Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans

There is peril in the form of adventure throughout the book. The Gold Hats are the empire's threatening law enforcement. A story is told about them cutting off a young boy's arm for stealing fruit in the market. Adia's cousin EJ dies before the action of the novel, presumably by drowning. Characters fight and battle, using weapons, including knives, throwing stars, machetes, and bows and arrows. Fantasy characters possess and steal energy from others. There are stories told of beasts who want to "blood you dry or rip out your throat and gorge on your blood" but that doesn't actually happen. The missionaries of the Bright Father convince, and sometimes coerce, the villagers to take a sedative called Drops. It is a liquid taken from the agrias plant and causes the people to go along with everything.

Some villagers voluntarily take the Drops given to them by the missionaries (others are forced). Adia says that once people start taking Drops, they need more and more to stay subdued, indicating it may be addictive in nature.

This is an Afrofantasy set in the fictional Zarian Empire, and most of the characters are Black. Colorism is explored in a variety of ways. Adia is from the Swamplands, where people have darker skin. It's mentioned several times that people with darker skin are treated more harshly. The religious leader Bright Father and his missionaries focus on the Swamplands and other poor villages. Their main prayer repeats a line about asking Bright Father to wash them "whiter than snow." Author Isi Hendrix is a Nigerian American of Igbo heritage and said that she drew on her culture in writing the book. The main characters in the books are female characters -- girls, women, and a goddess -- who are brave, intelligent, strong, and good leaders.