Adia Kelbara and the High Queen's Tomb

The second book in a fast-paced, witty, and bighearted debut Afrofantasy trilogy about a twelve-year-old apprentice in the kitchens at the prestigious Academy of Shamans who must ally with a snarky goddess and a knife-wielding warrior to save her kingdom.

Perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and The School for Good and Evil!

Adia Kelbara may have defeated the power-hungry god Olark and saved Zaria, but now she must face something even more terrifying: her first semester as a student at the Academy of Shamans. As her abilities are tested during orientation, a mysterious affliction causes everyone except for Adia and Thyme to pass out—and a reanimated corpse appears, with a horrifying message.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Emperor Darian sends news that the same phenomenon is happening across the kingdom and that someone is siphoning energy from the living to resurrect corpses, creating cracks between the realms of the living and the dead.

Now it will be up to Adia to push her powers to their limit and journey to the tomb of the ancient High Queen in search of answers and a cure for the sleeping sickness besieging Zaria. But rising corpses aren’t the only threats that stand in her way—a new enemy looms, and if Adia can’t defeat them, Zaria may soon become another realm of the dead.  

The fate of the kingdom rests on her shoulders—and on the secrets buried in an ancient tomb.

• Magic School Mystery: Adia may be a student at the Academy now, but when a mysterious sleeping sickness knocks out every student and teacher, she’s the only one left to face the reanimated corpse that appears in the aftermath.
• Gods, Goddesses, and Warriors: To save Zaria, Adia must rely on her powerful—and unpredictable—allies, including a snarky goddess and a knife-wielding warrior from another time.
• A High-Stakes Quest: The search for answers sends Adia on a perilous journey to the High Queen’s ancient tomb, where buried secrets might be the only thing that can stop the rising dead.
• Inspired by African Mythology: This exciting Afrofantasy adventure is filled with vibrant magic, deep lore, and a kingdom whose fate hangs in the balance between the realms of the living and the dead.

Isi Hendrix is a children’s book author who has been lucky enough to live and work all over the world, from the Himalayas to the Amazon rainforest, during her past life as an anthropologist. Now she’s based in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York, where she lives with a rotating roster of foster kittens and a stubborn refusal to accept that she is highly allergic to cats. Her debut novel, Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans, received a starred review from ALA Booklist and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

• Publisher: Storytide
  
• Publish Date: June 03, 2025
  
• Pages: 352
  
• Language: English
  
• Type: Hardcover
  
• EAN/UPC: 9780063266384
  
• Dimensions: 7.6 in H | 5.1 in W | 1 lb Wt
  
• BISAC Categories: Kids