Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)

by Tomi Adeyemi

[Laurie]

I was sent a Dutch copy (out March 20) by Harper Collins Holland in exchange for an honest review. My opinion and rating are NOT influenced by this!

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.