Children of Blood and Bone

The most anticipated fantasy of the year, soon to be a major motion picture

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 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 an enemy.

Review by Tanaya Lowden

Children of Blood and Bone is one of the most anticipated and hyped young adult releases of the year. This book is pretty much everywhere on social media at the moment, and it’s difficult to avoid seeing glowing praise and adoration for it. I am adding to this praise, as Children of Blood and Bone not only met all of my expectations, but well and truly exceeded them. This book is fantastic, and potentially (since it’s only March) one of the best YA books of the year!

In the world of Orisha, magic has been banished and many majis brutally murdered under the orders of a ruthless king. Told in the alternating perspectives of Zelie, a daughter of a slaughtered maji, and Inan and Amari, the children of the ruthless king, Children of Blood and Bone is the story of Zelie’s quest to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy.

Children of Blood and Bone is detailed, complex, fast-paced and action packed. As soon as I started reading I did not want to stop. The story was refreshing, constantly moving and it compellingly revealed twists and turns throughout. I never felt bored, as both the writing and the plot were so wonderfully written and complemented each other perfectly.

I was simply enchanted by the West-African inspired fantasy world and, in particular, I found the magic system to be intriguing and unique. The magic is based off of ten maji clans, each gifted by the ten gods above a different power over the land (e.g. maji of water, maji of health and diseases, maji of time). I definitely can’t wait to see how these powers are further explored in the sequel.

At the heart of this book are the characters. I love them all, for not only are they complex and flawed, but also endearing and lovable. Their interactions and growing relationships with each other were such a joy to read, and their character development felt realistic and almost relatable. They’re the kind of characters that you just want to protect from all the bad things in the world, even though you know that’s impossible.

There’s so much more I could say about Children of Blood and Bone because it really was just that wonderful. Definitely read this book if you love YA fantasy!

About the Author

Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American writer and creative-writing coach based in San Diego, California. After graduating from Harvard University with an honours degree in English Literature, she studied West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil. When not writing novels or watching Scandal, Tomi teaches and blogs about creative writing at tomiadeyemi.com, named one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer’s Digest.