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Adia Kelbara and the Dark Between
The thrilling finale to the fast-paced and witty Afrofantasy series following twelve-year-old Adia Kelbara, who must ally with a snarky goddess and a knife-wielding warrior to save her kingdom once more.
Perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and The School for Good and Evil!
Power-hungry god Olark has been banished to the realm of the dead...but Adia Kelbara's troubles are far from over.
When a boy with godlike powers escapes a hidden prison and appears in Zaria, Adia's world begins to unravel. The powers he carries were stolen from Adia's mentor, the Alusi Ginikawa, and now the once-powerful goddess is fading from existence.
Then Adia uncovers a secret project is putting everyone in Zaria at risk, so to set things right, she makes a desperate deal with the dark shamanic mastermind behind it - her own Aunt Ife. But when her choice inadvertently sends her best friend, the ancient warrior girl Thyme, back to the past, it causes a series of timeline-altering events that results in Olark being free once more - and stronger than ever.
Adia must harness the power of a god to mend a fractured world.
Praise for Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans:
"Immersive, funny, clever...I couldn't put it down!" A.F. Steadman, author of the Skandar series
"This book is incredible!" B.B. Alston, author of Amari and the Night Brothers.
"A spellbinding story of empowerment and liberation." Soman Chainani, New York Times bestselling author of the School for Good and Evil series.
"SPECTACULAR...I absolutely LOVED it." Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs.
Perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and The School for Good and Evil!
Power-hungry god Olark has been banished to the realm of the dead...but Adia Kelbara's troubles are far from over.
When a boy with godlike powers escapes a hidden prison and appears in Zaria, Adia's world begins to unravel. The powers he carries were stolen from Adia's mentor, the Alusi Ginikawa, and now the once-powerful goddess is fading from existence.
Then Adia uncovers a secret project is putting everyone in Zaria at risk, so to set things right, she makes a desperate deal with the dark shamanic mastermind behind it - her own Aunt Ife. But when her choice inadvertently sends her best friend, the ancient warrior girl Thyme, back to the past, it causes a series of timeline-altering events that results in Olark being free once more - and stronger than ever.
Adia must harness the power of a god to mend a fractured world.
Praise for Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans:
"Immersive, funny, clever...I couldn't put it down!" A.F. Steadman, author of the Skandar series
"This book is incredible!" B.B. Alston, author of Amari and the Night Brothers.
"A spellbinding story of empowerment and liberation." Soman Chainani, New York Times bestselling author of the School for Good and Evil series.
"SPECTACULAR...I absolutely LOVED it." Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs.
377 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2026
About the author
Isi Hendrix
6 books55 followersIsi Hendrix is an NAACP Image Award-nominated children’s book author who has been lucky enough to live and work all over the world, from the Himalayas to the Amazon rainforest, during her past life as an anthropologist. Now she’s based in her hometown of Brooklyn, NY, where she lives with a rotating roster of foster kittens and a stubborn refusal to accept that she is highly allergic to cats.
You can find her at www.isihendrix.com.
You can find her at www.isihendrix.com.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
October 23, 2026
This discussion contains spoilers for the book. You've been warned.
"Adia. A name that means gift."
This the final and definitely also the best book about Adia Kelbara. I hardly know where to start.
First, let's get the bad stuff over with. Even though Nami might have died at the end of Book 2, that doesn't mean I was rid of him. He plays a big role in The Dark Between. And he's still just as annoying as he used to be. The most important thing is that after this book, he gets out of Adia's life. (Which is just good on a mental level for me as a reader and nothing more than that, of course, because you don't notice anything about it.) At first, he's just mentioned a lot and his role is more or less taken over by Rusty, but that guy is much less annoying than Nami was.
Everyone else was just fantastic, of course. Adia finally goes all the way and finds out about her heritage. Let's just put it like this: There are some things you won't see coming - some big things. It would go too far to say her/your world will be turned upside down, but still - hang on to your head (and not just if you happen to be Hiroma), because there is a lot coming for you. It was great to see how she develops and changes in this book, even though I have to admit she was a bit of an oaf to just believe everything Aunt Ife tells her when they're in Ikenga Hold. She should have known better and not have been so stuck on getting Nami back from the dead that she was blind for what was happening right in front of her. But okay, it's not that big of a problem.
Thyme keeps on rockin' and rollin' too, as we're used to by now. She's always great to have around, with her energetic, extraverted spirit. More than anyone, she's the one who provides the biggest plot twist in Book 3, that much is clear. Adia is most definitely right when she says that . I have to admit, the entire idea of her develops sounds very good to me. ... I can get behind that.
Hiroma is always fun to have around as well, and I wish she would have been given a bigger role throughout the series instead of just a couple of scenes here and there. On the other hand, I'm glad Hendrix always finds a way in each book to conjure her up and to show, in just a short time, how she, Adia and Thyme have become very close friends.
The same can be said for Gini, who is much less present in this story than in the previous ones. And I get why that is, but I just loved her so much that I would have liked seeing her much more. But, well, can't be helped, I suppose.
Darian is also a lot of fun and a very good addition to the cast. He's more serious, but he's with Adia through and through and always has her back. There's clearly something romantic developing between the two of them, but it's not overly explicit and that's fine by me.
In fact, I should put this in a spoiler, but it's smack in the middle of the synopsis so why bother? Olark is back. Not for a very long time, but he's still back - all thanks to Aunt Ife, who is the big antagonist for most of this book. (Also not a spoiler. The synopsis for British edition of The Dark Between is really bad, because nearly the entire story is spoiled.) Both of them are horrific, of course, so mission accomplished I'd say!
As for the story, you more or less know where this is going. Aunt Ife has already been revealed to be the dark shaman at the end of Book 2 - The High Queen's Curse/Tomb, and Imo Mmiri has been playing such a central role in all discussions that you know this is where Adia is going to wind up eventually. But I said that you 'more or less' know where it's going, and perhaps it's more 'less' than it is 'more'. Because there are still heaps of secrets, mostly about Adia's heritage, family and past and everything that comes with it. And it takes some time before everything is cleared up. Apart from that, there are a lot of other things going on as well, with a kind of multiverse travel and more. It's one big blast of fun and thrills, during which you get to know Zaria better too. I was on the edge of my seat for quite some time!
There are a couple of typos in the book, mostly to do with interpunction. Nothing too serious, I just noticed five or so of them spread across the entire story.
I loved not just how Adia herself develops, but also how other people's views of her develop as she grows older and comes into her powers. That is very clear here in this book, with several of her friends commenting on that they hope she'll choose them to be a part of her circle of shamans once she's ready - which is something of major importance, that much is clear. As the book and her entire story draw to an end, it's clear that Adia has fully developed into what Hendrix wanted her to be. The only more critical thing I have to say about it is this: The ending should have been longer. After everything is straightened out and all answers are given, there's a final chapter of just under ten pages, more like an epilogue really, in which we get a small glimpse of what's in story for her. She's now someone - something - different, just like Thyme and Darian are, in a sense, her relationship with Gini has changed (for the better, no worries!), and what we see is very good. The only thing is: We don't see enough. There are other things left hanging. I would have liked seeing some of the secondary characters, or at least hearing what's become of them, what they're doing now. Where is Hiroma? Where are Maka and Lebechi? Heck, I was even wondering where Mallorie had gone too? What about all the students in the Academy, and the Academy itself, and Adia's role there? How has it all changed now that she has changed? And how will things be changing still? Anyway, too many questions that were still dancing around in my head - and I'm not saying I was expecting an answer to all of them, but I would have liked seeing some of them answered.
But, well, you can't have everything I suppose. Whatever the case, Adia's story is one for the ages.
9.3/10
Average score for the entire series: 8.87/10
"Adia. A name that means gift."
This the final and definitely also the best book about Adia Kelbara. I hardly know where to start.
First, let's get the bad stuff over with. Even though Nami might have died at the end of Book 2, that doesn't mean I was rid of him. He plays a big role in The Dark Between. And he's still just as annoying as he used to be. The most important thing is that after this book, he gets out of Adia's life. (Which is just good on a mental level for me as a reader and nothing more than that, of course, because you don't notice anything about it.) At first, he's just mentioned a lot and his role is more or less taken over by Rusty, but that guy is much less annoying than Nami was.
Everyone else was just fantastic, of course. Adia finally goes all the way and finds out about her heritage. Let's just put it like this: There are some things you won't see coming - some big things. It would go too far to say her/your world will be turned upside down, but still - hang on to your head (and not just if you happen to be Hiroma), because there is a lot coming for you. It was great to see how she develops and changes in this book, even though I have to admit she was a bit of an oaf to just believe everything Aunt Ife tells her when they're in Ikenga Hold. She should have known better and not have been so stuck on getting Nami back from the dead that she was blind for what was happening right in front of her. But okay, it's not that big of a problem.
Thyme keeps on rockin' and rollin' too, as we're used to by now. She's always great to have around, with her energetic, extraverted spirit. More than anyone, she's the one who provides the biggest plot twist in Book 3, that much is clear. Adia is most definitely right when she says that . I have to admit, the entire idea of her develops sounds very good to me. ... I can get behind that.
Hiroma is always fun to have around as well, and I wish she would have been given a bigger role throughout the series instead of just a couple of scenes here and there. On the other hand, I'm glad Hendrix always finds a way in each book to conjure her up and to show, in just a short time, how she, Adia and Thyme have become very close friends.
The same can be said for Gini, who is much less present in this story than in the previous ones. And I get why that is, but I just loved her so much that I would have liked seeing her much more. But, well, can't be helped, I suppose.
Darian is also a lot of fun and a very good addition to the cast. He's more serious, but he's with Adia through and through and always has her back. There's clearly something romantic developing between the two of them, but it's not overly explicit and that's fine by me.
In fact, I should put this in a spoiler, but it's smack in the middle of the synopsis so why bother? Olark is back. Not for a very long time, but he's still back - all thanks to Aunt Ife, who is the big antagonist for most of this book. (Also not a spoiler. The synopsis for British edition of The Dark Between is really bad, because nearly the entire story is spoiled.) Both of them are horrific, of course, so mission accomplished I'd say!
As for the story, you more or less know where this is going. Aunt Ife has already been revealed to be the dark shaman at the end of Book 2 - The High Queen's Curse/Tomb, and Imo Mmiri has been playing such a central role in all discussions that you know this is where Adia is going to wind up eventually. But I said that you 'more or less' know where it's going, and perhaps it's more 'less' than it is 'more'. Because there are still heaps of secrets, mostly about Adia's heritage, family and past and everything that comes with it. And it takes some time before everything is cleared up. Apart from that, there are a lot of other things going on as well, with a kind of multiverse travel and more. It's one big blast of fun and thrills, during which you get to know Zaria better too. I was on the edge of my seat for quite some time!
There are a couple of typos in the book, mostly to do with interpunction. Nothing too serious, I just noticed five or so of them spread across the entire story.
I loved not just how Adia herself develops, but also how other people's views of her develop as she grows older and comes into her powers. That is very clear here in this book, with several of her friends commenting on that they hope she'll choose them to be a part of her circle of shamans once she's ready - which is something of major importance, that much is clear. As the book and her entire story draw to an end, it's clear that Adia has fully developed into what Hendrix wanted her to be. The only more critical thing I have to say about it is this: The ending should have been longer. After everything is straightened out and all answers are given, there's a final chapter of just under ten pages, more like an epilogue really, in which we get a small glimpse of what's in story for her. She's now someone - something - different, just like Thyme and Darian are, in a sense, her relationship with Gini has changed (for the better, no worries!), and what we see is very good. The only thing is: We don't see enough. There are other things left hanging. I would have liked seeing some of the secondary characters, or at least hearing what's become of them, what they're doing now. Where is Hiroma? Where are Maka and Lebechi? Heck, I was even wondering where Mallorie had gone too? What about all the students in the Academy, and the Academy itself, and Adia's role there? How has it all changed now that she has changed? And how will things be changing still? Anyway, too many questions that were still dancing around in my head - and I'm not saying I was expecting an answer to all of them, but I would have liked seeing some of them answered.
But, well, you can't have everything I suppose. Whatever the case, Adia's story is one for the ages.
9.3/10
Average score for the entire series: 8.87/10
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