I am a Dahomey Warrior! tells the story of a young girl who belongs to the Fon, living in Benin, West Africa, many decades ago. Back when it was called Dahomey, it not only had a rich cultural heritage, but also an all-women army known as the Elephant Hunters and tales of their bravery, fearlessness and sheer strength were regaled upon our protagonist ever since she was a young child. After a horrifying incident that caused her to lose both her mother and her sister, our heroine was determined to join the Elephant Hunters and fight such injustices and crimes and protect the people of her land. The rest of the story follows her effort in reaching her goal and what happens even after she's accomplished her lifelong dream.

I am a Dahomey Warrior! was one of the first few African adventure stories I've read, and it completely blew me away. To say that the writing was impeccable would be a massive understatement. It is one of those stories that demand to be read, exhibiting the same strength that its heroines yield. I was in awe of how easily the author managed to transport me to the world of our protagonist and how well crafted the imagery was, so much so that I often found myself in the shoes of our heroine. 

What's special about this book is that despite the Elephant Hunters being such strong warriors, they were subjected to ill-treatment and lower rights (being forced to marry the king, being molested by not being able to say or do anything about it etc.) than the men for no other reason other than that they were women. Reading this story at this time, especially with the horrific way women are being treated in Afghanistan, strikes a chord with me on a whole new level and just goes to show how the story of the Dahomey women is true even today. 

This story is tragic, it's motivating, it's STRONG - and it manages to bring out the sleeping Dahomey warrior inside each one of us. I, for one, am grateful that I got to be an ARC reader for this amazing story and hope that it can inspire you the way it has inspired me.