The Maid and the Crocodile

A Novel in the World of Raybearer

By: Jordan Ifueko

Narrated by: Adetinpo Thomas

THE SMALLEST SPARK CAN BIND TWO HEARTS … OR START A REVOLUTION

In the magic-soaked capital city of Oluwan, Small Sade needs a job—preferably as a maid, for employers who don’t mind her unique appearance and unlucky foot.

But before she can be hired, she accidentally binds herself to a powerful being known only as the Crocodile, a god rumored to devour pretty girls. Small Sade entrances the Crocodile with her secret: She is not only an orphan and an aspiring maid, but also a Curse-Eater, gifted with the ability to alter people’s fates by cleaning their houses.

The handsome god warns that their fates are bound, but Small Sade evades him, launching herself into a new career as the Curse-Eater of a swanky inn. She is determined to impress the wealthy inhabitants and earn her place in Oluwan City … assuming her secret-filled past—and the revolutionary ambitions of the Crocodile God—don’t catch up with her.

But maybe there is more to Small Sade. And maybe everyone in Oluwan City deserves more, too—from the maids all the way to the Anointed Ones.

“A brilliant heroine, a complex hero, a beautiful world … Jordan Ifueko’s work sings.”—Namina Forna, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Ones

©2024 Jordan Ifueko (P)2024 Recorded Books

Thank you

Considering this is the third book in a series, you might want to give the first two, Raybearer and Redemptor, a listen if you haven't already. Otherwise, I highly recommend this audiobook.

This was my second venture into African fiction and my only qualm is that I didn't realize until the last hour of listening that this was the third book in The Raybearer Series! No worries, I'm definitely adding the first two to my reading list after listening to The Maid and the Crocodile.

Ifueko has done a sublime job of rendering Oluwan City and it's citizens. The struggle between the different echelons of society in Oluwan was a brilliant build up throughout the book that I did not expect. Listening to Sade grow into the woman I like to think Mama Sade would have been proud of after being beaten into "her place" drew the whole story together.

Thomas has a wonderfully calm voice, perfect for storytelling.

I've got two pieces of feedback for Thomas, if that's ok, and by no means are they showstoppers (so if you're not Thomas, you can stop reading here and just get the audiobook). Sometimes your cadence is halting, like you aren't sure of what will come next, and you seem to drop the African affectation/accent you're using for most characters when you do male voices. That being said, you've got a great voice, and I look forward to listening to you grow more.

All in all, a lovely experience, and again, I look forward to more from both Ifueko and Thomas!

OMG!

What can I say, I love it! Can’t wait to see what next written by this amazing author!

it was worth the wait

This is one of the few recorded stories that I really enjoyed. I really like the fact that the narrator song the parts that needed to be sung it's just really brought the whole story together. Cuz sometimes you have a wonderful story but then the person reading it throws it off to the point that I will have to stop the audio and either read it on my phone or get the hard copy but this did not do that. This was not that at ALL, this was absolutely wonderful to the point where it wasn't like just background noise it literally captured my attention and there was no me cleaning as I had the book in the background I paid attention to all the details in the story..and details in the story itself oh my gosh it was just awesome.

Beautiful prose; indomitable spirit

“An ant fights for the colony”
It has the comfortable feel of known fairy tales and class struggles, while at the same time offering an entirely new world of magic and myth. Despite her downtrodden, constantly challenged life, Sade is a golden beacon keeping the tone light and hopeful.

Strong themes in a whimsical world

Having read Jordan Ifueko’s Raybearer Duology, the stakes of this story felt much smaller which I suppose was the point. I feel as though the theme of “small but mighty” and “strength in numbers” would have resonated better on its own rather than as a part in the Raybearer world. Personally as a lover of the Raybearer it almost felt like the “giant” efforts were antagonized for being too larger than life. I liked the perspective of the commoners, but I felt their importance came at the expense of the Raybearers and anointed ones. It was disheartening knowing how hard they fought in the duology for the good of their realm just to see everyone close to them recoil at their efforts.
Overall, the world building was whimsical and interesting, I wanted more from the romance, but the theme of the book was strong and rooted in real world problems.