THE SCORPION QUEEN

Narrator Sandra Okuboyejo makes plain the feelings of 16-year-old Amie Aqit, one of Princess Mariama's three chambermaids, after Amie's own sister's betrayal caused her disinheritance and the end of her engagement. Now disliked by the other palace servants, Amie becomes closer to the princess, whose father, Emperor Sulyeman, has created a series of impossible trials for her suitors, boiling them publicly when they fail. Amie finds herself on a dangerous journey with the other two maids to help end the trials, save the 100th suitor, and gain the means to escape with her intended, Kader. While there are occasional distracting mistakes in pronunciation, the narration clearly expresses the dangers and surprises Amie faces in a story inspired by a Malian fairy tale. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2025]