Words cannot describe how excited I am by the existence of this book. Really and truly. It blew me away. And it's actually really hard to put ALL OF THE FEELS THIS BOOK MADE ME FEEL INTO COHERENT SENTENCES SQUEEEEEEE- okay. So. For those that don't know, this book has been racing across the Blogosphere/Twittersphere like wildfire leaving a trail of rave reviews in it's wake. And normally books like that have me wary, because hype trains sometimes crash, but I never had those concerns with Adeyemi's debut. Fresh from seeing 'Black Panther' in the cinemas I was more than ready for an African inspired Fantasy.

The story is told from three POVs and I loved them all! I've watched Avatar: The Last Airbender only recently, adored it, and drew SO MANY parallels. Yet, it all still felt fresh and exciting. Zélie is a wonderful example of what a kickass female heroine should be. Strong, fiercely protective and everything about her personality shone from the pages. Inan was my second favourite POV character. Sweet, misguided, infuriating but also adorable Inan. I more than adored him despite his obvious flaws. Amari was also a great character. A slow-builder but she has so much potential for the next book in the series. Let alone non POV characters like Tzain, Röen and Zu. I loved them all.

I mean, this book just gripped me. The plot moved at a thrilling, constant pace. It's setting was stunning and easily envisioned, the magic visual descriptors were breath-taking, and I found myself totally enthralled by everything that I read. I can't believe how long I potentially have to wait for the next book! Agh! This fantasy was EVERYTHING and of course I adored the representation within it's pages. I want to read more books like this!

I absolutely loved this book!

The magic element was so well done, the world building was beautiful, not only that but the characters. I CAN'T!

Before I really get into everything I just want to say that this is a book you should not let pass by. It's beautifully diverse, it's so well developed and even more staggeringly; it's beautiful. I can't even comprehend the amount of times I was mind blown during the process of reading this book because there were so many. And now, after thinking over what the author has created, I am no less shook than I was the minute I finished it.

“The truth cuts like the sharpest knife I’ve ever known. No matter what I do, I will always be afraid.”

Children of Blood and Bone takes what we know of the fantasy genre and tips it on it's head. Although the author has created a very fantastical world with magic at it's heart, she explores so many real life issues and infuses her characters with realistic traits that anyone could relate to. It's clever and extremely well written. She draws parallels to our world in so many ways. Including issues such as; racism, slavery, divides in society, and abuse. This is so great for a young adult novel and the possibility of people of younger generations to pick up on these things and take something from it, is honestly amazing.

The book follows Zélie Adebola; she remembers a world so different to that she currently lives in. One surrounded with the most beautiful magic and a loving mother she will never forget. But under orders of a king, the world changed, maji were killed, and her mother was one of them. When she gets the chance to change fate and possibly one day create a world similar to that she remembers she takes the plunge. With the help of her brother and a runaway princess, they journey to save those who are vulnerable.

“I teach you to be warriors in the garden so you will never be gardeners in the war.”

In the beginning it did take me some time to get used to the very fast pace plot and I have to say that I didn't completely love the story straight away but I think that was because the author made the decision to throw you straight in and not really work up to it. Which is kind of a great thing in my opinion. Because at the midway point something clicked in my head and I was suddenly in love with the wonderful characters. It's been a while since I have become as attached to a cast of characters while reading and I honestly forgot the feeling. I think that the way the author really built the world and the characters as individuals is what I loved the most. They are vulnerable and flawed and so so relatable. It really shouldn't be something new but these things so often aren't betrayed well so I can't really get past it and the amount of depth it added to each character's development. The things these characters go through made me feel so many emotions and that in it's self made this book, one of the best books I've ever read.

“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!”

The relationships were developed quite differently to a lot of fantasy books I've read. I just wasn't expecting the angsty quirks of humour and push and pull between characters. Of course, I love a good old spoonful of angst but I was surprised when certain relationships develop that I was not expecting and at the fact it was both enticing and slow burn without being overly so. It was the icing on top of a very large cake already full of the most delightful ingredients.

“It doesn't matter how strong I get, how much power my magic wields. They will always hate me in this world.”

The writing wasn't overly complex but it felt almost lyrical while I was reading. The sentences weren't choppy, and they seemed to flow together very well, which made reading it a very enjoyable experience. On the other hand it did mean it took me longer to read than it usually does to read a book. However even though it took a while to get through, the fast paced also meant it seemed like it was flying by which I really enjoyed.

Overall this is a significantly wonderful fantasy novel that is ground breaking for young adult literature. I highly recommend you pick up this book, and get lost in this intricate world.

RATING: 5 Stars

It was really refreshing to read a work of epic fantasy that wasn't set in a medieval-esque world. Here, we have the story of Zelie, a young diviner who longs for the time when magic ran through the veins of her people, her brother, Tzain, exasperated by his younger sister's ability to get into trouble, court princess, Amari, who hates the oppression of her father and Inan, her brother who is torn between duty and his own desires. The novel is split between the different characters, with each chapter told from a different point of view. This was a really good way of introducing nuance into the story and really allowed for an exploration of motivations that aren't always obvious from the start. The world the author has created is vibrant and visceral with colours, smells and sounds exploding from the page really immersing the reader in the narrative. I thought that the pacing of the narrative was fantastic, with several smaller crescendos in the book that kept the plot moving throughout, while also allowing time for the reader to catch their breath before the next section. My only criticisms are that I found the dialogue a little bit stilted on occasion and I thought that Inan, who was for me the most interesting character, was a little bit underdeveloped. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book, the world and the magic system and I am now looking forward to the next instalment.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Children of Blood and Bone left me with CHILLS. Normally I don't purchase a book before finishing the eARC, but I was not even half way through the book before I pre-ordered it. I needed to have a physical copy in my hands that I could flip through over and over again. It is the fantasy novel I have always dreamt of, and every aspect of it is simply stunning.

Set in the once magical world of Orïsha, Children of Blood and Bone tells the story of the resurgence of magic and hope against a king's tyrannical reign. It tells the story of Zélie and Amari, the daughter of a maji and a runaway princess, who with Zélie's brother Tzain set out on a mission to restore balance in Orïsha. And it tells the story of Iman, the young prince striving to put a stop to it.

When simplifying the plot this way, the book doesn't sound too special. But it is what is on the pages and between the lines that make it live up to it's glorious title and cover. It reminded me so much of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which from me is the highest complement, because Avatar shaped my reading, watching, and writing influences and continues to do so today. Yet it also stands totally on it's own as a novel that is unique to anything I have ever read before, and despite it's size it left me wanting so much more.

"This is our story. Our history. A truth the king tried to bury with the dead."

The world itself is magnificent. The West-African influences were fantastic, and Adeyemi lets nothing slip through the cracks of her detailed world building. From the magic to the animals to the communities, I felt like I could see Orïsha in all it's vibrancy.

The characters were also incredibly well developed. I understood what drove their actions and it made me feel closer to them, even when I felt conflicted over their actions. Zélie's struggle between desiring safety as well as freedom is incredibly real, and I loved seeing how she felt conflicted with her choices whilst being expected to lead. Amari also had a wonderful character arc. Everything about her seemed to scream naïve little princess, but it is slowly revealed that there is much more to her, which plays in perfect contrast with her brother. Iman's struggle between his identity and the desire to please his father and one day be a strong king were so interesting to read, and the complexity of this inner turmoil had me question what path he would choose at every turn.

Ultimately, however, this always felt like Zélie and Amari's narrative. It was they who set off the events together, and despite tensions, it still feels like their narrative until the very end. Their friendship is imperfect, but to me it felt like an integral part of what made the story so special. Children of Blood and Bone proves that romance is not the only way to raise the stakes and make a perfect fantasy tale, but that friendship and family can also provide that strong emotional connection.

"Do you think they'll tell stories about this?" Amari asks. "About us?"

It normally takes a couple of books before I declare a series as one of my favourites, but this debut was enough to make Legacy of Orïsha my new high fantasy obsession. With complex characters and a stunning world, this is one story I cannot wait to revisit.



Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Diversity note: entirely black cast (with one Asian side character)

Warnings: attempted rape, death, gore, murder, hanging, violence, blood, torture, physical abuse, war themes

The YA Fantasy debut that the world was waiting for is finally here, and it is taking the world by storm! If this isn’t on your TBR already, it needs to be!


This has been one of my most anticipated books of 2018 since it was announced, and I am still in awe that it is actually out for the world to read, because it is absolutely fantastic.

The hype has been very high in regards to this book, and there isn’t one bit that isn’t deserved. Adeyemi’s writing style is everything you could want and more. It has poetic elements, and flows so well that you can’t help but completely immerse yourself in the story. I was hooked from the very start, and the power of this book still has a hold over me now, it is magnificent.

There is a split POV within the book, and it works so well. The way that Adeyemi uses it to provide different perspectives on the same situation, and also uses the POV’s to portray the difference in being royal, and being labelled a “maggot” is so well written. I felt I got every part of the story, and the best thing being that I loved every single character.

The way Adeyemi creates her characters is as if the words have been lifted from the page and formed in front of you. Her descriptions of the characters, and the world in which they live, is so vivid that you can see everything develop in front of your eyes, and for such a high fantasy novel this is exactly what is needed. The world of Orïsha is so well developed, and detailed, it’s one of my favourite fictional worlds. I could see the beauty in the devastation it had already faced, and Adeyemi’s writing painted that so well.

Zélie and Amari are two of the most badass, fierce and loyal characters I’ve read about, and the entire way through I felt like crying because I just loved their drive and determination to always do better and strive to make a better Orïsha. Inan and Tzain were also so head strong and I loved seeing their inner conflict regarding certain situations, it made them feel so real and raw.

The magic system, and the unique power of the maji are probably my favourite I’ve ever read about. I loved how the history of the maji was filtered throughout the book, and you never felt like you were being bombarded with information. It all felt natural and added a perfect intrigue to the book, as you heard about more and more maji gifts. I loved how their gifts were so unique and well represented.

Speaking of representation, can we just appreciate how every single character in this book is a POC? EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. This is what the world needed, and Adeyemi does it perfectly. I can only imagine how amazing it must be to grow up with role models such as Zélie, and see yourself represented within her, and let me tell you she is one amazing character to have as a role model.

The ending left me shook to the core. It was powerful, dramatic and surprising right until the end, but I could not have loved it more. I am desperately waiting for news on the second book because I am completely in love with this one!

Tomi Adeyemi is one of the most talented debut authors, and this book is a powerful representation for POC, for women, and for those who have always wanted to stand up for what they believe in. With it’s poetic and beautiful writing, and it’s stunning character development and world building – I can already tell this will be one of my favourite series.

IN SUMMARY: With magic and wonder, CHILDREN AND BLOOD AND BONE is a fantastic adventure through the land of Orïsha, and though the world-building, romance and climax were far from bewitching, the characters are raw and deeply emotional, and a high stakes plot.

MY THOUGHTS: Adeyemi writes raw, emotional prose, great character development, high stakes and an underlining theme of grey morality, but rushed execution of the Enemies to Lovers trope, the rushed climax, the lack of closure and the plot conveniences made it more difficult for me to enjoy. A very difficult three stars, but ultimately I felt like what let this novel down was technicalities. CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE is a great book that justifiably deserves high praise, but I just didn't love it.

WILL I READ ON? Yes. This was a decent series starter, and I know more excitement awaits in the land of Orïsha.

Children of Blood and Bone is like Six of Crows meets The Last Airbender meets fantastical West African mythology, and it is incredible.

I actually first found out about this novel when a video went viral on Twitter of Adeyemi seeing her book for the very first time in the flesh. The raw emotion really knocked me for six, and when I discovered that I could receive an ARC of this novel, I just couldn't resist. Children of Blood and Bone is such an original, breathtaking piece - it is beautifully written, the world-building is phenomenal, and the pace consistently builds throughout until THAT CLIFFHANGER. It's amazing. Fans of fantasy, this is a book you will have to read - and now you only have to wait until March 6th!

Loved this! I loved the story, the characters, the ending. It was fabulous! This book is the kinda book you don't want to put down. The book that you can't quite leave at just one chapter. It's fast paced, constantly changing, a game of cat and mouse. There's love, loss, magic and power, all rolled into this wondrous book. A great team of heroines in this story, and of course, heroes. A great read!

Children of Blood and Bone is an intriguing story, set in a vividly depicted African land where magic used to exist freely among its citizens but has been taken away by greater forces. It was a unique, different and enjoyable read in a slightly crowded YA fantasy market.

The setting that the author has created is beautiful and rich in detail. It is amazing to see landscapes and scenarios created with seeming ease but I will admit that I didn't care for the PoV swapping. This is a feature I simply don't enjoy in many books as oftentimes, the characters aren't as well developed and the overall novel suffers slightly. There are some exceptions to this, but unfortunately this novel was not one (for me, at least). The author is very skilled however and created an excellent story and plot and I do look forward to her future work and reading more of this series!

I was delighted to have received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, as I had heard so much about it.. Will recommend to my students, particularly in KS3!

CoBaB is a wonderful fantasy that truly holds the reader, mostly due to the strong characters and expansive world. I particularly enjoyed the complex god system, as well as the key theme of family that ran throughout the novel. The ending was beyond shocking, and I hold my breath in anticipation for a follow on.

Children of Blood and Bone is a beautiful and intense novel that takes tried and true story lines and plot elements and paints them new and fresh with bold strokes of ingenuity. At 17 years old, Zelie is young enough to exhibit all the passion and fire and mistakes of youth, but old enough to believably bear the weight of the future on her shoulders. Tomi Adeyemi has created an incredible new world, full of exciting magic, exotic culture, and appealing characters who have enough depth and dimension to hook you on their personal character arcs alone.
There's something vividly real about the environment and social structure that Adeyemi has created. This world feels familiar in the way that history has the comfortable weight of years behind it, knowing that if you peel back a layer, there will be more and more waiting for you to discover. And that's exactly what this book does--leaves you wanting more to discover. More about the characters. More about this world. More about this author!

Can't wait to read the full book! Such a strong start and I'm excited to pick up and see where this story goes

There’s considerable buzz about this book so I was delighted to receive an ARC via NetGalley. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to my admittedly very high expectations. I’m left wondering if I am missing something everyone else sees.

Let’s start with the good: the writing is beautiful and rich. There’s excellent attention to world building and Adeyami takes her time setting the scene. Diviners and making, political tensions, a magical system lost and found. It’s a delicious and dazzlingly diverse world too, and a pure delight to behold.

When the story moves along it does so at a cracking pace and it’s riveting.

Now for the downside: the narrative POV moves between different characters all told in the first person. And I found their inner voices uniformly annoying. I didn’t warm to any of the characters particularly and I found them rather one dimensional which was strange given the charming richness of the setting. I also felt the pacing was very uneven- at times it was sllloooow and all tell, tell, tell. I found myself losing interest at points and struggling to stay engaged with what at times felt like an endless stream of inner rambling.

I do expect this to be a big hit and ultimately the overall charm and originality of the story carries it through. It just wasn’t quite th highlight of the year as I hoped it would be.

Children of Blood and Bone is the first book in The Legacy of Orisha series and it is easy to see why the movie is already in development.

Tomi Adeyemi has created an intriguing world in Children of Blood and Bone, a world where inequality is rife and woven into the fabric of everyday life. A world where magic once and existed and now those who once would have wielded it are severely oppressed.

Orïsha was once a land full of magic and those who wielded it, known as the Maji. A land where ‘Burners’ had the ability to call forth and control flames, where ‘Tiders’ could manipulate the waves and ‘Reapers’ could summon the souls of those who had died.

For Zélie memories of those times are bitter sweet. On the one hand she can remember her mother whose face was like the sun and myths of the old Gods are woven into her childhood memories along with visions of her mother practicing the magic of a Reaper.

However, Zélie cannot think of her mother without thinking of the night the magic disappeared and they took her mother away.

“I hear the myths she would tell me at night…Baba’s cries as the soldiers wrapped a chain around her neck. Her screams as they dragged her into the dark…I think about the way her corpse hung from that tree.

I think about the king who took her away.”

King Saran ordered that all the Maji be killed so that even the possibility of magic be eradicated. The children of the Maji, known as Diviners, were only spared because magic didn’t present itself until the age of thirteen.

Now those with Diviner blood are marked out by the white streak in their hair, once a sign of favour from the Gods but know a signal that they are ‘maggots’ and somehow beneath the general population.

Zélie and others like her are taxed beyond their means and preyed upon by King Saran’s guards. The language they once used is forbidden and those who cannot pay their taxes are taken to the stocks and treated as little more than slaves.

Children of Blood and Bone has a helpful guide in the front to help the reader distinguish between the different Maji clans, their titles and their gods.

The book is told from the perspective of three different people: Zélie, Princess Amari and her brother prince Inan.

11 years on from the day magic disappeared and Zélie is an angry and reckless young lady. Raging against the guards and the injustices they visit.

On they day we meet her Zélie is sparring against a girl called Yemi in an attempt to win the right to graduate. Their match is interrupted by yet another visit from the guards and Zélie loses her temper with one of them as he informs her teacher Mama Agba that taxes are to be raised yet again because of her association with ‘maggots.’

After the guards have gone Mama Agba angrily reminds Zélie that she needs to be more careful because who would look after her brother Tzain and her father if she was gone?

Through Mama Agba we learn all about the previous existence of magic and how the Maji were once revered but that reverence turned to fear, hate and violence before turning to the desire to do away with magic once and for all. Mama Agba tells the girls that she teaches them the art of the staff so that they can defend themselves in a controlled manner.

After the others have gone Mama Agba keeps Zélie behind and tells her that she has graduated. She presents her with an iron-lined staff but tells her now she knows how to win she also needs to remember there is also a time to fight.

Whilst they are talking, Zélie’s brother comes in and berates her for leaving their father alone. They rush to get back to him and when they arrive he is near drowned. Zélie feels incredibly guilty because since her mother was killed her father has been a broken man and has needed help from his children but she left him and that nearly cost his life.

“Before the Raid, he could fight off three armed men with nothing but a skinning knife in his hand. But after the beating he got that night, it took him five moons before he could even talk.

They broke him that night, battered his heart and shattered his soul. Maybe he would have recovered if he hadn’t woken to find mama’s corpse found in black chains. But he did. He’s never been the same since.”

With Tzain mad at her Zélie feels incredibly lonely and feels that her only friend is her ryder, a lionaire she raised from a wounded cub.

Baba tells them he was trying to get some more fish to pay the increased tax because if he didn’t the guards told him they would put Zélie in the stocks. In doing so he managed to lose their boat meaning they can’t get the fish to pay the tax.

Zélie comes up with a plan to earn them some more money for tax by selling fish to nobles at the market in Lagose. Whilst there Zélie is stopped by a girl who begs for her help to escape the guards. Zélie agrees with no idea what she is getting herself into.

Princess Amari was a character that really grew on me. Initially I found her really spoilt and a bit shallow but as the book progressed she turned into a character I loved.

When we first met Princess Amari, she is having dinner with her mother and some others and reflecting on her sheltered life up to this point and the fact she has never really left the confines of the palace. During dinner she learns her oldest, best and only friend Binta has been summoned to see her father the king.

Binta is a diviner and Amari is concerned about why he wants to see her. She rushes off to find out what is happening as she senses whatever her father wants it can’t be good.

When she goes to her father’s room she overhears a conversation about an artefact that washed up in one of the villages, a scroll that brings out latent magical abilities in diviners. The diviners became Maji when they came into contact with the scroll. The magic was weak but it was there.

Princess Amari is scared when she hears this because from a young age she and her brother have been taught magic is something to fear because her father’s first wife and son were killed by Maji.

Kaea has the scroll of her and whilst Amari looks on the guards bring Binta before the king to test it. They touch the scroll to her hand and light explodes from it. Then they kill Binta in front of her.

Afterwards she sees the guards take the scroll into Kaea’s room and Princess Amari can’t resist sneaking in to examine it.

After Zélie and Amari flee Prince Inan is summoned to the king and informed that he needs to hunt down his own sister and that he must do whatever is necessary to hunt down the scroll including burn down Zélie’s village.

When Zélie learns of the scroll from Amari she decides she needs to take it to Mama Agba to show her. Once there she realises that Mama Agba is secretly a Maji, and not just any Maji, she is a seer.

Mama Agba has a vision of Amari and Zélie journeying to an ancient temple to find out about a ritual inscribed on the scroll in the hope of bringing magic back for good.

With Inan in hot pursuit though will they make it out the village before he burns it to the ground? Will Zélie be able to bring magic back to her people and is it the right thing to do?

Children of Blood and Bone was a fantastic book and I can’t wait to find out what happens in the next one. A completely unique read.

The Story

They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us. NOW WE RISE.

Zélie remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. When different clans ruled – Burners igniting flames, Tiders beckoning waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoning forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared.

Under the orders of a ruthless king, anyone with powers was targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Only a few people remain with the power to use magic, and they must remain hidden. Zélie is one such person. Now she has a chance to bring back magic to her people and strike against the monarchy.

With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must learn to harness her powers and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where strange creatures prowl, and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to come to terms with the strength of her magic – and her growing feelings for an enemy.

The Review

Why did it have to end there?! This is serious Book Hangover material. BE WARNED. Sometimes I think publishing a series one book at a time should be outlawed.

What a read. What a cast! What a great story. This is one of the best books I’ve read in years – I think the series is going to be incredible. It is such a beautiful celebration of African culture, love, family and the unerring belief in doing the right thing. It is also a novel filled with unexpected twists and turns. I never knew how each chapter was going to end, never mind the whole story.

We meet Zélie when she is competing in a fighting competition. She’s bold, stubborn and has a vein of anger running beneath her veins, along with the crushed remnants of her maji heritage. Crushed, because magic was wiped out years ago, during a brutal massacre called The Raid. Zélie’s mother was murdered during this same massacre, and now she fights so she will never have to suffer that same fate.

The first chapter had me hooked, and I was perfectly happy to read a novel focused on this fighting competiton. But that’s not the story Adeyemi wanted to tell. Within a few chapters, Zélie has left that world completely behind her, after running into Amari, a princess who has escaped the palace with a relic which has the ability to bring back magic.

The tale which ensues is thrilling. Adeyemi writes her characters with so much depth, so many emotions bubbling to the surface, that the reader can’t help but become embroiled in the narrative. It certainly helpes that the novel is written from the perspective of our 4 main characters: Zélie, her brother Tzain, Amari and her brother Inan. Each character is clearly defined, different from the others and motivated by their own, detailed backstories.

There is a strong thread of family running through the entire novel, which resonates with me as I’m one of four siblings. There is nothing more important than family for keeping you grounded, telling you when you’ve messed up, and lifing you up when you’ve done something well. Children of Blood and Bone is a true celebration of family, and it was a truly enjoyable read.

I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

Children of Blood and Bone will be published on 8th March, and is available for pre-order now.

You can reach Adeyemi on her website or via twitter.

P.S. This novel has been optioned for film release – if you’re someone like me who loves to read the book first, get in there quick!

4.5 stars. This was just wow. Children of Blood and Bone is so unique. It is set in a West African fantasy land where magic used to rein but has been taken away by a cruel kingdom. Maji are treated like slaves since the Raid, a brutal attack by the king, took away magic and many maji lives.

The writing in this book is gorgeous and the world building is phenomenal. Adeyemi has written a debut book that will fill you with a tonne of feelings - awe, heartbreak, sorrow and hatred.

The plot flows perfectly and Adeyemi doesn't shy away from brutality and torture. She creates characters full of life that will leave you feeling all the hurt, anger, fear that these characters feel.

Highly recommended!

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 Amara 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?

I woke up the other day to a tweet from Stephen King to Tomi Adeyemi, praising how good this book is. I will repeat STEPHEN KING LIKES THIS BOOK. Okay, now that my fangirling little heart has restarted, I can finally get round to talking about what is most certainly one of the most anticipated YA reads of 2018. And for good reason. I’ve been sitting on this for a good few months now, long enough for Netgalley to pretty much give up on expecting me to review this book, but I was just so worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype. Well, Ladies and Gentlemen [and fellow maji] I am pleased to inform you this simply isn’t the case.

Children of Blood and Bone started quite slow. There was a lot of build up, a lot of scene setting, and a lot of me pulling faces and wondering if I could squeeze in a few minutes of Magikarp Jump before I started the next chapter. This continued for about 30% of the way through the book, and then the characters got so mired in a shit-storm of action that it took me at least five minutes of internal screaming to realize that, somewhere along the way, I had grown to love them all and now feared for their lives. So thanks, Tomi, thank you very much for that. Congrats, you must have taken at least ten years off my life. Zelie [excuse my lack of accents please, silly keyboard] is so strong and powerful, and if you’re a fan of Sarah J Maas, Susan Dennard and Leigh Bardugo’s kick-ass heroines, this book is definitely for you. Zelie shoulders all of the monumental responsibility heaped on her shoulders with tenacity, wit and poise. That’s not to say that she never struggles– in fact part of the reason I love her character as fiercely as I do is how she constantly seemed to be conflicted about what she has been tasked with, and how it could lead to apocalyptic failure. There’s a strong sense of grief, and the memory of her mother’s brutal death plays a significant role in how Zelie views the world [and the people in it] around her. Her brother, Tzain, is also highly likeable, and I think Adeyemi manages to weave in an impressively strong familial bond very well, using lots of action and emotion to show, rather than tell us how we’re meant to feel about these characters. He’s also not without his faults, but again I think the author does a superb job of tempering his brilliance with these flaws to make him human enough to cheer for.

Same goes for Amari. I was a little concerned in the opening chapters of the book that she was going to be very much the princess stereotype found in fairytales– beautiful and passive, with a touch of courage to keep her interesting. But Amari was actually a very unique character. I thought sometimes her voice could have come across a smidge stronger, but really she held her own, even against some of the clearer voices in the novel. I thought her morals were really what made her– and I liked how she always stood up for what she believed in, even when others around her wavered. Also, there are key moments in Children of Blood and Bone where she is pure bad-ass. No quibbles here. Which brings me to her brother, Inan. Possibly one of the most complex and intriguing characters of the book. At times I loved him, at others I loathed him. I promised a spoiler-free review, so I won’t say too much, but urgh. That boy! Still, I thought what Tomi did with his character was very impressive, and her deft touch at moving him through all these thoughts and emotions was simply masterful. I can’t wait to see how book two turns out in regards to the characters. I won’t give too much away, but the ending is sure to leave readers hooked, sobbing ugly, ugly tears. Have tissues on hand, preferably a box of them.

The other thing that I think worked really well was the magic system. We don’t get to learn too much about how it works in this book, mostly because the plot is all about how to bring magic back, but even the glimpses we’re allowed are breathtaking. The different types are the most interesting to me right now, and I like how, much as Dennard’s Truthwitch series has done, Children of Blood and Bone mixes familiar powers such as control over elements and healing, with new ones [or at least twists on old ones]. The concept of Reapers, which would mostly be considered a kind of dark magic, sounds totally fascinating, and again I’m curious to know what kind of direction the series will take this in as it pans out. The questions raised about magic in general are also very refreshing– I’m used to magic based worlds where either magicians are all powerful, or they are repressed and forbidden. The latter is kind of true in CoBaB, with the diviners [again, sorry for the lack of accents] being labelled as ‘maggots,’ forced to pay taxes or risk ending up in a slave-system known as The Stocks. Adeyemi paints a horrifying scene of the danger being a diviner actually puts a person in, and of course it raises some interesting points about the prejudice at the core of this hatred. Because, of course, these people were once more powerful than the others around them, and again and again the characters in the novel ask what will happen if magic gets into the wrong hands, if it can’t be controlled and contained, if someone decides on revenge rather than peace? All of these are interesting questions, and I sense they will crop up again and again throughout the series.

Of course, there were moments when the novel flagged a bit. I was a bit irked by the insta-love relationships sprouting up like daisies throughout the plot, and I feel these could have been handled with a little more panache. I’ll always value the slow-build over the immediate explosive love. I like that the author again tried to balance it, and there is always that voice at the back of my head which grudgingly admits that, given the high-stakes and tension circumstances, it isn’t so surprising that the word ‘love’ is bandied around so quickly, but as of right now I am a cynical 23 year-old, typing away on my laptop in my student flat. So I’m going to call it as a point against the book. But hey, that’s me being picky. Besides that, and the sluggish opening, I really can’t fault this book at all. The characters and world were so well written, and it honestly feels like something I’ve never read before. Which is all kinds of impressive, given my obsession with YA. Also, can I just point out how refreshing it is to have a whole novel that is POC? I can’t remember the last time I came across something like this, and since I’ve started researching representation in YA, I’ve found myself growing more and more frustrated.

9.5/ 10 stars. If you haven’t pre-ordered this book yet, you’re missing out.

I'd had my eyes on this title for a while and I'm really, really glad I got the opportunity to read it in advance! I devoured this book in about twenty four hours because it just kept me hooked from start to finish: this African-inspired fantasy novel feels like a breath of fresh air in YA publishing. I had a few minor issues with some linguistic choices (the repetition of "ugh"s and "agh"s, the expression "the breath I did not realise I was holding") but overall this is not just a very solid debut, but I dare say a very solid novel. The world-building makes people immerse immediately in the world, the style is straightforward during action scenes and evocative in the descriptions and the characters are wonderfully built, balancing virtues and flaws in a very realistic way. What I appreciated most, however, was the powerful political message about power and sistematic oppression underneath: I like my fantasy to have a deeper, stronger message that goes beyond the story, and this specific one is particularly important these days. Moreover, as much as I am in love with my European-inspired fantasy, there is something very refreshing about finding new inspirations from other cultures, and I can't even imagine how satisfying this is going to feel for readers who will FINALLY be able to see their heritage in those pages.
I would consider this read a 4.5, maybe 4.75/5 but I'm kicking it up to a 5 because of how... again, how IMPORTANT it is. Trust the hype, read diverse books and support their authors!