Epeolatry Book Review: Where the Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh

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Title: Where the Brides Gather
Author: Nuzo Onoh
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Titan Books
Publication date: 22nd October, 2024

Synopsis: Bata, an 11-year-old girl tormented by nightmares, wakes up one night to find herself standing sentinel before her cousin’s door. Her cousin is to get married the next morning, but only if she can escape the murderous attack of a ghost-bride, who used to be engaged to her groom.

A supernatural possession helps Bata battle and vanquish the vengeful ghost bride, and following a botched exorcism, she is transported to Ibaja-La, the realm of dead brides. There, she receives secret powers to fight malevolent ghost-brides before being sent back to the human realm, where she must learn to harness her new abilities as she strives to protect those whom she loves.

Winter is one of the best times for a ghost story in my opinion. The rattling of chains, eerie shadows in the corner of your eye, the unexplainable, and the chilling realisation that you aren’t alone when the temperature plummets. The dead have unfinished business. In Nuzo Onoh’s Where The Dead Brides Gather, seasons do not mean a thing to the dead. It is the joy of a wedding when they seek out the living.

Told from the point of view of Bata, an eleven-year-old, who wakes up one night to find herself guarding her cousin’s room, Where The Dead Brides Gather is a ghost story full of Nigerian folklore. Bata’s cousin is set to be married in the morning, but only if she can escape the attack of a ghost-bride who was once engaged to the groom. Bata must learn her new role of Bride-Sentinel and fulfill her duty after entering the supernatural realm of Ibaja-La, the realm of deceased brides.

Bata is a compelling narrator who struggles and doubts many things, and it is her naivety and innocence that leads her into further complications. Her relationship with her family is also intriguing, such as whom she prefers to spend time with and whom she chooses to obey. I admire her loyalty to her family and her willingness to save them even when they ostracize her. We learn of family secrets and decisions through Bata’s eyes, and her reactions can be entertaining. 

Nigerian folklore is told via traditions and customs, and we get to see a society caught between the old religious ways and Catholicism. Society is also governed by gender roles as well as admiration and disgust for Western culture. There’s a lot of hypocrisy regarding what a man is allowed to do and what a woman is allowed to do, and Bata grows to understand how hypocritical society can be, and fights against it. 

Overall, Where The Dead Brides Gather has terrifying imagery to scare the reader, let alone the eleven-year-old narrator. The tension and suspense of what will occur next held me in a tight grip. It is a thrill ride which explores the idea of revenge with a rich imagination and provides a unique take on the supernatural. If you’re a dark fantasy fan or enjoy ghost stories,
add this to your To Be Read list.

/5

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.

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