Adia Kelbara and the High Queen's Tomb by Isi Hendrix

Title: Adia Kelbara and the High Queen's Tomb

Series: Adia Kelbara #2
Author: Isi Hendrix
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy; Middle Grade
Publisher/Publication Date: Storytide; June 3, 2025

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The second book in a fast-paced, witty, and bighearted debut Afrofantasy trilogy about a twelve-year-old apprentice in the kitchens at the prestigious Academy of Shamans who must ally with a snarky goddess and a knife-wielding warrior to save her kingdom.

Perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and The School for Good and Evil!

Adia Kelbara may have defeated the power-hungry god Olark and saved Zaria, but now she must face something even more Her first semester as a student at the Academy of Shamans. As her abilities are tested during orientation, a mysterious affliction causes everyone except for Adia and Thyme to pass out—and a reanimated corpse appears, with a horrifying message. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Emperor Darian sends news that the same phenomenon is happening across the kingdom and that someone is siphoning energy from the living to resurrect corpses, creating cracks between the realms of the living and the dead. Now it will be up to Adia to push her magical abilities to the limit and journey to the tomb of the ancient High Queen in search of answers and a cure for the sleeping sickness besieging Zaria. But rising corpses aren’t the only threats that stand in her way—a new enemy looms, and if Adia can’t defeat them, Zaria may soon become another realm of the dead.

One of my most anticipated sequels of 2025 was Isi Hendrix’s Adia Kelbara and the High Queen’s Tomb, the second entry of the Afrofantasy series. I was more than ready to dive back into the world and see what the author had in-store for the characters.

The tone of this second outing felt far bleaker than the previous entry in the series, which made sense. The danger wasn’t at an end, and the High Queen’s Tomb presented another magical—albeit dark and challenging—journey for the burgeoning shaman. I mean, the dead were literally rising. However, it wasn’t a typical take on zombies. I appreciated how the author developed the situation too, because it was more complex than it first appeared. The consequences made the story into a race against time, and the stakes were considerably raised because of it. But, the prospective danger wasn’t only to the world but also in a personal sense too.

After all, Adia had a lot on her plate. She was dealing with the aftermath (and trauma) left by her experiences fighting against Orlark as well as her complicated feelings over the loss of a friendship. Adia had to learn some VERY hard lessons in the High Queen’s Tomb. With her powers: she needed to understand the responsibility that came with them. With the friendships she’d forged (with Thyme and the emperor, Darian): to better value (and rely) on the people who had her back. And, at the same time, she also had to navigate the changes to the Academy of Shamans.

As far as secondary characters, there were new and familiar faces; unexpected allies, and even shocking betrayals. (Bubbles, the cat, was still adorable.)

Adia Kelbara and the High Queen’s Tomb was an excellent follow-up to the first.

 

About the author....

Isi Hendrix is a Nigerian American children’s book author who has been lucky enough to live and work all over the world, from the Himalayas to the Amazon rainforest, during her past life as an anthropologist. Now she’s based in her hometown of Brooklyn, NY, where she lives with a rotating roster of foster kittens and a stubborn refusal to accept that she is highly allergic to cats. You can find her at www.isihendrix.com.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Storytide) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!