War Girls

unable to rate this book just yet, gonna try to stew while peppering in some afterthought background research before i do!

3.75 stars

A futuristic re-telling of a horrific time in Nigeria's history. This novel touched me, deeply.

War Girls is set on a future Earth, torn by war and devastated by radiation. Onyii and Ify are sisters, not by blood, but by shared experience. They live in a camp of War Girls, girls who are part of the rebel faction of Biafra. War is raging between Biafra and Nigeria, and these girls have no other home. Onyii and Ify long for a free and independent Biafra, a life where they can live in peace. But for now, they must fight. The girls are enhanced by different types of tech, and they are assisted by droids using nanobot technology. They use every resource they can to protect themselves from the radiation that permeates the atmosphere.

When the War Girls' camp is located and destroyed by Nigerians, Onyii and Ify are separated. Each thinking the other is dead, they go on to very different lives. Ify lives in Nigeria, one of their best and brightest minds, with what appears to be a glorious future ahead of her. Onyii still fights for freedom, and she makes a name for herself as the Demon of Biafra, the most devastating military weapon Biafra has. But the day is coming when each will learn that the other lives, and that will change everything.

I knew almost nothing about the Nigerian War when I read this book. Part of the author's stated intent is to bring more awareness to that period of history, and it was very interesting to learn about. I'd like to know more.

The story itself is jam-packed with action. There are battles and betrayals, secrets revealed and relationships reconciled. There is also some interesting commentary on what makes us human and what family can really mean. There were some sections where the story got a bit muddled and hard for me to keep straight, and I had to go back and reread a handful of times to make sure I understood where things were heading. But it was good enough to hold my attention throughout, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the book from Bookish First. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books that I don't like.

Interesting premise and setting but just boring execution.

I didn't feel engaged in the story at all or really care about any characters. The technology was also glossed over and never really explained and used terms that probably showed up in a quick google like when they reference using a SIEM to protect their mech, which is a defensive security tool but doesn't really make sense in the context.

I think if you are interested in the premise you are probably better off reading a book about the actual Nigerian civil war.

I'm a little “sure Jan” about the end, but it could have gone so very very very dark (aside from.the real historical events on which this draws) not exactly the escapist fantasy I thought from the cover anyway.