The Smoke That Thunders - Erhu Kome

\nAll sixteen-year-old Naborhi dreams of is sailing the seas. Instead, she feels suffocated, her life already laid out: she'll have her rite of passage and spend her life bound to her house, husband, and children.\n \nThen Naborhi begins having strange dreams and finds a mysterious animal that becomes instantly bonded to her. When she meets Atai, the son of an Oracle from a rival kingdom, she learns that she is being guided by the gods. She and Atai journey to find the boy Naborhi is dreaming of, but when that boy turns out to be a kidnapped prince, Naborhi realizes there is more than just her freedom at stake: she must stop a war that has already been set in motion.\n \nWoven through with Urhobo and West African folklore and mythology, The Smoke That Thunders is a gripping young adult fantasy that heralds the arrival of a powerhouse debut author.\n \n \nIn this mesmerizing fantasy rooted in Urhobo and West African folklore, sixteen-year-old Naborhi longs for a life away from her small, traditional clan in Kokori. But as her rite of passage approaches and she is betrothed to an arrogant young man, Naborhi feels her dreams slipping away from her.\n \nThen Naborhi becomes bonded to a mysterious animal and begins having harrowing visions of a kidnapped boy. She soon meets Atai, the son of an Oracle from a rival queendom, and learns that she is being guided by the gods. She and Atai, along with Naborhi's eager-for-adventure cousin, Tamunor, set off across the continent to rescue the mysterious boy. But when they find him--and find out his true identity--Naborhi realizes there is more than just her freedom at stake: she must stop a war that has already been set in motion.\n \nWith lush, unique worldbuilding and a dynamic cast of characters, The Smoke That Thunders is a gripping story of political intrigue, fierce love, and what it means to be free.\n