Hardcover, 544 pages
English language
Published March 6, 2018 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR).
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.
Дуже вайбова і атмосферна книга, якщо не вистачає Африки в вашому житті - вона саме для вас.
Окрім оригінальної мітології, цікаво та детально описаного світу, та непогано прописаних персонажів, книга ефективно висвітлює теми класової нерівності та боротьби за свободу та справедливість.
Overall, a powerful and well crafted book. It made me think. I enjoyed the characters, with their fears and passions.
There was quite a bit more death – let’s be honest and call it “slaughter” – than I am comfortable with, but that’s part of the package. We’re not supposed to be comfortable with it. Likewise some of what happened to the main characters.
The animal names also took some getting used to – the world is very much like Earth, and there are, for example, several species which seem to be a mix of big cat, dragon, and steed.
I enjoyed her descriptions, especially of the people.
It’s just fabulous to read a modern fantasy adventure story that seems to do for Yoruba/Santeria traditions what countless Arthurian fantasies do with Celtic/Arthurian legends. I would be really interested to hear or read what people who are familiar with the Orishas …
Overall, a powerful and well crafted book. It made me think. I enjoyed the characters, with their fears and passions.
There was quite a bit more death – let’s be honest and call it “slaughter” – than I am comfortable with, but that’s part of the package. We’re not supposed to be comfortable with it. Likewise some of what happened to the main characters.
The animal names also took some getting used to – the world is very much like Earth, and there are, for example, several species which seem to be a mix of big cat, dragon, and steed.
I enjoyed her descriptions, especially of the people.
It’s just fabulous to read a modern fantasy adventure story that seems to do for Yoruba/Santeria traditions what countless Arthurian fantasies do with Celtic/Arthurian legends. I would be really interested to hear or read what people who are familiar with the Orishas think about how Adeyemi repackaged them for the general public to read. I imagine I was a not uncommon reader, going into this story having seen the names of a couple of Orishas on various consumer goods (jewelry, art cards, etc.), and knowing nothing of Santeria except the word – so as the story unfolds, it’s not all completely alien territory, but it’s certainly not familiar either.
Now what I really want to know is where QuickDraw McGraw’s sidekick Baba Looey came from, and I think I heard that name in another, equally random, context, decades ago in the forgotten dawn of time …
Anyway, I would love to see these books come out in an illustrated second edition (preferably paperback), with line drawings of the various big cat-like “ryders,” as well as the characters and some of the landscape.
Und wieder mal Fantasy zur Abwechslung. Hier hatte ich eigentlich mehr erwartet - was ich bekommen habe, ist ein Fantasyroman mit einem interessanten Setting, aber relativ eindimensionalen Charakteren und ein bis zwei eher schwachen Liebesgeschichten. Natürlich muss man dazu sagen, dass ich ja auch nicht die eigentliche Zielgruppe bin. Als Jugendliche hätte ich das wahrscheinlich anders gesehen. Aber gerade mit Fantasyromanen und Dystopien aus dem Bereich Young Adult habe ich zuvor schon gute Erfahrungen gemacht, deshalb habe ich es versucht.
This book was amazing. If it weren't for the fact that it was sometimes content heavy (betrayal, assault, abuse), it would have been a novel that I easily devoured as quickly as possible.
But, as it was written as an allegory to police violence (especially that of police brutality toward Black Americans, which is noted in the afterword at the end), it often struck me so much that I had to stop and take breaks.
The entire book is beautiful, though. The setting is gorgeous, and the world-building is striking. The women (Zélie and Amari) are phenomenal characters, and the weakness and vulnerabilities that men like Tzain get to exhibit are the best. It's such a fantastic story, and that's really all I can keep saying. Even Inan is able to be an enchanting character, despite his conflicting emotions.
This is one of the few novels where the deaths of …
This book was amazing. If it weren't for the fact that it was sometimes content heavy (betrayal, assault, abuse), it would have been a novel that I easily devoured as quickly as possible.
But, as it was written as an allegory to police violence (especially that of police brutality toward Black Americans, which is noted in the afterword at the end), it often struck me so much that I had to stop and take breaks.
The entire book is beautiful, though. The setting is gorgeous, and the world-building is striking. The women (Zélie and Amari) are phenomenal characters, and the weakness and vulnerabilities that men like Tzain get to exhibit are the best. It's such a fantastic story, and that's really all I can keep saying. Even Inan is able to be an enchanting character, despite his conflicting emotions.
This is one of the few novels where the deaths of non-focus characters actually hit me really hard, which is most certainly the point.
I literally have no complaints (except the fact that I managed to buy the one book with a weird see-through page), and it's going to be me repeating the same few things over and over again: I love this, and it is among my favourite books involving a fantasy-magic setting.
This book was amazing. If it weren't for the fact that it was sometimes content heavy (betrayal, assault, abuse), it would have been a novel that I easily devoured as quickly as possible.
But, as it was written as an allegory to police violence (especially that of police brutality toward Black Americans, which is noted in the afterword at the end), it often struck me so much that I had to stop and take breaks.
The entire book is beautiful, though. The setting is gorgeous, and the world-building is striking. The women (Zélie and Amari) are phenomenal characters, and the weakness and vulnerabilities that men like Tzain get to exhibit are the best. It's such a fantastic story, and that's really all I can keep saying. Even Inan is able to be an enchanting character, despite his conflicting emotions.
This is one of the few novels where the deaths of …
This book was amazing. If it weren't for the fact that it was sometimes content heavy (betrayal, assault, abuse), it would have been a novel that I easily devoured as quickly as possible.
But, as it was written as an allegory to police violence (especially that of police brutality toward Black Americans, which is noted in the afterword at the end), it often struck me so much that I had to stop and take breaks.
The entire book is beautiful, though. The setting is gorgeous, and the world-building is striking. The women (Zélie and Amari) are phenomenal characters, and the weakness and vulnerabilities that men like Tzain get to exhibit are the best. It's such a fantastic story, and that's really all I can keep saying. Even Inan is able to be an enchanting character, despite his conflicting emotions.
This is one of the few novels where the deaths of non-focus characters actually hit me really hard, which is most certainly the point.
I literally have no complaints (except the fact that I managed to buy the one book with a weird see-through page), and it's going to be me repeating the same few things over and over again: I love this, and it is among my favourite books involving a fantasy-magic setting.
YA really isn't my thing. I first started this book about four months ago, got two chapters in, and tossed it aside. My friend A., who loved it, encouraged me to try a few more chapters - and she was right: it got better. It's still heavyhanded, the characters unlikable, the predicaments improbable, but the story drew me in and hooked me even so.
Loved the worldbuilding, magic system and central premise, but I wasn't a fan of the writing or spelled-out expositions of characters' emotions (maybe this is a YA thing...?). Sometimes the plotting and pacing was spot on, but much of the time things happened too slowly and other times much too quick. Powerful as an exploration of racist oppression and what growing up with that fear and trauma does to you, imagining resistance, and that this isn't always pure and simple.
Sehr solide, aber hat es nicht geschafft, mich mitfiebernd zu halten. Manchmal einfach zu langatmig. Hatte auch den Eindruck, die Protagonistin wird für ihre romantischen/sexuellen Wünsche bestraft, weil auf ,,den falschen" gerichtet. Was mich auch genervt hat, war das ,,Die Schwester von ihm liebt den Bruder von der und andersherum", so n perfekter heterosexueller Plot halt.
Ich liebte die Idee von Todesmagie als nicht negativ, aber leider wurde nicht mehr daraus, als dass die Protagonistin die Toten als Art Wurfgeschosse einsetzte. Da war noch ganz viel Potential meiner Meinung.
4.5/5. A beautifully written fantasy novel that sheds light on the inequalities, injustices and challenges that we face today.
4.99999/5*
My only complaint is that some parts in the middle dragged and I feel like this book could have either been cut down a wee bit, or split into two books with some added padding. I could see the split being somewhere around finding the Diviner settlement. We could perhaps spend a bit more time somewhere in the beginning with Mama Agba learning about all the different forms magic can take, how the clans work(ed) and go more in depth about each of the gods. As it is, I don't think we learn the names of the clans in the narrative, only in the guide at the beginning, and Oya is the only God whose name I remember. Sure, this being a series means we may get to explore this more later on, but I wish it was already present, so I could start feeling a connection of my …
4.99999/5*
My only complaint is that some parts in the middle dragged and I feel like this book could have either been cut down a wee bit, or split into two books with some added padding. I could see the split being somewhere around finding the Diviner settlement. We could perhaps spend a bit more time somewhere in the beginning with Mama Agba learning about all the different forms magic can take, how the clans work(ed) and go more in depth about each of the gods. As it is, I don't think we learn the names of the clans in the narrative, only in the guide at the beginning, and Oya is the only God whose name I remember. Sure, this being a series means we may get to explore this more later on, but I wish it was already present, so I could start feeling a connection of my own to the Gods and this magic system. I think if this book had been split in two parts, we could have been exploring this already, and it would have expanded the world greatly.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT HOLY SHIT?? This book is amazing and I can't wait to read more, what a cliffhanger, dang. I don't have much to nitpick other than wishing there was a bit more worldbuilding, and a time or two where Tzain went from being complex in his conflicting actions, to feeling inconsistent.
I can't say this book got me emotionally(but the author's note did) but damn if it didn't get me on the edge of my seat.
I spent too much time away from this book, and as a result I'm having a hard time diving back in. From what I read, I zoomed through the first third of the book and LOVED it. Seeing as there's a 100+ person hold list, it's time to release this book back into the wilds of the reserve list. I can't wait to come back to these characters though, and highly highly recommend this as a must-read fantasy book.
3.5 rounded up for potential.
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.
Well, it's hard to judge a book by its sneak peek. The storytelling is fairly exciting and compelling, the setting in Africa is a welcome change from pretty much every other book I read, but some things are a bit much... like the strange creatures that are supposedly like giant cats and that can be used as mounts? Also, the escape was a bit heavy on the deus ex machina...
Right off the bat, I want to give a big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the sampler and US Macmillan for the entire e-arc copy. I can already say, hands down, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi is the best book of 2018. In all honesty, I don’t have anything negative to say, which means this is most likely going to be a relatively short review because I don’t know if I can put ALL of my feelings into words. It’s partly due to the fact that I’m still in awe of how amazing this book was.
Zélie, one of our main characters, is absolutely everything and I love her. The book starts off with her fighting with her beloved staff and just being amazing. But soon after, we get an insight into the oppression the maji go through when some of the palace guards …
Right off the bat, I want to give a big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the sampler and US Macmillan for the entire e-arc copy. I can already say, hands down, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi is the best book of 2018. In all honesty, I don’t have anything negative to say, which means this is most likely going to be a relatively short review because I don’t know if I can put ALL of my feelings into words. It’s partly due to the fact that I’m still in awe of how amazing this book was.
Zélie, one of our main characters, is absolutely everything and I love her. The book starts off with her fighting with her beloved staff and just being amazing. But soon after, we get an insight into the oppression the maji go through when some of the palace guards show up to collect a tax specifically for households with maji. Throughout the entire book, we get to watch as Zélie is broken and rebroken over and over again as she fights to save magic which will ultimately give the maji their power back.
Magic was extinguished before due to an event named the Raid, ordered by the current King. The Raid caused Zélie’s mother to be hanged right in front of her and this ends up being a reoccurring event in her mind and ultimately acts as a motivation a lot of the time. It leaves her alone with her father Baba and her brother Tzain.
Tzain was the only character I was kind of neutral about the entire time. I liked him, but he wasn’t my favorite. However, the story definitely would not have been the same without him there. It’s clear he would do anything for his sister, even if she pulled reckless stunts constantly. Even though he isn’t a maji, he is still passionate about getting magic back.
The third prevalent character and my literal wife is Amari, the Princess of Örshia. She and Zélie were probably the most iconic characters in the entire story. At first, I was apprehensive about her character, but her development was incredible. After the first few chapters, I knew she was going to be one of my favorite characters in the story, and I was right.
The last main character is Inan, the Crown Prince of Örshia. I don’t have much to say about him because I’m still mad at him. He needs to have a very long time out. But, I did really love his character and the internal conflicts he suffered throughout the book, it added a new layer of interest to it.
It’s true when people say that to expose someone’s true character, you have to break them. I believe each character went through this in some way, there were some that were more drastic than others, but no matter what happened, it altered their lives and let their true colors to shine through as their character developed.
The world-building in this novel was truly incredible, just like everything else about the book. Tomi Adeyemi did an amazing job with descriptions of the world surrounding her characters. At some points, it felt as if I were truly there with them.
I also enjoyed the fact that the events in the book were heavily based on the events that took place in the past. Getting to learn some history about Örisha made things interesting and gave another aspect to be able to understand why the characters were doing what they did.
I cannot wait to have the physical copy in my hands soon and everyone NEEDS to buy this book. Go preorder it right now because it is definitely worth it because it will no doubt be one of your favorite reads of 2018.
“We are all children of blood and bone.
All instruments of vengeance and virtue.”
All quotes are subject to change in the final copy
Happy reading and go order Children of Blood and Bone!
I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher. In no way does this affect my opinion on the book.
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Release Date: March 06, 2018
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 448 (goodreads)
Rating: 5/5
TW: blood, violence, gore, attempted rape, abuse, death, torture/war
Right off the bat, I want to give a big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the sampler and US Macmillan for the entire e-arc copy. I can already say, hands down, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi is the best book of 2018. In all honesty, I don’t have anything negative to say, which means this is most likely going to be a relatively short review because I don’t know if I can put ALL of my feelings into words. It’s partly due to the fact that I’m still in awe of how amazing this book was.
Zélie, …
I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher. In no way does this affect my opinion on the book.
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Release Date: March 06, 2018
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 448 (goodreads)
Rating: 5/5
TW: blood, violence, gore, attempted rape, abuse, death, torture/war
Right off the bat, I want to give a big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the sampler and US Macmillan for the entire e-arc copy. I can already say, hands down, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi is the best book of 2018. In all honesty, I don’t have anything negative to say, which means this is most likely going to be a relatively short review because I don’t know if I can put ALL of my feelings into words. It’s partly due to the fact that I’m still in awe of how amazing this book was.
Zélie, one of our main characters, is absolutely everything and I love her. The book starts off with her fighting with her beloved staff and just being amazing. But soon after, we get an insight into the oppression the maji go through when some of the palace guards show up to collect a tax specifically for households with maji. Throughout the entire book, we get to watch as Zélie is broken and rebroken over and over again as she fights to save magic which will ultimately give the maji their power back.
Magic was extinguished before due to an event named the Raid, ordered by the current King. The Raid caused Zélie’s mother to be hanged right in front of her and this ends up being a reoccurring event in her mind and ultimately acts as a motivation a lot of the time. It leaves her alone with her father Baba and her brother Tzain.
Tzain was the only character I was kind of neutral about the entire time. I liked him, but he wasn’t my favorite. However, the story definitely would not have been the same without him there. It’s clear he would do anything for his sister, even if she pulled reckless stunts constantly. Even though he isn’t a maji, he is still passionate about getting magic back.
The third prevalent character and my literal wife is Amari, the Princess of Örshia. She and Zélie were probably the most iconic characters in the entire story. At first, I was apprehensive about her character, but her development was incredible. After the first few chapters, I knew she was going to be one of my favorite characters in the story, and I was right.
The last main character is Inan, the Crown Prince of Örshia. I don’t have much to say about him because I’m still mad at him. He needs to have a very long time out. But, I did really love his character and the internal conflicts he suffered throughout the book, it added a new layer of interest to it.
It’s true when people say that to expose someone’s true character, you have to break them. I believe each character went through this in some way, there were some that were more drastic than others, but no matter what happened, it altered their lives and let their true colors to shine through as their character developed.
The world-building in this novel was truly incredible, just like everything else about the book. Tomi Adeyemi did an amazing job with descriptions of the world surrounding her characters. At some points, it felt as if I were truly there with them.
I also enjoyed the fact that the events in the book were heavily based on the events that took place in the past. Getting to learn some history about Örisha made things interesting and gave another aspect to be able to understand why the characters were doing what they did.
I cannot wait to have the physical copy in my hands soon and everyone NEEDS to buy this book. Go preorder it right now because it is definitely worth it because it will no doubt be one of your favorite reads of 2018.
