A young woman must shake off a family curse and the widely held belief that she is the reincarnation of her dead cousin in this wickedly funny, brilliantly perceptive novel about love, female rivalry, and superstition from the author of the smash hit My Sister, the Serial Killer (“A bombshell of a book… Sharp, explosive, hilarious’–New York Times)

When Ebun gives birth to her daughter, Eniiyi, on the day they bury her cousin Monife, there is no denying the startling resemblance between the child and the dead woman. So begins the belief, fostered and fanned by the entire family, that Eniiyi is the actual reincarnation of Monife, fated to follow in her footsteps in all ways, including that tragic end.

There is also the matter of the family curse: “No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace…” which has been handed down from generation to generation, breaking hearts and causing three generations of abandoned Falodun women to live under the same roof.

When Eniiyi falls in love with the handsome boy she saves from drowning, she can no longer run from her family’s history. As several women in her family have done before, she ill-advisedly seeks answers in older, darker spiritual corners of Lagos, demanding solutions. Is she destined to live out the habitual story of love and heartbreak? Or can she break the pattern once and for all, not only avoiding the spiral that led Monife to her lonely death, but liberating herself from all the family secrets and unspoken traumas that have dogged her steps since before she could remember?

Cursed Daughters is a brilliant cocktail of modernity and superstition, vibrant humor and hard-won wisdom, romantic love and familial obligation. With it’s unforgettable cast of characters, it asks us what it means to be given a second chance and how to live both wisely and well with what we’ve been given.

I went into this book not quite sure what I was in for. The synopsis hinted at magical realism or reincarnation fantasy, so I expected something slightly otherworldly. What I got instead was a beautifully layered, deeply human family drama that explores love, grief, superstition, and the weight of generational stories. And honestly, I really enjoyed it.

This book centers on three generations of women in Lagos, Nigeria, whose lives are heavily influenced by what they believe is a family curse. The Falodun women are convinced that no man will ever find peace in their home, and love will always end in heartbreak. The story opens with Ebun, a young unwed mother who gives birth to her daughter, Eniiyi, on the same day the family buries her cousin Monife. The timing—and Eniiyi’s striking resemblance to Monife—sparks the belief that the baby is Monife reborn.

From there, the book moves through the intertwined perspectives of Monife, Ebun, and Eniiyi, giving us a rich tapestry of lives shaped by superstition, expectation, love, loss and most of all, resilience. The story spans decades, but it never loses focus. Each woman’s voice feels distinct and alive, and the way their experiences all build on each other is beautiful.

The supposed curse threads through the novel, but it’s never treated as something to be proven or disproven—it simply exists in the characters’ minds, influencing how they see the world and themselves. Whether or not you believe in it almost doesn’t matter; what matters is how belief shapes behavior. You feel the way the curse seeps into these women’s lives, dictating how they love, who they trust, and how they see their own worth.

Monife’s chapters are particularly striking, showing a woman full of desire and defiance who meets a tragic end. Ebun, burdened by her mother’s expectations and her own regrets, feels achingly human. And Eniiyi, caught between wanting to live freely and fearing the curse, becomes the heart of the story. Her journey—especially when she falls for a boy she rescues from drowning—asks whether we can ever truly escape the patterns we inherit.

Despite its serious themes, this isn’t a heavy read. It’s full of humor, warmth, and compassion. There are moments of joy, and some scenes that made me laugh out loud, with others that really hit me in the heart. By the end, I found myself completely invested in these women. I wanted to sit at the Falodun family table and listen to their stories.

I really enjoyed this book. It captures the magic of how belief, family, and storytelling shape who we become. It’s warm, funny, and deeply emotional. It’s one that I will think about often.

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