Children of Blood and Bone

This was a very satisfying YA fantasy with basically exactly my preferred level of worldbuilding–ENOUGH that you get it but not so much that I get annoyed about it. (I know this is a personal thing and some fantasy readers like a LOT more details.) The fantasy based in West African mythology also makes it feel fresh.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the sequel!

1: Children of Blood and Bone ★★★★.5
#2: Children of Virtue and Vengeance ???

This review can also be found on my blog.

This pretty much lived up to the hype for me and I'm really glad I picked it up! I don't remember the last time I lost myself in a book like this, I ended up reading for 3 hours straight to finish it and I literally couldn't put it down. The half star loss was because it took me a bit to get invested in the characters. But once I did, ooooh boy, I was INVESTED. Highly recommend. 4.5/5 stars.

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This book is pretty amazing. I ran through it so fast.

Let me start with how amazing the writing is, because seriously, page one had me sucked into this world. Absolutely beautiful, engaging writing that had me always wanting to read more. The world-building?? Amazing, truly. Now, this is told in alternating POVs with Zélie being the main character. The other people who narrate are Amari and Inan, princess and prince of a hateful and abusive king. The other main character, although not one whose POV we can read is Tain, Zélie's older brother.
Each of these characters is so different and so unique, I really enjoyed reading about all of them.
Inan does have a Zuko thing, where he is the one chasing Zélie, Amari, and Tzain down in order to honor his father and what not, but much like Zuko, there is more to him than that, which keeps his POV chapters interesting.

There is some romance here. I thought both relationships were written really well– pretty much a slower burn, which I love. Nothing hit me as insta-love. The couples made me so happy!!! THEN I WASN'T!!! In the end, I ship certain characters together, but who knows what will happen. I will say, for a YA fantasy novel, the written romance here is absolutely amazing.

The plot... just.... wow. There is a lot going on in this book, but it is told in a way which doesn't make it overwhelming. The writing and actions sweep the reader up in this world and it is such a dark horrible place, but there is so much light and wonder, that I couldn't help but hope along with the main characters that change would come. It is a longer book, but there is so much to tell– so much to get done, that the length never felt too long or “dragged”, no it was just the right length because it tells just what it needs to.
There are twists and scenes, I honestly didn't see coming. Characters die and are injured. And, I really hope one character isn't redeemed... I'm done with them.

All in all, if you haven't read this book you need to go read it. I'll be recommending this to many MANY people.

My #1 favorite read for 2018!

A truly fantastic fantasy book with a unique setting. Featuring an immersive world, believable characters and wonderously imaginative concepts, this is one of the best fantasy books I've read in a while. On top of these aforementioned positives, it features plenty of tense moments, cool action scenes and twists and turns for days! Definitely recommend for all!

Pros: emotional complexity, fascinating characters, lots of twists, interesting setting

Cons: some issues with the timeline/distances travelled towards the end

When the terrorized daughter of the king witnesses one outrage too many, she steals an artifact that can open diviners to their magical heritage. While escaping, she runs into a young diviner who's still angry and traumatized by her mother's execution during the king's Raid 11 years ago, when magic first disappeared. Together they learn that magic can be returned to the land. But the King sends his son and his general to hunt them down.

There are some great characters in this book. While I didn't always agree with their choices (especially those of the hot tempered Zélie), I thought their decisions made sense based on their personalities, traumas, and the challenges they faced. I was impressed at the complexity of their emotions and how the author actually dealt with their emotions rather than simply letting the story brush trauma and consequences aside. The book deals with the aftermath of torture, of killing for the first time, of personal failure, of so many harsh emotions and conditions. I really understood the prince's fear of magic and his desire to please his father, even as he realized what a monster the man was. I felt sorry for him. I also I loved seeing his sister's growth throughout the book. I also liked how Zélie and Amari slowly learn to trust each other and become friends.

There were quite a few twists and turns, both in terms of the quest, but also in terms of people learning who they are in the face of various trials.

The setting was pretty cool and seemed to draw inspiration from the Yoruba people of Nigeria, particularly the language. Though the country in the book is called Orïsha, I don't believe the maji religion takes any influence from the Yoruba's religious practices of the same name (but please correct me if I'm wrong, wikipedia isn't the best place to get information like this. And as an aside, I enjoyed looking up some of the unfamiliar words to see if they had real world significance. This isn't necessary to enjoy the book, but why not learn some real culture/history too?). I loved the idea that people capable of magic were physically marked with white hair. The practice of magic itself required a mixture of innate ability and incantations, so it didn't seem overpowered. I did like that various people questioned the wisdom of bringing magic back, of the problems that could arise if someone evil could wield offensive magic like fire. It treated magic like the dangerous weapon it could be in the wrong hands - or even the right ones.

The world feels very lived in and real. It was quite different from anything I've read before and I loved that. I really liked the ryders and wish I could have one. The geography became problematic towards the end, in terms of how quickly people could suddenly travel far distances, which I'll discuss more in the spoiler section. Though, that's possibly due to the map being out of scale from the distances the author envisioned.

While they're not marked as an appendix, after the text comes an author's note, a ‘behind the scenes' annotated chapter 57 from the book, and a list of the Maji clans with their powers and the names of their gods.

While the book wasn't perfect, it's unique setting and characters make it worth the read. There's some romance and a good amount of action, particularly the fight scenes at the end. If you're looking for a different kind of fantasy, give this a go.

I've removed the spoiler section here so as to not ruin the book for anyone. If you'd like to see it, it's on my blog. (http://scififanletter.blogspot.com/2018/04/book-review-children-of-blood-and-bone.html)

Actual rating; 4,5 stars.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for my honest opinion.

I didn't know that this book would only have 6 chapters. I don't mean the actual book, but the e-arc I received.

I really loved the first part of the book. I've only read 6 chapters but man they were good. The book is even then already full of action and I couldn't put it down. The two characters that we are introduced to are strong and independed woman. Every book needs at least one of them! Oh, and I could also see a possible love interest. I did ship it already. Sorry, not sorry!

Have you ever reached the end of a book and yelled “NOOOOO!!!”? Because I just did. Children of Blood and Bone ends on a HUGE cliffhanger, and I'm even more upset about that than I would be normally - I got this book as an advanced reader's copy through Goodreads. So not only do I have to wait for the sequel to come out, THIS BOOK ISN'T EVEN OUT YET. screams internally

That massive frustration aside, I LOVED THIS BOOK. African-inspired fantasy novels are starting to crop up, along with other non-European based fantasy, and I'm loving it. (You can find Russian inspired fantasy that I've read previously here and here, and Jewish/Arab fantasy here.) Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American author, and this is her debut novel. It definitely shows some hallmarks of a debut novel - the dialogue is a bit stilted in places, and it's a little bit formulaic - but the world building is excellent.

Children of Blood and Bone is a story of oppression, and the sparks of a rebellion. I assume the rest of the trilogy will deal with the actual rebellion, but given the cliffhanger it ends on, I'm not actually sure of that. When Zélie, the main character, was very young, magic failed, and the king, who was afraid of maji, took the opportunity to kill every maji in his kingdom before they could find a way to regain their powers. Since then, every person who could have become a maji as they grew (they're marked by their white hair) has been treated as a second-class citizen. They're forced into slums, used as slave labor, kicked around by nobility and guards, made to pay higher taxes, and forbidden to breed with the other classes. They don't have magic - and they have no way to get it - but they're treated as trash by the king that hates them, and accordingly by the rest of his subjects.

At the beginning of the book, a magical artifact resurfaces that restores magic to any diviner (potential maji) that touches it. This, of course, is not okay with the king, and most of the book is about the race to use the magical artifact while being chased by the king's son and his guards who are trying to destroy it. The conflicted prince has secrets of his own, though, and as the book weaves through jungles, mountains, and seas, he wavers in his mission.

It's always difficult to review books without giving too much away about the plot, so I won't say much more about the events. I really enjoyed that they rode giant cats - leopanaires. Zélie and her allies ride a lion leopanaire, which is apparently somewhat unusual. Most of the guards ride leopards or cheetahs, while the royal family rides snow leopanaires. The magic is unique, the gods and religion are beautifully fleshed out, and overall I just really loved this world, and I'm very sad it will be so long before I can dive back into it.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.

This book is phenomenal.

“They killed my mother. They took our magic.They tried to bury us. Now we rise.”

Actual rating: 3.5 stars, rounded down

Told in multiple perspectives, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE follows the story of:

。Zélie, an angry maji who can bend dead souls to her will,
。Amari, a princess who wants to undo her family's terrible legacy,
。and Inan, the boy tasked to hunt them down and put an end to his sister's treason

It's a very driven, courageous, and brilliant debut—one with so many twists and turns that I almost felt dizzy reading it. Tomi Adeyemi does not shy away from the beauty and violence of her world, and it shines through every single page. Inspired by Western Africa, she paints a bewitching picture of Orïsha, bursting with old gods and wild magic.

Like Amari herself would say, this book is “mesmerizing, a wonder like no other”. Although it does occasionally suffer from insta-love and some very convoluted plotting, it's still the kind of read that will leave you aching for more even after you turn the final page.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.