Awakened: The page-turning, spiritual and captivating debut novel

by Kelechi Okafor

A hidden power. A sinister force. A mystery she can't ignore.

In a near-future London where technology affects everything from our bodies to our politics, journalist Pels Badmus wants to make a real difference. She's desperate to solve a spate of disappearances of young Black kids-including her friend's brother. But her boss doesn't want to hear it. Instead, he assigns her to cover the "unreasonable" protests thousands of miles away in Benin, against culturally oblivious tourists travelling to partake in sacred Spirit Vine rituals.

Pels soon finds herself in West Africa, ignoring her boss's motives in assigning her to this piece and hoping to use it as leverage later. She's also trying to ignore the strange, ethereal dreams she's been having...

However, when Pels takes the Spirit Vine herself, she experiences something mind-boggling. Something that points to an unfulfilled destiny that could change the course of her life. But first she must return home and confront an otherworldly conspiracy related to the missing children.

Because she may just be the only one able to stop it.

A bold imagining of our future through the lens of ancient spirituality, Awakened is a page-turning fable about a Black woman coming into her power, perfect for fans of N.K Jemisin and Netflix's Supacell.

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2025

About the author

I am Kelechi (Ke-leh-chee) Okafor and I'm a lover of words. I act, I direct and I write. I tweet and I dissect bits about society one podcast episode at a time.

When I am not doing all of the above, I teach pole dance and twerk at my studio Kelechnekoff Fitness in Peckham.

Society teaches us that we must fall into categories somehow. All I know is that I'm just a Baby Girl.

Thank you for visiting my page, and I hope you find what you are looking for on this page and in this life (profound, I know).

Reviews

[BookOfCinz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see what the author did and I really appreciated it. While I did enjoy the story, certain parts felt very heavy handed but I guess it worked.

[Abbi Whitcombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book, and read it in just a few days. Kelechi’s artful story telling weaves themes of spirituality, love, technology and racial/social justice together in a powerfully moving way. I have the sense that not one word is wasted, each phrase and plot is intentional and beautiful.
Whilst being an incredible story, Kelechi’s art is more than that. I feel the writing touch my soul…and stimulate both my mind and stir my emotions.
I look forward to reading more about Pels in future books!

[Bukola Akinyemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awakened
By Kelechi Okafor

Awakened is set in London as we know it with elements of a futuristic London where a Humanoid (a robot that like human) is running for mayor of London.

Oluwapelumi Badmus (Pels) is a journalist who wants to write about the disturbing disappearances of Black people whose bodies are later found near bodies of water. She wants to write about real issues with a hope to help resolve them but her boss has other ideas.

Other themes include identity, destiny and purpose, spirituality, technology, power and control, respectful tourism.

These themes are nicely weaved into the prose of this novel interjected by news articles.

The characters were varied with the inclusion of AI support and a Humanoid and an appearance of one of the characters from Kelechi’s short story collection Edge of Here.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would being a historical fiction lover who stays away from speculative fiction. Awakened is specifically a blend of Afrofuturism, spiritual thriller, and social commentary.

[Nisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good enough premise but poorly executed. Huge amounts of exposition especially in the first half.

[Janine R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge lover of literary fiction and whilst I cannot place this fiction in that category there are a lot of positives about this debut novel from Kelechi.

What I enjoyed about this book is the futuristic angle which makes it seem that the themes created Could happen within our lifetime. What I mean is the inclusion of artificial intelligence throughout society, the use of technology to pay for things without cash or card or a phone.

I really enjoyed the aspect of spiritual awakening through ritual and visions and her journey to that point.

Another strength Keleche displayed is the types of people she encountered when in Benin during us spiritual retreat.

Whilst reading the book there was a huge gap of many months because I don’t often get the chance to sit down and read preferring to listen to audiobooks but because of ill health I have the opportunity to sit and read the rest of the book.

It pains me to offer a sort of critique of Kelechi‘s writing, but I felt the writing style could have represented better her knowledge of the written word but I actually think that as this story progresses in future sequels her writing style will exemplify more her vast intelligence as both a reader and speaker and I’ll be rejoicing more in her writing style in the novel genre.

The story itself I think is an important one. It’s a story of becoming. Pels charts the journey of someone who cares to her core, enough to want to discover the truth and to share that truth.

What was almost as important as the story itself was The last few pages of the book where Kelechi talks about why this book was important for her to write how it healed her and helped her process the deaths of black people not only in the UK who had died near bodies of water. I also realised how important it was to see her validate herself and to publicly own her own self-love. Often times we are told to focus our gratitude only outwards but sometimes acknowledging that we ourselves are awesome and have done well is a real progressive way to be.

My final wish is that the photo of a woman on Jeremy’s desk was me! He sounded my type of guy.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelechi Okafor (2025) AWAKENED (AUDIOBOOK)
Audible - Trapeze

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars

Audible writes, "A HIDDEN POWER. A SINISTER FORCE. A MYSTERY SHE CAN'T IGNORE. In a near-future London where technology affects everything from our bodies to our politics, journalist Pels Badmus wants to make a real difference. She's desperate to solve a spate of disappearances of young Black kids-including her friend's brother. But her boss doesn't want to hear it. Instead, he assigns her to cover the "unreasonable" protests thousands of miles away in Benin, against culturally oblivious tourists travelling to partake in sacred Spirit Vine rituals.Pels soon finds herself in West Africa, ignoring her boss's motives in assigning her to this piece and hoping to use it as leverage later. She's also trying to ignore the strange, ethereal dreams she's been having... However, when Pels takes the Spirit Vine herself, she experiences something mind-boggling. Something that points to an unfulfilled destiny that could change the course of her life. But first she must return home and confront an otherworldly conspiracy related to the missing children. Because she may just be the only one able to stop it.
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Stunning story. Completely engrossing. It's what excellence looks like when it's a book. This one is going to stay in my head for a long, long time!
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#KelechiOkafor #Awakened #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #Audible @kelechnekoff

[Rainbow Goth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found its premise to be both intriguing and thought-provoking. Initially, I had reservations about how well I would connect with a story set in the near future, but to my delight, it was beautifully written and remarkably clever in its execution.

What struck me most was the unsettling realisation that the events within the storyline could very well happen or be happening as I type. This reflection forced me to confront some of the pressing issues we are currently facing in our world today, making the narrative resonate on a deeper level.

While I did notice that some of the writing felt slightly clumsy and could have benefited from tighter editing, my appreciation for the rich storyline and the depth of the characters overcame these minor flaws. The characters were vividly drawn and multifaceted, adding layers of complexity that kept me invested from beginning to end. Hence, despite its few shortcomings, I feel compelled to give this book nothing less than five stars.

[Chelsea | Bookish Midwife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Trapeze publishing for a proof copy.


“Awakended” by Kelechi Okafor is a genre-blurring debut that pulses with power, satire, and sharp cultural insight.

At its heart, this is a story about reclamation — of power, voice, and identity. Watching Pels grow into her power was a joy — though, truthfully, I felt we only scratched the surface. I wanted more time with her transformation, more space to dig into the emotional weight of her journey. The ending tied things up a little too neatly for my taste — but that might be because I tend to read longer books or sprawling series, where there's more room for mess and slow burn.

The humour was top tier! As an avid listener to Okafor’s podcast, I knew it would be! Damari the walking red flag, though obnoxious and ridiculous, was absolutely necessary for comedic balance.

But Awakended also digs deep. Okafor explores heavy themes like colonialism and spiritual tourism, interrogating who profits from stolen cultures, and how sacred practices are repackaged for Western consumption. The commentary is woven in seamlessly — never preachy, always purposeful.

Most powerful of all was the tribute to “Adam,” the unidentified boy whose body was found in the Thames in 2001. Okafor honours his memory with grace and gravity, anchoring the novel’s speculative elements in real, harrowing history.

This debut may not go as deep as I hoped, but it’s fierce, imaginative, and refreshingly unapologetic. I’ll definitely be watching what Okafor does next.

[Bo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imaginative! Bold. Purposeful. Unapologetic!

Set in a futuristic London, with a humanoid AI running for mayor 👍🏾, with tech (AI) deeply embedded in daily life.

The protagonist, journalist Pels is investigating the disappearances of young Black boys whose bodies are found near bodies of water.

I wanted more depth to Pels, and felt the ending was a little too neat.

[K 🇹🇹 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Kelechi as a speaker which was why I bought the audiobook but unfortunately sometimes a voice doesn’t translate into the skill required to be a writer. It’s a shame because I felt the concept had potential but it wasn’t executed well. There was plot points that were just unnecessary and way too much exposition.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very thought provoking book
makes you question lots of thinks
interesting to hear the story from the writers point of view