As we approach the second half of 2025, it can be said that it was a refreshing year for literature, as the scene burst with remarkable and exciting book releases from Black authors. From Akwaeke Emezi continuing her writing streak with the release of Somadina, to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shaking up the literary world with Dream Count – her first novel in 10 years, Ben Okri assembling some of Africa’s most foremost writers in African Stories, and Imani Perry brilliantly examining the connection between the colour blue and Black People in Black in Blues: How a Colour Tells the Story of My People, these writers have treated readers to stories of war, social dilemma, sexuality, family, love, and a range of familiar issues confronting our world today.

As we close the curtain on the first quarter of the year, Get Unruly presents a list of 25 book releases you might have missed this year.

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1. Not So Terrible People by Nana Sule Release Date: April 2025

Sule’s debut is a collection of 11 stories about jinns, rebellious angels, and humans in their plan to help shaitan in his attempt to be born as a human being.

Not So Terrible People was published by the Nigerian owned publishing company, Masobe Books on April 5, 2024. According to Masobe Books every story in the book is linked and every theme is explored broadly across each story.

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2. Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi

Release Date: April 2025

Described as a “novel set in a magical West African World,” Somadina tells the story of teenage girl, Somadina who must embark on a dangerous journey to find her twin brother, Jayaike. Somadina has always been an outsider and with her new powers, she is a threat to her community but her brother has always been the one person that makes her feel whole and accepted.

But when he disappears, will she risk her life to find him? Is she ready to willed her power and enter the sacred forest where no one dares enter? In her latest book, Emezi explores the theme of family, spirituality, and identity. Somadina was published by Knopf Books for Young Readers.

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3. The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami Release Date: March 2025

In Lalami’s The Dream Hotel, Sara is imprisoned by agents from the Risk Assessment Administration, an analysing agency, who inform her that she is about to commit a crime. According to data from the RAA, Sara is about to hurt her husband and must be kept under observation for twenty-one days. Three weeks in captivity soon turn into months, and Sara is never released.

A new prisoner arrives at the facility where Sara is kept, disrupting the order and prompting Sara to protest against the facility. Ultimately, The Dream Hotel explores the effects of technology and makes readers question whether it is safe to fully trust it. The book was published by Pantheon.

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4. The Edge of Water by Olufunke Grace Bankole

Release Date: February 2025

Bankole’s debut novel follows the complex relationship between a mother and her daughter. Despite receiving a prophecy of doom about her daughter's migration to America a mother supports her daughter’s dreams but her support alters their relationship forever.

The Edge of Water explores the complex relation between a mother and her daughter, Yoruba spirituality, migration, weaving a captivating story that revolves around two countries and different generations of women. The book was published by Tin House.

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5. A Season of Light by Julie Iromuanya

Release Date: February 2025

A Season of Light is an endearing novel about war trauma, love, and oppression. It follows the life of Fidelis Ewerike, an attorney who battles with war trauma, pushing him to imprison his daughter, Amara, in her room after hearing news about the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from northern Nigeria by a terrorist group. While Ewerike and his family are far away in Florida, he still believes Amara could be abducted just like his sister was during the civil war.

On the other hand, Ewerike’s son, Chuk, is being bullied and receives boxing training from Makysm Kostyk, the 17-year-old son of another migrant who also suffers from trauma. When Makysm and Amara meet, they become captivated by each other and decide to escape their difficult families. The stories of each character will certainly keep readers hooked. A Season of Light was published by Algonquin on February 5, 2025.

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6. Hail Mary by Funmi Fetto

Release Date: April 2025

Fetto’s *Hail Mary* is a collection of nine stories that explore the lives of nine Nigerian women in different countries. The book will portray how these women confront traditional expectations that have stifled them. The book was published by Harper on April 8, 2025.

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7. Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

Release Date: January 2025

Described as “Surprisingly funny, deeply poignant, and endlessly discussable,” Okorafor’s latest novel is an exhilarating tale of Zelu, a disabled Nigerian-American woman who decides to write a novel after losing her job and having her book rejected by another publisher.

With her career over and the rejections piling up, Zelu pours everything into her latest novel, which deviates from her previous works and explores an epic tale in which androids and AI wage war. The book catapults Zelu to success, but it also alters the future of humanity and robots. The metafiction novel was published by William Morrow on January 4, 2025.

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8. Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria by Ozoz Sokoh

Release Date: March 2025

In Chop Chop, author, culinary anthropologist, and Nigerian native Ozoz Sokoh pays homage to classic and traditional Nigerian cuisine. The book highlights the ingredients, flavors, and texture that make Nigerian food one of the most beloved cuisines in West Africa. This photographic cookbook also features ingredients and recipes from the six regions in Nigeria.

It was divided into various sections, namely: A collection of classical and traditional Nigerian recipes, Lexicon of Nigerian cuisine, Illuminating cultural and historical explorations, and Stunning photography. The book was published on March 18, 2025.

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9. Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward While Honoring the Past by Eric Adjepong with Korsha Wilson

Release Date: March 2025

In Chef Eric Adjepong’s debut cookbook, the culinary expert shares one hundred recipes and narrative essays that reflect Adjepong’s journey to understanding his identity and culinary perspective as first-generation Ghanaian-American. The recipes in this book merge the traditional and modern cooking process of West African dishes while embracing newer techniques. Aside from the recipes, the book also features stunning images of Ghana and also explores family, tradition, and love. The book was published by Clarkson Potter on March 11, 2025.

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10. Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Release Date: March 2025

In her first book in 10 years, Adichie writes a story that revolves around three women. Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer in America who, during the pandemic, reminisces on her past relationships, questioning her choices and regrets. Zikora, Chiamaka’s best friend is a successful lawyer struggling with heartbreak and motherhood while relying on her estranged mother. Omelogor, Chiamaka’s cousin, is a financial guru who begins to question her sense of identity. Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, is raising her daughter in America but her life is threatened by hardship.

In Dream Count, Adichie brings readers into the lives of these women, making them the judges of their choice and predicting the next decision they will take next. This is the story of struggles, love, and choices. The book was published by Knopf on March 4, 2025.

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11. Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi

Release Date: May 2025

In Tochi Onyebuchi’s book, Boubacar tries to stay out of trouble but when a bleeding woman appears on his front door and vanishes, he unravels some of the deepest secrets in his city.

The French occupiers and the indigenous residents in his city have been fighting for power for years and the secrets Boubacar uncovers threatens to bring more violence into the city. Harmattan Season was published on May 27, 2025.

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12. The Watkins Book of African Folklore by Helen Nde

Release Date: March 2025

Nde’s latest book is a collection of 50 stories and commentary that emanates from African countries like Egypt, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and many others. Carefully researched and properly documented, the book is a refreshing perspective on African folktales.

The Watkins Book of African Folklore includes stories such as “How Goat Caused a War,” “The Singing Kanguru Birds,” “The Moon and His Wives,” and “The Story of the First Man and Woman”. The book hit bookshelves on March 11, 2025, and was published by Watkins Publishing.

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13. Phases by Tramaine Suubi

Release Date: January 2025

In Suubi’s debut poetry collection, she presents an exhilarating body of work that explores a wide range of emotions, from heartbreak to anxiety, all of which are inspired by the different phases of the moon.

Part of the publisher’s note describes the collection as follows: “Suubi’s refreshing, vulnerable verse begs to be underlined, memorized, and shared; each of her poems operates as a love letter to the cyclical healing that occurs in nature, in our bodies, and in the bodies that have come before us.” With such an emotional debut, Phases promises to be an endearing read for poetry fans. The collection was released on January 28, 2025.

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14. Bite of the Kaba Lagoon: A Branches Book (Kwame’s Quest) by Bernard Mensah & Natasha Nayo

Release Date: February 2025

This year, children's literature also witnessed a truckload of releases, including Mensah and Nayo’s adventurous picture book, Bite of the Kaba Lagoon. The book, part of the Scholastic series, delves deeper into the life of the series’ protagonist, Kwame.

This time, Kwame embarks on another adventure to save his friend Fifi and Principal Wari after they are accused of causing the Nkonyaa tree to lose its magic. To save them, Kwame must undertake a perilous journey to the dangerous Kaba Lagoon in search of a magical ingredient to heal the tree. The book was released on February 5, 2025.

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15. African Stories by Ben Okri

Release Date: February 2025

Okri’s latest book is an overview of 36 past and present classic African stories. The collection of stories comes from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chinua Achebe, Doris Lessing, Nadine Gordimer, J. M. Coetzee, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Tayeb Salih, and many others. African Stories draws from a well of traditional tales, fables, and legends.

According to Okri, the books subjects “range from the vicissitudes of daily life to sweeping social commentary, with such varied characters as a shopkeeper yearning for love in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s ‘Cages,’ a faith-healing priest in Bessie Head’s ‘Jacob,’ a freedom fighter facing apartheid in Nadine Gordimer’s ‘Amnesty,’ and invading aliens overcome by music in Emmanuel Boundzéki Dongala’s ‘Jazz and Palm Wine.’” African Stories was released on February 18, 2025.

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16. Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted by Ben Okri

Release Date: March 2025

For his second release of the year, Okri presented Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted, an enchanting tale about Viv, a heartbroken woman who decides to throw an unconventional party 20 years after her first divorce.

The party is dedicated to all those who have been hurt by love, with Madame Sosostris — last seen in T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land — headlining the event. The gathering draws various couples who begin to question their relationships and lives as the party takes an unexpected turn. The book explores themes of love, heartbreak, power, and the intertwined lives of these couples. Okri’s book was published by Other Press on March 11, 2025.

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17. Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah

Release Date: March 2025

In his latest book since 2021, Gurnah presents Theft, a book that revolves around the lives of three young Tanzanians: Karim returns to his hometown with a degree and fresh ambition; Fauzia, who sees Karim as a motivation to escape her stifling upbringing; and Badar, a poor boy who receives shelter from Karim and Fauzia. Together, they navigate technology, tourism, and everything life throws at them.

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18. Everything is Fine Here by Iryn Tushabe

Release Date: April 2025

In Tushabe’s debut novel, she explores the relationship between siblings and the lengths they will go to accept each other's identities. When Aine’s sister, Mbabazi, comes to visit her with her girlfriend, Aine’s suspicions about her sister’s sexuality are confirmed, and fear erupts in Aine’s heart because of the harsh anti-homosexulity laws in Uganda.

When death strikes their family and their mother gives Mbabazi and Aine an ultimatum, the sisters flee to Kampala, where Aine reconnects with a former crush. Everything is Fine Here is a coming-of-age story that explores love, family, tradition, and identity. It was released on April 22.

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19. The Dissenters by Youssef Rakha

Release Date: February 2025

When Nour wanders into his mother’s attic and discovers her multiple identities, he begins writing letters to his estranged sister to unravel the truth about their mother, their country, faith, and freedom. Rakha’s new book, The Dissenters, tells a story that spans over 70 years of Egyptian history through the story of Nour’s mother, Mouna — a feminist activist during the Arab Spring — who was also known as Amna, a teenager who was forced into an arranged marriage in 1950, and Nino, a self-made divorcee and lover.

As Nour and his sister delve into their mother’s identities, readers are taken through different eras in Egyptian history. The book **was released on February 4.

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20. Isaac’s Song by Daniel Black

Release Date: February 2025

In Daniel Black’s latest book Isaac’s Song, the writer tells a poignant story about a young queer Black man finding his voice and identity in the 1980s. Growing up in Missouri, Isaac has been conditioned to suppress his emotions and sexuality because they didn’t align with the traditional view of masculinity.

Years after building his life he decides to finally embrace his identity and seek out a community but amidst his journey to self acceptance, events like the Aids crisis and Rodney King’s attack threaten to derail his journey. The book explores themes of forgiveness, family, and perseverance.

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21. Black in Blues: How a Colour Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry

Release Date: February 2025

In Black in Blues, Imani Perry traces and writes about the connection between the colour blue and Black people across five centuries. Across over 34 essays, the writer examines how blue has always been featured by Black people in folktales, spirituality, music, hoodoo, and more. Perry also goes further in the book to write about how the colour also symbolises “harmony and balance in Yoruba cosmetology.” Overall, this book is an immersive exploration of the significance of the colour blue in different spheres of global Blackness.

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22. Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray

Release Date: February 2025

Amidst America’s civil and social unrest, there is a little corner named Harlem where Black people are thriving in music, theatre, fashion, and the arts. In the middle of Harlem’s success is Jessie Redmon Fauset, a young high school teacher and the newly named literary editor of the Negro magazine, The Crisis.

As Fauset works hard to spotlight young writers, she also holds a lifelong ambition to become The Crisis’s lead editor but her secret relationship with W.E.B Du Bois, the current editor of the magazine, is a threat to her ambition. In this gripping novel, readers are pulled into the world of Harlem and Fauset’s journey to fulfilling her dreams.

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23. Gold Coast Dilemma by Nana Malone

Release Date: April 2025

In this romance novel by Nana Malone, a Ghanaian heiress is faced with the challenge of choosing between her cultural obligations and true love. During a party, Ofosua Oddo meets Cole Drake, who immediately captivates her, but Ofosua is already betrothed to someone her mother approves of.

But when her dazzling wedding to this man becomes a scandal, she is forced to confront heartbreak and a reignited relationship with Cole. Will Ofosua finally overcome cultural expectations and choose true love? Find out by reading the book.

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24. When We Only Have the Earth by Abdourahman A. Waberi

Released Date: March 2025

In this collection of poems by French-Djiboutian essayist, novelist, and poet, Abdourahman A. Waberi takes readers from Africa to North America and Europe. As he takes readers through this places, he praises the beauty of these places and encourages everyone to love the earth and every creature.

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25. Bitter Honey by Lola Akinmade Akerstrom

Release Date: May 2025

After the success of In Every Mirror She is Black and Everything is Not Enough, Lola Akinmade Akerstrom is back with Bitter Honey, another book set in Sweden. In this book, Akerstrom tells the story of Nancy, who relocates to Sweden on a scholarship. There, she falls in love with Lars but the blooming relationship soon falls apart.

Decades later, Nancy’s daughter, Tina is a popstar, who struggles with her identity. Desperate to find herself and a secret about her mother’s past, Tina partners with a mysterious person to unravel her identity.

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