Afonja: The Rise (Oyo Empire Histories #1) by Tunde Leye

This book is rich in tradition and customs, from ritual suicide to honor killings and you’ll get more than a glimpse into proper African society.

Oghenetega Elizabeth Obukohwo

Published on November 3, 2022

1 min read

A tale of honor and sacrifice, courage and destiny….

How far will men actually go for power? Welcome to Oyo, where the Monarchy is for the strongest.

Tunde Leye expertly weaves a beautiful rendition of the Oyo empire at a very unstable time.

The battle of succession is a potent mix of power clashes with ambition and serendipity. The ascension of the Alaafin is a game of intrigue and chance between the interests of powerful men who will decide the fate of a Kingdom (The Oyo Mesi) and the ambition of warlords who will not be cowed, which will eventually lead to the speedy decline of one of the most powerful empires in 18th century Africa.

You can literally feel the tension from the very first page.

This book is rich in tradition and customs, from ritual suicide to honor killings and you’ll get more than a glimpse into proper African society.

I strongly believe that Africans themselves should teach African culture. Tunde Leye definitely delivered all that and more in this book, and I am definitely looking forward to reading the sequel.

Written by Oghenetega Elizabeth Obukohwo

Hi I'm Tega, I am a microbiologist with a lifelong passion for reading, I fell in love with books as child (where I was briefly obsessed with Enid Blyton, lol) reading is simply my escape and hobby and sometimes doubles as therapy for me . My favorite genres are African lit, historical fiction, memoirs/biographies and fantasy. I do beta reading and post book reviews which you can check out on my Instagram @ te_ga_o.