Children of Blood and Bone
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Published by: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 535
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★★
They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orisha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers – and her growing feelings for an enemy.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orisha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers – and her growing feelings for an enemy.
My thoughts
Tomi Adeyemi has created a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut Children of Blood and Bone.
The story takes place in the fictional land of Orïsha and includes all the best traits of a YA fantasy - princesses, tormented soldiers and the battle to restore magic against those who try to suppress it. This book also brings something completely new to the genre too. Children of Blood and Bone is an action-packed, fast-paced adventure to restore magic to the world and complete a ritual before the approaching solstice is over and magic is lost forever. Beneath that, though, there are many darker themes. The plot is intense and steeped in racially charged violence.
There is so much action in this story. There are endless chase scenes, epic battles using bows, staffs, swords, and various different kinds of magic. There are unexpected twists and turns and just so much intensity. The plot is wonderfully constructed with lots to enjoy.
Children of Blood and Bone had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading, and I enjoyed all the twists and turns along the way. This really is a fantastic debut to a great new fantasy saga. I cannot possibly recommend it enough.
The writing throughout is fantastic. Despite being such a large novel, the pacing was perfect, and I felt I was flying through the novel much quicker than many other long fantasy reads. Adeyemi has a beautiful writing style that compliments such a vibrant world and mystical magic system.
I also loved the characters in this story. Zélie is such a fierce warrior. I loved watching her strength grow, but also still preserving some of her innocence and vulnerability. She’s a great protagonist that you can’t help but route for. Amari is another character I loved. Her character transformation was really well done and it was so nice to see a girl start out meek and afraid but slowly grow into herself and become more comfortable in a group of people totally different from her. I also enjoyed seeing the friendship develop between Zélie and Amari. It’s very sweet to see them bond despite their very different backgrounds.
It's absolutely no surprise that this epic trilogy opener has already been optioned for film. The book is full of cinematic action sequences (the most memorable of them set underwater and employing an army of the dead) and I think will transition really well from page to screen.
All elements of Orisha were flawlessly put together – the history, the divide among maji/diviners and nobles and the different types of magic. All in all, I’m totally infatuated with this world and cannot wait to see it expand in following novels. Part two is out soon and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
Overall reaction:
