Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Release Date: March 6th, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Audible Audio, Narrated by Bahni Turpin, 18hrs 9mins

Publisher: Macmillan

I rated 5 stars on Goodreads

#ChildrenofBloodandBone

SYNOPSIS

Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut.

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

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie's Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

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

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers - and her growing feelings for an enemy.


REVIEW

I have to admit I was a bit skeptic about all the hype around this debut YA fantasy novel.  I had seen pictures of Children of Blood and Bone popping up everywhere but my TBR list being currently so looong and the fact the book is 530 pages did not convince me.  All of a sudden it was BookCon in NYC,  and while waiting for Stephanie Garber to sign my copy of her book, I found myself chatting with Tomi Adeyemi (what are the odds of that?).  I don't believe in coincidences and after reading the book I could say that "it was a sign from the Gods"...

Orïsha is a world rooted in African myths.  There are 10 Maji Clans in Orisha and each clan possess a unique, magical gift.  Majis and Diviners are marked with white hair, which sets them apart from everyone else.  Maji and their families are imprisoned, used as slave labor, called “maggots,” and abused by guards everywhere. They live in constant fear of their tyrant king, who will stop at nothing to make sure magic won't return to Orïsha.

“Mama used to say that in the beginning, white hair was a sign of the powers of heaven and earth. It held beauty and virtue and love, it meant we were blessed by the gods above,” Zélie says. “But when everything changed, magic became a thing to loathe. Our heritage transformed into a thing to hate.”

The plot is phenomenal.  Adeyemi delivered a well-crafted, action-packed story.  The character-development is also amazing.  Princess Amari grew from a weak girl, full of doubts, into a fighter, the future queen.   The bond that developed between Zelie and Amari was my favorite part.  In the world of  King Saran, they should hate each other, yet, they learned to trust each other and became friends.  Amari's brother, Inan, was a character that I disliked and did not trust, but he was an important piece of the puzzle and I do believe his secrets will be uncovered in book 2 of the series.

Did I mention that the book ends in a cliffhanger that will keep you waiting for book 2?

This book deserves ALL the Hype!
Every Fantasy needs a savior and Children of Blood and Bone gives you a worthy Heroine right from the start.  A girl.  A black girl.  Chosen by the Gods to restore magic.  Oh, the world has been waiting for this...

If you haven't read it yet, do yourself a favor, and grab a copy!  You won't regret it :-)

Insteresting Fact:  as I read the book, a lot of the African names sounded somehow familiar.  I later found out that Adeyemi studied West African mythology and culture in Brazil, which is the country where I grew up, and heard a lot of these words (spelling might differ from the book) : Orixá, Ogun, Axé, Yemanjá and Oxumaré.

I alternated between the hard cover book and the audiobook, but the audiobook narrator did such a splendid job, that I read (listened) to 80% of the book.

The next installment, “Children of Virtue and Vengeance,” is scheduled for release in March, 2019.  The movie is believed to be released between book 2 and book 3.

What is your Maji Clan?  Take the QUIZ at ChildrenofBloodandBone.com to find out which clan you're in!