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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...

What Names Should I Choose?

Naming my characters

Can be so hard to do.

Should I name one Louise

Or for short, call her Lou?


I like to give their names meaning

Something that reflects their character,

Like a fiery girl named Amber

Or a shy girl named Lavender.


But maybe some names

Are too on the nose

Like Maleficent, Goodfellow

Or Innocent Rose.


Despite the difficulty, 

I love to employ

My naming skills

To find names I enjoy.


I would love to name a character

Paisley or Maisy

Or Mosie or Posey

Or Hailey or Daisy.


I could name one Deborah

And another could be Yihana.

Another could be Alisa

And another could be Ayanna.


I could name characters

Zackary or Titus

Or Bebo, or Norman

Or Orion or Situs.


I could name one Kazimir

And still another Veggie,

Or Zeus or Atlas

Or maybe just Reggie.


So many names,

So many choices!

I still have yet to think

Of their stories and character voices!


I should come up

With a name as a placeholder

So I can focus on the story

And see if I like it as it gets older.


But what should be

My placeholder name?

Should it be Victoria, Arachnophobia,

Or Unquechable Flame?

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