Book Review: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers

Out on March 6th, 2018

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

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and 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 the enemy.

p.s. this was my first reaction review.

Be aware and be ready for Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. This book will blow yours and my mind and leave you speechless, especially if you can get your hands on the first six chapters, you’ll understand why I’m a gushing mess…

Not only that this book isn’t even published yet and it’s already has a movie deal and has achieved a lot. Can Tomi please be my creative writing coach.

Nigerians are slaying this writing game and are pushing the writing and reading culture in our country! I can’t wait for the day when Reading is a popular thing here and not just political and business reading, reading for fun and just taking in good fiction.

So I’ve only read the first six chapters and omg I need more! It’s so good and I’m in love. I just can’t wait to have more. I already love the world building and I love how I can relate because these characters have Yoruba blood in them. Don’t you just love when you read a book with a language that isn’t English and you don’t have to look up the meaning because you understand the words and language perfectly?

I can’t wait for next year, so I can get my hands on this book and gladly finish it and the others that will follow it. Don’t sleep on this wonderful book, with the most majificent cover, yes I said majificent.

Full Book Review

I wrote that on the 26th of August 2017 after I read the first six chapters. Ever since then I’ve been dreaming about this book and constantly asking Tomi, how this book is going to get into my Nigerian hands, but she has assured me she’s working on getting a deal with a Nigerian publisher because this book is a diamond mine.

I’m done with all the chapters of this book people! I am extremely sad to be done with this book because all I need is more! I knew this book would be my bookish love, I felt it deep in my bones and of course, I more than cherish this story.

I might be biased because Yoruba is deeply embedded in this tale, I am a Yoruba woman. You know how POC are always happy when they see themselves represented in the books they read, especially when the story revolves around them and their culture? Well, this book is the ultimate Jackpot for me because the story isn’t even based on White Man soil.

Map of Orisha — **Image Source: Tomi’s Adeyemi**

It’s based on a fictional Nigeria. I know this because, well the names of places in the story are names of states in Nigeria, for example, Lagose, Eloirin, Zaria, Ibadan, Warri etc. and the map Tomi revealed for the world that is Orisha confirmed my suspicions. (I’m also currently in Minna, but I live Lagos, he he!) It’s just wonderful reading this book.

Tomi's Reply — Screenshot of Twitter Exchange/Confirmation

I can’t review this book without giving away spoilers, which I definitely do not want to do. But I can’t not share my opinion on the beautiful world that is Orïsha and how beautiful Zélie Adebola is.

Zélie is a young and power Divîner, who is yet to truly know the kind of power she has within, living in a society where Divîner such as herself are treated as maggots, people who should be treated with nothing less than scorn and hatred, this has been the way since the king of Orïsha brutally destroyed magic in the land Orïsha.

For years, the King has managed to keep magi away and the Divîner in check, but now with the resurfacing of an ancient magic artefact, magic can be rebirthed and the Divîners can regain the powers that were only their birthright.

That is how the story begins. With Amari setting off a chain of events she could never have dreamed off. She was destined to cross paths with Zélie and Tzain and the three of them set out for the journey of their lifetime and it’s only ever just truly begun, the problem is their enemy is Amari’s father, the king of Orïsha, and her brother Inan, who is so far up his father’s ass, he doesn’t know right from wrong anymore. The story revolves around these two sets of siblings and how the fate of magic for the Divîners of Orïsha land.

The story will break your heart, mend it and do it all over again. The story is brutal, in it, you’ll find happiness, hope, loss, bloodshed and betrayal, the typical trademarks of a classic YA Fantasy, but even though I expected all these things, it didn’t hurt any less reading them happening. The stories pace is everything, it is beautiful and steady all through, I love it when the pace is just right.

Now that cliffhanger has me, so scared. I can’t wait for the next book, and my heart is also aching for how brutal it’s going to be, I feel like crying just thinking about the final chapters of Children of Blood and Bone.