Afia in the Land of Wonders - by Mia Araujo (Hardcover)

About the Book

Sixteen-year-old Afia leaves her beloved twin sister to embark on a journey of self-discovery in a magical land with a beguiling queen and dangers untold.

Book Synopsis

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 Ijábù, 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, Ijábù 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 Ijábù, 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 Ijábù.

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

Review Quotes

Praise for Afia in the Land of Wonders:

"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

"This clever, lushly illustrated fantasy... features twists and surprises... An intriguing story that explores self-discovery in a fantastical setting." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Araujo's tender depictions of siblinghood ground theatrical plotting, while painterly illustrations peppered throughout evoke ethereal atmoshphere and enhance the novel's whimsical and enigmatic elements." -- Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Mia Araujo is an Argentine American artist and writer, born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She co-hosts and co-produces Painted in Color, a BIPOC art podcast on Youtube. Mia graduated as valedictorian from Otis College of Art and Design, with a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Creative Writing. She has shown her work in prominent galleries and conventions across the US and around the world, including Roq la Rue, Copro Gallery, Spoke Art, and Corey Helford. She won the Juror's Choice Award at GenCon in 2019. Her work has been published in Hi-Fructose Magazine, Juxtapoz, Spectrum Fantastic Art, Society of Illustrators LA, and IBA, among others. Clients and collaborators include Penguin Random House, HBO, Imagine FX, and the Washington Post. She's also a twin sister. Learn more at art-by-mia.com.