The Dance of Shadows by Rogba Payne
High fantasy inspired by West African spirituality that follows a young musician drawn into a battle between gods.
Perfect for fans of S. A. Chakraborty, Joe Abercrombie and Marlon James’s Black Leopard, Red Wolf.
By Else
This book is a West African-inspired, Juju-filled book full of music.
It centers around Rumi, an Odu, living in a land that has been occupied and is being governed by Palmaine. Rumi wants nothing more than to be a musician at the best orchestra in the country, and he has one chance to make his dream come true. But circumstances lead to a world filled with juju and magic instead of music.
One thing that really hooked me on this book was the bad-ass name, The Priest of Vultures. Having the Priest of Vultures as your main nemesis and bad guy is pretty cool in my book.
Rogba Payne puts a lot of time and effort into his worldbuilding, which really pays off. His world is vivid and imaginative and has some clear parallels (and critiques) with our own (hello European Colonialism). The characters are vivid and feel alive, with some strong female protagonists and gods who are at war.
All in all a fun book to read, and definitely worth picking up!
