Of Mermaids and Orisa is a YA fantasy duology rooted in West African mythology and the history of the Atlantic slave trade. Simidele, a Mami Wata—a mermaid who collects the souls of those who die at sea—breaks an ancient divine decree when she saves Adekola, a living boy thrown from a slave ship. Her act of mercy triggers divine punishment, and Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends before those she loves are destroyed. Set against the vivid waters of the Atlantic and the spiritual realm of the Orisas, the series combines action, mythology, and romance into a quest of breathtaking scope.

Simidele is a mermaid defined by her capacity for love in a divine order that demands impartiality—a heroine whose greatest strength and greatest vulnerability are the same thing. Her voice is determined, lyrical, and deeply empathetic, and her journey from rule-follower to world-shaper is genuinely moving. The supporting cast, especially the precocious elf Issa and the boy Kola whose rescue starts everything, brings warmth and occasional heartbreak to the story.

Across two books, Simi travels from the ocean floor to the Land of the Dead, forging alliances with trickster gods and legendary warriors while paying an escalating price for every choice she makes. The sequel raises the stakes to world-ending proportions as the consequences of Simi's original trade ripple outward, unleashing demons into the human realm. Themes of sacrifice, identity, the burden of compassion, and the question of who pays the price for heroism run throughout both books.