Akwaeke Emezi (they/them) is the author of many books for both teens and adults. These include: Pet, a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, a Walter Honor Book and a Stonewall Honor Book; Bitter, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick; the New York Times bestseller The Death of Vivek Oji, which was a finalist for the Dylan Thomas Prize; Freshwater, which was named a New York Times Notable Book and shortlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award; Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir; and most recently You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty. Selected as a 5 Under 35 honoree by the National Book Foundation, they are based in liminal spaces.

★ "Emezi's latest novel will help readers see beauty in the void. Fans of their work or Nnedi Okorafor's "Nsibidi Script" series will doubtlessly gravitate to this one." --School Library Journal, starred review

★ "A moving story of a family that grapples with secret pasts and obvious parental favoritism, one that....makes space for big feelings that aren't easily resolved." --The Bulletin, starred review

★ "A haunting and healing tale of transcendent familial bonds." --The Horn Book, starred review

"Magic is packed into every corner." --Kirkus Reviews

"A moving tale told as an oral history." --Booklist

"[The] fast-paced plot fosters excitement and intrigue....Intertwining messages of family, hope, and self-confidence, as conveyed via a determined and headstrong heroine, permeate this robust adventure." --Publishers Weekly

"With lyrical language and fast-paced plot, Somadina transports readers to an isolated, magic-fueled island society where twin sorcerers are coming of age." --BookPage

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pub date: 2026-04-14

Length: 304 pages