roundtableknight
Written on Aug 1, 2018
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
KitsuneBae
Written on May 17, 2018
gmcgregor
Written on May 11, 2018
The loss of her mother in the raid that ended magic haunts teenage Zelie even years later. She takes after her mother in that she's a Diviner, born with the distinctive white hair that marks her as a potential maji and therefore subjected to discrimination. Her brother Tzain, though, is "normal" like their father, who's never recovered from the loss of his wife. Their lives are forever changed when one day Zelie heads to the capital city to go to the market, and runs into Amari, the country's princess, fleeing her father and the palace with a powerfully important scroll. That scroll, along with other artifacts, has the power to bring magic back to Orisha. Zelie, Amari, and Tzain find themselves on the run from the King and his son, Amari's brother Inan, who discovers much to his dismay that he's not as dissimilar from the Diviners he hates as he'd like. An unexpected connection between Zelie and Inan could be what saves them all...or what dooms them.
This is not my usual type of book: I don't read YA particularly often, and it focuses heavily on plot over characterization and prose. Nevertheless, that plot moved forward so relentlessly that it was impossible to resist getting swept up in it, even when it veered toward the ridiculous. From nearly the second we meet them, our characters are under threat, and no sooner does one danger pass than another arises. Even as the story zooms, Adeyemi does some quality world-building, introducing the reader to a deeply earth-rooted system of magic in a way that gave enough detail to be intriguing without gratuitous information-dumping. It's refreshing to read a story that doesn't rely on the same familiar Christian and/or Eurocentric myths for inspiration.
That being said, while the details of the story are fresh, many of the beats are eye-rollingly familiar: enemies to friends, hate to love, capture and rescue. There are serious, serious deficiencies in character development...no one feels like more than a set of keywords and relationships that the readers are clearly supposed to get deeply invested in are so thinly sketched that the "payoff" barely registers. Prose quality that might elevate the more rote elements is absent...the writing isn't at all bad, but neither is it ever more than serviceable. The book doesn't feel like it's meant to be taken in and of itself, but rather as a springboard: for a movie, for sequels. While it's compelling and compulsively readable while it's in your hands, it loses a lot when it's over and you have time to think about it If you're into this genre and these kinds of stories, you'll probably very much enjoy this book. If you're looking for something to keep you entertained on the airplane, this is a solid choice. If this isn't the kind of story you're predisposed to like, though, this is skippable.
liz089
Written on Apr 23, 2018
Just... that ending... how can I wait for almost a year !?
emruth13
Written on Apr 20, 2018
luddite
Written on Apr 5, 2018
Think along the lines of the Avatar world, but one in which the memories of genocide aren't far removed. Characters felt a little predictable, and space that could've been spent on history was directed towards action - which there is a lot of.
Overall, a fun read. And the series has a lot of potential.
Linda
Written on Mar 21, 2018
Children of Blood and Bone is a complex fantasy novel, in which one people fight their way to win magic back in order to stay alive. There is a corrupt and vicious king, a credulous young prince, a very strong young woman, and a lot of action.
Story:
Children of Blood and Bone managed to tell a compelling story, build a complex world, and include magic that was quite different from other stories I've read. There was a dictatorial king, and he would kill the smallest flutter of magic he could find - to keep his people safe, or so he said. Zélie was learning to fight, to survive, to keep the former magic users - dîviners - safe. And she had a very strong sense of right and wrong.
There was quite a quest to go on for Zélie and her cohorts, and Children of Blood and Bone took the readers on a long trip. It included both magic, fights, action, a little romance, and scenery that was lush in some places and completely desolate in others.
Some of the fighting scenes in Children of Blood and Bone were gruesome. The total lack of empathy some of the characters showed made my skin crawl. And the fact that those who might be able to use magic had white hair made it easier for the ruling king to get rid of them as he wished. Because of the racial / ethnic aspect, I felt that the story is also very much current with all that is going on in the real world right now,.
Characters:
Zélie is a strong female lead, but she doesn't always think through her actions fully, and that makes for some messy situations. She is definitely relatable, though, and she carried a lot on her young shoulders.
Amari is a sheltered princess, hardly ever allowed out of the castle, and only dreaming about traveling the world, making it better.
Inan is the future king, and he is almost as ruthless as his father. Magic scares him, and he'll do whatever it takes to keep it away from the kingdom.
Zélie's brother and father are both present at the beginning of Children of Blood and Bones, and her brother follows her on her quest to re-ignite magic to all.
Writing style :
Children of Blood and Bone is written in three different points of views, Zélie has the most chapters to her name, but both Amari and Inan have an important part as well. First person point of view, present tense made the action appear immediate, and I was right there with the characters through their trials and tribulations.
Feels :
Excitement has to be the top feel, however, I also felt disgust because of some characters actions. And I felt anger! Thankfully, I also felt hope and a little bit of light.
"They don't hate you, my child. They hate what you were meant to become."
"I teach you to be warriors in the garden so you will never be gardeners in the war. I give you the strength to fight, but you all must learn the strength of restraint." Mama turns to me, shoulders pinned back. "You must protect those who can't defend themselves. That is the way of the staff."
Amber (The Literary Phoenix)
Written on Mar 16, 2018
1. Each and every character in this story was well-written, well-motivated, and I loved them all. Zélie with her rash decisions and temper. Anari with her sweetness and courage. Zane with his fierce protectiveness and big heart. Inan with his inner struggles and determination. Those are just the main four characters, but there was something to love in everyone. Even the villains.
2. This is honestly one of the best developed fantasy worlds I've ever read. I will praise anyone's world building that draws me in, but Adeyemi's wrapped me up like Tamora Pierce. Her cities and landscaping is beautiful and treacherous. Her magical system is well and subtly explained and I loved it. Her pantheon is great. It's one of those novels where you know every single word was carefully chosen.
3. This novel was high action, but not exhausting. In a lot of young adult novels, you'll find that its either ALL action or nothing. ALL romance, or nothing. Tomi weaves her story so expertly that as a reader, you are brought up and down like a boat bobbing on the ocean. The true action scenes, the battles, are written incredibly well. They wrap your up until you are so invested, until your heart is beating so fast, that you feel like you are actually there.
4. I adored that the villain was three-dimensional. It's far too easy to create a flat villain, but Saran is the type of character you can empathize with. His backstory is so important to his choices and you hate him with every fiber of your being but you still find yourself sorry for his pain. You still want him destroyed, no question, but he is a full and round person.
5. The racial message in this book is so important. Tomi Adeyemi says it better in her author's note, but there are things that happen in this book that will enrage you. And they are so, so horrible. But they are a reflection on our world and a cry to us all to be better. To care more, to understand more. To be more like Anari. I don't want to spoil too much, but this book is very timely and the parallels to our own world are quite clear.
6. The ending left me needing more. Not just wanting more - needing it. I have such a distinct image in my mind of the expression on Anari's face at the end and basically the end credits rolling and I need a release date for book 2 so I can preorder.
There were so many individual scenes that left me screaming for more. Anari becoming the Lioner. Zu. Zane rescuing Zélie early in the novel. Inan's constant struggle. What happened with Kaia. When Anari and Saran's eyes meet. Moments. The moments in this book are so potent, they will steal your breath.
I am so blown away by the story. The diversity in it is amazing and the maji and I just... I can't express anything more. Honestly. I am a colorful ball of happy feelings and a desire to read more. I used my Audible credit for this audiobook and I COMPLETELY recommend the audiobook. The narrator was incredible. In the middle of writing this review, I also popped over to Amazon and bought a physical copy for my home library.
This book filled me up with its passion and dreams and richness that I feel like I need a couple days to wind down because while it is so fresh in my mind, everything will be inferior.
Laurie
Written on Mar 12, 2018
I am not shy to admit that I had some struggles getting into the story at first. This was not because of the book, but because I was facing a small reading slump and I was not feeling that well. However, that small reading slump completely faded away when I got into the story. The moment the story really got to me, I couldn't put the book down.
The story is exciting. Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American writer and that shows of in the storyline. Orisha has quite some elements of an African country. For example the city of Lagos. In the book it's the capital of Orisha while in real life it's the capital of Nigeria. Furthermore, you see some more elements as the language, markets and different races. The use of the word "mama" was a bit confusing for me as it has multiple meanings. Zélie's mom (in Dutch we say mama instead of mom), mama Agba and it is used in multiple spells. However, that did not affect my joy of reading the book.
Besides the culture, current themes as oppression and racism play a key role in Children Of Blood And Bone too. Zélie and the other Maji have to live in constant fear because they are not accepted by the Kosidan, the majority of the Orishan people. They get oppressed just because of their white hair and their lost magic.
A very strong side to the story were the different point of views. The story is told from Zélie's, Inan's and Amari's point of view. This way, you sometimes relive an event again, but you understand more of the other people's thoughts and feelings. At some points, the story continues, but those are spoilers. However, I missed a point of view from Tzain as he plays a major role in the story too. But again, that didn't affect my love for this book.
The cliffhanger is terrible, I need the second book already! Children Of Blood And Bone is a fantasy novel with current events which puts you on the edge of your seat multiple times whilst reading. Seriously, you guys need to read this book. And Dutchies, don't forget to pre-order this masterpiece! In my opinion this is one of the best books of the year and ACOFAS still needs to be released so that's enough said.
lauriesbookshelf
Written on Mar 12, 2018
I am not shy to admit that I had some struggles getting into the story at first. This was not because of the book, but because I was facing a small reading slump and I was not feeling that well. However, that small reading slump completely faded away when I got into the story. The moment the story really got to me, I couldn't put the book down.
The story is exciting. Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American writer and that shows of in the storyline. Orisha has quite some elements of an African country. For example the city of Lagos. In the book it's the capital of Orisha while in real life it's the capital of Nigeria. Furthermore, you see some more elements as the language, markets and different races. The use of the word "mama" was a bit confusing for me as it has multiple meanings. Zélie's mom (in Dutch we say mama instead of mom), mama Agba and it is used in multiple spells. However, that did not affect my joy of reading the book.
Besides the culture, current themes as oppression and racism play a key role in Children Of Blood And Bone too. Zélie and the other Maji have to live in constant fear because they are not accepted by the Kosidan, the majority of the Orishan people. They get oppressed just because of their white hair and their lost magic.
A very strong side to the story were the different point of views. The story is told from Zélie's, Inan's and Amari's point of view. This way, you sometimes relive an event again, but you understand more of the other people's thoughts and feelings. At some points, the story continues, but those are spoilers. However, I missed a point of view from Tzain as he plays a major role in the story too. But again, that didn't affect my love for this book.
The cliffhanger is terrible, I need the second book already! Children Of Blood And Bone is a fantasy novel with current events which puts you on the edge of your seat multiple times whilst reading. Seriously, you guys need to read this book. And Dutchies, don't forget to pre-order this masterpiece! In my opinion this is one of the best books of the year and ACOFAS still needs to be released so that's enough said.