Afia in the Land of Wonders

In her stunning literary debut, Mia Araujo presents a gorgeous reimagining of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, spinning a new story that is accompanied by arresting, ethereal illustrations about twin sisters and how one must venture outside the safety of their home, into the wilderness, in order to find herself and true happiness. Afia has always felt like half of a whole. Her twin sister, Aya, is perfectly happy with fulfilling their family’s expectations of them. But Afia dreams of exploring the world beyond her secluded cliffside home of Dafra. She dreams of adventure. When she meets a charming shape-shifter named Bakame, who dazzles her with promises of a magical land called Ijabu, Afia decides to take her destiny into her own hands. Although it will mean leaving everything she has ever known behind, including her beloved sister, Afia follows Bakame into the forbidden forests surrounding Dafra, from which no one has ever returned. Filled with magical sights, a charismatic Queen and her intriguing court, Ijabu is everything that Afia has ever dreamed of. But she soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and this fantasy world demands a terrible price. With the help of a mysterious trickster, Afia must evade the Queen’s hunters and the lost dreamers of Ijabu, who wish to pull her deeper into their web. Now, Afia must find the courage to survive while standing on her own - or risking losing herself completely to the wonders of Ijabu. Debut author-illustrator Mia Araujo weaves an extraordinarily luminous and beautiful story. Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, about what it takes to find your true self, even if it means facing your deepest fears. “Nothing short of an amazing adventure into a fantastic world, Mia Araujo has crafted a beautiful narrative, made all the more incredible by stunning visuals that overflow with heart and soul.”—David F. Walker, Eisner-award winning author of Bitter Root and The Second Chance of Darius Logan