Masquerade by O. O. Sangoyomi

 

Ododo is born in Timbukto in the fifteenth century.  She is born a blacksmith as all blacksmiths are women.  But they are not revered.  Instead they are made up of widows and women who couldn't find a man to support them and are considered low caste and witches.  One day Ododo is selling some flowers she made in the market when a man flirts with her and she gives him one of her flowers to remember her by.

Then disaster.  Ododo is kidnapped and taken across the Sahara to the capital city.  It turns out that the man in the market had been the ruler of all the land and he has decided that Ododo will be his wife.  Aremo is a warrior king; he has conquered many lands and is at the peak of his strength and power.  To be chosen as his wife is hard for Ododo to understand and she asks that her mother be brought to the capital for the wedding.  Aremo agrees but the mother has disappeared, giving Ododo time to start to adjust to her new life.  

As a member of the court and the prospective new queen, every word and action she makes is scrutinized.  She tries to make friends but is betrayed several times by those who would have her disappear or be taken down in Aremo's regard.  Each section of the country is headed up by a general and several of these men are determined to take Ododo down.  Her prospective mother-in-law seems to hate her and her teacher thinks she is dull and uneducated.  But Aremo thinks she is wonderful and that is the opinion that counts.  He starts to train her to be a warrior in secret and she ends up going into battle with him.  That battle almost leads to her death but she survives and comes back to even more power.  

The author is Nigerian American and this tale is based on Nigerian folklore.  It is full of descriptions that will transport the reader to Africa, markets and wealth beyond belief, court politics and battles for supremacy.  Ododo's motives and actions are not always easy to understand but as she becomes adjusted to her new life she learns to not trust so quickly and to make her own plans.  This book is recommended for readers of multicultural, historical and fantasy fiction.