Point of View

The point of view of the novel moves between the three main characters: Zelie, Amari, and Inan. All of the chapters are told in the first-person present. The present tense fits in perfectly with this quick-paced novel, which covers enough plot to fit into several spanning epics: “Tears blur my vision as we race through the trees of the Adichie Forest. My hands slip from Nailah’s horns. Without a saddle, I can barely hold on. I grip with my thighs as the world passes by, a whirlwind of mountain cliffs and blowing leaves. I try to pretend Nailah’s speed is the only reason I can’t breathe” (54). Here, we can see that the present-tense creates an added sense of urgency and immediacy to the action.

Zelie and Amari are together for most of the novel, but their combined perspectives offer critical insight into...