And So I Roar picks up shortly after where The Girl With the Louding Voice left off, with Adunni about to start school and fulfil her ambition of finishing her education. But then she is unexpectedly forced back to her home village of Ikati where she will face a traditional ritual to determine her guilt or innocence in the death of Khadijah, the second wife of the man she was forced to marry. The following 24 hours are so full of tension, with not only Adunni's dreams but her life at stake. Adunni really shines in this book. It's impossible not to love her and root for her. She's intelligent, resourceful, brave, compassionate, determined, impassioned, feisty, principled, and so much more. This book has a wider lens than its predecessor. As well as Adunni's story, we get some important backstory about Tia and are introduced to several other young girls who are being held with Adunni and being forced to participate in traditional rituals. Their stories introduce issues such as female genital mutilation, sexual abuse, child marriage, domestic violence, misogyny, particulalry in the context of traditional rituals, and the divide between rural and urban areas. Ikati is suffering through a major drought, which allows for the introduction of issues like climate change and international aid. But this is still very much Adunni's story; the other characters and issues help place her experiences in a wider context. I loved how propulsive this book was. The pacing and the countdown included in section headings - Five hours to midnight, Three hours to midnight - really ramped up the tension, highlighting the risks Adunni faced and the way time was running out to save her. I was on the edge of my seat, frantically turning pages and hoping my family wouldn't inconveniently need me. While I know some valid criticisms could be made of this book, I was so fully absorbed in the story that I barely noticed them. A fabulous character and important feminist themes meant this was a winner for me and is one I'd love to see on the 2025 Women's Prize longlist. 

from looking at the early reviews, i’m clearly the outlier in opinion when it comes to and so i roar, and i hate to give it a negative review. i reread The Girl with the Louding Voice last month, having first read it in 2020, and i loved it even more the second time around (it’s my top book of this year so far). so to have to give the follow-up a 2* review is upsetting. but it feels like in the four years between books one and two, abi daré forgot how to write her characters well.
massive thanks to Hodder & Stoughton, Sceptre and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

✧ full review on my tumblr ✧