The Entertainment Guide

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi


Review by David Wolff

Tochi Onyebuchi’s War Girls is a young adult sci-fi novel set in 2172’s Nigerian Civil War. It’s a time when much of the planet is uninhabitable and humans are able to continue fighting with the use of advanced cybernetics and other mechanical implants. But past all the tech and fairly heavy war writing (Onyebuchi based much of the story on the real-life Nigerian Civil War of the late 1960s, something his own mother experienced first-hand as a child), there’s a story of real friendship between two young women who grow to be close as siblings. And, wouldn’t you know it – it ended with “To Be Continued,” which is why I’m over the moon that November will see Rebel Sisters, the concluding part of the Duology. Fantastic world building driven by believable characters who aren’t just going through the motions of the plot. If you have a teen (or adult!) who’s a fan of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone or Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata books, this will make the perfect pair of books to share with them.

Review courtesy of Content Bookstore
314 Division Street S. | Northfield | contentbookstore.com