Photo credits to The Bookseller.

Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi has yet another romance novel on the way titled Son of the Morning, set to be published by Avon Books in 2025.  Emezi is not new to the genre of romance fiction, with their 2022 novel You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty topping the charts. This time, Emezi is experimenting with the romance genre by adding in elements of fantasy and gothic fiction.

Son of the Morning is described as a “Black Southern Gothic speculative romance” on Publisher’s Marketplace as the novel weaves together folklore and magic with Emezi’s own brand of bold, Black-centered fantasy. The story is about “a woman raised by a clan of women in the American South and struggling with her new feelings for none other than Lucifer himself after their first encounter threatens the very foundations of Heaven and Hell.”

Emezi’s second romance novel sounds like an earth-shattering read and we cannot wait to see what they have in store for us with this thrilling romance between the Black female protagonist and Lucifer himself. The rights to the novel were sold to Avon in a two-book deal at auction, so we can probably expect a sequel on the way!

See Emezi’s excitement about the novel in their publication announcement below:

Emezi is one of the most prolific writers of the contemporary moment, having published seven books in four years across five genres. They have won many awards for their books, been featured on the cover of TIME Magazine as a 2021 Next Generation Leader, and named a National Book Foundation ‘5 Under 35’ honoree.

Till date, Emezi has published only one romance novel – You Made A Fool of Death with Your Beauty – which has been well-received by fans and screen rights were sold to Amazon Studios in a seven-figure deal. The 2022 novel features queer love in the Black diaspora. We are certain Emezi’s newest romance will be equally scintillating!

Congrats to Emezi! Stay tuned for more details.