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Afia in the Land of Wonders: Book Review

Afia in the Land of Wonders is a middle grade fantasy book written and illustrated by Mia Araujo. It is inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and it was published this year, 2025. The story is about Afia, a sixteen-year-old girl who is dissatisfied with her life at home, a place called Dafra. Her mother and the rest of her family expect her to go through her ewende, which is her coming of age ceremony, and continue their crystal selling business. However, she yearns to explore the world, and wants more for her life. So when a young man named Bakame offers her an escape, she takes her chance and finds herself in the magical land of Ijábù. However, after being warned by a ghost boy named Ojike, she quickly discovers that not everything is as it seems, and she must escape this so-called “land of wonders.” The Non-Spoiler Review One thing I like about this book are the illustrations. Most of the images are fully colored and take up a page or two, while others are smaller pencil sketches. All o...

A Letter from Prince Gregor to King Knob

Dear King Knob,

We understand that you want to protect the unicorn and Pegasus populations, which is a noble endeavor. However, the measures you are taking to achieve this goal have gone too far and are taking a toll on both the ecosystem and your people.

For example, in your Unicorn and Pegasus Protection Act, there is a law stating that unicorns and Pegasus must be protected from their natural predators at all cost, and allows people to kill predators of the unicorns and Pegasus at the slightest hint that they will attack the unicorns and Pegasus. While this law has helped in increasing the unicorn and Pegasus populations, this same law has caused coyote, wolf, and winged cougar populations to hit an all-time low to the point where these animals are now threatened with extinction.

Furthermore, by disrupting the food chain, the unicorn and Pegasus populations have skyrocketed much too high. Because of the increase in Pegasus and unicorns, more Pegasus and unicorns have been eating our crops. As you are well aware, those crops are what we need to survive. The farmers have tried to keep the unicorns and Pegasus away by peaceful means, such as setting up scarecrows and scaring them away with loud noises. These tactics did work for a time. However, once the unicorns and Pegasus realized that the farmers would not harm them, they ignored their peaceful tactics completely and continued to devour their corn and wheat.

The farmers of these crops would be glad to protect their crops from the unicorns and Pegasus by using bows and arrows, if it were not for the first law in the UPP Act stating that no one is to hurt or kill any unicorns or Pegasus under any circumstance, otherwise they will be imprisoned or sent to the guillotine. If all the crops are devoured by these creatures, then we will no doubt starve to death.

Again, we understand your concern for the unicorn and Pegasus populations, but if our people are to survive and if the circle of life is to remain stable, then the UPP Act must be revised. People must be ordered to leave the natural predators of the unicorns and Pegasus alone, and farmers must be allowed to protect their crops by force if it is necessary. If changes are not made, then I am afraid we will have no choice but to secede from the Om Nomia Kingdom.

We hope that you take our concerns and our possible solutions into consideration.

Best Regards,

Prince Gregor of Ivory Province

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