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Legacy of Orïsha #1
Children of Blood and Bone
Goodreads Choice Award
Winner for Best Debut Author (2018), Nominee for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2018)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.
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.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published March 6, 2018
About the author
Tomi Adeyemi
9 books19.8k followersTomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American writer and creative writing coach based in San Diego, California. Her debut novel, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, comes out March 6th, 2018 and the movie is currently in development at Fox with the producers of Twilight and The Maze Runner attached. After graduating Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature, she received a fellowship that allowed her to study West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil. When she’s not working on her novels or watching Scandal, she can be found blogging and teaching creative writing to her 3,500 subscribers at tomiadeyemi.com. Her website has been named one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer’s Digest.
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June 7, 2020
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Note: I'm going to start blocking people who come onto this review to tell me that I have read or reviewed it incorrectly. I tried it, I didn't like it, I wrote about my feelings. What do you want? A five-star review? Write your own. 😊
Note Pt. 2: Seriously. I don't want to argue with you dissenters about MY opinion. I was honest about how I felt. End. Of. Story. If you're going to come on here to argue with me about something in this review, you had better 1) be civil and 2) be sure to read ALL the comments first. You might think you're the first to tell me how I read this book wrong and why, but I can assure you, you're not. And I'm going to be exponentially much less patient with you than I was with the 23434343 people before you who felt similarly entitled, especially if you insult me.
After reading some of the five-star reviews for this book, I'm reevaluating how much I trust some of my friends. This was a terrible book. I don't think I've been this disappointed since picking up FLAME IN THE MIST or THRONE OF GLASS. What the hell were you guys reading? Is there a "good" version and a "shitty" version? What happened?
I specifically chose to read CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE after AMERICANAH because I thought they would complement each other well and lead to some interesting parallels that I could discuss in my review. AMERICANAH is a book that discusses the racial and cultural issues of real-life Nigeria, and CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE is a book that discusses racial and cultural issues of a fantasy-inspired country based on Nigeria. I loved AMERICANAH and I was so sure that I would love CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE because it's exactly what so many readers have been asking for: Diverse Fantasy!
CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE is a fantasy novel inspired by Nigerian mythology, specifically focusing on the Orisha. In this world, magic is forbidden and those who are descended from the maji are called "maggots" and systematically oppressed, if not killed outright. It's narrated by three characters, Zelie, who is a maji and a target of these genocidal tactics employed by their ruler, and also Inan and his sister, whose name I can't remember, who are the children of the evil king, but also maji, so uh-oh, nobody better find out or anything because that would be awkward.
Zelie runs away, accompanied by that sister, and Inan hunts them down while fighting his unwanted (of course) attraction to her. Because he can see her in dreams. *eye roll* All the people saying this book is action-packed must either never read good fantasy, are reading a completely different edition from mine, or are lying outright, because this was the LONGEST 500-something pages I've ever read BECAUSE IT'S SO SLOW-PACED, OMG. I didn't care about any of the characters. When the climax happens, we're supposed to be so worried for poor Zelie, but I didn't care because her voice is completely interchangeable with the other two. Characters appear whenever it's convenient for the plot, and there's a romance thrown in haphazardly because what's a YA without mediocre romance?
Because that's what this is. Just another generic fantasy story with cardboard cut-out characters and a tepid romance that lacks chemistry. The only thing that sets it apart is the setting and mythology.
I want to close with these thoughts. I get why so many people are excited about this book. It's thrilling to read books about people who are like you and have a narrative that you identify with. I emphasized that (more nicely) in my review of TYLER JOHNSON WAS HERE. Even if I thought it was a bad book, I can appreciate the meaning and importance it has for people who are seeking out those stories. Fantasy novels are notorious for having bad rep, and when you do see characters of color, they often fit neatly under the cringe-worthy Magical Negro umbrella, which is not cool. That's a huge reason behind why I was so ready to embrace this book: I want those diverse stories too. Stories that give a new perspective and delve into territories that aren't explored nearly enough.
However, I have seen people on Tumblr and Goodreads posting status updates about how they don't think people should be allowed to write negative reviews for diverse books because the intentions of the author supersede the quality of the writing itself. I am 100% NOT OKAY with that, and here's why: if you do that, you're going to create a culture of mediocrity, where people will feel comfortable churning out poor-quality books while using diversity the way you might use a checklist. I'm not saying that TYLER JOHNSON and CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE fall into that category, but by shutting down valid criticism and enabling poor story-telling, this is going to be a problem.
Part of me kind of wondered if the publication of CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE may have been rushed so the release date coincided with that of Black Panther. That could explain some of the problems. I wondered the same thing about CARVE THE MARK (a book that was seemingly inspired by Star Wars) and the closeness of its release date to Rogue One. For reference, CARVE THE MARK was published January 17, 2017 and Rogue One was released on December 10, 2016. Likewise, Black Panther came out on February 16, 2018 and CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE was published on March 6, 2018. From a marketing perspective, it's a brilliant move, but a rushed release date could explain some of the pacing issues and the not-so-great writing.
I apologize if this seems harsh, but I am a book blogger who has always tried to be 100% honest even if that opinion is not popular. I have had people tell me that they will or won't buy books based on my reviews because they know I won't deceive them or sugar-coat. I rate on a purely entertainment-based rubric and don't take things like literary merit or the author's intentions into account. CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE had wonderful intentions... but I thought it was a really sloppy, generic fantasy novel, and I am rating it as such. Maybe you'll get the "good" version everyone's raving about. ;-)
1 star
January 28, 2019
An oversimplified extra-tropey YA on steroids.
Hmm, where does one begin?
Sooo, does the book that made headlines well before it was even published live up to its hype? It truly saddens me to say this but unfortunately, no. It absolutely does not and I’m pretty certain I’m in the minority.
At its core, this book was supposed to be about Institutional racism and oppression so I loved the message it was trying to relay but I hated the execution. What could have been an epic fantasy was ruined by its poor writing, immature characters, repetitive and cringy passages and incredibly inconsistent pacing.
In fact, the longer time passes and the more I think about it, the angrier I get.
I loved the west African setting and the overall point of the story, had it been written in a manner that had depth to it would’ve touched a chord with me. Explorations of social power, the deft portrayal of racial tensions and persecution, the prejudice and structural inequalities that resonate with our own world/time, all of which should have been enough for me to give this all the star rating in the world but I had so many other issues with it that I found too hard to overlook.
Let’s put aside the overly recycled plot and start with my three biggest problems: the romance, the magic system and the characters.
- The magic wasn’t as firmly defined as I would’ve liked and there were so many inconsistencies and discrepancies there.
It was written as if I was expected to know everything as to the machinations without any explanations whatsoever. None. Just throw in some elemental magic BS and voilà. Call it a day.
- The characters, however... oh, the characters. The gift that kept on giving. On and on and on for over 500 pages. 🤦♀️
Probably the biggest downfall of this novel (and there are many). They’re so painfully bad they’re in the league of their own badness.
Save for Tzain, Zalie’s brother, I didn’t like any of them, or I did at the start and all went downhill toward the end. So many of their childish and immature actions kept pulling me out of the story and at a certain point it became too hard to enjoy the book for what it was, especially where Zélie was concerned. I mean, how immature and STUPID could a 16/17 year-old be?
And that sentence she kept repeating: ’I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.’ I just... how do I even express my rage??
I hated the romance. I HATED IT. It was incredibly unnecessary, overly contrived and it blossomed literally in a matter of hours……..HOURS, people.
It wasn’t just that it was the definition of insta-love, it was also… so uncomfortable to read about and I found myself continualy fuming at what I was reading, screaming at the book: how do you not… how does this not….!! (spoilers). Not to mention cringing at every turn.
Inan, though his POV was my favourite out of the three, his character was aggravating to say the least. His indecisiveness, his murky sense of logic and the way he’d decide on one thing then change his mind literally the next page (over and over and over again) was…..oh so tiring.
Overall, his state of change was too abrubt to be believable and very, you guessed it, inconsistent.
Yet another problem I had was Amari’s unnecessary chapters. She spends the vast majority of the book accompanying Zélie, therefore making her chapters so overly repetitive.
The two narrating characters were restating their motivations and rehashing events that happened just pages before.
I love multi-perspective fantasy books but a multiple narrators technique only works well when characters are in different places or doing very different things and TELLING US DIFFERENT THINGS.
And last but certainly not least, the ending. I mean, what the bloody f was that? Obviously I can’t go into details so as not to spoil anything but to say I was extremely aggravated at the events that lead up to the ending would be a gross understatement.
It felt like certain things that a certain character did were so irritatingly and utterly dumb and completely out of left field that one could literally sum up the entire ending with: THE FUCK!? THIS!? THIS IS THE EPIC CONCLUSION WITH WHICH ONE IS REWARDED AFTER ENDURING A GRUELLING 500+ PAGES OF HORNY, TEMPERAMENTAL TEENAGERS?? 🥶
Not to mention you could tell from a mile away that everything was done for no other reason than a simple shock value which, by the way, wasn’t even that shocking since it was too busy being so embarrassingly stupid.
Couldn’t there have been a better way? None at all??
All in all, honestly, I don’t even know. I’m no stranger to failed expectations when it comes to overly hyped books but the sting of this particular disappointment... ah, what’s the point. I’m out.
Buddy read with Yusra💓
Hmm, where does one begin?
Sooo, does the book that made headlines well before it was even published live up to its hype? It truly saddens me to say this but unfortunately, no. It absolutely does not and I’m pretty certain I’m in the minority.
At its core, this book was supposed to be about Institutional racism and oppression so I loved the message it was trying to relay but I hated the execution. What could have been an epic fantasy was ruined by its poor writing, immature characters, repetitive and cringy passages and incredibly inconsistent pacing.
In fact, the longer time passes and the more I think about it, the angrier I get.
I loved the west African setting and the overall point of the story, had it been written in a manner that had depth to it would’ve touched a chord with me. Explorations of social power, the deft portrayal of racial tensions and persecution, the prejudice and structural inequalities that resonate with our own world/time, all of which should have been enough for me to give this all the star rating in the world but I had so many other issues with it that I found too hard to overlook.
Let’s put aside the overly recycled plot and start with my three biggest problems: the romance, the magic system and the characters.
- The magic wasn’t as firmly defined as I would’ve liked and there were so many inconsistencies and discrepancies there.
It was written as if I was expected to know everything as to the machinations without any explanations whatsoever. None. Just throw in some elemental magic BS and voilà. Call it a day.
- The characters, however... oh, the characters. The gift that kept on giving. On and on and on for over 500 pages. 🤦♀️
Probably the biggest downfall of this novel (and there are many). They’re so painfully bad they’re in the league of their own badness.
Save for Tzain, Zalie’s brother, I didn’t like any of them, or I did at the start and all went downhill toward the end. So many of their childish and immature actions kept pulling me out of the story and at a certain point it became too hard to enjoy the book for what it was, especially where Zélie was concerned. I mean, how immature and STUPID could a 16/17 year-old be?
And that sentence she kept repeating: ’I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.’ I just... how do I even express my rage??
I hated the romance. I HATED IT. It was incredibly unnecessary, overly contrived and it blossomed literally in a matter of hours……..HOURS, people.
It wasn’t just that it was the definition of insta-love, it was also… so uncomfortable to read about and I found myself continualy fuming at what I was reading, screaming at the book: how do you not… how does this not….!! (spoilers). Not to mention cringing at every turn.
Inan, though his POV was my favourite out of the three, his character was aggravating to say the least. His indecisiveness, his murky sense of logic and the way he’d decide on one thing then change his mind literally the next page (over and over and over again) was…..oh so tiring.
Overall, his state of change was too abrubt to be believable and very, you guessed it, inconsistent.
Yet another problem I had was Amari’s unnecessary chapters. She spends the vast majority of the book accompanying Zélie, therefore making her chapters so overly repetitive.
The two narrating characters were restating their motivations and rehashing events that happened just pages before.
I love multi-perspective fantasy books but a multiple narrators technique only works well when characters are in different places or doing very different things and TELLING US DIFFERENT THINGS.
And last but certainly not least, the ending. I mean, what the bloody f was that? Obviously I can’t go into details so as not to spoil anything but to say I was extremely aggravated at the events that lead up to the ending would be a gross understatement.
It felt like certain things that a certain character did were so irritatingly and utterly dumb and completely out of left field that one could literally sum up the entire ending with: THE FUCK!? THIS!? THIS IS THE EPIC CONCLUSION WITH WHICH ONE IS REWARDED AFTER ENDURING A GRUELLING 500+ PAGES OF HORNY, TEMPERAMENTAL TEENAGERS?? 🥶
Not to mention you could tell from a mile away that everything was done for no other reason than a simple shock value which, by the way, wasn’t even that shocking since it was too busy being so embarrassingly stupid.
Couldn’t there have been a better way? None at all??
All in all, honestly, I don’t even know. I’m no stranger to failed expectations when it comes to overly hyped books but the sting of this particular disappointment... ah, what’s the point. I’m out.
Buddy read with Yusra💓
December 7, 2023
5/5 ⭐
Full review on my Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺
Let’s start with the basics: I am *in love* with the cover! Like, for real. Just look at it. It’s gorgeous. Lit. So pleasing to look at.
Okay, moving on. How much, on a scale of 1 to 10 do I love a good old dark mysticism story? The correct answer is 11. I do love this stuff. But it has to be really good. And the one expanded in Children of Blood and Bone is actually excitingly good. The book is part of the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, so I am expecting more and better!
I grew up surrounded by mysticism. I read folkloric tales about magical objects and miraculous heroes, about death and life, about mythical creatures, I heard stories from old men and women about horrifying exorcism acts and bloody rituals, I grew up believing my grandmother can do spells and her mother was, indeed, a witch, believing in the fabulous healing powers of herbs and cures and in every sinister curse and paranormal story I heard. This book just feeds my childhood lost stories and pets them on the head. I know, I’m macabre to think of that, but when you grow up with such things you don’t consider them that bad, but kind of normal. Like a legacy.
The book starts in a powerful note, almost like a scream: Zélie, the protagonist, remembers with pain in her heart and mind how her Mama was being taken away by the King’s guards and killed in front of everyone with other majis. Eleven years in the future, Zélie grows up in a magicless environment, even though she has in her the seed of magic. The people like her, the children of the once killed majis are called divîners and they are considered the no-ones of the land of magicless (yes, this made-up word again!) Orïsha.
Besides the interesting Nigerian mythology, the Yoruba belief, around which the book seems to revolve, another interesting path to follow is the development of the characters and how their faith changes. Of course, there is going to be a star-crossed love story, which for many of you might seem a bit off, but for me, it was just part of the unforgivable process of breaking my heart! Yes, the story gets more and more intense as you devour the pages with your all five senses, making your heartache and your mouth go crazy with uncontrollable words of surprise. Everything that seemed normal at the beginning is turned around at the end, nothing is what it was supposed to be. „Let feeling become your eyes” Zélie says, and this is exactly how you are going to get through this book. Feeling it.
The most interesting character of all is, however, the persona of Amari. If she’s going to think forever at sweets and foods, then you know I can relate more than anything to her. She’s my type of girl! But, for real now, her development is truly amazing. She enters the scene by being a shy little princess, too afraid to even breath wrong in front of anyone, and she ends the first part of the story by gaining depth, power and knowledge.
Behind all this fantastic story, however, an ugly truth is being hidden: the oppression is real. It is happening in the world we are all living in, it is affecting real people with real feelings. So this book is, also, an awakening call for humanity.
„I won’t let your ignorance silence my pain”. A real pain that is beard by real people. Tomi Adeyemi feels deeply in her bones the pain of her nation and she is willing to share a bit of it with us, making the whole amount of her readers her own Connectors.
From this book, as from any book that has ever been written, we have to learn something. And from this particular one, I’ve learned that no matter what, we have to fight for what we believe in because there is always a way.
„We are our own people. We make our own choices”. Yes, indeed. But for that, we have to open our eyes and let our feelings flow.
Full review on my Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺
Let’s start with the basics: I am *in love* with the cover! Like, for real. Just look at it. It’s gorgeous. Lit. So pleasing to look at.
Okay, moving on. How much, on a scale of 1 to 10 do I love a good old dark mysticism story? The correct answer is 11. I do love this stuff. But it has to be really good. And the one expanded in Children of Blood and Bone is actually excitingly good. The book is part of the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, so I am expecting more and better!
I grew up surrounded by mysticism. I read folkloric tales about magical objects and miraculous heroes, about death and life, about mythical creatures, I heard stories from old men and women about horrifying exorcism acts and bloody rituals, I grew up believing my grandmother can do spells and her mother was, indeed, a witch, believing in the fabulous healing powers of herbs and cures and in every sinister curse and paranormal story I heard. This book just feeds my childhood lost stories and pets them on the head. I know, I’m macabre to think of that, but when you grow up with such things you don’t consider them that bad, but kind of normal. Like a legacy.
The book starts in a powerful note, almost like a scream: Zélie, the protagonist, remembers with pain in her heart and mind how her Mama was being taken away by the King’s guards and killed in front of everyone with other majis. Eleven years in the future, Zélie grows up in a magicless environment, even though she has in her the seed of magic. The people like her, the children of the once killed majis are called divîners and they are considered the no-ones of the land of magicless (yes, this made-up word again!) Orïsha.
Besides the interesting Nigerian mythology, the Yoruba belief, around which the book seems to revolve, another interesting path to follow is the development of the characters and how their faith changes. Of course, there is going to be a star-crossed love story, which for many of you might seem a bit off, but for me, it was just part of the unforgivable process of breaking my heart! Yes, the story gets more and more intense as you devour the pages with your all five senses, making your heartache and your mouth go crazy with uncontrollable words of surprise. Everything that seemed normal at the beginning is turned around at the end, nothing is what it was supposed to be. „Let feeling become your eyes” Zélie says, and this is exactly how you are going to get through this book. Feeling it.
The most interesting character of all is, however, the persona of Amari. If she’s going to think forever at sweets and foods, then you know I can relate more than anything to her. She’s my type of girl! But, for real now, her development is truly amazing. She enters the scene by being a shy little princess, too afraid to even breath wrong in front of anyone, and she ends the first part of the story by gaining depth, power and knowledge.
Behind all this fantastic story, however, an ugly truth is being hidden: the oppression is real. It is happening in the world we are all living in, it is affecting real people with real feelings. So this book is, also, an awakening call for humanity.
„I won’t let your ignorance silence my pain”. A real pain that is beard by real people. Tomi Adeyemi feels deeply in her bones the pain of her nation and she is willing to share a bit of it with us, making the whole amount of her readers her own Connectors.
From this book, as from any book that has ever been written, we have to learn something. And from this particular one, I’ve learned that no matter what, we have to fight for what we believe in because there is always a way.
„We are our own people. We make our own choices”. Yes, indeed. But for that, we have to open our eyes and let our feelings flow.
January 3, 2020
Mixed feelings, this one.
While it's a good book (for most YA fans), I found it far too typical, too clichéd, too predictable.
The book has spawned a lot of awesome reviews. For a debut novel, Tomi Adeyemi has actually done quite well. The writing style is especially good. But then, most of the good reviews garnered by this book are from Americans and Europeans, not Africans (especially Nigerians). She has the right idea, blending Yoruba mythology with regular YA. It's a great idea, but I must say (from a Nigerian POV), it's poorly, poorly done.
I was surprised to see that the book came with a map. Being a lover of maps, I was quite excited to see how the world-building would go. Alas, it turned out terribly sub-par. She tried uswd actual places in Nigeria as setting. While it's not a totally bad idea, the way she depicted the entire thing was thoroughly unsatisfying. A walled Lagos? Snow-capped mountains in Ibadan? A floating Ilorin? Really???
And then there's the naming system. While you white folks are probably raving about the story and all, it's us Yoruba people that'll shake our heads at how our dear language was properly murdered. I felt the names were totally inappropriate. Yoruba is unlike the shallow English Language. It is a language with a lot of empahasis on semantics. Everything has a meaning. Every meaning, every name is significant. Funmilayo Forest??? Really??? How is a forest supposed to give you joy??? Forests in Yoruba mythology are dark, forbidden places, typically evil in nature. We don't use 'wood' or 'jungle' to describe them in Nigeria. It's just not appropriate. They're called 'forest' because that's the closest word in the English Language that indicate a bit of their mytho-religious significance. Adetunji Sea? Really? In short, I felt the names didn't reflect the soul of what they were meant to represent. Mines of Calabrar? That's straight from Legend of the Seeker. She could've simply said Calabar. When Calabar is discussed, what comes to mind is the beautiful women and the delicious food. I don't think there are any mines in Calabar. Perhaps, a floating Calabar would've been more appropriate instead of a floating Ilorin.
The summary is that I felt Tomi tried to compress African setting and mytho-religion into the narrow confines of American YA. While the writing and the storyline are quite good, it's the world-building that's the problem. I'd score it a big zero and I'm sure any Nigerian who comes across this will definitely feel the same.
The book appeals to white folk because it's written to resemble American YA. The gods and goddesses of Yoruba traditional religion are not as nice, not as approachable and certainly darker.
The use of the Yoruba language in the books is pretty much unsatisfactory. Incantations are certainly not that literal. Real incantations are composed of a complex kind of poetry in mostly archaic Yoruba, a lot of figurative meanings, allusions and other indirect literary devices.
It's not a bad book altogether though. But it's not 100% African. It's a supposedly African book that closely mirrors American YA. Maybe 5% African. The soul of the entire thing is certainly not African, and definitely not Yoruba.
If you're looking for an enjoyable YA read with sweet characters, then this book is for you. But if you're Nigerian and you're hoping to find something of our culture in this, chances are you'd be disappointed.
I'm focusing on the poorer side of this read because I'm Yoruba, and I was excited to see some proper employment of Yoruba mythology in fantasy writing. Hopefully the next book in the series will come with big improvements in the world-building because I'm certainly going to read it.
Thumbs up to the author nonetheless.
3/1/20
Below is the GR link to my review of book 2. Be interested in reading thoughts on that as well https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
While it's a good book (for most YA fans), I found it far too typical, too clichéd, too predictable.
The book has spawned a lot of awesome reviews. For a debut novel, Tomi Adeyemi has actually done quite well. The writing style is especially good. But then, most of the good reviews garnered by this book are from Americans and Europeans, not Africans (especially Nigerians). She has the right idea, blending Yoruba mythology with regular YA. It's a great idea, but I must say (from a Nigerian POV), it's poorly, poorly done.
I was surprised to see that the book came with a map. Being a lover of maps, I was quite excited to see how the world-building would go. Alas, it turned out terribly sub-par. She tried uswd actual places in Nigeria as setting. While it's not a totally bad idea, the way she depicted the entire thing was thoroughly unsatisfying. A walled Lagos? Snow-capped mountains in Ibadan? A floating Ilorin? Really???
And then there's the naming system. While you white folks are probably raving about the story and all, it's us Yoruba people that'll shake our heads at how our dear language was properly murdered. I felt the names were totally inappropriate. Yoruba is unlike the shallow English Language. It is a language with a lot of empahasis on semantics. Everything has a meaning. Every meaning, every name is significant. Funmilayo Forest??? Really??? How is a forest supposed to give you joy??? Forests in Yoruba mythology are dark, forbidden places, typically evil in nature. We don't use 'wood' or 'jungle' to describe them in Nigeria. It's just not appropriate. They're called 'forest' because that's the closest word in the English Language that indicate a bit of their mytho-religious significance. Adetunji Sea? Really? In short, I felt the names didn't reflect the soul of what they were meant to represent. Mines of Calabrar? That's straight from Legend of the Seeker. She could've simply said Calabar. When Calabar is discussed, what comes to mind is the beautiful women and the delicious food. I don't think there are any mines in Calabar. Perhaps, a floating Calabar would've been more appropriate instead of a floating Ilorin.
The summary is that I felt Tomi tried to compress African setting and mytho-religion into the narrow confines of American YA. While the writing and the storyline are quite good, it's the world-building that's the problem. I'd score it a big zero and I'm sure any Nigerian who comes across this will definitely feel the same.
The book appeals to white folk because it's written to resemble American YA. The gods and goddesses of Yoruba traditional religion are not as nice, not as approachable and certainly darker.
The use of the Yoruba language in the books is pretty much unsatisfactory. Incantations are certainly not that literal. Real incantations are composed of a complex kind of poetry in mostly archaic Yoruba, a lot of figurative meanings, allusions and other indirect literary devices.
It's not a bad book altogether though. But it's not 100% African. It's a supposedly African book that closely mirrors American YA. Maybe 5% African. The soul of the entire thing is certainly not African, and definitely not Yoruba.
If you're looking for an enjoyable YA read with sweet characters, then this book is for you. But if you're Nigerian and you're hoping to find something of our culture in this, chances are you'd be disappointed.
I'm focusing on the poorer side of this read because I'm Yoruba, and I was excited to see some proper employment of Yoruba mythology in fantasy writing. Hopefully the next book in the series will come with big improvements in the world-building because I'm certainly going to read it.
Thumbs up to the author nonetheless.
3/1/20
Below is the GR link to my review of book 2. Be interested in reading thoughts on that as well https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 23, 2018
“No matter how much I crave peace, the gods have other plans.”
4 1/2 stars. Wow, I have had quite a week. I started Children of Blood and Bone last Thursday as I was going into labour (because, why not?). Normally, I would devour a book like this in a day or two, but those of you with kids will know that's just not going to happen with a newborn.
Instead, this book rode with me through the hospital stay, sleepless nights, and postpartum weepies. It kept my eyes open on those long, long nights. It picked me up and threw me into another world of action and magic right when I needed it. All I can say is: Thank you, Ms Adeyemi.
Oh okay, that's not all I can say. Though hopefully I don't sound too delirious.
Children of Blood and Bone is a West-African inspired fantasy set in the fictional land of Orïsha. It takes all the best bits of YA fantasy - princesses, tormented soldiers, the battle to restore magic vs suppress it - and does something completely new with these familiar elements. At its core, it's an action-packed, fast-paced adventure to restore magic to the world and complete a ritual before the approaching solstice is over and magic is lost forever.
Beneath that, though, there are many darker themes. The plot is intense and steeped in racially-charged violence. Adeyemi draws many parallels with our own world, forcing the reader to pause and consider systemic racism and injustice in prison systems. And Zélie remembers the genocide executed on King Saran's orders all too well. The "Raid", as it is known, took her mother from her. Now, Zélie is a divîner - a maji without magic, though her abilities lie dormant, waiting for the missing scroll that can return her power.
The book is told from alternating perspectives. One is Zélie, another is Princess Amari who Zélie reluctantly saves from the King's men, and the third is Amara's brother, Inan, who is sent to chase down and stop his sister and Zélie. With complex characters who naturally change and grow as the story progresses, I was hooked. I cared what happened to all three of them. There was never a boring moment.
It is always risky to step into a book as hyped as this one, but I, for one, think it very much deserves it. A compelling, exciting plot, a completely non-white cast of characters, AND a thoughtful consideration of race, skin colour, and prejudice... impressive, to say the least. Though that cliffhanger is EVIL. How will we cope until the next book?
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March 3, 2018
5 STARS! This is genuinely the greatest debut fantasy novel, greatest fantasy novel in general that I have read in a very long time. Initially, I was TERRIFIED to read Children of Blood and Bone. The combination of it’s size and an epic high fantasy novel was very daunting to me, but I am so happy I picked it up. I cannot possibly recommend it enough.
The writing was fantastic. Despite being such a large novel, the pacing was well-done, where I felt I was flying through the novel much quicker than many other long fantasy novels. Adeyemi has a beautiful prose that compliments such a vibrant world and mystical magic system. All elements of Orisha were flawlessly executed – the history, the divide among maji/diviners vs. nobles, the different types of magic, ALL OF IT. I’m totally infatuated with this world and cannot wait to see it expand in following novels.
I really loved the characters in this story. Zelie is such a fierce warrior. I loved watching her strength grow, but also still preserving some of her innocence and vulnerability. I feel that she is such a wonderful protagonist that so many will fall in love with. Amari is another character I LOVE. Her character transformation was really well done. It was so nice to see a girl start out meek and afraid but slowly grow into herself and become more comfortable in a group of people totally different from her. I also find the friendship that develops between Zelie and Amari to be so sweet. They are so different and would not get along at an eye's glance, but I enjoyed watching them grow to support each other. Inan is a character I also loved, but I did have some issues with. I loved him as the vengeful prince out to prevent Zelie and Amari from bringing magic back. he was a GREAT villain to follow from the beginning with a ton of layers, and it was especially cool to follow the antagonist's perspective for once in YA. But as the story progresses and the characters go through new things, I found his characterization to be a bit off-putting. Inan is a very intense character to begin with and his changes are equally drastic. To keep it spoiler-free, there were some times where I felt his feelings and reactions just didn't make sense and flipped around a lot. I do still love him as much as the others, and I am definitely anticipating seeing more from this epic cast in the future.
There is so much action in this story. There are endless chase scenes, epic battles using swords, staffs, bows, and different kinds of magic. There are unexpected twists and turns and just so much intensity. The plot is wonderfully constructed with so much to enjoy. Children of Blood and Bone will totally keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time while reading - but you won't be able to *completely* predict what's coming next.
I'm completely obsessed with Children of Blood and Bone. My favorite new-to-me start to a fantasy saga. Surely, one of my favorites of the year. This book has gotten so much hype even before it's publication, and it is totally deserving of every ounce of it.
The writing was fantastic. Despite being such a large novel, the pacing was well-done, where I felt I was flying through the novel much quicker than many other long fantasy novels. Adeyemi has a beautiful prose that compliments such a vibrant world and mystical magic system. All elements of Orisha were flawlessly executed – the history, the divide among maji/diviners vs. nobles, the different types of magic, ALL OF IT. I’m totally infatuated with this world and cannot wait to see it expand in following novels.
I really loved the characters in this story. Zelie is such a fierce warrior. I loved watching her strength grow, but also still preserving some of her innocence and vulnerability. I feel that she is such a wonderful protagonist that so many will fall in love with. Amari is another character I LOVE. Her character transformation was really well done. It was so nice to see a girl start out meek and afraid but slowly grow into herself and become more comfortable in a group of people totally different from her. I also find the friendship that develops between Zelie and Amari to be so sweet. They are so different and would not get along at an eye's glance, but I enjoyed watching them grow to support each other. Inan is a character I also loved, but I did have some issues with. I loved him as the vengeful prince out to prevent Zelie and Amari from bringing magic back. he was a GREAT villain to follow from the beginning with a ton of layers, and it was especially cool to follow the antagonist's perspective for once in YA. But as the story progresses and the characters go through new things, I found his characterization to be a bit off-putting. Inan is a very intense character to begin with and his changes are equally drastic. To keep it spoiler-free, there were some times where I felt his feelings and reactions just didn't make sense and flipped around a lot. I do still love him as much as the others, and I am definitely anticipating seeing more from this epic cast in the future.
There is so much action in this story. There are endless chase scenes, epic battles using swords, staffs, bows, and different kinds of magic. There are unexpected twists and turns and just so much intensity. The plot is wonderfully constructed with so much to enjoy. Children of Blood and Bone will totally keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time while reading - but you won't be able to *completely* predict what's coming next.
I'm completely obsessed with Children of Blood and Bone. My favorite new-to-me start to a fantasy saga. Surely, one of my favorites of the year. This book has gotten so much hype even before it's publication, and it is totally deserving of every ounce of it.
June 11, 2018
This was a gripping read. The world building here is phenomenal. The main characters are richly drawn and I was invested in each of their struggles. This book is very action packed. So much is happening! The ending is such a cliffhanger and I want to know what’s next. This is well worth reading and such a strong debut. Tzarin could be more developed. Who is he beyond his sister’s protector? At times the story felt overly dramatic. Zelie and Inan were deep in their feelings all the time and it became frustrating. Like calm down teens. Get ahold of yourselves! Amari is the only one with any sense. They should just listen to her tbh.
April 10, 2018
THE HYPE IS REAL!
I always prefer to decide for myself if the new overhyped YA book is worth it... and I'm happy to say that this new Fantasy book totally was!
I loved the magic system, the world, the characters and cannot wait for the next book!
My only complain is with the romance. I hate romance. I hate how everyone needs to be paired up especially in YA and how cheesy it is. I kinda wish this series was adult instead but if you're looking for a book you'll fly through I totally recommend this one!
Will impatiently wait for book #2!
I always prefer to decide for myself if the new overhyped YA book is worth it... and I'm happy to say that this new Fantasy book totally was!
I loved the magic system, the world, the characters and cannot wait for the next book!
My only complain is with the romance. I hate romance. I hate how everyone needs to be paired up especially in YA and how cheesy it is. I kinda wish this series was adult instead but if you're looking for a book you'll fly through I totally recommend this one!
Will impatiently wait for book #2!
December 1, 2018
I didn't really like this book but no matter, it has served its purpose which was introducing me to Amari so thanks for that I guess.
It wasn't a terrible book, I am just a horrible hollow kind of indifferent towards it. My heart was itching for an experience that I just didn't get.
It wasn't a terrible book, I am just a horrible hollow kind of indifferent towards it. My heart was itching for an experience that I just didn't get.
April 13, 2017
You'll like this book. I'm biased, but I need to meet my goodreads challenge so I'm marking this as read.
November 21, 2018
4.5*
I'm definitely going to have to reread this, but the audiobook was an awesome introduction to this story!
I'm definitely going to have to reread this, but the audiobook was an awesome introduction to this story!
September 14, 2021
A thoroughly dissappointing read.
Before i dive into this review, i'd just like to say that i did like the premise of this book. I liked the fact that Tomi wanted to explore Yoruba mythology, i also absolutely loved the fact that she wanted to put Nigeria not just as a place representing Africa as a whole but a country with it's unique culture and all that - she failed in that though , but hey at least she didn't do the whole Africa is a country thing.
First off: Adeyemi had a chance really to properly explore yoruba mythology and you know just educate people but somewhere along the line everything started looking like a rebooted Netflix Version of your fave animie. How do you delete Olodumare, Olorun and Olofi and put Sky Mother??? Who is that?
Then this Nigeria depicted in this book is so lazy. I know, i know, people might say it's fiction but Nigeria is a real ass place. The least you can if you're going to use real places and basically base the identity of your characters as Nigerians is to actually PROPERLY represent such a country. First of Nigeria is freaking huge. So when these characters were hot steping from Lagos - Ilorin - Sokoto in a matter of days i'm sorry i just couldn't roll with it. Then the weather, i mean c'mon snow in Ibadan??? Look i never saw snow until i lived outside Nigeria for 2 years. So this thing she does where she sort of uses weak token gestures to make these characters believable Nigerians is sad. I mean what is with this dashikis they were wearing? I didn't even see one mention of an Agbada or a fila or something.
Now that i think about it, you're not even sure what era in Nigeria she's basing her characterisation of Nigeria on. I'm saying this because she mentions Gombe State & Gombe was created in 1996 out of Bauchi State. Also, the author makes it seem like it's just Yoruba that exists in the whole of Nigeria. I find it difficult to imagine for example that people in Sokoto are going to care one hoot for a yoruba deity. Nigeria has so many tribes who i'm sure obviously have their own mythologies and the author basically saying the whole Nigeria is yoruba is just like i said, a lazy depiction of Nigeria.
Then the hair. See. I've noticed authors want to write in black women/girls but never want to write them with real hair. HOW WERE ZELIE & AMARI'S HAIR BONE STRAIGHT? Did they have relaxers? Binta's hair is literally described as falling in "silky sheets",I mean how??? Inan describes Zelie hair like this "White locks that once fell in smooth sheets now cascade down her back in flowing waves" Ugh!!!! Forget the mushy description. But even when her hair is going natural, Tomi Adeyemi still refuses to give her the typical hair you would find on an average Nigerian girl. I mean except she was bi-racial...?? Was she bi-racial? This hair thing was a huge fail.
Could be wrong, but i honestly feel like she was pandering to her non African audience in terms of the hair & depiction of Nigeria. Which is why her characters for me almost feel like foreign Nigerians. I mean even the name of her main character is so not Yoruba. Fun fact: There's no 'z' in the yoruba alphabet so where did the name Zelie come from?
Let's dive into the plot proper...Which is frankly a hot mess. The magic system is completely unexplained which i felt was delibrately done in order to carry Inan's story arc. Then blood magic?? Really if anyone knows what that was all about, feel free to explain it to me please.
The constant need YA authors have to pair characters up like if that doesn't happen, the whole plot will spontaneously combust. The annoying, irritating fact that even though this author is a woman she couldn't make Zelie bad ass enough and stop being so damn emotional.
We have so few bad ass female MC's, and the few YA authors manage to write, have their abilities forever overshadowed by falling in love with some freaking dramatic shit of a male character that cannot get his priorities right.
Also whoa!!! The Avatar Last Airbender similarites were so glaring that i was unable to unsee them at every freaking point.
I honestly feel the bar is basically set on the floor for YA novels, which is why someone can toss in a few Yoruba words, add a real African country in it for good measure, have a gaping plot hole in terms of the magic system, give characters magic willy nilly but still have everyone go awwww because hey guess what, i know i didn't tell you how it works but don't worry here's two beautiful characters falling in love don't stress yourself on how everything works. You want to know the deal with Blood magic? shhh shhhh here's two beautiful characters kissing.
Miss me with this book!
August 2, 2020
Hmmmm... I’m seriously falling out of love with ALOT of my books! I still like this one but I’m only keeping the kindle and Audible versions of this and the second book. I actually like the cover of the second book better than the book 🤔. That cover is everything. Anyway, cleaning house on rereads of physical books I don’t still love love!
************************************* old review
Gah! I was just talking about how I hoped I get my poster for the book and it came and it's freaking awesome! ♥
I loved this book so much! ❤️
This book is everything and I have a new favorite author =)
I love Zelie so much and I also love Amari and Zelie's brother Tzain and Nailah < -- I'm not telling you what she is =) I eventually fell in love with Inan too. And there are a lot of minor characters that were awesome!
I love this whole story line. I love that Zelie and Amari are two very tough women who should be enemies but become friends. I love, love, love everything!
Amari and Inan's father is the evil king. He killed magic so to speak a long time ago. I hate him so much and I'm so glad that Amari came to see his evilness first hand. He wants to keep the Diviner's down and treats them unfairly. This is what Zelie and her family are and some are a little bit more.
The little group of Zelie, Amari, Tzain and Nailah set out to try to bring magic back. And you can imagine all kinds of things happen during their journey.
I had so many feels during this book and I think everyone that loves fantasy should give it a try because it's like nothing I have read and it's awesome! *Sings praises*
This is just the beginning, lovelies =)
I can't wait for the next book!
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
AMAZON: REVIEW
************************************* old review
Gah! I was just talking about how I hoped I get my poster for the book and it came and it's freaking awesome! ♥
I loved this book so much! ❤️
This book is everything and I have a new favorite author =)
I try not to think of her.
But when I do, I think of rice.
When Mama was around, the hut always smelled of jollof rice.
I think about the way her dark skin glowed like the summer sun, the way her smile made Baba come alive. The way her white hair fuzzed and coiled, an untamed crown that breathed and thrived.
I hear the myths that she would tell me at night. Tzain's laughter when they played agbon in the park.
Baba's cries as the soldiers wrapped a chain around her neck. Her screams as they dragged her into the dark.
The incantations that spewed from her mouth like lava.
The magic of death that led her astray.
I think about the way her corpse hung from that tree.
I think about the king that took her away.
I love Zelie so much and I also love Amari and Zelie's brother Tzain and Nailah < -- I'm not telling you what she is =) I eventually fell in love with Inan too. And there are a lot of minor characters that were awesome!
I love this whole story line. I love that Zelie and Amari are two very tough women who should be enemies but become friends. I love, love, love everything!
Amari and Inan's father is the evil king. He killed magic so to speak a long time ago. I hate him so much and I'm so glad that Amari came to see his evilness first hand. He wants to keep the Diviner's down and treats them unfairly. This is what Zelie and her family are and some are a little bit more.
The little group of Zelie, Amari, Tzain and Nailah set out to try to bring magic back. And you can imagine all kinds of things happen during their journey.
I had so many feels during this book and I think everyone that loves fantasy should give it a try because it's like nothing I have read and it's awesome! *Sings praises*
It's his blood.
It's him.
The ultimate sacrifice.
The greatest blood magic I could wield.
"Kill her!"
The first two guards charge at me, swords pointed and raised. They run with a vengeance.
The last mistake they will ever make.
We are all children of blood and bone.
All instruments of vengeance and virtue.
This truth holds me close, rocking me like a child in it's mother's arms.
It binds me in its love as death swallows me into its grasp.
This is just the beginning, lovelies =)
I can't wait for the next book!
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
AMAZON: REVIEW
May 2, 2021
Here's the written review
Psst. A new video is up - all about the bad books I've read this year!
Now that you know that this one is on it, check out the Worst Books of 2019 video to see what other ones made the cut!
*cue me tearing my hair out*
I won't let your ignorance silence my pain
Okay, so I saw a lot (and I mean a LOT) of positive reviews for this one on Goodreads, so I absolutely could not wait to pick it up.
The reviewers were raving, the cover was gorgeous, the blurb promised the world...and what did I get?
A blender full of massacred YA tropes.
Courage does not always roar. Valor does not always shine.(Come on, admit it - there's at least 10 YA books who have use quotes like that).
Before I fully go off on this one, there were a few things I liked.
1) The scenery and setting was really well done. I loved the descriptions of the lands and all the details that brought the smaller moments to life. It helped immerse me into this world so different from my own.
(BUT NOTICE - how my favorite thing about the book is the scenery. The scenery! It's never good when the background is the best part of your book!)
2) I also loved the concept - the whole rise up against the racism and oppression of the magic folks. Combine that with the setting, and I was so intrigued by how the book was going to turn out.
(BUT NOTICE - that the overall theme is rising up against racism and oppression...it's not particularly unique in the YA world, is it?)
That being said, I was still rather excited when I finally got my hands on it.
And what was served to me? Petty squabbles and predictable plots.
Petty Squabbles and Other General Annoyances
You’re always screwing things up. Why stop now?One of my greatest pet peeves is when banter becomes arguments. I love a good exchange of wits, but that often requires...wit.
They just felt like childish caricatures of YA characters. They each seemed to have a few phrases that were repeated ad nauseam throughout the book.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.Come on, really?
First of all, how often can that physically happen to someone without them passing out at least once? Second of all, that phrase...ugh. How did the editors let her get away with that cliche phrase?
In addition, the love felt very weak to me.
Love is too strong, too intense, for what I feel. For what I am allowed to feel.Combine that with the fact that it happened over the course of hours...ugh.
It just felt so over the top that I honestly didn't have the energy to care...and once that happens, it becomes very hard for me to enjoy the book.
Predictable Plots
They don't hate you, my child. They hate what you were meant to become.Destiny, limited timeline, find your true love....yadda yadda yadda.
Let it be known that I am NOT good at predicting books. I'm terrible.
When I was reading the Harry Potter books, I went into each book fully expecting Harry to die. (Mind you, I was like 12...but still, you'd think that I would've picked up on how the series is named after him, and killing him off in the third one wouldn't make sense).
So, if I (of all people) can figure out where you are taking the book, then there's a problem.
I wouldn't have minded so much if it was just here and there. It was just constant.
The characters decide to do something, I have a little prediction pop up in my head, and then BOOM, that same thing happens. For 500+ pages.
And it's not just general plot progress.
The character's development, actions and decisions all felt very choreographed.
There wasn't much (if anything) that surprised me throughout the book...which made the 500 pages feel so. dang. long.
Overall
I don't know, maybe I just had a bad day with this one but I honestly don't think I can keep going with this series. I'm done. I'm out.
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October 28, 2020
i binged read this all day so....
"As it fades, I see the truth - in plain sight, yet hidden all along. We are all children of blood and bone. All instruments of vengeance and virtue. This truth holds me close, rocking me like a child in a mother's arms. It bind me in its love as death swallows me in its gasp."
This was an amazing read. I wanted to read this book since it came out and once I started it I couldn't put it down. I absolutely loved the world building, it was AMAZING. The writing was also so beautiful and it was so easy to get into the story . And don't let me start with that GORGEOUS cover. This might be one of the most beautiful book that i own.
But, even though and love it so much the reason why I gave it 4 starts was.... the romance. In my opinion it was to forced and while I was reading I didn't care for any of the 2 couples that we have in this book. I usually am a sucker for romance but this was just not my cup of tea.
Overall this was a beautiful and amazing read and I look forward to the next book.
"As it fades, I see the truth - in plain sight, yet hidden all along. We are all children of blood and bone. All instruments of vengeance and virtue. This truth holds me close, rocking me like a child in a mother's arms. It bind me in its love as death swallows me in its gasp."
This was an amazing read. I wanted to read this book since it came out and once I started it I couldn't put it down. I absolutely loved the world building, it was AMAZING. The writing was also so beautiful and it was so easy to get into the story . And don't let me start with that GORGEOUS cover. This might be one of the most beautiful book that i own.
But, even though and love it so much the reason why I gave it 4 starts was.... the romance. In my opinion it was to forced and while I was reading I didn't care for any of the 2 couples that we have in this book. I usually am a sucker for romance but this was just not my cup of tea.
Overall this was a beautiful and amazing read and I look forward to the next book.
June 12, 2019
”We are the people who fill the king’s prisons, the people our kingdom turns into laborers. The people Orïshans try to chase out of their features, outlawing our lineage as if white hair and dead magic were a social stain.”
I really don’t know how to begin this review and I’m pretty certain that this is mostly due to the fact that it seems to be unpopular opinion time. *lol* Truth be told, this rarely happens when I read a book. If my friends say they loved it, I usually end up loving it too and when it comes down to it, I think Tomi Adeyemi actually did a great job with her book. It was different, the cast was diverse, the magic system was intriguing, the characters weren’t only morally grey but also complex and the world building was unique.
So if all of that was awesome, why didn’t I like the book as much as I thought I would? Well, there were some things I just couldn’t bring myself to overlook. For instance I had kind of a tough time to get into the writing style (I guess it just wasn’t for me) and I would have liked to get a little bit more background information. I mean I still don’t know what exactly an agbön game is. Is it a war strategy game in real life? Why is it mentioned that Tzain is muscular due to it? Do they actually fight? Is it some sort of water combat?
Also how exactly do all of their powers work? Sure, at the beginning of the book there is an explanation of all the ten Maji clans but whenever someone uses their power we only see what they do but we never get to know HOW they do it and what’s behind of it. Sure, we could argue that the knowledge was lost when magic died and that no one really knows how to use their abilities properly, I think it would have been helpful to explain the machinations behind those powers and incantations though. For a die-hard fantasy fan like me the short explanation we got during the book definitely wasn’t enough. But once again that’s my subjective opinion.
Still, there is one thing I really couldn’t overlook and that was the way the ships developed or should I rather say the way they didn’t develop. They came out of nowhere and quite literally smacked you in the face. *lol* One moment it was like: "I hate you with a fire so bright I want to destroy and burn you to the ground" and the next it was "I love you and want to be with you until our bones are dust on that aforementioned ground". So urgh! A 180 degree change because of what? A single moment you agreed? Nope, definitely not working for me. #SorryNotSorry
If I convince myself to overlook all of those little things the book was a really great read though and I have no qualms to recommend it. Well, okay if you don’t like insta-love you might get annoyed and probably should keep this in mind. *lol* It’s just a suggestion though. ;-P
The characters:
Welcome to my characters section! I don’t have any maji powers so if you continue to read your memory won’t be erased after you’re done with this part of my review. You will be spoiled for eternity and if you don’t want to take that risk you better leave now and never look back. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. ;-)
Zélie:
”I see you dyed your hair.” She points at the color hiding my white streak and smirks. “You might want to add another coat. Some of your maggot’s still peeking through.”
I really liked Zélie! She was exactly the way you would imagine a heroine to be. I mean she had her beliefs and she stood by them and never gave up. No matter what happened, how torn and broken she felt, she always got up again and fought. For her family, for her people and for herself. I think if she truly sets her mind on something there is actually nothing she couldn’t do. Also, I kind of loved that we got to see both of her sides. On the outside she was always so brave and determined, but on the inside we could see her insecurities and fears. It was nice to see how others perceived her and how she truly was. XD My poor, poor girl though. =(( I suffered with her so much and as if the loss of her mother wouldn’t have been already enough she even had to fall into the hands of Saran. I will never forgive him for what he did to her and my heart will always bleed for Zélie! T_T
”Tell me, little prince.” I whip around. “What hurts more? The feeling you get when you use your magic or the pain of pushing it all down?”
”I won’t let your father get away with what he’s done. I won’t let your ignorance silence my pain.”
”You crushed us to build your monarchy on the backs of our blood and bone. Your mistake wasn’t keeping us alive. It was thinking we’d never fight back!”
”You don’t have to be afraid-“
“I am always afraid!”
I don’t know what shocks me more – the power in my voice or the words themselves.”
Amari:
”Sadness swells inside me as I close my eyes and picture her face. Just a brief thought of her is almost enough to take me away from the hell of this desert. If she were here, she’d be smiling, laughing at the grains of sand that got stuck between her teeth. She’d find beauty in all of this. Binta found the beauty in everything.”
Okay, let’s be blunt and totally honest here: Amari is my one and only true Queen and I love her to bits and pieces! <333 This girl is nothing but amazing and even though she had her weaknesses, this didn’t stop her from trying to improve and to make things better in the end. Amari knew exactly what she was capable of but I think she had troubles to come to terms with it. I guess in general she’s a rather peaceful person but if someone hurts the ones she loves and cares about she becomes a Lionaire. *lol* That kind of reminded me of myself, so I could totally relate to her. XD Plus, I loved that she was Saran’s daughter but still recognized her father’s faults and mistakes, that she dared to get in her father’s way. No, that she even tried to save him and tried to show him that he was wrong. It didn’t work out in the end but it definitely wasn’t due to her not trying.
”Do not worry,” I whisper as he takes his last breath. “I will make a far better queen.”
Inan:
”Magic slithers inside me. Venomous, like a thousand spiders crawling over my skin. It wants more of me. The curse wants to fight its way in –“
*sighs deeply* What a morally grey, confused, broken, complex and multi-layered character. I really don’t know if I should hate or like him and usually that’s a really good sign. *lol* Inan did so many stupid things and sometimes I just wanted to yell at him, if you know his entire background story it’s not easy to judge him for his actions though. His father’s warrior or not, it was obvious that he had troubles to come to terms with his role. If you’ve been raised in the belief that magic is bad it’s not easy to accept that everything you’ve been taught was a lie. I mean he’s been indoctrinated his entire life and it didn’t come as a surprise that he would have difficulties to accept that he’s actually one of the maji. Plus, despite everything his father did, he truly loved him…. Unfortunately that love wasn’t reciprocated and my heart broke when Saran found out about his powers and tried to kill him. I’m saying “tried” because I really don’t know if he survived the ending or not. It didn’t look good for him but it still might be possible that he survived. If he did I’m convinced that he’ll be even more broken than he was in the first book though and I’m not entirely sure if I’ll be able to handle such a broken Inan. >_<
”I’m really one of them.
I’m the very monster I hunt.”
”I hate my magic.” I lower my voice. “I despise the way it poisons me. But more than anything, I hate the way it makes me hate myself.”
Tzain:
Mhmm… I really don’t know what to think about Tzain. I have the feeling that I didn’t really get to know him because we never got his POV and that obviously makes it kind of hard to gauge his character. For some reason I didn’t like the little that I saw, though. I mean I get why he was angry at Zélie but it’s really not like anything that happened was her fault. I didn’t like his overprotective attitude and sometimes it felt like he was acting very selfish. I mean he is a kosidán and I think because of that he didn’t really understand what it means to be a diviner, what it means to be despised just because you look different. Still, I think some of his worries and reservations were valid and when the shit hit the fan Zélie could always count on him. So all told, I guess it’s safe to say that he’s a good brother who loves his sister and only wants the best for her. =)
Saran:
”After the Raid you should’ve been desperate to keep magic away. You were supposed to be afraid. Obedient. Now I see there is no educating your kind. You maggots all crave the disease tainting your blood.”
I hated Saran and it made me sick to hear his thoughts. If there ever was a person in a book who’s the epitome of racism it certainly would be Saran. Gah, all those prejudices and that senseless hate I really couldn’t stand him. And if I didn’t hate him enough already, the fact he wanted to kill Amari as well as Inan, his own flesh and blood, only caused me to despise him even more. I’m sorry for Amari because my warrior princess didn’t deserve to have the blood of her father on her blade, but I’m definitely not sorry that he died in the end. I mean he didn’t even hesitate to kill them both…. What a cruel father! *shakes head*
Roën:
”Don’t – “ He stops me before I interject. “This isn’t about you. I couldn’t speak for weeks after I got my scars. I certainly couldn’t fight.”
Now that’s a character that really intrigued me! Roën seems to be right up my alley and I hope that we’ll get to see more of him in the next book. There weren’t enough moments with him but the little I saw automatically gave me a Nikolai vibe and we all know how much I love Nikolai Lantsov. *lol* I don’t know how I feel about him being a possible love interest for Zélie but I’m inclined to give their ship a chance. XD So I guess I’ll just have to wait until book two comes out.
”Apologies.” He smiles. “My feet have a nasty habit of following my heart.”
The relationships & ships:
Zélie & Inan:
”An unknown force burns behind his amber gaze, a prison I can’t escape. Something in his spirit seems to claw onto mine. But before I can spend another second locked in his eyes, Nailah flies over the gate, severing our connection.”
That ship! *shakes head* Urgh! Okay, there obviously was attraction right from the beginning, but seriously, the little glimpses of “for a criminal I’m supposed to kill, Zélie actually looks hot” and “Inan is an obedient sexy bastard that wants to kill me” certainly didn’t prepare me for the fact that they made a 180 degree turn and became a ship all of a sudden. I’m saying this with all due respect but: WTF?!!! Inan’s powers show him Zélie’s pain and he understands everything? Yah, right. Totally relatable! It’s not like Inan was intent on killing her for half of the book and that they hated each other with a fierce passion. NAH! Oh wait, it WAS exactly like that! *rolls eyes* I can live with insta-love if it’s done well, but this was “INSTA love” (emphasis on “insta”) and I’m not okay with that. I like Zélie’s character and I like Inan’s character but I don’t like their ship?! Maybe I would have liked it if things would have gone more slowly, but the way it happened I just can’t… Well, I just can’t, you feel me? >_<
”Liar,” he decides. “You’re just trying to get into my head.”
“No, little prince. It’s you who’s gotten into mine.”
A smile spreads on my lips, one that’s coming more and more often in her presence. “You rather enjoy insulting me, don’t you?”
“It’s almost as satisfying as beating you with my staff.”
Amari & Tzain:
Tzain smiles, and it softens up every hard line in his face. “You’re not so quiet yourself, Princess. The way you snore, I should’ve called you the Lionaire this whole time.”
And here we go with another ship I don’t want to board. *lol* This felt so damn forced I can’t even. It’s like Tomi Adeyemi decided that she needed another couple and that those two would do. But just because they are two of the MCs and have the commonality that they don’t have any powers they don’t automatically have to become a ship! It’s just not working, especially because Amari is still in mourning for Binta. If you ask me they were definitely more than just friends and if anything I want to see Amari with Zélie which brings me to my unofficial ship of this book.
Amari & Zélie:
”I wipe away the remainder of her tears and place my hand on her cheek. I couldn’t be there for Binta, yet being with Zélie, I feel the hole in my heart closing. Binta would’ve told me to be brave. With Zélie, I already am.”
Now this is finally a ship I would board without a second thought or hesitation! XD Those two had chemistry and slowly but gradually became friends and grew on each other. They could be an amazing ship and I would totally support it. As for the probability: It was never explicitly mentioned but I’m pretty sure that Amari is bi. The way she mourned for Binta and the little glimpses we got of their relationship kind of gave me the impression that they were more than just friends and actually loved each other. Of course I could be wrong but I don’t think that I am. So from Amari’s POV it definitely would be possible. Zélie? I don’t know… Adeyemi focused too much on the male MC of the story so I doubt that Zélie is bi. Still, I’m curious to find out how the relationship between Amari and Zélie is going to develop and I’m definitely ready to read about it in book two. ;-)
Conclusion:
“Children of Blood and Bone” was a new and refreshing approach in the YA and fantasy genre. I might have had some issues with the execution but in general I really enjoyed reading Zélie’s story. So all told this makes 3,5 stars rounded up to four. I’m convinced there is a lot of potential and room for improvement so I’m really looking forward to read the sequel “Children of Virtue and Vengeance”.
And last but not least I want to thank the lovely Uzma for reading this book with me! It was a great buddy read and I hope there are even more to come! <3 Maybe we could even go for the second book once it finally hits the stores? ;-) I’d definitely be up for another round. XD
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Buddy read with the lovely Uzma.
Everything I know about this book is that it’s a fantasy book and that it’s been hyped by all of my goodreads friends. I swear for at least an entire month my feed was full of updates and reviews of “Children of Blood and Bone”.
It’s kinda tough to stay an innocent bean and not to read any spoilers but I somehow managed it up until now which put me in a situation where I actually dunno anything about the book. XD
You might say I closed my eyes, put my hands over my ears and hummed Metallica. (If you got that reference you’re really good and automatically my new best friend!!! *lol*)
Anyway, I’m going into this completely blind and I’m very curious if I’ll like it or not! =))
I really don’t know how to begin this review and I’m pretty certain that this is mostly due to the fact that it seems to be unpopular opinion time. *lol* Truth be told, this rarely happens when I read a book. If my friends say they loved it, I usually end up loving it too and when it comes down to it, I think Tomi Adeyemi actually did a great job with her book. It was different, the cast was diverse, the magic system was intriguing, the characters weren’t only morally grey but also complex and the world building was unique.
So if all of that was awesome, why didn’t I like the book as much as I thought I would? Well, there were some things I just couldn’t bring myself to overlook. For instance I had kind of a tough time to get into the writing style (I guess it just wasn’t for me) and I would have liked to get a little bit more background information. I mean I still don’t know what exactly an agbön game is. Is it a war strategy game in real life? Why is it mentioned that Tzain is muscular due to it? Do they actually fight? Is it some sort of water combat?
Also how exactly do all of their powers work? Sure, at the beginning of the book there is an explanation of all the ten Maji clans but whenever someone uses their power we only see what they do but we never get to know HOW they do it and what’s behind of it. Sure, we could argue that the knowledge was lost when magic died and that no one really knows how to use their abilities properly, I think it would have been helpful to explain the machinations behind those powers and incantations though. For a die-hard fantasy fan like me the short explanation we got during the book definitely wasn’t enough. But once again that’s my subjective opinion.
Still, there is one thing I really couldn’t overlook and that was the way the ships developed or should I rather say the way they didn’t develop. They came out of nowhere and quite literally smacked you in the face. *lol* One moment it was like: "I hate you with a fire so bright I want to destroy and burn you to the ground" and the next it was "I love you and want to be with you until our bones are dust on that aforementioned ground". So urgh! A 180 degree change because of what? A single moment you agreed? Nope, definitely not working for me. #SorryNotSorry
If I convince myself to overlook all of those little things the book was a really great read though and I have no qualms to recommend it. Well, okay if you don’t like insta-love you might get annoyed and probably should keep this in mind. *lol* It’s just a suggestion though. ;-P
The characters:
Welcome to my characters section! I don’t have any maji powers so if you continue to read your memory won’t be erased after you’re done with this part of my review. You will be spoiled for eternity and if you don’t want to take that risk you better leave now and never look back. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. ;-)
Zélie:
”I see you dyed your hair.” She points at the color hiding my white streak and smirks. “You might want to add another coat. Some of your maggot’s still peeking through.”
I really liked Zélie! She was exactly the way you would imagine a heroine to be. I mean she had her beliefs and she stood by them and never gave up. No matter what happened, how torn and broken she felt, she always got up again and fought. For her family, for her people and for herself. I think if she truly sets her mind on something there is actually nothing she couldn’t do. Also, I kind of loved that we got to see both of her sides. On the outside she was always so brave and determined, but on the inside we could see her insecurities and fears. It was nice to see how others perceived her and how she truly was. XD My poor, poor girl though. =(( I suffered with her so much and as if the loss of her mother wouldn’t have been already enough she even had to fall into the hands of Saran. I will never forgive him for what he did to her and my heart will always bleed for Zélie! T_T
”Tell me, little prince.” I whip around. “What hurts more? The feeling you get when you use your magic or the pain of pushing it all down?”
”I won’t let your father get away with what he’s done. I won’t let your ignorance silence my pain.”
”You crushed us to build your monarchy on the backs of our blood and bone. Your mistake wasn’t keeping us alive. It was thinking we’d never fight back!”
”You don’t have to be afraid-“
“I am always afraid!”
I don’t know what shocks me more – the power in my voice or the words themselves.”
Amari:
”Sadness swells inside me as I close my eyes and picture her face. Just a brief thought of her is almost enough to take me away from the hell of this desert. If she were here, she’d be smiling, laughing at the grains of sand that got stuck between her teeth. She’d find beauty in all of this. Binta found the beauty in everything.”
Okay, let’s be blunt and totally honest here: Amari is my one and only true Queen and I love her to bits and pieces! <333 This girl is nothing but amazing and even though she had her weaknesses, this didn’t stop her from trying to improve and to make things better in the end. Amari knew exactly what she was capable of but I think she had troubles to come to terms with it. I guess in general she’s a rather peaceful person but if someone hurts the ones she loves and cares about she becomes a Lionaire. *lol* That kind of reminded me of myself, so I could totally relate to her. XD Plus, I loved that she was Saran’s daughter but still recognized her father’s faults and mistakes, that she dared to get in her father’s way. No, that she even tried to save him and tried to show him that he was wrong. It didn’t work out in the end but it definitely wasn’t due to her not trying.
”Do not worry,” I whisper as he takes his last breath. “I will make a far better queen.”
Inan:
”Magic slithers inside me. Venomous, like a thousand spiders crawling over my skin. It wants more of me. The curse wants to fight its way in –“
*sighs deeply* What a morally grey, confused, broken, complex and multi-layered character. I really don’t know if I should hate or like him and usually that’s a really good sign. *lol* Inan did so many stupid things and sometimes I just wanted to yell at him, if you know his entire background story it’s not easy to judge him for his actions though. His father’s warrior or not, it was obvious that he had troubles to come to terms with his role. If you’ve been raised in the belief that magic is bad it’s not easy to accept that everything you’ve been taught was a lie. I mean he’s been indoctrinated his entire life and it didn’t come as a surprise that he would have difficulties to accept that he’s actually one of the maji. Plus, despite everything his father did, he truly loved him…. Unfortunately that love wasn’t reciprocated and my heart broke when Saran found out about his powers and tried to kill him. I’m saying “tried” because I really don’t know if he survived the ending or not. It didn’t look good for him but it still might be possible that he survived. If he did I’m convinced that he’ll be even more broken than he was in the first book though and I’m not entirely sure if I’ll be able to handle such a broken Inan. >_<
”I’m really one of them.
I’m the very monster I hunt.”
”I hate my magic.” I lower my voice. “I despise the way it poisons me. But more than anything, I hate the way it makes me hate myself.”
Tzain:
Mhmm… I really don’t know what to think about Tzain. I have the feeling that I didn’t really get to know him because we never got his POV and that obviously makes it kind of hard to gauge his character. For some reason I didn’t like the little that I saw, though. I mean I get why he was angry at Zélie but it’s really not like anything that happened was her fault. I didn’t like his overprotective attitude and sometimes it felt like he was acting very selfish. I mean he is a kosidán and I think because of that he didn’t really understand what it means to be a diviner, what it means to be despised just because you look different. Still, I think some of his worries and reservations were valid and when the shit hit the fan Zélie could always count on him. So all told, I guess it’s safe to say that he’s a good brother who loves his sister and only wants the best for her. =)
Saran:
”After the Raid you should’ve been desperate to keep magic away. You were supposed to be afraid. Obedient. Now I see there is no educating your kind. You maggots all crave the disease tainting your blood.”
I hated Saran and it made me sick to hear his thoughts. If there ever was a person in a book who’s the epitome of racism it certainly would be Saran. Gah, all those prejudices and that senseless hate I really couldn’t stand him. And if I didn’t hate him enough already, the fact he wanted to kill Amari as well as Inan, his own flesh and blood, only caused me to despise him even more. I’m sorry for Amari because my warrior princess didn’t deserve to have the blood of her father on her blade, but I’m definitely not sorry that he died in the end. I mean he didn’t even hesitate to kill them both…. What a cruel father! *shakes head*
Roën:
”Don’t – “ He stops me before I interject. “This isn’t about you. I couldn’t speak for weeks after I got my scars. I certainly couldn’t fight.”
Now that’s a character that really intrigued me! Roën seems to be right up my alley and I hope that we’ll get to see more of him in the next book. There weren’t enough moments with him but the little I saw automatically gave me a Nikolai vibe and we all know how much I love Nikolai Lantsov. *lol* I don’t know how I feel about him being a possible love interest for Zélie but I’m inclined to give their ship a chance. XD So I guess I’ll just have to wait until book two comes out.
”Apologies.” He smiles. “My feet have a nasty habit of following my heart.”
The relationships & ships:
Zélie & Inan:
”An unknown force burns behind his amber gaze, a prison I can’t escape. Something in his spirit seems to claw onto mine. But before I can spend another second locked in his eyes, Nailah flies over the gate, severing our connection.”
That ship! *shakes head* Urgh! Okay, there obviously was attraction right from the beginning, but seriously, the little glimpses of “for a criminal I’m supposed to kill, Zélie actually looks hot” and “Inan is an obedient sexy bastard that wants to kill me” certainly didn’t prepare me for the fact that they made a 180 degree turn and became a ship all of a sudden. I’m saying this with all due respect but: WTF?!!! Inan’s powers show him Zélie’s pain and he understands everything? Yah, right. Totally relatable! It’s not like Inan was intent on killing her for half of the book and that they hated each other with a fierce passion. NAH! Oh wait, it WAS exactly like that! *rolls eyes* I can live with insta-love if it’s done well, but this was “INSTA love” (emphasis on “insta”) and I’m not okay with that. I like Zélie’s character and I like Inan’s character but I don’t like their ship?! Maybe I would have liked it if things would have gone more slowly, but the way it happened I just can’t… Well, I just can’t, you feel me? >_<
”Liar,” he decides. “You’re just trying to get into my head.”
“No, little prince. It’s you who’s gotten into mine.”
A smile spreads on my lips, one that’s coming more and more often in her presence. “You rather enjoy insulting me, don’t you?”
“It’s almost as satisfying as beating you with my staff.”
Amari & Tzain:
Tzain smiles, and it softens up every hard line in his face. “You’re not so quiet yourself, Princess. The way you snore, I should’ve called you the Lionaire this whole time.”
And here we go with another ship I don’t want to board. *lol* This felt so damn forced I can’t even. It’s like Tomi Adeyemi decided that she needed another couple and that those two would do. But just because they are two of the MCs and have the commonality that they don’t have any powers they don’t automatically have to become a ship! It’s just not working, especially because Amari is still in mourning for Binta. If you ask me they were definitely more than just friends and if anything I want to see Amari with Zélie which brings me to my unofficial ship of this book.
Amari & Zélie:
”I wipe away the remainder of her tears and place my hand on her cheek. I couldn’t be there for Binta, yet being with Zélie, I feel the hole in my heart closing. Binta would’ve told me to be brave. With Zélie, I already am.”
Now this is finally a ship I would board without a second thought or hesitation! XD Those two had chemistry and slowly but gradually became friends and grew on each other. They could be an amazing ship and I would totally support it. As for the probability: It was never explicitly mentioned but I’m pretty sure that Amari is bi. The way she mourned for Binta and the little glimpses we got of their relationship kind of gave me the impression that they were more than just friends and actually loved each other. Of course I could be wrong but I don’t think that I am. So from Amari’s POV it definitely would be possible. Zélie? I don’t know… Adeyemi focused too much on the male MC of the story so I doubt that Zélie is bi. Still, I’m curious to find out how the relationship between Amari and Zélie is going to develop and I’m definitely ready to read about it in book two. ;-)
Conclusion:
“Children of Blood and Bone” was a new and refreshing approach in the YA and fantasy genre. I might have had some issues with the execution but in general I really enjoyed reading Zélie’s story. So all told this makes 3,5 stars rounded up to four. I’m convinced there is a lot of potential and room for improvement so I’m really looking forward to read the sequel “Children of Virtue and Vengeance”.
And last but not least I want to thank the lovely Uzma for reading this book with me! It was a great buddy read and I hope there are even more to come! <3 Maybe we could even go for the second book once it finally hits the stores? ;-) I’d definitely be up for another round. XD
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Buddy read with the lovely Uzma.
Everything I know about this book is that it’s a fantasy book and that it’s been hyped by all of my goodreads friends. I swear for at least an entire month my feed was full of updates and reviews of “Children of Blood and Bone”.
It’s kinda tough to stay an innocent bean and not to read any spoilers but I somehow managed it up until now which put me in a situation where I actually dunno anything about the book. XD
You might say I closed my eyes, put my hands over my ears and hummed Metallica. (If you got that reference you’re really good and automatically my new best friend!!! *lol*)
Anyway, I’m going into this completely blind and I’m very curious if I’ll like it or not! =))
May 9, 2018
It doesn't happen too often that I actually, really dislike a book. And I still can't really express how sad I am about the fact that it had to happen with this one.
Initially, I was wary about Children of Blood and Bone. Apart from the West-African mythology aspect, it didn't sound like it was bringing anything new to the table, and as someone who primarily reads fantasy, it's pretty hard at this point to find a truly unique story. But when more and more over-the-moon, positive reviews came flooding in, I suddenly got immensely excited to pick it up myself and see what the hype is about, so excited that, in truth, I was expecting to have a new favorite on my hands. Well - I was wrong.
The book started out very promising, with certain elements that are probably the only redeeming qualities for me. For one, the whole concept of the magical system with its different clans and the horrific oppression of an entire group of people was, in itself, not necessarily new, but due to the mythology influences, everything had such a fresh glow, and ultimately, even though it fell flat for me, I cannot put into words how happy it makes me that this high fantasy novel full of POC exists and is loved by such a broad audience.
Apart from that, I also enjoyed some of the more complex questions that Zélie and her companions had to try to answer. For instance, even though she starts out being all for the restoration of magic, throughout the journey she comes across obstacles that make her resolve crumble a little, that make her doubt that there is any peace to ultimately come from it. Whereas the entire plan felt a bit one-dimensional in the beginning, it was suddenly not so easy to tell right from wrong, and if you know me, you also know that I love dubious morality and somewhat... gray areas in terms of good and bad.
To me, everything started going downhill somewhere around the 200 pages mark. I suddenly noticed that I felt pretty disconnected from the characters (who I initially liked) and their entire adventure, because everything was just way too fast-paced for me to actually develop an emotional connection to... well, anything, really. Something was constantly happening, but it was always over so fast that I could barely figure out how I felt about what characters did or what changed their attitude toward something.
*narrator voice* And then everything went up in flames.
Because, oh boy, the romance. THE ROMANCE. tHe RoMaNcE?? It doesn't even deserve to be called that.
You see, I think what disappoints me the most is that I see so much potential. SO much. This could have easily been one of the most epic novels I've ever read. The same thing goes for the romance. Because apart from Zélie and runaway princess Amari (who is like, the only character I genuinely like, she had such a pure character development and is just my favorite), we also follow Amari's brother Inan, who believes a lot more into his father's gruesome ways than Amari does. As the former two set out to restore magic, he decides to chase them in order to keep their plan from succeeding, which, to him, should be accomplished by killing Zélie. (Who also happens to know that Inan himself is starting to develop some magical abilities, which he's desperately trying to keep a secret, since his father would kill him on sight if he found out, so ya know, being daddy's boy and all, he really wants her dead.)
I was HERE FOR IT. Because if you know me even better, then you also know that I am head over heels for the enemies-to-lovers trope, if it's well done. And the emphasis here is definitely on that last part. Because whereas I was imagining their mutual hatred (Zélie wasn't too big a fan of Inan's plan to kill her and generally him being the son of the monster who killed an entire people, basically) to maybe slowly turn into something else in, I don't know, book 2, I did not get that by any means. Instead, it took about two days of them working together (to save Zélie's brother and Inan's sister) for both of them to suddenly say things like this:
"We only need each other."
"Two days without her.
In her absence, the ocean air hangs heavy.
Every breath whispers her name."
I had question marks all over my face. And it didn't stop there. No. Because a day later, they come up with this beautiful plan to be together forever and revolutionize Orïsha as a power couple. It was one of the worst cases of insta-love I've ever read, worse still due to the fact that they literally wanted to wear each other's guts as necklaces about ten pages before.
Over the next... 200 pages... I was (I'm coining this term) in eye-rolling-hell. I was hoping for the focus to slowly move away from their "relationship" once they were separated again (or for one to murder the other as a plot twist, I really just wanted them to die), but nope, all they could think about was each other for the rest of the book.
It was suck a freaking trainwreck. I considered dnf'ing the book multiple times, and I've never just stopped reading a book before. It was such a struggle to pick it back up every single time. I really just wanted it to end.
To top everything off, the ending was - of course - kind of cool, and I feel so cheated by it getting interesting and surprising on the last two pages, especially because I will not do another 500 pages of annoyance to myself a second time. I know that Amari is just gonna keep getting cooler exponentially and that she'll save the entire land one day, but I won't stick around to find out.
Now that that's off my chest, I'd like to forget I ever read this so I can go back to it being all epic and breathtaking in my mind. I'm glad everyone loves this book so much, and I bet you're going to get a nice sequel, but personally, I'll just slowly leave this meeting and pretend like all this never happened.
Initially, I was wary about Children of Blood and Bone. Apart from the West-African mythology aspect, it didn't sound like it was bringing anything new to the table, and as someone who primarily reads fantasy, it's pretty hard at this point to find a truly unique story. But when more and more over-the-moon, positive reviews came flooding in, I suddenly got immensely excited to pick it up myself and see what the hype is about, so excited that, in truth, I was expecting to have a new favorite on my hands. Well - I was wrong.
The book started out very promising, with certain elements that are probably the only redeeming qualities for me. For one, the whole concept of the magical system with its different clans and the horrific oppression of an entire group of people was, in itself, not necessarily new, but due to the mythology influences, everything had such a fresh glow, and ultimately, even though it fell flat for me, I cannot put into words how happy it makes me that this high fantasy novel full of POC exists and is loved by such a broad audience.
Apart from that, I also enjoyed some of the more complex questions that Zélie and her companions had to try to answer. For instance, even though she starts out being all for the restoration of magic, throughout the journey she comes across obstacles that make her resolve crumble a little, that make her doubt that there is any peace to ultimately come from it. Whereas the entire plan felt a bit one-dimensional in the beginning, it was suddenly not so easy to tell right from wrong, and if you know me, you also know that I love dubious morality and somewhat... gray areas in terms of good and bad.
To me, everything started going downhill somewhere around the 200 pages mark. I suddenly noticed that I felt pretty disconnected from the characters (who I initially liked) and their entire adventure, because everything was just way too fast-paced for me to actually develop an emotional connection to... well, anything, really. Something was constantly happening, but it was always over so fast that I could barely figure out how I felt about what characters did or what changed their attitude toward something.
*narrator voice* And then everything went up in flames.
Because, oh boy, the romance. THE ROMANCE. tHe RoMaNcE?? It doesn't even deserve to be called that.
You see, I think what disappoints me the most is that I see so much potential. SO much. This could have easily been one of the most epic novels I've ever read. The same thing goes for the romance. Because apart from Zélie and runaway princess Amari (who is like, the only character I genuinely like, she had such a pure character development and is just my favorite), we also follow Amari's brother Inan, who believes a lot more into his father's gruesome ways than Amari does. As the former two set out to restore magic, he decides to chase them in order to keep their plan from succeeding, which, to him, should be accomplished by killing Zélie. (Who also happens to know that Inan himself is starting to develop some magical abilities, which he's desperately trying to keep a secret, since his father would kill him on sight if he found out, so ya know, being daddy's boy and all, he really wants her dead.)
I was HERE FOR IT. Because if you know me even better, then you also know that I am head over heels for the enemies-to-lovers trope, if it's well done. And the emphasis here is definitely on that last part. Because whereas I was imagining their mutual hatred (Zélie wasn't too big a fan of Inan's plan to kill her and generally him being the son of the monster who killed an entire people, basically) to maybe slowly turn into something else in, I don't know, book 2, I did not get that by any means. Instead, it took about two days of them working together (to save Zélie's brother and Inan's sister) for both of them to suddenly say things like this:
"We only need each other."
"Two days without her.
In her absence, the ocean air hangs heavy.
Every breath whispers her name."
I had question marks all over my face. And it didn't stop there. No. Because a day later, they come up with this beautiful plan to be together forever and revolutionize Orïsha as a power couple. It was one of the worst cases of insta-love I've ever read, worse still due to the fact that they literally wanted to wear each other's guts as necklaces about ten pages before.
Over the next... 200 pages... I was (I'm coining this term) in eye-rolling-hell. I was hoping for the focus to slowly move away from their "relationship" once they were separated again (or for one to murder the other as a plot twist, I really just wanted them to die), but nope, all they could think about was each other for the rest of the book.
It was suck a freaking trainwreck. I considered dnf'ing the book multiple times, and I've never just stopped reading a book before. It was such a struggle to pick it back up every single time. I really just wanted it to end.
To top everything off, the ending was - of course - kind of cool, and I feel so cheated by it getting interesting and surprising on the last two pages, especially because I will not do another 500 pages of annoyance to myself a second time. I know that Amari is just gonna keep getting cooler exponentially and that she'll save the entire land one day, but I won't stick around to find out.
Now that that's off my chest, I'd like to forget I ever read this so I can go back to it being all epic and breathtaking in my mind. I'm glad everyone loves this book so much, and I bet you're going to get a nice sequel, but personally, I'll just slowly leave this meeting and pretend like all this never happened.
September 30, 2022
"We are all children of blood and bone. All instruments of vengeance and virtue."
*Insert standing ovation here.
Wow. This was incredible! I'm always cautious going into a hyped book because you never know what you're going to get. I've arrived at the point in my reading experience where I'm feeling a bit "been there, done that" with YA fantasy. Not to say I don't enjoy it, but up until now, it's been a hot minute since I've found a truly unique setting and cast that's blown me away. I'm a white female who is tired of only reading about other white males and females who are beautiful beyond all compare, yet have the poorest self esteem, even in the midst of a love triangle, or worse, being the object of every single person's affection. I'm not saying that this is the only YA fantasy to feature people of color, but they still makes up only a small percentage of the mainstream fiction being pushed by major publishers today. What a refreshing, energizing, and exciting time it is to see a masterpiece like Children Of Blood And Bone getting the recognition it so richly deserves! I truly believe these own voices belonging to POC are paving the way for the floodgates to open to a new wave of diverse mainstream fiction.
So.... How much can I say about this book? Obviously I don't want to spoil a single portion for any reader, so maybe I'll stick to the writing and emotion more than specific plot points. One of my favorite things in the world is to buddy read books with Leigh Kramer; whether we enjoy the book or not, there's always stimulating conversation and deep thought added to the experience that I wouldn't come across on my own. Both of us had been dying to pick this up and knew it had to be our next partner read and I'm not sure we'll find another book that hit us equally well! Maybe the sequel? Anyway, what started as a careful study of the setting and characters quickly turned into a full blown "manic turning of pages marathon". I'm also glad I held off on writing this review until having my final discussions with Leigh, because she brought to light a few points I hadn't even thought of up until that moment.
The atmosphere is so rich here that you can practically taste it. No matter where our characters traveled to, I had a sensory experience. I could smell the moisture in the jungle air, I could taste the ash on my tongue when villages were burned, and I could hear the crunching of leaves underfoot right before an ambush was to occur. The writing was of such high quality in every aspect; the characters were unique and developed, the action scenes were tense and heart pounding, and the emotional moments were deeply felt by all. The best way I know how to sum up just what this book meant to me is this: Children Of Blood And Bone felt like a story so great that I was unworthy of reading it, but the author writes in such a genuine and inclusive manner that it's like she grabbed me around the shoulder and said "Come on in, you're welcome in my world". It's difficult to put into words just how important this book is. Sure, you can write it off and say "It's just YA fantasy", but it was so much more than that. This was an allegory of the lifetime of struggles, pain, and oppression that POC have experienced in exchange for simply breathing, something my privilege hasn't allowed me to experience. I'm just so grateful that Tomi Adeyemi was able to put pen to paper and share this struggle in a way that people of any race could learn about.
If you haven't read this one yet and choose to do so, be sure to read the author's note and acknowledgements afterward; I dare you not to cry. To say I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel would be the largest understatement of the year, but there it is. Also, I'm in love with Roen but I guess Leigh can marry him since I'm not on the market.
*Insert standing ovation here.
Wow. This was incredible! I'm always cautious going into a hyped book because you never know what you're going to get. I've arrived at the point in my reading experience where I'm feeling a bit "been there, done that" with YA fantasy. Not to say I don't enjoy it, but up until now, it's been a hot minute since I've found a truly unique setting and cast that's blown me away. I'm a white female who is tired of only reading about other white males and females who are beautiful beyond all compare, yet have the poorest self esteem, even in the midst of a love triangle, or worse, being the object of every single person's affection. I'm not saying that this is the only YA fantasy to feature people of color, but they still makes up only a small percentage of the mainstream fiction being pushed by major publishers today. What a refreshing, energizing, and exciting time it is to see a masterpiece like Children Of Blood And Bone getting the recognition it so richly deserves! I truly believe these own voices belonging to POC are paving the way for the floodgates to open to a new wave of diverse mainstream fiction.
So.... How much can I say about this book? Obviously I don't want to spoil a single portion for any reader, so maybe I'll stick to the writing and emotion more than specific plot points. One of my favorite things in the world is to buddy read books with Leigh Kramer; whether we enjoy the book or not, there's always stimulating conversation and deep thought added to the experience that I wouldn't come across on my own. Both of us had been dying to pick this up and knew it had to be our next partner read and I'm not sure we'll find another book that hit us equally well! Maybe the sequel? Anyway, what started as a careful study of the setting and characters quickly turned into a full blown "manic turning of pages marathon". I'm also glad I held off on writing this review until having my final discussions with Leigh, because she brought to light a few points I hadn't even thought of up until that moment.
The atmosphere is so rich here that you can practically taste it. No matter where our characters traveled to, I had a sensory experience. I could smell the moisture in the jungle air, I could taste the ash on my tongue when villages were burned, and I could hear the crunching of leaves underfoot right before an ambush was to occur. The writing was of such high quality in every aspect; the characters were unique and developed, the action scenes were tense and heart pounding, and the emotional moments were deeply felt by all. The best way I know how to sum up just what this book meant to me is this: Children Of Blood And Bone felt like a story so great that I was unworthy of reading it, but the author writes in such a genuine and inclusive manner that it's like she grabbed me around the shoulder and said "Come on in, you're welcome in my world". It's difficult to put into words just how important this book is. Sure, you can write it off and say "It's just YA fantasy", but it was so much more than that. This was an allegory of the lifetime of struggles, pain, and oppression that POC have experienced in exchange for simply breathing, something my privilege hasn't allowed me to experience. I'm just so grateful that Tomi Adeyemi was able to put pen to paper and share this struggle in a way that people of any race could learn about.
If you haven't read this one yet and choose to do so, be sure to read the author's note and acknowledgements afterward; I dare you not to cry. To say I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel would be the largest understatement of the year, but there it is. Also, I'm in love with Roen but I guess Leigh can marry him since I'm not on the market.
December 18, 2019
This review has been in the works for a little too, but that’s because it’s a tough title for me to review. I originally received this as an eARC earlier in the year, and made it to about the 40% mark before DNFing it a few weeks before its release. I had already pre-ordered it and wanted to try it again, so I grabbed my finished copy off the shelf in May and read the rest of it over the span of a few days.
Sometimes, when I set a book aside and come back to it, it’s because I just wasn’t in the right mood—other times, there was never going to be a ‘right mood’ for that particular read, and that’s what happened with this one. I really thought this would be one of my top reads of the year, so you can imagine how difficult it is for me to say that I think it suffered from quite a bit of over-hyping.
It felt pretty predictable for the most part, a solid 150-200 pages of it was very boring to me, and most of the characters weren’t enjoyable to read about because they just didn’t feel fleshed out. Zélie was likable, if a bit simplistic, but I think the only character I genuinely enjoyed was Amari; she undergoes a tremendous amount of character growth in a very short span of time, and was honestly the unsung hero of this novel.
Also, please don’t even get me started on the forced romance in this story. This entire novel would have benefited tremendously from being romance-free, but instead we got this very awkward, uncomfortable pairing that I saw coming from the first page and found myself cringing, waiting for it to happen, until it finally did. When I, as a huge lover of romance in stories, literally end up skim reading entire pages of romantic development, there’s a problem.
Of course, it’s not all bad; I know I sound negative and I don’t mean to, because Children of Blood and Bone has a lot of positivity to bring to the table, too. It’s so incredible to see a fantasy novel by a black author, with a cast entirely comprised of black characters, and to know that so much of it is inspired by the author’s own heritage (though I am dismayed to have seen several own-voice reviews calling the Nigerian representation flawed). I adore the author as a human being and think she is a delight, and I’m ecstatic to know that she’s already gotten such a killer movie deal for this story.
Will I rush to continue the series? Hard to say. Will I be in the movie theatres supporting the hell out of this adaptation, though? Absolutely! Also, despite my lack of being impressed by the writing itself overall, if you enjoy fantasy stories, I still strongly recommend picking this up—especially if you aren’t as cynical of a reader as I tend to be—because this book has an audience and deserves to be given a chance.
Thank you so much to Henry Holt Books for Young Readers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!
“Courage does not always roar. Valor does not always shine.”
Sometimes, when I set a book aside and come back to it, it’s because I just wasn’t in the right mood—other times, there was never going to be a ‘right mood’ for that particular read, and that’s what happened with this one. I really thought this would be one of my top reads of the year, so you can imagine how difficult it is for me to say that I think it suffered from quite a bit of over-hyping.
“I teach you to be warriors in the garden so you will never be gardeners in the war.”
It felt pretty predictable for the most part, a solid 150-200 pages of it was very boring to me, and most of the characters weren’t enjoyable to read about because they just didn’t feel fleshed out. Zélie was likable, if a bit simplistic, but I think the only character I genuinely enjoyed was Amari; she undergoes a tremendous amount of character growth in a very short span of time, and was honestly the unsung hero of this novel.
“We fought. We persevered. We rose.”
Also, please don’t even get me started on the forced romance in this story. This entire novel would have benefited tremendously from being romance-free, but instead we got this very awkward, uncomfortable pairing that I saw coming from the first page and found myself cringing, waiting for it to happen, until it finally did. When I, as a huge lover of romance in stories, literally end up skim reading entire pages of romantic development, there’s a problem.
“You crushed us to build your monarchy on the backs of our blood and bone. Your mistake wasn’t keeping us alive. It was thinking we’d never fight back.”
Of course, it’s not all bad; I know I sound negative and I don’t mean to, because Children of Blood and Bone has a lot of positivity to bring to the table, too. It’s so incredible to see a fantasy novel by a black author, with a cast entirely comprised of black characters, and to know that so much of it is inspired by the author’s own heritage (though I am dismayed to have seen several own-voice reviews calling the Nigerian representation flawed). I adore the author as a human being and think she is a delight, and I’m ecstatic to know that she’s already gotten such a killer movie deal for this story.
Will I rush to continue the series? Hard to say. Will I be in the movie theatres supporting the hell out of this adaptation, though? Absolutely! Also, despite my lack of being impressed by the writing itself overall, if you enjoy fantasy stories, I still strongly recommend picking this up—especially if you aren’t as cynical of a reader as I tend to be—because this book has an audience and deserves to be given a chance.
Thank you so much to Henry Holt Books for Young Readers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!
April 12, 2018
Full review to come!
In the meantime - THIS WAS AMAZING. Each of the characters goes on their own intriguing journeys throughout the story, and I enjoyed going along for the ride so much. The setting, magic, and characters were so vibrant and full of life.
I need the sequel, and I don't know what to do without it D:
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
In the meantime - THIS WAS AMAZING. Each of the characters goes on their own intriguing journeys throughout the story, and I enjoyed going along for the ride so much. The setting, magic, and characters were so vibrant and full of life.
I need the sequel, and I don't know what to do without it D:
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
July 16, 2019
UNPOPULAR OPINION ALERT!!!!!
I think 99% of my friends loved this book, and trust me. I wanted to love it, too. The diverse cast of characters, a land of magic, themes of revenge, and fantasy- the ideas were all gripping. I thought I was going to love Zélie and her badass nature, and that there was going to be all the elements of a wonderful fantasy book. I thought I would find a new favourite YA fantasy!
mild spoilers ahead, major are marked.
That’s not to say this book was horrible . There were definitely some positives, and I will be picking up the sequel. It’s just that my expectations were so high and… in the end, I was just so disappointed. like....Kobe Bryant and Usher have read this book. MICHAEL B JORDAN HIMSELF DM'ED THE AUTHOR ABOUT THIS BOOK. That’s like… insane, considering it’s YA. I have nothing but respect for Adeyemi, though, because she's such a queen for bringing a POC cast, and she's getting so much positive feedback for it!
The story follows Zélie, a divîner in Ilorin who is training in secret with Mama Agba. Alongside her fellow divîners, she learns to fight while the threat of guards is forever lurking. Although all divîners are supposed to grow into powerful maji later in life, King Saran led an attack on all maji that destroyed the possibility. All magic was eradicated, killing thousands, including Zélie’s mother.
When fate entwines her with Princess Amari, the very daughter of the king who stole her people's powers, she sets off on a journey to restore it once and for all.
(why do YA heroines always think this will be so easy ????)
ZÉLIE
I was looking for a Lada Dracul 2.0. I found… anything BUT a Lada Dracul 2.0. Zélie was one of the most immature, stupid characters I’ve ever read about. You know those characters that you scream at in your head? That make you want to physically throw the book against the wall? She was the main reason why I disliked this book so much. She consistently made horrible decisions, and it was always others that had to pay for her utter lack of logic. I’m just going to insert one of many quotes that her brother says to her after she makes a stupid decision;
“You’re always screwing things up. Why stop now?”
Yeah, he sums it up pretty well. Honestly, I just think I failed to connect with the character itself. I could care less what happened to her. Yes, during her it was hard not to feel bad about her constant flashbacks and what happened to her; but it wasn’t because of her , specifically. Rather, it was the general theme and connection to the Black Lives Matter movement.
I hated how entitled she felt. Yes, I know, she spent half of the book just saying how she wasn’t “strong” or “ready” enough to lead the ritual to restore magic, so I wouldn’t say she’s full of herself. But there comes a time when she has a chance to turn some of the divîners she meets into maji, and she doesn’t want to . She thinks it’ll cause chaos and destruction in the world, because the divîners won’t know what to do with their newfound magic. uhhh I’m sorry? Who gave you the right to decide who should have magic and who shouldn’t? I found it so shallow and outright wrong for her to be the only one with these wonderful powers, when she herself knows she’s not the best candidate for the job. All in all… there was nothing to love about her. I’m so sorry, but I don’t know where all the love for her is coming from. And when, you dislike the book's main character it's hard to like the overall book.
AMARI
I’ll be honest, Nani knows that I spent most of this book jumping from either hating Zélie and liking Amari, and then vice versa. Primarily near the end though, Amari really pulled through as a character. The progression and character buildup wasn’t there, but something about her nature was endearing. or maybeee I just liked her more because in contrast to Zelie, she's pretty great. Initially, she was the type of character that you yell at: “omg can you stop being annoying and KILL THE GUY” (we all know what boat scene I’m talking about, yes, yes?) and I just didn’t understand where her sudden ferocity came from. Also, her relationship with Binta was a show-not-tell relationship that I didn’t feel that much for. Your typical "princess turned rebel", but if Tzain likes her, I like her.
INAN
Duty before self. Duty before self. Duty before self.
okay honey, I get it. Seriously, the amount of times he said that was just… annoying. In the beginning, his POV was the most interesting to read about. The struggles he had within himself and the discoveries he made were intriguing and one of the best parts of the book. Until… he met Zélie. That’s when his changes became abrupt and came out of no context. just another character I ended up… hating. LIKE WHY I'M STILL SO CONFUSED ABOUT HIM
TZAIN
Oh, the shining light at the end of this tunnel. A whole 1.5 stars that I gave to this book are only for him. I knew I’d love him right from the beginning when he started calling out Zélie’s bullshit faster than I could say “MARRY ME”. While mostly everything else in this book was irrational, Tzain was logical. Hate to throw this cliché saying your way, but, he “looked before he leapt”. Unlike his crazy, childish sister. I don’t know where her genes came from. Tzain was such a sweetheart from the beginning. I was gushing @ him and Amari, even when he wasn’t in straight-up love with her and was just a normal, caring individual. So much love for him. I’ll be reading book 2 solely for him. let me just hit you with a couple of heart emojis to display my endless love for him.
💗💗💗💗💗💗💞💞💞💞💞💞💘💘💘💘💘💓💓💓💓💓💕💕💕💕💕
things to love
~ As I mentioned, the diversity !! when’s the last time you’ve read a book with an all-black cast? I don’t even think I have. It was something so special and wonderful and by an #ownvoices author, and that made this book much better.
~ world-building was okay, not the best but definitely not the worst. I did feel the magical and fantastical atmosphere.
~ the cover is so much more beautiful in real life, let me tell you. I was wary about it when ordering but IT’S SO PRETTY. the book in general is really pretty as well.
~ god, that author’s note. I finished reading this at 4am (all you suhoor people know why I was awake at that time) and the note made me cry. anyways, I don’t think I really took the Black Lives Matter movement into context when I was reading, but understanding that’s what Tomi Adeyemi was trying to get across broke my heart. It made me appreciate the book a lot more, despite the fact that it was still… a two star read. It made me wish like nothing else that my feelings towards the book would change, but here I am. unchanged. but definitely not unmoved.
~ Roën has the Kaz Brekker vibes I love and adore. Seriously, I think I’m in love. If he’s a potential love interest I’m saying yes a million times.
~ I’ll just say it again for the people in the back : TZAIN TZAIN TZAIN TZAIN
what I…. didn’t love
~ instalove was so present. it really, really annoyed me. Zélie defends the boy like she’s known him since she was in the womb. They had no chemistry, no connection whatsoever. It’s like Zélie forgets who he is, just because of the one moment she keeps replaying in her head … of him carrying her. goddamn girl have you never been touched by a male? Is this the issue here? enemies to lover trope done alllll wrong. when you have a character as stupid as Zélie, it’s hard to do it right.
~ everything seemed… easy. I don’t know how to explain it. I wasn’t ever excited or worried or intrigued or enticed. It seemed as though there was always a solution present for our wonderful protagonists.
~ the ending was… one of the worst I’ve read. it was like here! let me throw this in your face! I’m left with unanswered questions that I’d rather not get the answers for if it means listening to Zelie's stupidity again
~ it begs the question…. why Zélie? what was so special about her? it can't be her amazing, smart, logical personality can it???
~ pacing was sometimes slow, sometimes fast, and always not working for me. I mean, there wasn’t ever a time when I was dying of boredom, but I know it’s not going to work for some people.
~ in the words of Nani, “‘here. Elemental magic. And done. That’s it.” couldn’t have said it better.
~ pretty much a lot of things. there were little nitpicks that got under my skin. like for example: we have this thirteen year old girl that is apparently extremely old for her age and is also the leader of a group of divîners, but she starts jumping up and down like a lunatic when she’s excited. I’m sorry? I was thirteen once too and… that’s not how I remember acting. there were a couple of other things as well, but they've completely left my mind right now.
~ here’s another important side note: don’t lower your standards people. I was so happy for this to be a diverse book, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to lie and say I loved it solely because of that. I mean, it was an aspect that I loved, but the other things brought down my rating considerably.
I just want to say though, I love Tomi Adeyemi so much. I follow her on Instagram, Twitter and just admire her so much as a person. So it really breaks my heart to not love her books, but you know… (let me hit you with another cheesy saying) maybe the best is yet to come!
(ps. I love Tzain)
———
this was a buddy read with Nani ✨
I think 99% of my friends loved this book, and trust me. I wanted to love it, too. The diverse cast of characters, a land of magic, themes of revenge, and fantasy- the ideas were all gripping. I thought I was going to love Zélie and her badass nature, and that there was going to be all the elements of a wonderful fantasy book. I thought I would find a new favourite YA fantasy!
mild spoilers ahead, major are marked.
That’s not to say this book was horrible . There were definitely some positives, and I will be picking up the sequel. It’s just that my expectations were so high and… in the end, I was just so disappointed. like....Kobe Bryant and Usher have read this book. MICHAEL B JORDAN HIMSELF DM'ED THE AUTHOR ABOUT THIS BOOK. That’s like… insane, considering it’s YA. I have nothing but respect for Adeyemi, though, because she's such a queen for bringing a POC cast, and she's getting so much positive feedback for it!
The story follows Zélie, a divîner in Ilorin who is training in secret with Mama Agba. Alongside her fellow divîners, she learns to fight while the threat of guards is forever lurking. Although all divîners are supposed to grow into powerful maji later in life, King Saran led an attack on all maji that destroyed the possibility. All magic was eradicated, killing thousands, including Zélie’s mother.
When fate entwines her with Princess Amari, the very daughter of the king who stole her people's powers, she sets off on a journey to restore it once and for all.
(why do YA heroines always think this will be so easy ????)
ZÉLIE
I was looking for a Lada Dracul 2.0. I found… anything BUT a Lada Dracul 2.0. Zélie was one of the most immature, stupid characters I’ve ever read about. You know those characters that you scream at in your head? That make you want to physically throw the book against the wall? She was the main reason why I disliked this book so much. She consistently made horrible decisions, and it was always others that had to pay for her utter lack of logic. I’m just going to insert one of many quotes that her brother says to her after she makes a stupid decision;
“You’re always screwing things up. Why stop now?”
Yeah, he sums it up pretty well. Honestly, I just think I failed to connect with the character itself. I could care less what happened to her. Yes, during her it was hard not to feel bad about her constant flashbacks and what happened to her; but it wasn’t because of her , specifically. Rather, it was the general theme and connection to the Black Lives Matter movement.
I hated how entitled she felt. Yes, I know, she spent half of the book just saying how she wasn’t “strong” or “ready” enough to lead the ritual to restore magic, so I wouldn’t say she’s full of herself. But there comes a time when she has a chance to turn some of the divîners she meets into maji, and she doesn’t want to . She thinks it’ll cause chaos and destruction in the world, because the divîners won’t know what to do with their newfound magic. uhhh I’m sorry? Who gave you the right to decide who should have magic and who shouldn’t? I found it so shallow and outright wrong for her to be the only one with these wonderful powers, when she herself knows she’s not the best candidate for the job. All in all… there was nothing to love about her. I’m so sorry, but I don’t know where all the love for her is coming from. And when, you dislike the book's main character it's hard to like the overall book.
AMARI
I’ll be honest, Nani knows that I spent most of this book jumping from either hating Zélie and liking Amari, and then vice versa. Primarily near the end though, Amari really pulled through as a character. The progression and character buildup wasn’t there, but something about her nature was endearing. or maybeee I just liked her more because in contrast to Zelie, she's pretty great. Initially, she was the type of character that you yell at: “omg can you stop being annoying and KILL THE GUY” (we all know what boat scene I’m talking about, yes, yes?) and I just didn’t understand where her sudden ferocity came from. Also, her relationship with Binta was a show-not-tell relationship that I didn’t feel that much for. Your typical "princess turned rebel", but if Tzain likes her, I like her.
INAN
Duty before self. Duty before self. Duty before self.
okay honey, I get it. Seriously, the amount of times he said that was just… annoying. In the beginning, his POV was the most interesting to read about. The struggles he had within himself and the discoveries he made were intriguing and one of the best parts of the book. Until… he met Zélie. That’s when his changes became abrupt and came out of no context. just another character I ended up… hating. LIKE WHY I'M STILL SO CONFUSED ABOUT HIM
TZAIN
Oh, the shining light at the end of this tunnel. A whole 1.5 stars that I gave to this book are only for him. I knew I’d love him right from the beginning when he started calling out Zélie’s bullshit faster than I could say “MARRY ME”. While mostly everything else in this book was irrational, Tzain was logical. Hate to throw this cliché saying your way, but, he “looked before he leapt”. Unlike his crazy, childish sister. I don’t know where her genes came from. Tzain was such a sweetheart from the beginning. I was gushing @ him and Amari, even when he wasn’t in straight-up love with her and was just a normal, caring individual. So much love for him. I’ll be reading book 2 solely for him. let me just hit you with a couple of heart emojis to display my endless love for him.
💗💗💗💗💗💗💞💞💞💞💞💞💘💘💘💘💘💓💓💓💓💓💕💕💕💕💕
things to love
~ As I mentioned, the diversity !! when’s the last time you’ve read a book with an all-black cast? I don’t even think I have. It was something so special and wonderful and by an #ownvoices author, and that made this book much better.
~ world-building was okay, not the best but definitely not the worst. I did feel the magical and fantastical atmosphere.
~ the cover is so much more beautiful in real life, let me tell you. I was wary about it when ordering but IT’S SO PRETTY. the book in general is really pretty as well.
~ god, that author’s note. I finished reading this at 4am (all you suhoor people know why I was awake at that time) and the note made me cry. anyways, I don’t think I really took the Black Lives Matter movement into context when I was reading, but understanding that’s what Tomi Adeyemi was trying to get across broke my heart. It made me appreciate the book a lot more, despite the fact that it was still… a two star read. It made me wish like nothing else that my feelings towards the book would change, but here I am. unchanged. but definitely not unmoved.
~ Roën has the Kaz Brekker vibes I love and adore. Seriously, I think I’m in love. If he’s a potential love interest I’m saying yes a million times.
~ I’ll just say it again for the people in the back : TZAIN TZAIN TZAIN TZAIN
what I…. didn’t love
~ instalove was so present. it really, really annoyed me. Zélie defends the boy like she’s known him since she was in the womb. They had no chemistry, no connection whatsoever. It’s like Zélie forgets who he is, just because of the one moment she keeps replaying in her head … of him carrying her. goddamn girl have you never been touched by a male? Is this the issue here? enemies to lover trope done alllll wrong. when you have a character as stupid as Zélie, it’s hard to do it right.
~ everything seemed… easy. I don’t know how to explain it. I wasn’t ever excited or worried or intrigued or enticed. It seemed as though there was always a solution present for our wonderful protagonists.
~ the ending was… one of the worst I’ve read. it was like here! let me throw this in your face! I’m left with unanswered questions that I’d rather not get the answers for if it means listening to Zelie's stupidity again
~ it begs the question…. why Zélie? what was so special about her? it can't be her amazing, smart, logical personality can it???
~ pacing was sometimes slow, sometimes fast, and always not working for me. I mean, there wasn’t ever a time when I was dying of boredom, but I know it’s not going to work for some people.
~ in the words of Nani, “‘here. Elemental magic. And done. That’s it.” couldn’t have said it better.
~ pretty much a lot of things. there were little nitpicks that got under my skin. like for example: we have this thirteen year old girl that is apparently extremely old for her age and is also the leader of a group of divîners, but she starts jumping up and down like a lunatic when she’s excited. I’m sorry? I was thirteen once too and… that’s not how I remember acting. there were a couple of other things as well, but they've completely left my mind right now.
~ here’s another important side note: don’t lower your standards people. I was so happy for this to be a diverse book, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to lie and say I loved it solely because of that. I mean, it was an aspect that I loved, but the other things brought down my rating considerably.
I just want to say though, I love Tomi Adeyemi so much. I follow her on Instagram, Twitter and just admire her so much as a person. So it really breaks my heart to not love her books, but you know… (let me hit you with another cheesy saying) maybe the best is yet to come!
(ps. I love Tzain)
———
this was a buddy read with Nani ✨
March 8, 2018
PSA FOR TODAY.
THIS BOOK IS OUT NOW!!
Do your shelves and soul a favour is all I'm saying.
You're welcome.
--------------------------------------
[4.5 stars]
Thank you Macmillan Books for this arc.
Honestly, I don't know how to review this book. My emotions are everywhere at the moment and as much as I wanted to write something comprehensive, I doubt that'll happen.
Like the author has stated, this is a story inspired by her West-African heritage, which seeps through the writing and the world and the atmosphere she creates.
It's an all black cast of characters. All black.
Let's take a moment. It's rare, if ever barely seen. And even if it's out there, those stories do not get the same type of exposure as books with an all-white cast of characters. And the fact that this book was an insight into her world and that it is so hyped now, makes me so goddamn elated.
I absolutely LOVED that aspect and that it was a fantasy novel as well. It was a shock in the best way possible. Since it did surprise me, I reflected on myself and the books that I've read since I was a child. I think it goes to show how I, as a reader, have become accustomed to seeing white characters, the white narrative to the point where if characters of different backgrounds are included, it stands out and is notable.
I hope for the day diversity becomes the norm in novels and is celebrated in our world.
Thankfully, the publishing world is slowly changing as well.
Books like these absolutely need to be supported and published more and become more accessible to readers, especially in this current climate, where empathy should be a more common trait. Books like these expose us to other worlds, other faiths and races, general differences that exist within us, and reinforces the idea that difference is good. Difference is what this world is about and what should be accepted, without any qualms.
As for the story, it is heavily political, focusing on themes of class, race, oppression, privilege and police brutality and she does not shy away from violence. I love that Adeyemi did that; write a YA fantasy novel that looks at our modern reality and infuse those issues in a story, giving readers a glimpse into the reality of being black or a minority.
The magic was fantastic and ridiculously fascinating. Rather than expanding on it, I'll leave it out for you to find out. It is gorgeous. The plot was deliciously fast-paced and had me on the edge of my seat, especially towards the end of the book. I was excited to pick the book up each time I put it down. It was an avalanche-style-Sanderson ending, which was so glorious to read.
And the characters!!!
So.
Damn.
Good!
*weeps*
I want to go back and read this book again! I'm so excited to see how this story will develop. Bring on book 2! ASAP please!
---------------------------------
Initial review!
Well, damn those last 100 pages or so were literally explosive. SUCH A GOOD ENDING I NEED MORE!! 😍
RTC but just buy this book already. The hype is real and justified.
THIS BOOK IS OUT NOW!!
Do your shelves and soul a favour is all I'm saying.
You're welcome.
--------------------------------------
[4.5 stars]
Thank you Macmillan Books for this arc.
Honestly, I don't know how to review this book. My emotions are everywhere at the moment and as much as I wanted to write something comprehensive, I doubt that'll happen.
Like the author has stated, this is a story inspired by her West-African heritage, which seeps through the writing and the world and the atmosphere she creates.
It's an all black cast of characters. All black.
Let's take a moment. It's rare, if ever barely seen. And even if it's out there, those stories do not get the same type of exposure as books with an all-white cast of characters. And the fact that this book was an insight into her world and that it is so hyped now, makes me so goddamn elated.
I absolutely LOVED that aspect and that it was a fantasy novel as well. It was a shock in the best way possible. Since it did surprise me, I reflected on myself and the books that I've read since I was a child. I think it goes to show how I, as a reader, have become accustomed to seeing white characters, the white narrative to the point where if characters of different backgrounds are included, it stands out and is notable.
I hope for the day diversity becomes the norm in novels and is celebrated in our world.
Thankfully, the publishing world is slowly changing as well.
Books like these absolutely need to be supported and published more and become more accessible to readers, especially in this current climate, where empathy should be a more common trait. Books like these expose us to other worlds, other faiths and races, general differences that exist within us, and reinforces the idea that difference is good. Difference is what this world is about and what should be accepted, without any qualms.
As for the story, it is heavily political, focusing on themes of class, race, oppression, privilege and police brutality and she does not shy away from violence. I love that Adeyemi did that; write a YA fantasy novel that looks at our modern reality and infuse those issues in a story, giving readers a glimpse into the reality of being black or a minority.
The magic was fantastic and ridiculously fascinating. Rather than expanding on it, I'll leave it out for you to find out. It is gorgeous. The plot was deliciously fast-paced and had me on the edge of my seat, especially towards the end of the book. I was excited to pick the book up each time I put it down. It was an avalanche-style-Sanderson ending, which was so glorious to read.
And the characters!!!
So.
Damn.
Good!
*weeps*
I want to go back and read this book again! I'm so excited to see how this story will develop. Bring on book 2! ASAP please!
---------------------------------
Initial review!
Well, damn those last 100 pages or so were literally explosive. SUCH A GOOD ENDING I NEED MORE!! 😍
RTC but just buy this book already. The hype is real and justified.
Want to read
November 30, 2018Truly, I don’t keep up with an author’s every move to make sure they’re always on their best behavior. Some of the best authors in the business are dreadful people.
But I have to say that Tomi Adeyemi’s recent call out of Nora Roberts on Twitter, accusing this well known & well loved author of capitalizing on her recent bestseller’s fame by copying the title? It’s not a good look. It’s taken the wind out of my sails a bit, and now I am not so excited to read this book. Since I own a copy, I’ll leave it on my shelves for now.
But authors, take note of the compromising position your shitty behavior puts your readers in. Use social media wisely, do your research, and put out the fires you start. Otherwise it just casts you & everything associated with you in an ugly light.
But I have to say that Tomi Adeyemi’s recent call out of Nora Roberts on Twitter, accusing this well known & well loved author of capitalizing on her recent bestseller’s fame by copying the title? It’s not a good look. It’s taken the wind out of my sails a bit, and now I am not so excited to read this book. Since I own a copy, I’ll leave it on my shelves for now.
But authors, take note of the compromising position your shitty behavior puts your readers in. Use social media wisely, do your research, and put out the fires you start. Otherwise it just casts you & everything associated with you in an ugly light.
August 31, 2019
2nd read: August 2019. Audiobook
5 stars
Reread in anticipation of Children of Virtue and Vengeance!
1st read: May-April 2018. Physical
5 stars
5 stars
Reread in anticipation of Children of Virtue and Vengeance!
1st read: May-April 2018. Physical
5 stars
June 27, 2018
4.5 stars!
April 29, 2019
Transcript of a conversation heard between Tomi Adeyemi and Marissa Meyer:
TOMI: Skies! I am so excited to meet you!
MARISSA: Stars, I know, right!
TOMI: Skies, yes!
MARISSA: Stars!
TOMI: Skies!
MARISSA: STARS, STARS!
TOMI: SKIES, SKIES, SKIES!
But, I digress . . .
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. It had some really cool character development and world building. And, it culminated in a really awesome and intense climactic scene.
Then . . . I dunno what happened.
The last half, for me, was just kinda blah. It really got repetitive with long, drawn out romance scenes. Additional action sequences did not match the intensity of the mid-book climax. The plot around magic started to get a bit confusing. I lost interest quickly and did not get a lot of enjoyment from it.
So, a strong first half and a mediocre second, I will settle on 3 stars (Marissa, is that you?)
TOMI: Skies! I am so excited to meet you!
MARISSA: Stars, I know, right!
TOMI: Skies, yes!
MARISSA: Stars!
TOMI: Skies!
MARISSA: STARS, STARS!
TOMI: SKIES, SKIES, SKIES!
But, I digress . . .
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. It had some really cool character development and world building. And, it culminated in a really awesome and intense climactic scene.
Then . . . I dunno what happened.
The last half, for me, was just kinda blah. It really got repetitive with long, drawn out romance scenes. Additional action sequences did not match the intensity of the mid-book climax. The plot around magic started to get a bit confusing. I lost interest quickly and did not get a lot of enjoyment from it.
So, a strong first half and a mediocre second, I will settle on 3 stars (Marissa, is that you?)
July 31, 2018
This is a 500+ page book which I devoured in 2 days. I'm so surprised by how fast I finished this. This was such a good ASS book. I was 100% invested in it and found it impossible to put down whenever I was reading. This book is fucking amazing and deserves all the hype it's getting!! I found myself getting attached to these characters so quick and literally on the edge of my seat because everything is so action packed and intense and death can happen to anyone at any fucking time in this book jfc.
Orïsha was once a land where magic used to thrive and be respected, but now magic is considered dangerous and is absolutely forbidden. Zélie, a Divîner like her mother and many others, now lives under oppression and fear of the ruthless King Saran. When a powerful scroll is found, the Divîners have hope that magic can be bought back to the land of Orïsha for good. Zélie with the help of some people, is destined to find the other powerful artifacts and bring magic back.
This is such a beautifully written book and I'm in love with so many of the powerful quotes from this book. Though this is a fantasy novel, the society in this world is very similar to ours.
Every character in this book is black. Dark skinned people in this book are treated so horribly and called nasty slurs every day, while the lighter skinned people (including the royals) will do anything to stay light. They don't go out because then they'll be exposed to the sun which will make them darker and even go as far as putting powder on themselves to stay light. It shows the every day racism dark skinned people go through.
I LOVED reading about West African culture. Their customs, tradition, language, food, religion and festivals were so beautiful and interesting to read about. I was fucking heart eyes at the writing throughout the entire book.
Also, this book is so brutal and ruthless. There is violence like, literally everywhere. A lot of blood is spilled. People are always FUCKING DYING. The Divîners are treated very horribly. There's a lot of gore, so please keep this in mind if these types of things bother you. I, personally, loved it.
※Zélie is character who annoyed me a lot throughout the book, but I still really liked her character. What I love about her is that she's not a perfect Mary Sue and accepts her fear of messing up, but she made some terrible choices that got her into so much trouble. This girl is deadass told a thousand times to not fuck up AND SHE DOES. She gets so many people killed and puts her family in so much danger. I literally wanted to scream at her to just fucking listen to Tzain and not attract attention. I feel really meh towards her. I don't hate her, but I really don't care if she dies either, you know what I mean? Lmao.
※Princess Amara is a fucking goddess and I would kiss the very ground she walks on. What a fucking queen, I would DIE FOR HER. Unlike her brutal father who hates magic and the Divîners, she sympathizes with them and wants to bring a change to Orïsha. She's such a sweet and kind character. She's just..... so soft, precious and innocent. I want to protect her from every bad thing on this planet and give her cookies or something. She's always expected to be a perfect lady at the palace and considered weak by her father for not being able to being herself to strike someone with a sword. And at the end, she's a fucking Lioness. She goes through so much and is able to defend and find her strength, while remaining kind and loving. Alkdskjsvbqdgq, I fucking love Amari.
※Inan is Amari's brother and the crown prince. He is constantly torn between right and wrong: to stand for equality and peace or continue his fathers extermination of magic? He is always pressured to please his father and do what it best for his kingdom, sacrificing anything and everything if it means good for his kingdom. I really felt heartbroken over what he was going through and just wanted to give this poor kid a smoothie or somethin'.
※Tzain is Zélie's brother and one of the best characters in this book. He's so clever, loving and precious. His relationship with Zélie is so perfect and adorable. He's always watching out for her and wants to protect her from harm. I love how, when he fell in lurvveee, he didn't fall for the "I'LL IGNORE MY ENTIRE FUCKING FAMILY OR DRIFT AWAY FROM THEM AND DROOL AFTER MY GIRLFRIEND" trope. He always has Zélie's back. I love him.
These four characters are the main characters and they all have POV's except for Tzain. I really hope we get a POV from him in the next books because I really love him!!!
※The shittiest parent award goes toooooooooooooooooooooooooo King Saran!!!!! DING DING DING.
What piece of fucking shit, this dude oh my god. I fucking hate him. He's a horrible parent and leader and whenever he popped up, I hoped he died. He's so cruel, even to his own family and just an absolute shithead. Fuck this guy.
Overall, this book is fantastic and important. I loved it from beginning to end and was so surprised by how much I loved it. Definitely one of my favorite books of 2018. I can't wait for the other books in the trilogy to be released. This ending was absolute hell.
——————
This book thicc but I know it's going to be worth it because all black characters???? about west African culture??? This is going to be EPIC.
Buddy read with the gang: Rae, Nadhira, Danielle, and Scrill
◇PLOT
Orïsha was once a land where magic used to thrive and be respected, but now magic is considered dangerous and is absolutely forbidden. Zélie, a Divîner like her mother and many others, now lives under oppression and fear of the ruthless King Saran. When a powerful scroll is found, the Divîners have hope that magic can be bought back to the land of Orïsha for good. Zélie with the help of some people, is destined to find the other powerful artifacts and bring magic back.
◇WRITING AND WORLD BUILDING
This is such a beautifully written book and I'm in love with so many of the powerful quotes from this book. Though this is a fantasy novel, the society in this world is very similar to ours.
Every character in this book is black. Dark skinned people in this book are treated so horribly and called nasty slurs every day, while the lighter skinned people (including the royals) will do anything to stay light. They don't go out because then they'll be exposed to the sun which will make them darker and even go as far as putting powder on themselves to stay light. It shows the every day racism dark skinned people go through.
I LOVED reading about West African culture. Their customs, tradition, language, food, religion and festivals were so beautiful and interesting to read about. I was fucking heart eyes at the writing throughout the entire book.
Also, this book is so brutal and ruthless. There is violence like, literally everywhere. A lot of blood is spilled. People are always FUCKING DYING. The Divîners are treated very horribly. There's a lot of gore, so please keep this in mind if these types of things bother you. I, personally, loved it.
◇CHARACTERS
※Zélie is character who annoyed me a lot throughout the book, but I still really liked her character. What I love about her is that she's not a perfect Mary Sue and accepts her fear of messing up, but she made some terrible choices that got her into so much trouble. This girl is deadass told a thousand times to not fuck up AND SHE DOES. She gets so many people killed and puts her family in so much danger. I literally wanted to scream at her to just fucking listen to Tzain and not attract attention. I feel really meh towards her. I don't hate her, but I really don't care if she dies either, you know what I mean? Lmao.
※Princess Amara is a fucking goddess and I would kiss the very ground she walks on. What a fucking queen, I would DIE FOR HER. Unlike her brutal father who hates magic and the Divîners, she sympathizes with them and wants to bring a change to Orïsha. She's such a sweet and kind character. She's just..... so soft, precious and innocent. I want to protect her from every bad thing on this planet and give her cookies or something. She's always expected to be a perfect lady at the palace and considered weak by her father for not being able to being herself to strike someone with a sword. And at the end, she's a fucking Lioness. She goes through so much and is able to defend and find her strength, while remaining kind and loving. Alkdskjsvbqdgq, I fucking love Amari.
"Duty before self."
※Inan is Amari's brother and the crown prince. He is constantly torn between right and wrong: to stand for equality and peace or continue his fathers extermination of magic? He is always pressured to please his father and do what it best for his kingdom, sacrificing anything and everything if it means good for his kingdom. I really felt heartbroken over what he was going through and just wanted to give this poor kid a smoothie or somethin'.
※Tzain is Zélie's brother and one of the best characters in this book. He's so clever, loving and precious. His relationship with Zélie is so perfect and adorable. He's always watching out for her and wants to protect her from harm. I love how, when he fell in lurvveee, he didn't fall for the "I'LL IGNORE MY ENTIRE FUCKING FAMILY OR DRIFT AWAY FROM THEM AND DROOL AFTER MY GIRLFRIEND" trope. He always has Zélie's back. I love him.
These four characters are the main characters and they all have POV's except for Tzain. I really hope we get a POV from him in the next books because I really love him!!!
※The shittiest parent award goes toooooooooooooooooooooooooo King Saran!!!!! DING DING DING.
What piece of fucking shit, this dude oh my god. I fucking hate him. He's a horrible parent and leader and whenever he popped up, I hoped he died. He's so cruel, even to his own family and just an absolute shithead. Fuck this guy.
Overall, this book is fantastic and important. I loved it from beginning to end and was so surprised by how much I loved it. Definitely one of my favorite books of 2018. I can't wait for the other books in the trilogy to be released. This ending was absolute hell.
——————
This book thicc but I know it's going to be worth it because all black characters???? about west African culture??? This is going to be EPIC.
Buddy read with the gang: Rae, Nadhira, Danielle, and Scrill
June 3, 2018
Buddy read with Thing2 my May tbr twin.
●If you’re looking for a book with originality, this is not the book.
●If you’re looking for a book with amazing characters, this is not the book.
●If you’re looking for a book with diverse coloured characters, this is not the book for you. I felt as if they were white, I just could not imagine them black.
●If you’re looking for a book with good world building, this is not the book.
●If you’re looking for a book with a great plot, this is not it. Its like a combination of Throne of Glass, Ember in the Ashes and lots of other YA.
This is just your normal average YA book, nothing more, I wasn’t disappointed in the least but, I knew this book won’t wow me.
The plot itself is a disappointment, its something we readers have seen in almost all YA fantasy.
■A tyrant king who made magic disappear.
■Has a daughter who hates that he is cruel.
■ The Prince that is torn between duty and doing what is right.
■A poor girl that is destined to bring magic back.
Don’t even get me started on that apology of a romance, that is the worst I’ve ever read, I’ll take a love triangle over that any day.
At least the friendship made sense, even though it was unrealistic.
I know most of you like the cover but I loathe it, it reminds me of Tiste Andii, the midnight black skin, the white hair. Its just a parody to me.
Our hair is always as stark and white as the snow that covers the mountaintops of Ibadan, a marker so dominant, even the blackest dye couldn’t hide maji hair for more than a few hours.
And the worst thing is that ending, that is not a cliff hanger, mid sentence is even an understatement. It was so confusing, I have no idea what happened there.
Pre review
The synopsis is the same as most YA, magic disappears our MC brings it back, I know you're probably wondering why I still want to read this, well because its written by a Nigerian author and West African based which is where am from.
And most importantly I want to see whether she will depict Africa well, cause I smell diaster, given the fact that she grew up in America and the book not available in Nigeria book stores, yes I kid you not.
●If you’re looking for a book with originality, this is not the book.
●If you’re looking for a book with amazing characters, this is not the book.
●If you’re looking for a book with diverse coloured characters, this is not the book for you. I felt as if they were white, I just could not imagine them black.
●If you’re looking for a book with good world building, this is not the book.
●If you’re looking for a book with a great plot, this is not it. Its like a combination of Throne of Glass, Ember in the Ashes and lots of other YA.
This is just your normal average YA book, nothing more, I wasn’t disappointed in the least but, I knew this book won’t wow me.
The plot itself is a disappointment, its something we readers have seen in almost all YA fantasy.
■A tyrant king who made magic disappear.
■Has a daughter who hates that he is cruel.
■ The Prince that is torn between duty and doing what is right.
■A poor girl that is destined to bring magic back.
Don’t even get me started on that apology of a romance, that is the worst I’ve ever read, I’ll take a love triangle over that any day.
At least the friendship made sense, even though it was unrealistic.
I know most of you like the cover but I loathe it, it reminds me of Tiste Andii, the midnight black skin, the white hair. Its just a parody to me.
Our hair is always as stark and white as the snow that covers the mountaintops of Ibadan, a marker so dominant, even the blackest dye couldn’t hide maji hair for more than a few hours.
And the worst thing is that ending, that is not a cliff hanger, mid sentence is even an understatement. It was so confusing, I have no idea what happened there.
Pre review
The synopsis is the same as most YA, magic disappears our MC brings it back, I know you're probably wondering why I still want to read this, well because its written by a Nigerian author and West African based which is where am from.
And most importantly I want to see whether she will depict Africa well, cause I smell diaster, given the fact that she grew up in America and the book not available in Nigeria book stores, yes I kid you not.
April 8, 2018
”With the right blow I could knock him off his feet; with the right thrust I could crush his throat.”
I’m speechless 😶! This book was everything that I was hoping for and more.
The writing is brilliant and beautiful, the story is magnificent, the magic is so unique and the characters are THE BEST PART OF THE BOOK.
At the same time, they are very alike, they are very different. All of them have different reasons to fight but they are fighting for the same thing, PEACE.
All of the characters at the same time are strong yet feel more them they should, they fight for something worth it of death in the way.
The relationship between Zélie and Tzain and Amari is so good!!!! The interaction between them is so fun and amazing!!! They are so strong and badass.
I love them so much💖.
“Taunting. Tainting.
Kill her, I remind myself.
I’ll kill the girl. I’ll kill this curse.
If I can’t—
I force a deep breath.
If I can’t, I’m already dead.”
Inan, I hated you so much at the start and I wanted to keep hating you, oh how I did but one thing let to another and I end up caring for you at the end. He’s such a tortured soul. They all are, to be honest.
The development the characters had, to become what they needed to, is beautiful and realistic. It was a slow process, but such a good one.
I liked almost all of the side characters, except the ridiculous and freaking unnecessary King, he can burn and burn.
“Do not worry,” I whisper as he takes his last breath. “I will make a far better queen.”
There here so many badass moments in this book, holy damn if I didn’t love it!!!
I lived for the funny moments in this book, because to much happen and I needed a break to be able to catch my breath.
“I can almost hear it in my head.”
“What’s it saying?” I ask.
“It’s a horn, Amari. It’s not saying anything.”
My cheeks flush. “Well, if it’s a sculpture, it shouldn’t be making sounds at all!”
That end, I can’t. I need the sequel at this exact moment.
I need answers!.!.!.!
BR with Zoë💘
I’m speechless 😶! This book was everything that I was hoping for and more.
The writing is brilliant and beautiful, the story is magnificent, the magic is so unique and the characters are THE BEST PART OF THE BOOK.
At the same time, they are very alike, they are very different. All of them have different reasons to fight but they are fighting for the same thing, PEACE.
All of the characters at the same time are strong yet feel more them they should, they fight for something worth it of death in the way.
The relationship between Zélie and Tzain and Amari is so good!!!! The interaction between them is so fun and amazing!!! They are so strong and badass.
I love them so much💖.
“Taunting. Tainting.
Kill her, I remind myself.
I’ll kill the girl. I’ll kill this curse.
If I can’t—
I force a deep breath.
If I can’t, I’m already dead.”
Inan, I hated you so much at the start and I wanted to keep hating you, oh how I did but one thing let to another and I end up caring for you at the end. He’s such a tortured soul. They all are, to be honest.
The development the characters had, to become what they needed to, is beautiful and realistic. It was a slow process, but such a good one.
I liked almost all of the side characters, except the ridiculous and freaking unnecessary King, he can burn and burn.
“Do not worry,” I whisper as he takes his last breath. “I will make a far better queen.”
There here so many badass moments in this book, holy damn if I didn’t love it!!!
I lived for the funny moments in this book, because to much happen and I needed a break to be able to catch my breath.
“I can almost hear it in my head.”
“What’s it saying?” I ask.
“It’s a horn, Amari. It’s not saying anything.”
My cheeks flush. “Well, if it’s a sculpture, it shouldn’t be making sounds at all!”
That end, I can’t. I need the sequel at this exact moment.
I need answers!.!.!.!
BR with Zoë💘
September 29, 2020
Watch my video review here:
https://youtu.be/ZtwrVrPeAIw
https://youtu.be/ZtwrVrPeAIw
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