Dayo, the Nigerian daughter of a rich businessman, is currently attending university and gaining her first outlook on life. While at as party, she winds up taking some illegal drugs and finds herself dreaming of a strange land and a being there who calls himself Akin and is the ruler of that land. on waking she wonders if it really was all a dream only to find herself there again the next time she repeats her foolish actions. This time Akin asks her to be his wife, and thinking it is just a dream she agrees. However, to ensure she stays in this new land, Akin marks Dayo with his symbol. This works up until she is woken from a coma in a hospital surrounded by her family and friends. Even more of a surprise is when she finds that Akin is not content to remain in his own realm and has crossed over to this one with his intent to claim her as his own. This leaves Dayo struggling to decide what she wants as her dream has become a reality, though not necessarily one she wanted to live in.

Akibu is a paranormal romance which differs from most in the setting chosen, at least in the standard western world, by using the Nigerian culture as the basis for the story. The plot is fairly straightforward, with no real surprises, but still manages to move at a pace as the story unfolds. The language is quite interesting and peppered with local terms which adds a lot of flavour to the story and grounds it well. This may prove a little challenging for some but a glossary of terms is provided to help out. The writing is fluid and there are very few mistakes in the editing.

The main issue I have is with the characters who don’t appear that well rounded. Unfortunately, due to the way the story is told they appear to have little depth to them and are driven more by whim and circumstance than any real action of their own. I will admit that the first time I read the book, it didn’t really appeal at all, but it made a lot more sense on a second re-read. Mainly due to the style in which the story is told, which is far more short and musical than you may expect.

Overall, while it is a reasonable paranormal romance set in Nigerian culture and is a nice change from the usual vampires, werewolves and western deities, the lack of character stop it being a really interesting story.