Children
of Blood and Bone – Tomi Adeyemi
Children
of Blood and Bone has been one of this year’s most hotly anticipated releases.
Tomi Adeyemi’s fantasy debut has sent the book world into complete overdrive. With
currently a three book/three movie deals already in the works, this book has
been sensationally hyped across the globe.
They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
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.
Children of Blood and Bone is a
story told in multiple perspectives, that of our main female protagonist Zélie,
Amari the princess of Orïsha, and Inan, Amari’s brother and future king of Orïsha.
Adeyemi crafts a beautiful, magical world within the pages of this book, allowing
us to follow such strong and diverse characters within this entire story.
The detail in which the world
is crafted sucks you right in just as much as following the actual plot does
too. I savoured each and every page of this novel, and as I neared the end,
started to slow my reading for fear of finishing this book. A sure sign at the
wonder its pages contained.
Aside from the Sarah J Maas and
Holly Black books in the world, I have not been as drawn to fantasy as I have
to this story, and I haven’t been so invested in a fantasy world like this for
a very long time.
The relationships crafted and
the magic system in place within this world is beautiful. The sibling
relationship between Zélie and Tzain and Amari and Inan, were a joy to watch
unfold. Both so different, and yet so incredibly similar in a strange sort of
way that made reading it’s development something to be just as invested in.
What someone will do to protect the person they love, clearly prominent within
this novel. The strength of each of these characters as they all overcome and
face the challenges their world has thrown at them, and the fire within them to
fight back and defend their right really leaves an impression at the end of
this journey.
Adeyemi creates a beauty in the
words she writes, you can clearly envision the world she is weaving, and become
lost in the world as it unfolds around us. The action and twists and turns with
each finished chapter keeps you gripped the entirety of this novel.
This is not like most of my
reviews where I try to go into more detail on the story, as I really do not
want to give much away. I saw the hype that was surrounding this novel, but I did
not want to know too much about it until I started to read it for myself, and I
can honestly say this is possibly the best way to go about it. Experiencing it
for the first time with your own eyes, as opposed to someone else’s first means
you can go in expecting nothing more than an enjoyable book.
But I will say this book is
amazing, and by far my favourite book of the year so far. I have no idea when
book two is due for release, but I do know as soon as it is out I am picking it
up and finding out exactly where we are being taken to next on this journey.
Tomi Adeyemi is an author to keep an eye out for and I am excited for anything and
everything she does next.
I have given this a solid 5 out of 5 stars.