Children of Blood and Bone: A West African-inspired YA Fantasy, Filled with Dark Magic (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)

by Tomi Adeyemi

Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy Children of Blood and Bone, the first in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Legacy of Orïsha series.

'A hugely enjoyable escapist story that makes you re-examine the world around you.' – Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Deathless Girls

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

Zélie remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. When different clans ruled – Burners igniting flames, Tiders beckoning waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoning forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, anyone with powers was targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has a chance to bring back magic to her people and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must learn to harness her powers and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where strange creatures prowl, and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to come to terms with the strength of her magic – and her growing feelings for an enemy . . .

'Three perspectives, complex world-building and superlative characterisation make this a must for fantasy fans.' – Imogen Russell Williams, Metro

The movie of Children of Blood and Bone is in development and soon to be a major motion picture from Paramount Pictures and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood of The Woman King.

• ISBN10: 1509871357
• ISBN13: 9781509871353
• Publish Date: 8 March 2018 (first published 1 March 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Imprint: Macmillan Children's Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 544
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kelly]

Heaven and Earth once blessed the lands of Orïsha until the Maji community was slain, a genocide ordered by King Saran. Zélie Adebola remembers the night her small wind swept community was pillaged, her mother slain by atrocities of the Monarchy. The vibrant white mane of the Divĩner children continue to be oppressed and persecuted by the King, in retribution for the atrocities of the Kosidán.

Zélie Adebola is a defiant young woman, her village of Ilorin decimated by the Monarchy of Orïsha as her mother was captured and slain. The young women of Ilorin are disciplined in the artistry of non lethal defence, taught to protect their bodies against the brutality of the Guard, Mama Agba ensuring the Ilorin godlaw is preserved. Brother Tzain is a gentle man, Zélie and Tzain caring for their windowed father and one another. Zélie inherited her tenacity and defiance from her mother, a vivacious woman compassion and inspiration, her husband and children bereaved by their loss.

As Zélie encounters the Monarch heir attempting to abscond the Orïsha marketplace she is reluctantly embroiled in the heist, enticing the Guard to Ilorin to retrieve the sacred artefact. The Divĩners are an enslaved lineage, children with dormant abilities and artefacts once lost to time have now resurfaced to awaken the Divĩners, their ashê laden blood a language of the gods and expendable to King Saran.

Amari is the daughter of King Saran and a reluctant heir to the Orïsha Kingdom alongside brother Inan, a general of the Orïshan forces. Unaware of atrocities of her Kingdom, Amari is held captive within her palatial tower, maligned by her mother for her dark complexion, her vitality quelled by her oppressive confinement. Brother Inan is a morally ambiguous young man pursuing validation from his father. With the Monarch wealth comes privilege but Inan and Amari are burdened by parental expectations. Amari is a treasonous deflector pursued by Inan under instruction of King Saran, loyal to the Orïsha kingdom and the crown.

The narrative Tomi Adeyemi has conceived is transcendent, intertwined with meticulous folklore. Children of Blood and Bone emphasises the lives of the African American youth lost to violence, inspiring readers and invoking discussion about prejudice. The prose is exquisite, the celebration of West African mythology and the Yorùbá dialect is captivating. A breathtaking debut.

Abogbo wa ni ọmọ r1ẹ nínú 1j1 àti egungun.
We are all children of blood and bone.

[Beth C.]

Magic is dead—and so are the gods. That’s what people believe after the night the King killed every maji he could find, killing magic along with them, and leaving the children of the maji to be known as “maggots.” Until one day, when a magic scroll is found—and Zelie becomes the one person capable of bringing magic back. Her mother was a powerful maji killed during the Raid, and she was a young girl who witnessed the whole brutal thing. Now she has a chance—one chance only—to bring back what was believed lost forever. But to do it, she will need the help of her brother, the King’s daughter, and the gods themselves. And even that might not be enough.

This story has a ton of hype—and I usually try to avoid those books, as I tend to find that they rarely ever live up to it. This book, however, is worth the current hype and more. It is stunning in its honesty, and honest in its brutality...(to read the rest, click through to http://vampirebookclub.net/review-children-of-blood-and-bone-by-tomi-adeyemi-legacy-of-orisha-1/ )

[kalventure]

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Wow. Just, wow. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi is a fantatastic piece of fiction. I was drawn into the narrative with the first words that my eyes took in; the story is instantly engaging and poetically written. The story unfolds at a masterful pace, Adeyemi brings the reader into the world of Orïsha both all at once and slowly, satisfying an unknown craving for more lore while dropping breadcrumbs along the way for more. I can see this book and subsequent series being adapted for film and being as impactful for this generation as Harry Potter was for mine.

Orïsha is a kingdom without magic, but it wasn't always that way. Before the Raid eleven years prior there were 10 clans that were gifted by the gods, each specializing in a different type of magic. But hatred, fear, and vengeance led King Saran to cleanse Orïsha of maji and eliminate magic. But it seems that the gods have something else in mind, and a small group led by Zélie Adebola has the chance to bring magic back.

This book delves into the act of growing up and reconciling what one has been taught growing up with how they perceive the world. Faith and in believing in yourself. Power. How power corrupts. Important themes for YA (and arguably for everyone since as an adult these themes still resonate with me).

Children of Blood and Bone is a breakout start for a series that I cannot wait to devour with fervor. With excellent pacing throughout the entire book, lovable characters with immense depth, and writing that is so poetic it is tough to put down, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group & Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), for granting my wish and providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading subsequent books in the series!

[Joséphine]

March 14, 2018

My full book review is up on Word Revel.

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February 26, 2018

Initial thoughts: This book was so intense! Especially the first half of the book, each chapter upped the stakes. That's quite a feat, seeing how there's conflict right from the start and keeps going. For that, I was absolutely engrossed in Children of Blood and Bone. I loved the characters too, the setting and just generally how imaginative the the story was.

One thing that did bother me and dampened my excitement for it was the variation of this phrase that seriously needs to die in YA lit: "I released a breath I didn't know I was holding." Every time I read this, no matter the book, I pause and lose momentum reading. Now, the first time I read that in Children of Blood and Bone, I tried to suppress my reaction and continued reading. The book's so great, I soon forgot about it. Then it came up the second time, and now my irritation's etched in my brain. Sigh.

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Note: I received an advanced reading copy from a local distributor in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Ashley]

OH MY GOD!! This was amazing! And that ending! THE ENDING! AHHH