother lost everything when Treasure's daddy died. Haggling for scraps in the market, Treasure meets a spirit who promises to bring her father back - but she has to do something for him first.

Ozoemena has an itch in the middle of her back that can't be scratched. An itch that speaks to her patrilineal destiny, to defend her people by becoming a leopard. Her father impressed upon her what an honour this was before he vanished, but it's one she couldn't want less.

But as the two girls reckon with their burgeoning wildness and the legacy of their fathers' decisions, Ozoemena's fellow students at her new boarding school start to vanish. Treasure and Ozoemena will face terrible choices as each must ask herself: in a world that always says 'no' to women, what must two young girls sacrifice to get what is theirs?

'Erudite, original and beautifully written' Christie Watson

'Unexpected, explosive and deeply satisfying' Melissa Fu

'A masterful storm' Doreen Cunningham

'Uncanny and affecting in equal measure' T. L. Huchu

'One hell of a book' Meg Clothier

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781472289650

Publisher: Headline Publishing Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 16 February 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Wildfire

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 232.0mm

Weight: 440g

Pages: 368

About the Author

Chikodili Emelumadu was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire and raised in Awka, Nigeria. A product of not one but two Nigerian boarding schools, she went on to attend Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nigeria and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. She was the winner of the Curtis Brown First Novel Prize in 2019. Her work has also been shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Awards (2015), a Nommo Award (2020) and the Caine Prize for African Literature (2017 & 2020).

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