Sinopsis

My heart races asgunfire startles me from my sleep, and my lungs fill with smoke as I realise my village is being burnt to the ground. I tremble as I realise my family is missing, but before I can find them, I am taken. With tears streaming down my face, I wonder if I’ll ever see my parents and little brother again…
Western Africa, 1848. In a small Yorùbá village, fourteen-year-old ?ìk??mi refuses to live by the elders’ rules. All she wants is to learn how to hunt and defend herself, like the boys. But her father is quick to remind her that soon she’ll be expected to grow up and marry.
But ?ìk??mi’s world shatters when her village is ambushed by slave raiders. She watches in horror as she’s separated from her family before she is sold to Madam Tinúbú, a rich and powerful slave trader. With her heart in pieces, ?ìk??mi’s days are filled with back-breaking labour and constant fear of brutal punishment.
Desperate, ?ìk??mi looks for a way to escape her nightmare and find her family. When someone tries to poison Madam, she sees a chance to save her mistress’s life. As a reward, Madam grants ?ìk??mi’s request to train as a warrior and join her guard. Madam sees something in ?ìk??mi that she could use, and something she desperately needs to keep her power…
But ?ìk??mi has a plan of her own. Even if everything is taken away from her, her spirit will never be broken. And nothing will stop her from being reunited with her family. Not even Madam....M.F