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She Who Knows #3
The Daughter Who Remains: She Who Knows, Book 3
Set in the universe Africanfuturist luminary Nnedi Okorafor first introduced in the World Fantasy Award-winning
Who Fears Death
,
The Daughter Who Remains
is the breathtaking conclusion to the She Who Knows trilogy
Featuring Najeeba, now older and wiser than readers have ever known her, this is a tale of family, courage, and healing
Najeeba has something terrible to kill.
And now she’s off to go and kill it. A fully trained, mature, and sharply focused sorcerer (don’t call her sorceress), Najeeba has left the comfort and security of her town with two companions, the glass maker Dedan and the old camel MorningStar. This journey takes her back to where it all began. And despite the fact that her training with the sorcerer Aro forced her to face her deepest fears, she hasn’t seen anything close to what she’s about to see.
As the Igbo proverb goes, a masquerade does not dance for nothing. The Daughter Who Remains is the final book in the She Who Knows trilogy. This tale isn’t about Najeeba learning to master her powerful skills, it’s about her having the audacity and courage to use them and use them well…no matter the consequence.
Featuring Najeeba, now older and wiser than readers have ever known her, this is a tale of family, courage, and healing
Najeeba has something terrible to kill.
And now she’s off to go and kill it. A fully trained, mature, and sharply focused sorcerer (don’t call her sorceress), Najeeba has left the comfort and security of her town with two companions, the glass maker Dedan and the old camel MorningStar. This journey takes her back to where it all began. And despite the fact that her training with the sorcerer Aro forced her to face her deepest fears, she hasn’t seen anything close to what she’s about to see.
As the Igbo proverb goes, a masquerade does not dance for nothing. The Daughter Who Remains is the final book in the She Who Knows trilogy. This tale isn’t about Najeeba learning to master her powerful skills, it’s about her having the audacity and courage to use them and use them well…no matter the consequence.
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First published February 17, 2026
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About the author
Nnedi Okorafor
158 books18k followersNnedi Okorafor is a New York Times Bestselling writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. The more specific terms for her works are africanfuturism and africanjujuism, both terms she coined and defined. Born in the United States to two Nigerian (Igbo) immigrant parents and visiting family in Nigeria since she was a child, the foundation and inspiration of Nnedi’s work is rooted in this part of Africa. Her many works include Who Fears Death (winner of the World Fantasy Award and in development at HBO as a TV series), the Nebula and Hugo award winning novella trilogy Binti (in development as a TV series), the Lodestar and Locus Award winning Nsibidi Scripts Series, LaGuardia (winner of a Hugo and Eisner awards for Best Graphic Novel) and her most recent novella Remote Control. Her debut novel Zahrah the Windseeker won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. She lives with her daughter Anyaugo in Phoenix, AZ. Learn more about Nnedi at Nnedi.com and follow Nnedi on twitter (as @Nnedi), Facebook and Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
February 18, 2026
Have I mentioned how much I love Nnedi Okorafor’s stories? For I do, gentle reader–I most certainly do. “The Daughter Who Remains” finishes up the She Who Knows trilogy, and it’s a fitting ending. Najeeba is pregnant and traveling with her husband, for she knows she has unfinished business with a mysterious entity called The Cleanser.
You should know that I’ve started and stopped this review several times. Unfortunately, I cannot say much more about the plot without giving things away, and I don’t want to do that. Suffice it to say that Najeeba comes to know herself and what she is capable of in this captivating novella.
I do hope that Okorafor continues to write more stories within this world. I’ll be there if she does!
My thanks to NetGalley and DAW for an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
You should know that I’ve started and stopped this review several times. Unfortunately, I cannot say much more about the plot without giving things away, and I don’t want to do that. Suffice it to say that Najeeba comes to know herself and what she is capable of in this captivating novella.
I do hope that Okorafor continues to write more stories within this world. I’ll be there if she does!
My thanks to NetGalley and DAW for an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
This final novella in the She Who Knows trilogy brings the story of Najeeba, the ‘she who knows’ of the series title, full circle, back to the place – if not the time or even the world – where she began in the opening book, also titled She Who Knows after Najeeba herself.
Najeeba’s first daughter was Onyesonwu, Who Fears Death, a woman who clearly didn’t. Onyesonwu sacrificed her life, indeed, her very existence, to fix their broken world and make it a place where their people – and indeed all people – had a chance to not just survive, but thrive.
But that sacrifice didn’t just kill Onyesonwu and the friends who willingly undertook that journey with her. It also erased her existence from time and memory and rewrote the entire history of the world, even in the memories of the people who were alive at the time of her sacrifice.
Even the history books rewrote themselves to reflect the new past that resulted from her sacrifice.
Najeeba calls that time, the time she bore and raised her first daughter, as ‘The Before’. It’s a time that only sorcerers like Najeeba – as well as a few others who have certain particular kinds of magic – remember at all.
But Najeeba does remember that ‘Before’. It’s not just that she remembers the daughter she gave to history, but that she remembers her own history, the mistakes she made, the evils she encountered and the cursed duty she accepted from her father as he was dying. Dying as a result of one of her mistakes.
Najeeba has lived her life twice over, her childhood and young womanhood in The Before, and a life of training and purpose and happiness and even redemption in the world that came after Onyesonwu’s sacrifice.
As this final entry in Najeeba’s story opens, she is pregnant and on a journey across the desert. Just as all sorcerers learn the manner of their own deaths at the completion of their training, Najeeba knows that this journey is fated.
It’s time for her to return to the place where she was born – even if that is no longer the place that she remembers OR the place that remembers her. Because she made her father a promise as he lay dying. She promised to kill the monster who blighted his family before Najeeba herself was ever born.
A monster who has been blighting her people, taking away the best and the brightest, those who have the ability to change the world for the better – and making them less than they could be. Less than their people need them to be if the world is to keep moving forward.
It’s her duty to kill the seemingly unkillable, knowing that she will sacrifice herself in fulfilling that last duty to her father. Little does she know that her promise was fated all along. Because she might have been willing to let the cup pass to another – but she cannot, she will not, let this monster diminish the light of the daughter who remains.
Escape Rating A: This series has been terrific from the very beginning, and this final volume does a marvelous job of pulling together the remaining loose ends, taking the story back to its – and Najeeba’s start and bringing her life, her journey and her story to a right, fitting and beautiful end for her and for the reader.
This is a hint not to start here at the end. If Najeeba’s journey sounds as fascinating to you as it turned out to be for this reader, start with She Who Knows (sometimes titled She Who Knows: Firespitter) and be prepared for an epic journey.
While THIS entire saga serves as a kind of framing story for the author’s award-winning epic, Who Fears Death, it is not absolutely necessary to read that earlier book in order to be fully engaged and enmeshed in this series. I know it’s not because I haven’t read it YET, and yet found Najeeba’s journey utterly absorbing.
This final entry in the series manages to combine both a closing and an opening, as contradictory as those two states often are. Najeeba is closing the circle of her life. She KNOWS this is her final journey, she knows she’s heading towards her death. So there’s more than a bit of a sense of melancholy, both on her own part and particularly on the part of her husband Dedan.
While Najeeba is also dealing with, or perhaps that should be toying with, the idea of letting this cup pass to another. The Before is gone, unremembered and unremarked. And, as is often the case, as she marches towards her death she finally finds much of what she has been seeking all of her life. She finds a place she can truly call home. She finds joy in her life and especially in the newborn daughter she names Ikuku but the home she wants to adopt calls Sssolu.
She’s lost this child before she ever really got to know her, and it’s not fair.
But neither is the monster she must kill, and it’s in that fight and the reasons for it that so much resonance to the entire saga and to the ‘real’ world comes into fascinating play. ‘The Cleanser’, the demon she must kill, is frightening in a very real way that I can’t stop thinking about.
The Cleanser ‘cleanses’ her people of their best and brightest, taking those who have the power and capability to change their world, to make things better, and diminishes them, giving them so-called ‘gifts’ that seem marvelous but are ultimately empty. It takes away their drive and gives them beauty, fortune and charisma. They spend their lives seeking adoration and adulation, but waste their promise. From a certain, 21st century perspective, they become entertainers and influencers instead of scientists and engineers. Instead of being people who DO, they become people are merely ARE, generation after generation.
And their world, and perhaps ours, is a poorer place for that, even though our world, at least, is a richer place for this author’s fantastic and fascinating work.
Originally published at Reading Reality
Najeeba’s first daughter was Onyesonwu, Who Fears Death, a woman who clearly didn’t. Onyesonwu sacrificed her life, indeed, her very existence, to fix their broken world and make it a place where their people – and indeed all people – had a chance to not just survive, but thrive.
But that sacrifice didn’t just kill Onyesonwu and the friends who willingly undertook that journey with her. It also erased her existence from time and memory and rewrote the entire history of the world, even in the memories of the people who were alive at the time of her sacrifice.
Even the history books rewrote themselves to reflect the new past that resulted from her sacrifice.
Najeeba calls that time, the time she bore and raised her first daughter, as ‘The Before’. It’s a time that only sorcerers like Najeeba – as well as a few others who have certain particular kinds of magic – remember at all.
But Najeeba does remember that ‘Before’. It’s not just that she remembers the daughter she gave to history, but that she remembers her own history, the mistakes she made, the evils she encountered and the cursed duty she accepted from her father as he was dying. Dying as a result of one of her mistakes.
Najeeba has lived her life twice over, her childhood and young womanhood in The Before, and a life of training and purpose and happiness and even redemption in the world that came after Onyesonwu’s sacrifice.
As this final entry in Najeeba’s story opens, she is pregnant and on a journey across the desert. Just as all sorcerers learn the manner of their own deaths at the completion of their training, Najeeba knows that this journey is fated.
It’s time for her to return to the place where she was born – even if that is no longer the place that she remembers OR the place that remembers her. Because she made her father a promise as he lay dying. She promised to kill the monster who blighted his family before Najeeba herself was ever born.
A monster who has been blighting her people, taking away the best and the brightest, those who have the ability to change the world for the better – and making them less than they could be. Less than their people need them to be if the world is to keep moving forward.
It’s her duty to kill the seemingly unkillable, knowing that she will sacrifice herself in fulfilling that last duty to her father. Little does she know that her promise was fated all along. Because she might have been willing to let the cup pass to another – but she cannot, she will not, let this monster diminish the light of the daughter who remains.
Escape Rating A: This series has been terrific from the very beginning, and this final volume does a marvelous job of pulling together the remaining loose ends, taking the story back to its – and Najeeba’s start and bringing her life, her journey and her story to a right, fitting and beautiful end for her and for the reader.
This is a hint not to start here at the end. If Najeeba’s journey sounds as fascinating to you as it turned out to be for this reader, start with She Who Knows (sometimes titled She Who Knows: Firespitter) and be prepared for an epic journey.
While THIS entire saga serves as a kind of framing story for the author’s award-winning epic, Who Fears Death, it is not absolutely necessary to read that earlier book in order to be fully engaged and enmeshed in this series. I know it’s not because I haven’t read it YET, and yet found Najeeba’s journey utterly absorbing.
This final entry in the series manages to combine both a closing and an opening, as contradictory as those two states often are. Najeeba is closing the circle of her life. She KNOWS this is her final journey, she knows she’s heading towards her death. So there’s more than a bit of a sense of melancholy, both on her own part and particularly on the part of her husband Dedan.
While Najeeba is also dealing with, or perhaps that should be toying with, the idea of letting this cup pass to another. The Before is gone, unremembered and unremarked. And, as is often the case, as she marches towards her death she finally finds much of what she has been seeking all of her life. She finds a place she can truly call home. She finds joy in her life and especially in the newborn daughter she names Ikuku but the home she wants to adopt calls Sssolu.
She’s lost this child before she ever really got to know her, and it’s not fair.
But neither is the monster she must kill, and it’s in that fight and the reasons for it that so much resonance to the entire saga and to the ‘real’ world comes into fascinating play. ‘The Cleanser’, the demon she must kill, is frightening in a very real way that I can’t stop thinking about.
The Cleanser ‘cleanses’ her people of their best and brightest, taking those who have the power and capability to change their world, to make things better, and diminishes them, giving them so-called ‘gifts’ that seem marvelous but are ultimately empty. It takes away their drive and gives them beauty, fortune and charisma. They spend their lives seeking adoration and adulation, but waste their promise. From a certain, 21st century perspective, they become entertainers and influencers instead of scientists and engineers. Instead of being people who DO, they become people are merely ARE, generation after generation.
And their world, and perhaps ours, is a poorer place for that, even though our world, at least, is a richer place for this author’s fantastic and fascinating work.
Originally published at Reading Reality
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The conclusion of this Africanfuturist sci-fi series is a bittersweet and satisfying full circle journey. I love how Okorafor writes strong women, and protagonist Najeeba is no exception: she grows from a mystical child to a fully fledged sorcerer across three books, always maintaining her strong will and challenging the views and traditions of her people. Though much of the second novel dealt with her grief and finding her way after world-rocking events, this final story sees her finding new light in her life, and striding forward to fulfil her destiny. I found myself wishing for a bit more time to unpack the lightning-quick events at the end, but I appreciated the mythical dreamlike quality of the last chapter. Throughout the series, and in all of Okorafor’s work, there is a deceptively multilayered aspect to the writing, which makes seemingly simple stories feel full of meaning just beneath the surface; the themes explored are complex and sometimes heavy, but there is also an ease and a lightness that shines through the pages. This series is unique and inventive and powerful, and I’ll be thinking about Najeeba’s story for a long time to come.
Thanks to DAW Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thanks to DAW Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
February 17, 2026
The last novella in the She Who Knows trilogy, The Daughter Who Remains wraps everything up just about as well as can be expected considering what we know about the forthcoming end from prior books. We continue Najeeba's quest to kill The Cleanser, an otherworldly being that secrets away young women in and around her home village and replaces them with something... similar, but not quite. The "daughter" in this case isn't herself, or Onyesonwu from previous books, but a brand new daughter she risks so much to bring into this world, and with that we again meet the Va seven-ish years later than the last time we saw them in Who Fears Death. Also, having finished this fourth book, now I know there's other related books to this series? I'm gonna eat them up just as much as I ate up this trilogy. The more I read of Nnedi Okorafor the more I just want to devour everything she writes until it's part of my own cell structure. Love.
Fantastic the narrator is still the same narrator as Who Fears Death and this sidecar trilogy so we got the same "voices" for some of the recurring characters! I'm definitely adding her to my short list of, "would listen to anything she narrates."
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing for the ALC for review.
Fantastic the narrator is still the same narrator as Who Fears Death and this sidecar trilogy so we got the same "voices" for some of the recurring characters! I'm definitely adding her to my short list of, "would listen to anything she narrates."
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing for the ALC for review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and DAW. I'm voluntarily leaving a review, and all opinions are my own.
Genre: Afrofuturism, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Audience: Adults
Spice Level: On-page spice is present, but it's also more factual as part of life than as a titillating experience. There are mature themes and subjects.
THE DAUGHTER WHO REMAINS swept me into an entirely new world and left me with questions to bring into my life.
The absolute beauty of the world in this series is a standout in the world of fantasy. I've been fascinated by the characters and the situations as the plot developed.
There are joyous and devastating moments, and things I cannot understand because I would never make the choices that the characters are making, but that is part of what kept me reading. There are so many questions of what will Najeeba do now that x, y, and z have happened. At times, I was truly gutted through this book.
Ultimately, the series is deep and thought-provoking, and after you've read the first two books, this one is a must. It helps round out the arc of Najeeba and the tumultuous events of her world.
Happy reading!
Genre: Afrofuturism, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Audience: Adults
Spice Level: On-page spice is present, but it's also more factual as part of life than as a titillating experience. There are mature themes and subjects.
THE DAUGHTER WHO REMAINS swept me into an entirely new world and left me with questions to bring into my life.
The absolute beauty of the world in this series is a standout in the world of fantasy. I've been fascinated by the characters and the situations as the plot developed.
There are joyous and devastating moments, and things I cannot understand because I would never make the choices that the characters are making, but that is part of what kept me reading. There are so many questions of what will Najeeba do now that x, y, and z have happened. At times, I was truly gutted through this book.
Ultimately, the series is deep and thought-provoking, and after you've read the first two books, this one is a must. It helps round out the arc of Najeeba and the tumultuous events of her world.
Happy reading!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A solid ending to a trilogy of novellas very much worth reading. The conclusion did feel a bit abrupt given the build up of the first two, but it is also satisfying – this feels like a conclusive ending to the tale, while leaving room perhaps for more books set in the same universe. I enjoyed following Najeeba in this portion of the story; her trajectory is absolutely compelling, and she’s a very well developed personality.
I will say, this wasn’t my favourite installment of the three. I think that with so much world-building and character development established in books 1 and 2, this one felt more plot-heavy by comparison (though the storm component of the setting was really well done).
I absolutely recommend this novella to anyone who’s read and enjoyed the first two. I do not recommend starting here – this trilogy definitely needs to be read in order to make sense.
Content warnings: violence, blood, rape (mentioned, not on-page)
Thank you to DAW, the author, and NetGalley for providing me an ARC to review.
I will say, this wasn’t my favourite installment of the three. I think that with so much world-building and character development established in books 1 and 2, this one felt more plot-heavy by comparison (though the storm component of the setting was really well done).
I absolutely recommend this novella to anyone who’s read and enjoyed the first two. I do not recommend starting here – this trilogy definitely needs to be read in order to make sense.
Content warnings: violence, blood, rape (mentioned, not on-page)
Thank you to DAW, the author, and NetGalley for providing me an ARC to review.
February 18, 2026
“The Daughter Who Remains” is the final book in the “She Who Knows” trilogy. Usually, I take care to read books in order. In this case, I mistakenly assumed that this book was related to the highly entertaining adventure Binti trilogy, and jumped in without hesitation (or even double checking at all, since I really enjoyed the Binti series.) Several pages into this book I completely realized that this was a brand new (to me) series. But, by this time, I was too into the story to put it down and search for the first two books. I totally enjoyed the experience. The new-to-me magical culture that Okorafor paints was delightful, suspenseful, and enjoyable. And I look forward to reading the first two books.
This is clearly a must-read for anyone who enjoyed the first books in the series. Likewise, anyone who has enjoyed reading other stories by Okorafor would also appreciate this series also. I unhesitatingly give this book 5 stars.
I thank the author and publisher for kindly providing an electronic review copy of this work.
This is clearly a must-read for anyone who enjoyed the first books in the series. Likewise, anyone who has enjoyed reading other stories by Okorafor would also appreciate this series also. I unhesitatingly give this book 5 stars.
I thank the author and publisher for kindly providing an electronic review copy of this work.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I didn't expect to love this final book of the She Who Knows trilogy this much, especially since I struggled a bit getting through the second book. Najeeba has come into her potential and has found joy and peace and healing, yet still has the commitment laid on her by her faither to keep. Also, Najeeba's healing didn't make her meek or quiet. She's still the outspoken, stubborn, surviving woman she has been.
Her daughter, Onyesonwu, has saved the world, but Najeeba and others are still dealing with the consequences of it - I appreciate that throughout these books (both Who Fears Death and the She Who Knows trilogy) it's not a plot or ending where everything is perfect once the hero wins. The peopel who remember the Before have lost tremendous things, and even those who don't remember deal with the impact of it. The book also brings everything together from the prior books to culminate in a really satisfying full circle ending for Najeeba.
Her daughter, Onyesonwu, has saved the world, but Najeeba and others are still dealing with the consequences of it - I appreciate that throughout these books (both Who Fears Death and the She Who Knows trilogy) it's not a plot or ending where everything is perfect once the hero wins. The peopel who remember the Before have lost tremendous things, and even those who don't remember deal with the impact of it. The book also brings everything together from the prior books to culminate in a really satisfying full circle ending for Najeeba.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is full of magic
Najeeba and Dedan, her lover, go on a long journey. There is something she has to do – dangerous and necessary, something demands a sacrifice, something that will free her people. It should be a dark book. As soon as you start reading, you will know something of the ending. Yet the pace is slow. Along the way, you will have love, hope, hardship, heartbreak, pride, perseverance. For me, it banished the darkness.
The magic here is alive, dangerous, always untamed. I like the roads less travelled that Nnedi Okorafor’s imagination makes me walk on.
Looking back at the two previous books, I am impressed by what a seamless whole this series is!
Quotes:
”It is good to have somebody that knows you well. Who loves you for what he knows.”
”There is nothing like hearing a story of unexpected joy from someone you love.”
Many, many thanks to Daw Books and the author for the free e-book provided via NetGalley!
Najeeba and Dedan, her lover, go on a long journey. There is something she has to do – dangerous and necessary, something demands a sacrifice, something that will free her people. It should be a dark book. As soon as you start reading, you will know something of the ending. Yet the pace is slow. Along the way, you will have love, hope, hardship, heartbreak, pride, perseverance. For me, it banished the darkness.
The magic here is alive, dangerous, always untamed. I like the roads less travelled that Nnedi Okorafor’s imagination makes me walk on.
Looking back at the two previous books, I am impressed by what a seamless whole this series is!
Quotes:
”It is good to have somebody that knows you well. Who loves you for what he knows.”
”There is nothing like hearing a story of unexpected joy from someone you love.”
Many, many thanks to Daw Books and the author for the free e-book provided via NetGalley!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this was okay? I enjoyed the previous books but this one felt very mild and low stakes compared to them. There wasn't any character development. And I wasn't very invested in the quest. Sure, the Cleanser is objectively bad. But the bad things it's done are to other people, in the past and off screen. I had no emotional attachment to it's actions and so just didn't really care about it.
I did like reading about Najeeba as a pregnant woman and mother. That's not the type of character I often get to read about in fantasy books so that was refreshing.
I'm assuming there will be more books in this series (maybe not in She Who Knows but in the larger world) and I'll probably still continue reading them.
I thought this was okay? I enjoyed the previous books but this one felt very mild and low stakes compared to them. There wasn't any character development. And I wasn't very invested in the quest. Sure, the Cleanser is objectively bad. But the bad things it's done are to other people, in the past and off screen. I had no emotional attachment to it's actions and so just didn't really care about it.
I did like reading about Najeeba as a pregnant woman and mother. That's not the type of character I often get to read about in fantasy books so that was refreshing.
I'm assuming there will be more books in this series (maybe not in She Who Knows but in the larger world) and I'll probably still continue reading them.
Read
February 3, 2026"The Daughter Who Remains" by Nnedi Okorafor concludes the She who Knows Trilogy. Available 17 February. I didn't see it coming.
This is not the story about a sorcerer learning how to use their power. This is the story about killing a thing that needs killing using everything Najeeba has experienced in her life. She is a trained sorcerer, has lived through good and bad times, and has a camel that is grumpy.
Narrated by Yetide Badaki, you closed it off wonderfully. From the moments of Najeeba lowering her guard and enjoying life to the rage that a mother can hold.
Reasons to read:
-It's done now, you have no excuses to not start it
-All the bits of the series flow together beautifully
-I will never be that good at my library job
-The parts when "The Book of Phoenix" are brought up
Cons:
-Going to work after finishing and pretending to be focused
This is not the story about a sorcerer learning how to use their power. This is the story about killing a thing that needs killing using everything Najeeba has experienced in her life. She is a trained sorcerer, has lived through good and bad times, and has a camel that is grumpy.
Narrated by Yetide Badaki, you closed it off wonderfully. From the moments of Najeeba lowering her guard and enjoying life to the rage that a mother can hold.
Reasons to read:
-It's done now, you have no excuses to not start it
-All the bits of the series flow together beautifully
-I will never be that good at my library job
-The parts when "The Book of Phoenix" are brought up
Cons:
-Going to work after finishing and pretending to be focused
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is the third and final novella in the “She Who Knows” trilogy. I was lucky enough to read all three in sequence to get the whole story and I read the second and third back to back. I recommend reading these novellas close together because it’s easy to forget details, especially of the world building and magic system, if you wait too long in between. This was a great conclusion to the series. If you read and enjoyed the first novellas then you’ll enjoy this one as well. Okorafor’s writing is beautiful and this book didn’t have to rely on world-building because that was done in the previous novellas so you get just Najeeba’s story which is compelling.
Thank you, NetGalley and DAW for allowing me to read this early. The opinion in this review is my own.
Thank you, NetGalley and DAW for allowing me to read this early. The opinion in this review is my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Solid ending to a solid series. Najeeba's journey feels real and lived in. The pacing of this final entry slowed things down a bit from One Way Witch, but it let you get more enveloped in Najeeba's healing and thoughts as she heads toward her fate. The world building in the previous books allowed this book to stretch more in characterization and give The Vah more life. All the new characters were great (including the camels). Ting is one of my favorites in the series. The final battle while I wish it lasted a little longer/was a bit more epic was satisfying and bittersweet. You know where you are headed but it still kinda sucks even if it brings things full circle and leaves hope for the future. All and all solid and my favorite work since Binti. Thanks to Daw and NetGalley for the ARC.
November 26, 2025
A stunning conclusion to a powerful, moving series. I hope Nnedi Okorafor writes more in this universe; the world-building remains masterful.
Najeeba has been building up to the climax of this book for a very long time. The tension builds steadilyearning what she needs before setting out on her mission. She learns, and she heals, and her determination grows, but her emotional state is anything but one-note. The book is heart-wrenching and gut-wrenching and the story could not have been told any other way.
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the opportunity to read and review the ARC
Najeeba has been building up to the climax of this book for a very long time. The tension builds steadilyearning what she needs before setting out on her mission. She learns, and she heals, and her determination grows, but her emotional state is anything but one-note. The book is heart-wrenching and gut-wrenching and the story could not have been told any other way.
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the opportunity to read and review the ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
⭐⭐⭐.5 out of 5
Najeeba's final chapter delivers the emotional punch but moves too fast for its own good.
This wraps up Najeeba's arc as she heads back to where everything started, fully trained and ready to destroy the thing that's been haunting her story. Traveling with glassmaker Dedan and her camel MorningStar, she's no longer the uncertain girl from book one—she's grown into her power and isn't afraid to wield it.
Okorafor's writing is gorgeous, and those storm scenes? Absolutely gripping. Najeeba's journey across all three books really lands. Honestly, this is the last chunk of one big story, not really its own separate book. It moves fast. Just when you're getting into it, it's over. I wish we'd gotten more time before the goodbye.
Still, it wraps up everything nicely. Just don't try reading this without the first two—you'll be lost.
Vibes:
✨ Fully realized power
🔮 Facing your demons literally
🐪 Quest with purpose
🌍 Africanfuturist magic
⚔️ Earned growth
🌅 Quick but satisfying wrap-up
Thank you to the DAW for the eARC!
Najeeba's final chapter delivers the emotional punch but moves too fast for its own good.
This wraps up Najeeba's arc as she heads back to where everything started, fully trained and ready to destroy the thing that's been haunting her story. Traveling with glassmaker Dedan and her camel MorningStar, she's no longer the uncertain girl from book one—she's grown into her power and isn't afraid to wield it.
Okorafor's writing is gorgeous, and those storm scenes? Absolutely gripping. Najeeba's journey across all three books really lands. Honestly, this is the last chunk of one big story, not really its own separate book. It moves fast. Just when you're getting into it, it's over. I wish we'd gotten more time before the goodbye.
Still, it wraps up everything nicely. Just don't try reading this without the first two—you'll be lost.
Vibes:
✨ Fully realized power
🔮 Facing your demons literally
🐪 Quest with purpose
🌍 Africanfuturist magic
⚔️ Earned growth
🌅 Quick but satisfying wrap-up
Thank you to the DAW for the eARC!
October 5, 2025
So BEYOND honored to get an arc for my favorite author ever <3
I asked what would happen when my favorite series ended and now I know: heartache but also peace. And also a strange yearning for the world Okorafor created in the Who Fears Death universe.
Out of Onyesonwu, Phoenix, and Najeeba, I think I liked Najeebas story best. I like that her story didn't end or even focus on beating Daib, she had something to do predating the thing he did to her as an individual, she has chosen to move on from that.
I hope to read Sssolu's story soon
I asked what would happen when my favorite series ended and now I know: heartache but also peace. And also a strange yearning for the world Okorafor created in the Who Fears Death universe.
Out of Onyesonwu, Phoenix, and Najeeba, I think I liked Najeebas story best. I like that her story didn't end or even focus on beating Daib, she had something to do predating the thing he did to her as an individual, she has chosen to move on from that.
I hope to read Sssolu's story soon
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2025
Absolutely loving it! I thought this was a trilogy but after that ending, there is no way! There has to be a 4th book. I love seeing Najeeba's story unfold. This mother is under great pressure after birthing 2 great daughters. Maybe her mission in life wasn't to destroy the Cleanser, but to help it to restore balance? Her perspective is skewed so we may never know. Nnedi Okonofor is now an auto-buy author for me. This series is so engrossing and would make a great tv show/movie. I highly recommend this.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What a great conclusion to this series! And it definitely sets us up for yet another spinoff that I hope we get. Najeeba is now older, pregnant with a second daughter created out of love, but gearing up to face a dangerous foe in order to save the world. It's a story of love and sacrifice and leaving the world better for those who come behind you. This entire series is top tier and the audio narration is great as well. Quick reads but beautifully written and impactful. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 stars, rounded up. The Daughter Who Remains is an excellent finish to the She Who Knows trilogy, as I expected it would be. The world-building and character growth all come together as Najeeba deals with both her pregnancy and then her final boss battle with The Cleanser. I loved Okorafor's writing, as always. This is a story about the power of love and sacrifice in an imperfect world, with imperfect people making the best decisions they can. Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for a digital review copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
While this is book 3 in a trilogy, I believe it should be considered as the last section in a long book. This series does not read like 3 separate books, it reads like 1 book that happened to be published in 3 different parts. With that said, this part culminates the series as well as the companion novel "Who Fears Death". It is a wonderful ending, and ties in many of the loose ends left within books 1 and 2.
The narrator does a lovely job navigating the voices, pacing, and emotions of the book.
I received an ARC of this audiobook from #NetGalley.
The narrator does a lovely job navigating the voices, pacing, and emotions of the book.
I received an ARC of this audiobook from #NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I feel bad saying this because of how much I enjoyed She Who Knows and One Way Witch, but honestly, I could have done without this one. It felt like a short filler scene with not much going on. Najeeba is still on her journey as a sorcerer with new tasks and new responsibilities. I loved that for her and I was looking forward to seeing what she does in this new space in life but unfortunately we didn't get much. By the end of this novella I was left with one thought- "That's it?" 2.5 stars, rounded up.
Thank you NetGalley, DAW, and Nnedi Okorafor for this read.
Thank you NetGalley, DAW, and Nnedi Okorafor for this read.
February 19, 2026
The Daughter Who Remains (She Who Knows, #3)
by Nnedi Okorafor (Goodreads Author)
A great book for Black history month. This is the third book in a apocalyptic African centered science fiction story. The main character is the mother of she who knows. Her life after her daughters sacrifice shows the reliance of the human spirit. The multiple points of view, and the world building is prenominal. The author brings to light many aspects of culture, mythology and perspective to the reader. Showing a full and complete culture grown from self sacrifice and resilience.
by Nnedi Okorafor (Goodreads Author)
A great book for Black history month. This is the third book in a apocalyptic African centered science fiction story. The main character is the mother of she who knows. Her life after her daughters sacrifice shows the reliance of the human spirit. The multiple points of view, and the world building is prenominal. The author brings to light many aspects of culture, mythology and perspective to the reader. Showing a full and complete culture grown from self sacrifice and resilience.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received an advanced reader copy from Netgally for 'The Daughter Who Remains'
I quite enjoyed the conclusion to Najeeba's story. I definitely think this trilogy is worth picking up, especially if you loved Who Fears Death. I would recommend the following reading order for the series:
1. Who Fears Death
2. The Book of Phoenix
3. Remote Control
4. She Who Knows
5. One-Way Witch
6. The Daughter Who Remains
She Who Knows, One-Way Witch and The Daughter Who Remains are all part of the trilogy of novellas about Najeeba, mother of Onyesunwu. I think you would get the most out of this trilogy by reading them very close together, they are quite short.
Although I loved She Who Knows a bit more, I think The Daughter Who Remains is an excellent conclusion and sticks the landing.
If Nnedi Okorafor writes more books set in this world, I will read them.
I quite enjoyed the conclusion to Najeeba's story. I definitely think this trilogy is worth picking up, especially if you loved Who Fears Death. I would recommend the following reading order for the series:
1. Who Fears Death
2. The Book of Phoenix
3. Remote Control
4. She Who Knows
5. One-Way Witch
6. The Daughter Who Remains
She Who Knows, One-Way Witch and The Daughter Who Remains are all part of the trilogy of novellas about Najeeba, mother of Onyesunwu. I think you would get the most out of this trilogy by reading them very close together, they are quite short.
Although I loved She Who Knows a bit more, I think The Daughter Who Remains is an excellent conclusion and sticks the landing.
If Nnedi Okorafor writes more books set in this world, I will read them.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I think this has a lot of hallmarks of Nnedi Okorafor’s other books. It’s beautifully written, well developed world and emotional. But I found it too short. I prefer being able to breathe with the characters and having more time. I found it too short for me to feel attached enough to the characters.
**thank you DAW and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**
**thank you DAW and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Daughter Who Remains by Nnedi Okorafor concludes the She Who Knows series, based on Najeeba, Onyesonwu's mother from Who Fears Death. An interesting read with good character development experienced by the main character. Quite intriguing.
I got the ARC from DAW via Netgalley. This is my honest review
I got the ARC from DAW via Netgalley. This is my honest review
February 6, 2026
This is the third book in the She Who Knows series and I don't want to say too much, obviously, because book three, but book one follows the daughter, book two is the mum coming to terms with things. And book three is the mum also doing something to society and making a big change.
It's the mother discovering herself as she does that and learning more about herself, about the magic that's intrinsic in her. And I love these. There's a lot of what I believe is folklore from Nigeria included in these books. And I am not familiar with that personally, but everything is introduced in a way that there's no need to be pre-familiar. Of course, you will, I'm sure, get references and things and little moments if you are already familiar with it, but as someone who isn't familiar with Nigerian folklore, I was able to enjoy learning about it for the first time in these books.
And I adored this trilogy so so much. These are short, sharp, they are emotive, and have a lot of depth to them despite the short page count. Such great novellas.
It's the mother discovering herself as she does that and learning more about herself, about the magic that's intrinsic in her. And I love these. There's a lot of what I believe is folklore from Nigeria included in these books. And I am not familiar with that personally, but everything is introduced in a way that there's no need to be pre-familiar. Of course, you will, I'm sure, get references and things and little moments if you are already familiar with it, but as someone who isn't familiar with Nigerian folklore, I was able to enjoy learning about it for the first time in these books.
And I adored this trilogy so so much. These are short, sharp, they are emotive, and have a lot of depth to them despite the short page count. Such great novellas.
October 3, 2025
Wow, that was an amazing ending to this entire saga! There are so many parts to this, elements I want to analyze, I will have to read this again to fully do so but let me just say -I am so emotional after this ending.....I love Najeeba!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2025
Noted to be the conclusion of the She Who Knows series, The Daughter Who Remains closes the narrative thread of Najeeba and her family as they grapple with the magically changed Afro-Futurist world.
Nnedi Okorafor completes Najeeba’s journey, where in the beginning she was a child, here in book three she is an adult. One who both suffered trauma and grown in her own strengths and understanding of the world. For this book she sets out to remove a dangerous presence from the world, but the journey is just as important as the destination.
Being the third work in a series, this volume dispenses with world building and explaining technologies. Instead we are focused on the hero’s journey.
Recommended to readers of Afro-futurists stories, stories embracing the full life of a character and magical possible futures.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
Nnedi Okorafor completes Najeeba’s journey, where in the beginning she was a child, here in book three she is an adult. One who both suffered trauma and grown in her own strengths and understanding of the world. For this book she sets out to remove a dangerous presence from the world, but the journey is just as important as the destination.
Being the third work in a series, this volume dispenses with world building and explaining technologies. Instead we are focused on the hero’s journey.
Recommended to readers of Afro-futurists stories, stories embracing the full life of a character and magical possible futures.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
January 24, 2026
WOW!
Complete RTC.
Complete RTC.
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