While Adunni’s language is lively and engaging, the pacing struggles to maintain tension despite the book’s relative brevity. Boldly attempting to cover topics including child brides, modern slavery, archaic beliefs and practices, parent-child relationships and the fight for women’s rights, the novel sadly feels at times more like a lecture than a story ... While Dare manages a happy ending and sets up enough intrigue for the potential of a third book, the resolution feels more like a best-case scenario conveniently coming together.
Daré’s work embraces contemporary ideas and stylistic choices while honoring the foundation they are built on ... Daré delivers a gut-wrenching reminder that every woman has a lion inside her waiting to break free.
Outstanding ... [Daré] breaks the typical prose structure by incorporating letters, distinctively presenting words of wisdom at the bottom of some of the pages, and even transcribing a talk show, all of which enhance the reading experience.
Daré doesn’t shy away from melodrama; deaths, injuries, and children born to fathers whose identities are concealed pile up rapidly. But readers willing to go along for a ride will be treated to prose that is alternately poetic and comic, two heroines worth cheering for, and sharp insights into the contrast between urban and rural Nigeria.
