Children of Virtue and Vengeance: A West African-inspired YA Fantasy, Filled with Danger and Magic (Legacy of Orïsha, #2)

by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the breathtaking second title in Tomi Adeyemi's YA fantasy trilogy, Legacy of Orïsha, following her ground-breaking, West African-inspired debut Children of Blood and Bone.

After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji but also some nobles with magic ancestry.

Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as strong and magical as they are. When Amari's mother forms an army of royals with newly awakened powers, Zélie fights to secure Amari's right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy's wrath.

But with civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must find a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.

• ISBN10: 1529034434
• ISBN13: 9781529034431
• Publish Date: 3 December 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Imprint: Macmillan Children's Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: After reading Children of Virtue and Vengeance, I think Children of Blood and Bone would've been better off a standalone novel. Just cut out the cliffhanger at the end and it would've been alright. This sequel didn't really mesh with the first book and didn't really extend an overarching narrative for me. Instead, this was felt like a completely different story that could've been the start to an entirely different series that I probably wouldn't be quite as interested to start.

What Children of Virtue and Vengeance did get right though in the storytelling was dramatising complicated family relationships among siblings and their parents. That made for a very compelling dynamic. Unfortunately, that dragged out to the point that the plot ran dry and I couldn't quite get myself to care about the outcome anymore by the time the resolution came into play.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I must be completely honest.

I struggled a little bit with Children of Virtue and Vengeance.

It wasn’t a difficult book to read, and I’ll be honest, when I sat down and focused, I read it pretty quickly. It’s significantly shorter than Children of Blood and Bone… and it’s significantly less organized. I’m going to discuss it, but this seems like a good time to warn you all of spoilers if you haven’t read the first book. Also why are you reading a review of book 2 without reading book 1? Go read Children of Blood and Bone, it’s fantastic.

On most levels, I really do understand why and what’s going on here. At the end of Children of Blood and Bone, things were uncertain, chaotic. Magic returned to Orïsha, but that doesn’t mean all was well. Things did not go according to plan, people died unexpectedly, and results were surprising. Effective in many ways, but also surprising. That leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the book, and a lot to unpack in this one. Amari and Zélie are in a difficult position as the ones who brought magic back, but both from very different sides and now they have different needs. Alliances are complicated.

As is often the case with war, there were a lot of people shouting and very little forward progress for the costs incurred. At the end of Children of Virtue and Vengeance, it didn’t feel like there’d been any progress since Children of Blood and Bone. Characters did not grow, the plot didn’t make significant progress. It felt like filler. Filler is not always bad – the filler episodes of Supernatural are my favorite ones – but after such a startling debut, it was a little more difficult to swallow.

And I’m determined to be okay with all this. There were romantic moments (no, not the ones the extended fandom wants), and there were girl power moments, but a great deal of hate flowed through these pages as well. Again, this is reasonable and expected. It is war. And more than just war, it’s about oppression and elitism and trust broken. That much darkness was difficult to read at times. It was complete understandable from a sympathetic view, but so much time was spent fighting within allies that eventually, as a reader, I found myself going numb.

I know the world doesn’t work like this. I know that these big issues, ones that Tomi Adeyemi alludes to, do not simply go away because one person has good intentions. There’s intention and blood and reparations to be made and it doesn’t get to be easy. But I am trying to be honest and the amount of sheer force of loathing was hard. For a lot of the book, it was hard. Only extremes.

At the risk of hinting at spoilers (you are being warned! Turn back now!) I really didn’t like what she did with Inan. It is Adeyemi’s book and her choice and who knows there may be Big Plans… but the choices made around Inan’s character in this book felt too easy and I’m never a fan of rewinds. The dances between the POV characters in this book honestly felt forced and repetitive. Yet another factor in the whole “going nowhere” thing.

For those of you who, like myself, have been anticipating Children of Virtue and Vengeance for a while will know that this book was pushed back about six months. Tomi Adeyemi announced the delay herself on Twitter. As such, we as readers already know that this sophomore novel had been a bit of a struggle. As book bloggers and avid readers, we know that book 2 often does not live up to book 1. And furthermore, when we’re talking series or even trilogies, very often book 2 is simply the glue between books 1 & 3. A lack of movement and development is not uncommon at this stage, and I don’t think it’s a reason to step back from this series.

I am still so excited to see what happens in the next installment, whenever that may be. I still think Tomi Adeyemi is a strong author with fantastic ideas. Her debut shows that in spades. And regardless of my rather “meh” reaction to Children of Virtue and Vengeance, I’m sticking with her.

[tweetybugshouse]

Even when we crash, we intertwine so goes the relationship between Inan and Zélie in this very fast paced moving story. The story is laid out in 3 points of views Inan, Zélie and Amari.
Magic has returned but unintended consequences have happened as a result. Not only did the Magi have access to magic but those nobles with magic ancestry as well. Now Zelle is struggling to save Orïsha while the enemy (namely her mother and brother) holds just as much power as she does. The book is well paced out and hardly lets you breath for an instant as we progress through the story. The chapters are nice and short and each one moves along to the next seamlessly.
You would think with all the turmoil that is unfolding that would leave little room for love no a romance does brew. Though the cost of it becomes far deeper and heart breaking then i think these characters expected. Then just as you get the final pages and you think all is looking up a plot twist comes and leaves us hanging.
I was in udder shock, my heart rate was up, parts of this book made me scream and cry. This is an amazing story that I not sure where it going with the third book but i will be checking it out.

[Quirky Cat]

Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the second novel in Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orisha series. And that means this is a book that fans have been looking forward to all year. And with good reason! Children of Blood and Bone immediately caught our attention, captivating readers and then leaving us desperate for more.
Orisha is still torn apart by war and hate. Zelie, alongside Amari and Tzain, brought back magic to Orisha. But things didn’t go at all how Zelie planned. Or hoped. The magic came back to the maji, but it also went to some of the nobles as well. And that means the war against the Maji is far from over.
Zelie has given up so much for this quest of hers. And now the end she had been hoping for is nowhere in sight. She started this quest with the best intentions in mind, with hope high in her heart. But now she’s seen the worst of what her country has to offer, and she’s sacrificed so much to get to this point.
Amari is still determined to be the queen she believes her country deserves. Her father is dead, and her brother presumably so as well. That leaves Amari free to take the throne and save her people. But the real question is; how is Amari planning on making them all listen?

“I open my eyes to the cold, gray sky; to the howling ocean crashing against Jimeta’s rocky bluffs. I can’t stay in the past.”

Children of Virtue and Vengeance was a powerful and intense read, from cover to cover. This is one of those books you’re not going to want to put down. Seriously, I mean it. Put aside some time to read this book all in one go, if you can manage it. You won’t regret it.
I honestly can’t get over how brilliant this book was. I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I finished reading Children of Blood and Bone (which admittedly I took longer to get around to than I’d like to admit). But I wasn’t sure if the sequel would hold to my expectations. But it honestly and very seriously did. I couldn’t be happier with what Tomi Adeyemi came out with here.
The writing in this book was intense and compelling. Adeyemi was very careful in the way that she handled some of the characters. But I still couldn’t help but notice some intentional parallels being drawn. They’re perfect and carry the story even further.
And man, the emotions this book made me feel! I’m anticipating a book hangover in my future because this one really got to me. And I mean that in the best of ways, of course. Children of Virtue and Vengeance had all of the highs and lows one would expect from an epic piece such as this. And then perhaps a few little extra twists.
I was thrilled by the chance to learn more about the maji; their history, culture, and way of magic. It was exactly what I had been hoping to see, and yet I still wouldn’t say no to seeing even more of it.
One thing I will warn readers (spoiler warning). This book does end in a bit of a cliffhanger. Like, I’m already chewing on my nails from my anxiousness to start reading the next book. It’s not an awful cliffhanger…but it will hurt those of us that are seriously invested in Zelie’s tale.
On the bright side, that just means we’re going to be all the more eager for any news from Tomi Adeyemi about her next novel. And that I’ll probably reread Children of Virtue and Vengeance in the meantime, because I didn’t give myself a whole lot of time to savor it (can you blame me?).

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Kelly]

The Kingdom of Orïsha has been decimated in a centuries long conflict between Divĩner communities and the monarchy of Orïsha. Zélie Adebola has empowered her community, her ashê laden blood igniting a revolution against the oppression and genocide of the monarchy who have ravaged her community, her country and Zélie resolves to end their reign.

Zélie is a remarkable character, compassionate and intelligent, although a reluctant revolutionary. In Children of Blood and Bone, Zélie resurrected the ashê of the Divĩners. Burners, Tiders and Reapers no longer defenceless against the monarchy. In Children of Virtue and Vengeance, Zélie is a warrior seeking retribution and although fiercely shielding her community, she's vulnerable and grieves for the life that has been taken from her. Zélie's distress is palpable, she's survived the genocide of her community, her friends and family and now Zélie has become the Soldier of Death, a symbol of resilience among the Orïshan. Amari Olúborí is heir to the Orïshan throne and although Zélie harbours an intense animosity towards the monarchy, she advocates for Amari's ascension..

Zélie and Amari are grieving. Amari for the loss of her father and Brother, Inan the Crown Prince. Isolated and resented for her privileged heritage, Amari is determined to represent all Orïshans and bring to fruition her brother's legacy. Rebels have infiltrated the royal palatial home and Queen Nehanda is gathering a legion of Tîtáns, the sacred ritual igniting nobility abilities.

In Children of Virtue and Vengeance, Winders, Connectors, Burners, Grounders, Lighters and Healers have ignited to join the resistance, cooperating as the Lyika rebellion. The Lyika are striving to eradicate the monarchy and the disconnection of caste divisions before the nation is ravaged by conflict. Beneath the conflict both Zélie and Amari feel the tension and ache of a fractured friendship and although both young women have developed into respective leaders, they've lost the capacity to communicate with one another.

Zélie's brother Tzain is a wonderfully gentle character and although he's enamoured by Amari, is unwavering in support of his sister. Roën is as bewildering as he is delightful and a significant character in Children of Virtue and Vengeance. Although he seemingly cares for Zélie, Roën's allegiance still remains with his mercenary crewmen. Throughout the narrative, we're introduced to the Lyika rebellion, characters in which Zélie forms an attachment. Zélie adopts a motivational and motherly role towards the younger, inexperienced members of the Lyika, creating tenderhearted and gentle relationships with those she pledges to protect.

The kingdom of Orïsha ignites discussion of segregation, displacement, discrimination, racism and genocide, parallel to our own world. Nobility and the monarch are affluent, swathed within the city of Lagos. Communities blessed by the Sky Mother are historically oppressed and persecuted by the Orïshan monarchy, living within impoverished communities. The Raid decimated families, many still enduring intergenerational trauma.

The mysticism and mythology of the Legacy of Orïsha series is breathtaking. Transcendent and exhilarating, Children of Virtue and Vengeance is ethereal and beautifully written.