#The Maid and The Crocodile

[chillinglikeashilling]

At some point when it is not 1 am on a work night I'm going to make a proper post about why I think people who are really enjoying the storytelling of Misfits and Magic 2 should give The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko a shot but the most concise pitch I can give you is that TMTC is also a story about a magical world undergoing a revolution, that explores themes about systems of power and the ways those systems work to exploit certain people to the benefit of others.

The main character Sade is literally disabled by these systems and her love interest/deuteragonist is an obnoxiously beautiful man who has literally cursed himself in pursuit of justice against these systems.

Also for everyone who liked the shadow possession thing- they have a magical bond that let's him feel her emotions, which is absolutely necessary because Sade would rather die than admit to being uncomfortable. In fact Sade's willingness to accept discomfort (and the willingness of the powerful to ask her and others like her to shoulder discomfort so they don't have to) plays a pretty big part in the story.

Lastly, and this is actually an appeal to all my fellow Bob stans from PoL, there are a lot of songs involved in the magic in this book and the audiobook narrator sings all of them. Not in a very polished, instrumental backed way but just in a way that feels true to someone making up a song on the spot.

It's a standalone story in the universe of author's main duology so there's more to explore if you want but it's not necessary to understand this book.

[aroaessidhe]

faves of 2024: YA high fantasy

The Maid and The Crocodile

This Fatal Kiss

Dragonfruit

Road To Ruin

So Let Them Burn

Celestial Monsters

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2024

Top 15 (in order of reading)

Someone You Can Build a Nest In

He Who Drowned the World

The West Passage

A Darker Shade of Magic

Piranesi

Compound Fracture

Babel

This Fatal Kiss

The Black Hunger

Model Home

The Atlas Six

Sorcery and Small Magics

Extremophile

Record of a Spaceborn Few

The Maid and the Crocodile

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

YA FANTASY

Sheine Lende

Dark Heir

The Worst Perfect Moment

Redemptor

Gwen & Art are Not in Love

The Legend of the White Snake

ADULT FANTASY

A Power Unbound

Saint Death's Daughter

The Sins on Their Bones

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

The Saint of Bright Doors

The City in Glass

YA CONTEMPORARY/ROMANCE

Skater Boy

Twelfth Knight

I Wish You All the Best

Felix Ever After

Fake Dates and Mooncakes

SCIENCE FICTION

Network Effect

A Closed and Common Orbit

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

Key Lime Sky

HORROR

Take All of Us

Summer Sons

The Eyes are the Best Part

These Fleeting Shadows

NOVELLAS

The Black God's Drums

Thornhedge

Time's Agent

GRAPHIC NOVELS

The Prince and the Dressmaker

Superman Smashes the Klan

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The Tea Dragon Society + The Tea Dragon Festival

[richincolor]

We have a nice mix of genres available to you this week! Which of these books are you interested in?

Ash’s Cabin by Jen Wang First Second

Ash has always felt alone. Adults ignore the climate crisis. Other kids Ash’s age are more interested in pop stars and popularity contests than in fighting for change. Even Ash’s family seems to be sleepwalking through life. The only person who ever seemed to get Ash was their Grandpa Edwin. Before he died, he used to talk about building a secret cabin, deep in the California wilderness. Did he ever build it? What if it’s still there, waiting for him to come back…or for Ash to find it? To Ash, that maybe-mythical cabin is starting to feel like the perfect place for a fresh start and an escape from the miserable feeling of alienation that haunts their daily life. But making the wilds your home isn’t easy. And as much as Ash wants to be alone…can they really be happy alone? Can they survive alone? From New York Times –bestselling author and illustrator Jen Wang comes a singularly affecting story about self-discovery, self-reliance, and the choice to live when it feels like you have no place in the world.

The Dark We Know by Wen-yi Lee Zando – Gillian Flynn Books

Art student Isadora Chang swore never to return to Slater. Growing up, Isa never felt at ease in the repressive former mining town, even before she realized she was bisexual—but after the deaths of two of her childhood friends, Slater went from feeling claustrophobic to suffocating. Isa took off before the town could swallow her, too, even though it meant leaving behind everything she knew, including her last surviving friend Mason. When Isa’s abusive father kicks the bucket, she agrees to come back just long enough to collect the inheritance. But then Mason, son of the local medium, turns up at the cemetery with a revelation and a plea: their friends were murdered by a supernatural entity, and he needs Isa to help stop the evil—before it takes anyone else. When Isa begins to hear strange songs on the wind, and eerie artwork fills her sketchbook that she can’t recall drawing, she’s forced to stop running and confront her past. Because something is waiting in the shadows of Slater’s valleys, something that feeds on the pain and heartbreak of its children. Whatever it is, it knows Isa’s back… and it won’t let her escape twice.

Kisses, Codes, and Conspiracies by Abigail Hing Wen Feiwel & Friends

Tan Lee finds himself embroiled in an unusual love triangle, all while trying to defuse a heist, unravel a conspiracy, and navigate the most complicated babysitting assignment ever in this YA novel by national bestselling author Abigail Hing Wen. After a magical kiss at Prom, best friends Tan Lee and Winter Woo agree to cool it off, a plan that goes awry when their parents jointly head off to Hawaii and leave Tan and Winter to babysit Tan's sister Sana together. If that isn't complicated enough, Tan's ex-girlfriend from Shanghai arrives on his doorstep with money stolen from her billionaire father and thugs on her heels. Tan soon finds himself on the run, trying to out-manuever international hackers and protect his friends, family and sister - and his own heart.

The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko Amulet Books

The smallest spark can bind two hearts . . . or start a revolution. In the magic-soaked capital city of Oluwan, country bumpkin Small Sade needs a job—preferably as a maid, with employers who don’t mind her unique appearance and unlucky foot. But before she can be hired, she accidentally binds herself to a powerful god known only as the Crocodile, who is rumored to devour pretty girls. Small Sade entrances the Crocodile with her secret: she is a Curse Eater, gifted with the ability to alter people’s fates by cleaning their houses. The handsome god warns that their fates are bound, but Small Sade evades him, launching herself into a new career as the Curse Eater of a swanky inn. She is determined to impress the wealthy inhabitants and earn her place in Oluwan City . . . assuming her secret-filled past—and the revolutionary ambitions of the Crocodile God—don’t catch up with her. But maybe there is more to Small Sade. And maybe everyone in Oluwan City deserves more, too, from the maids all the way to the Anointed Ones.

Navigating With You written by Jeremy Whitley & illustrated by Cassio Ribeiro Maverick

Neesha Sparks is a disabled, vocal community activist with a passion for costume design. Gabby Graciana is an optimistic surfer - and, like Neesha, a new kid at school. When the two girls discover that they like the same manga series, Navigator Nozomi, they become more than just fellow new kids. But it was more than just having read the same book series--neither of them had finished it! Soon, they become new friends on a mission - to track down the remaining Navigator Nozomi books. This slice-of-life romance follows the two girls as they adventure across North Carolina to find each book, with their story intercut with the tales of Navigator Nozomi. Neesha and Gabby find more than just the books though—they find acceptance, friendship, understanding, and love.

[cellamare]

hey

hey

do you like Howl's Moving Castle (esp. the book version)? how about the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast"? do you enjoy stories that examine class and economic inequality through a fantasy setting, peopled with engaging characters and a really compelling narrator? have you ever wondered what happens in the years following the abrupt dismantling of a large fantasy empire and waves of successful revolts led by commoners against oppressive nobility?

Please please please try The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko, a standalone novel set in the world of her Raybearer duology. No prior knowledge of the series is necessary!

[books-and-draws-eclectic]

The Maid and The Crocodile, by Jordan Ifueko

Sade: *shrieeeekkk* the crocodile god is gonna eat meeeeee

The Crocodile god, literally an 18yo boy, already smitten with Sade: *tries to impress her with his magic* hey, I made TEA with magic!!

[zadry]

At the beginning of the year I made it a point to dedicate 2024 to reading & supporting more black writers. And I have to say it has been amazing! I discovered some wonderful stories. So with 2024 quickly wrapping up I thought I'd share some of my favorite reads of the year.

1. Jordan Ifueko's Raybearer world:

Raybearer

Tarisai, a young girl with the unique ability to glimpse the stories of others' lives through touch, grows up under the shadow of a magical wish imposed by her distant, absent mother. While she unravels the secrets of others, her own story remains a mystery yet to unfold.

Redemptor

For the first time in history, an Empress Redemptor rules from Aritsar’s throne. To quell the vengeful spirits of the dead, Tarisai must assemble her own council, embracing her full power as a Raybearer. Her ultimate test lies ahead: a journey into the Underworld, a selfless sacrifice to prevent future atrocities.

The Maid and The Crocodile

In the magic-infused capital of Oluwan, Small Sade is desperate for work—ideally as a maid for someone willing to overlook her unusual appearance and unlucky foot. However, her plans take an unexpected turn when she accidentally binds herself to the Crocodile, a formidable god infamous for devouring beautiful girls.

2. Ladarrion Williams / Blood at the Root

Debut novel

"A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical."

Book 2 titled Bones at the Crossroads will be released July 2025

3. Alyssa Cole thrillers:

When No One Is Watching

"Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she's known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community's past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block--her neighbor Theo."

One Of Us Knows

"The new caretaker of a historic estate finds herself trapped on an island with a murderer—and the ghosts of her past."

4. Akwaeke Emezi's Pet series:

Pet

Pet tells the story of Jam, a transgender teenager living in a society where adults have convinced themselves that monsters no longer exist.

Bitter

"A prequel to Emezi's Pet, Bitter tells the story of a Black teenage girl living in a city troubled by constant protests and violence."

5. Justina Ireland / Rust in the Root

"It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology—otherwise known as Mechomancy—not the traditional mystical arts. Laura disagrees..."

Another great read by Justina not read this year but too good not to mention is her Dread Nation series:

Dread Nation

Deathless Divide

6. Morgan Rogers / Honey Girl

Debut novel

A story of self-discovery, prioritizing mental health and recognizing the beauty of chosen family.

7. Tiffany D Jackson / The Weight of Blood

"Drawing inspiration from Stephen King’s Carrie, the novel features a biracial teenage girl with magical powers whose years of abuse from her father and bullying from her peers lead to disastrous consequences."

If Tiffany D. Jackson wrote it I'm going to read it , her books do not disappoint:

Allegedly

Monday's Not Coming

Let Me Hear A Rhyme

Grown

White Smoke

Blackout

Whiteout

8. Erin E. Adams / The Jackal

Debut novel

"A young Black girl vanishes in the woods on the outskirts of her predominantly white Rust Belt town. She isn’t the first to disappear—and she might not be the last"

9. S. A. Cosby / Razorblade Tears

"Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee are aging ex-cons living in rural Virginia. When their sons, a black and white couple with a baby daughter are brutally murdered, the two men team up and embark on a quest for revenge. As they try and track down their sons' killers, they also confront their own prejudices toward their sons and each other."

Other must reads by S. A. Cosby (read last year) :

All The Sinners Bleed

My Darkest Prayer

10. Tracy Deonn's Legendborn cycle:

Legendborn

"After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. A flying demon feeding on human energies & a secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down."

Bloodmarked

"It is the second book in The Legendborn Cycle series, and follows Bree as she discovers her ancestral power and becomes a Medium, Bloodcrafter, and Scion. Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick, the Legendborn boy she fell in love with."

Oathbound the 3rd book in the cycle will be released in March 2025

[asmywhimseytakesme]

This is the last page of chapter 1 of The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko.

Yes that is a deliberate Howl’s Moving Castle reference.

Yes I am excited to keep reading.

[a-nano-bit-of-everything]

small appreciation post for Jordan Ifueko and the way she writes about textiles in Maid & Crocodile

Dele raised her eyebrows but then shrugged and unhooked an embroidery hoop from her belt, whipping out a needle and stabbing the cloth with cheery aggression. "I'll just wait here for my exorcism, shall I?"

The arrogance of his tone grated on my nerves so sharply, I nearly turned on my heel to leave the orchard. Still, his actual words -shape the world you live in- sent shuttles wheeling in my mind, weaving pictures I had never seen before.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

I loved Raybearer and Redemptor, and I'm so excited for another book from Jordan Ifueko!

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jordan Ifueko (@jordanifueko)

SHE'S BACK!

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

The Maid and The Crocodile

standalone YA high fantasy romance, set in the world of Raybearer (10 years later)

a girl ages out of her orphanage and searches for a job as a maid - but before she’s hired, she accidentally gets bound to the Crocodile - a god thought to steal girls through his shrines throughout the cities

she wants nothing to do with him or his curse, and gets herself a job as a Curse Eater at an inn, consuming the spiritual residue of their past mistakes and regrets

but her past and her connection to the Crocodile won’t go away, and she gets caught up in his revolutionary ambitions

disabled MC (vitiligo, cane user)

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

breaking my hiatus because i need to post this i just finished THE MAID AND THE CROCODILE and it was FANTASTIC

i loved getting to return to the world of raybearer and seeing how things have have changed in like 10 years and even more than that, i LOVED getting to know sade like i legit feel honoured to follow her on her journey. she is such an amazing well written character and i love how she grows over the course of this story

i saw other people comparing it with howls moving castle and i completely agree the dynamic is so howl and sophie and the vibes are also cozy and comforting

the way this book examines classism + ableism is so insightful but also portrayed in a way that is easy to grasp, i especially appreciate how the narrative discusses the way we value manual labour and how systems are deliberately structured

ngl i do not have a lot of free time currently so i was considering giving this book a miss but i am so glad i decided to read it because now this book will be part of the threads in the tapestry of my identity

i could go on forever but anyway this book is somehow simultaneously inspiring and comforting my heart is so full <3

[hahahax30]

Anyways, Jordan Ifueko's new book is out now. Everyone go read The Maid And The Crocodile

[wizardteampod]

#WizardTeam spoke with Jordan Ifueko about THE MAID AND THE CROCODILE in our latest bonus episode 🐊 ✨

Listen now wherever you listen to podcasts and preorder the book before it drops next Tuesday!

[books-and-draws-eclectic]

The Maid and The Crocodile, by Jordan Ifueko

I just love the gecko so much 😭