Children of Blood and Bone

GUYS, THIS BOOK! This book was freaking amazing. Yes, I can’t describe this book without mentioning how brilliant this debut was. There was nothing not to be loved. It is a high fantasy which definitely deserves all the hype. This story has diviners (people who are yet to discover their magic), majis (the people capable of doing magic) and the Royals. Zélie is our main character who is a diviner turned maji. Her mother was killed by King Saran who was determined to finish the magic by killing all the majis. Inan and Amari are the children of king Saran. Amari ran away from the kingdom and meets Zélie and his brother Tzain and went to discover magic with them. Inan, like his father, believed in “duty before self” and wanted to kill the magic. The plot is absolutely entertaining and gave me the vibes of Lord of the Rings. I mean, not exactly but all the fantasy world and the adventurous journey of the characters made me feel so. There is a lot of magic and magical objects, which is, of course, an important element of fantasy. But the good thing is all those magic scenes were well written and actually weren’t out of the place at all (looking at you The Hazel Wood). There were unexpected events one after the another and it will make you turn the pages one after the another. The magical world of Orïsha is superbly created. This is said to be a Nigerian fantasy and I read a review of someone saying that the place names used are from Nigeria itself. I think this is a cool idea. We get to see many African cultural elements, dresses, foods and other stuff which will make you feel that you are reading the story of real Africa. The good thing is that the author hasn’t dumped all the info at the beginning of the book itself or at a certain place, which happens in most of the fantasies, rather the information is well-separated. I wasn’t confused with all the fantasy elements and each element felt as a necessity in moving the story. All the characters were brilliant. The story has 3 POVs – Zélie, Amari, and Inan – all three of them are fabulous. They may not be the perfect characters as they made mistakes and were stupid at times, but they felt exactly what was needed in such a fantasy world. Zélie was fierce and badass. She had all those magic yet she felt so powerless without her mother and thus portrayed raw emotions. Amari was a naive princess but later she comes out as a bolder one. I loved the friendship between Zélie and Amari, who of course started as being enemies. Inan’s character was little confusing. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I loved him at times and then I hated him at others. He was too weak to fight against his father who filled his childhood with hate towards majis. For almost whole book we saw him conflicting with his emotions. I didn’t exactly hate him though. I kind of felt bad for him because of the situation he was in, courtesy his father and sister. Tzain was a sweetheart who was always protective of her sister. There were many other brilliant side-characters who were done equally good. Each of them suited to their roles in Zélie’s journey perfectly. Tomi Adeyemi’s writing is brilliant. The language is easy to understand and she writes at such a good pace that you are bound to flip the pages immediately. There were adventures and amazing moments one after the another. During a few scenes, my expressions were “what did just happened”? I read the first half pretty lazily, but guess what, I finished the second half, in a night! Yes, it was so engrossing. Children of Blood and Bone is a remarkable debut by Tomi Adeyemi and is absolutely worth all the hype. It is absolutely a must-read book. Many people can find faults, but for me everything was wonderful. From storytelling to world-building, to pacing, to characters — everything is brilliant. I have heard that Fox is already adapting Children Of Blood And Bone into a film. Seriously, I can’t wait for the movie and more than that, for the sequel 🙂

Spoiler free part: You might have been following me reading this book during the last weekend readathon and I was having mixed feeling along the way. In the beginning, I was so interested to read this because of it's different idea to explore African mythology unlike the usual American YA novels and it started out really good and promising. And the best part was, it is written from two different perspectives and both combines at the end. But after the 1/3 of the book, it didn't feel like a original plot or with extraordinary characters. 1. As usual like all other female protagonist in YA novels, this Zélie was annoying too. She was immature and throwing her tantrums for stupid reasons. If it's not for Amari, I would have closed the book long before. Unlike other characters, there was a proper character development in her part (and honestly character development is what I expect most in a book). Other characters were really boring too. Nothing new or special about them. 2. Insta love! God! I love proper development in a relationship. It was instant and within a night they were planning to build a new Orisha! Seriously? That was way too dramatic. 3. It is full of African based characters because the author wanted to honour them. So all of the descriptions about their look was black. But the plot wasn't. It was no different from the characters in American YA novels. Their life isn't easy that was supposed to be the point. But it failed terribly. 4. If you have read any Sarah J Mass' books, you would find so many similarities. I guarantee you that. 5. And there are too many killings in the book for no reason! 6. The only thing I love about the book was the writing. It was really awesome and I did enjoy the book apart from all the negative things I mentioned. And I am really looking forward to her next book. Because she is capable and I expect more effort from her. 7. Generally, I don't like a magical world with the difficulty in doing magic. But in this one, it had a meaning and I loved it. The dilemma Zélie had about magic was really good. . . And now here comes the. . Spoiler-y section: 1. I would like you to compare Zélie and Inan with Feyre and Tamlin. See the similarities? Isn't Inan same coward like Tamlin? 2. And. . . Did you get any hint at Roen's character at the end? Is he going to be another Rhys? Possible! 3. And honestly, all along the story, I expected Zélie and Amari to be together. They had that chemistry man! 4. And I don't know if Amari is aware of her feelings with Binta. It wasn't just a friendship. I really loved that. I am telling you right, Amari is such a sweetheart and if I care about any character in here, it is Amari. She became a badass in the end. And I need to see more of her than that stupid Zélie and her hopeless love.

After the raid, most of the maji are dead except the diviners who can’t do magic. They can’t do their magic because king Saran killed their connection with the sky mother (who provides magic). But Amari (princess of orisha and daughter of king Saran) who stole the scroll from her father, now wants revenge from her faher becaue he killed her close friend. Now with the help of Amari, Zelie and Tzain are gonna bring back the magic, and restore peace. My Review This novel is breathtaking. Story was magnificent and so creative. My last AWESOME read was Renegades. Now I love this book as much I love renegades. And renegades is now a trilogy and so is children of blood and bone! Back to the book at hand, the plot twists were amazing and the end of the climax was awesome too. This raises too many questions and excitement for the next book. Grammar was great and writing was awesome and gripping. Character development was awesome. But I can’t say anything about this one character, Inan. He is the son of king Saran. But I hate him so much because of some reasons. You will know when you read the book. How can zelie feel this way towards him? Except that every other character seems fine. First I thought it was like X-Men, but it turns out to be great after some chapters. I can say that nothing was wrong with this book. YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY READ THIS BOOK. HOW SHOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK? Take it slow and enjoy every page of this book. Because this book is awesome and you might not wanna miss anything.

Where do i even start ¿ i’m literally spell bound by this freaking amazingly written book, i just can’t stop praising bout how pleasing & daring it was to read this beauty ❤️ This book is so interesting that it boosted my imagination levels thousands times more. As i turn every page i was so curious to know what’s bout to happen & what’s going to happen ¿ i couldn’t even sleep properly lol cuz even in my dreams all the characters from the book started spinning in my head with questions. i just loved it & i had so much fun while reading it ! So the book is narrated by three characters Zélie(main character), Amari(princess of orïsha) & Inan(prince of orïsha)........Zélie, Amari & Tzain(Zélie’s elder brother) are set to travel across orïsha to find a way to bring magic back to the land of orïsha again.......it’s like you’re encountering an epic adventure you’d definitely feel a triumph with a lot of questions dancing in your mind at the end of the book..... King Saran(ruthless king who also killed Zélie’s mom)is the reason for the trouble & violence in orïsha he want to eradicate magic forever...... Zélie was chosen by the gods to bring magic back for good....to bring peace back in orïsha......but that’s not easy......zélie, amari & tzain have to face many difficulties on their way including amari’s brother Inan who’s after Zélie with only intention in his mind KILL HER KILL MAGIC.......things turned out to get different as we move on in this story......you should find out how & why ¿ All the characters are beautifully portraited in this book & specifically i love the sibling relationships in this book i adore it a lot....... currently there’re a lot of things stuck in conundrum inside my head that’s cuz the ending of the book is just the beginning.........Sequel for this book gonna release in march 2019 indeed answers to many questions ! Author Tomi Adeyami you’re just incredible to create such an epic fantasy......

various shifts in POVs as well which helps us in getting to know the characters and they shows real character growth. You feel what the characters are feeling and their different perspectives and they even feel realistic, with their own sets of problems and regrets. It has beautiful fantasy elements coming together with magic and action and kickass females and great rep in the background of today’s times. It shows the prejudice, bias and oppression against people who can wield magic which so many people can relate to because of the general bias against the people of a particular class, caste or race in reality! The writing is beautiful. The words are woven together and take my imagination to just another level because I can visualize the scenery, the sights and the fights and everything else, quite vividly. Zélie is a headstrong and determined female with her own tragic past which hasn’t extinguished her light for a better future for the majis. She struggles with her responsibilities and her own feelings. She is such a relatable character, apart from her having the magic part. I don’t want to give away the names of all the characters and how they fit in because I think it will be too spoiler-y. There were some minor characters which I really want to see again though! Also, one of the things I liked about this one was that there were no unnecessary and exaggerated romance scenes. At some points I did get very angsty and irritated because of all the long descriptions at the points where something was going to happen!! For now, all I can say nay urge and plead and beg you too pick up this wonderfully crafted book full of magical elements and well, everything I mentioned above! I can’t wait for the second book to come out!! Quick thing: It was around midnight and I reach chapter 83, which is the second last chapter and I’m like, “Now’s not the time Tomi!! Shit’s going down!!!” I went kinda cray cray with this one.

Do you really need a review of this book. It's been almost a whole year. The plot amd concept is really amazing and the gorgeous cover won't let your eyes ignore it if kept on table even if you aren't a reader. (because my non reader friends. Held it and roamed in college campus for several days when I took break while reading it) What I love about the book is CONCEPT I love magic and fantasy so this was something which I preferred over a self help book this time... And it was worthy, the quotes are really nice and this won't dissapoint you of you give it a try. But this I don't like about it is narration style... Though lucid but it lacks feelings somewhere... Not in the whole book but in some parts there's lack of feelings and excitement.. But it won't be homest if I say that I didn't enjoyed the book. The matt black finish of the cover and shining hairs makes it look beautiful... The book is written to submerge you, or I say lift you uo and throw in a different world everytime you pick it up... I admire the story amd I'm eagerly waiting for children of virtue and vengeance But the only thing i want to say at last is that.. Sometimes it will give you goosebumps and somewhere it may not appeal you... So keep patience and with hands on heart (or pages) read it... Because it's worthy! Now if I'm going ti say some words about the story... So if you don't want to read you may skip now... Though I don't give much info, just little bit to inform you what's in the boom The story mainly shifts from story of inan and zelie who are two important characters of the story... It's specifically the journey of zelie who is set to fight and protect! Enemies are everywhere, they are suppressed under the stern laws imposed on them... And to fight there's still a lot to learn... Will she able to make the difference and take others out of this situation? Let's see what will happen!

OMG!!! This book!!! What have I been doing without reading it these many days?! A fantasy that I found so engaging. The story deserves every words of praise out there. I loved this book so much and trust me. It would be all time favourite for every YA fans out there. Its just brilliant, sensational, wondrous and what not!!! I don't have enough words... And I have become its biggest fan. I can't wait for the sequel and I already pre ordered it. Also its going to be in screens too and I'm literally craving for watching it in visuals... My kind request to the filmmakers... Please do not lose the essence of the book. I know that's difficult but I don't want to be disappointed. Okay I'm pouring all my emotions right here! But please don't miss this beauty it's awesome. Now let me give a blurp about the book. It's about Magic and the rage it causes. The protagonist tries to bring back the magic that has lost its connection with the majis (people blessed with magical powers). It requires a ritual to be performed by the chosen one. And its not easy as it sounds because of the king whose aim is to eradicate magic from the land. What happens then is the adventure that will not let you sleep.

(I voluntarily reviewed a Physical Copy of the book for For The Love of Fictional Worlds) I have been seeing a whole lot of hype around this book – mostly ‘cause it has ZERO white characters and written by a POC! Yes, it was hyped quite a bit when it was announced and then the early reviews started pouring in; and even I was getting excited to read this beauty. At the same time though; I was quite apprehensive – yes there were so many who had loved it; but I had always taken early reviews with a hint of salt till I got to the book on my own. So I did my best to go into the book without any bias. The plot of the book is quite predictable – The land of Orisha is ruled by a king who has stomped out all the magic in the land – Maji (the magical people) were once revered and respected by the people, for they were believed to be touched by the Gods. But when the King starts hunting the Maji; they become isolated and hated; especially since the one night when magic suddenly disappeared. Zélie Adebola can’t seem to let go of the memories of the night when her mother was murdered or the anger that inspires in her. She lives with her father, Baba and her older brother Tzain (Can someone teach me how to pronounce their names please? I am kinda lost!). It is only when they help escape the Princess, that they finally have hope. Princess Amari claims that she has the scroll that can bring back the magic to the people. And so starts their journey! But this isn’t just the story of Zelie; she is also accompanied by her brother Tzain, Princess Amari and her nemesis, Prince Inan. We get the POVs of all the characters – which I honestly adored about this book. Tzain is the typical big brother – where Zelie is impulsive, rude and blunt; Tzain is calm, patient and loving. They both might have been opposites of each other; but there is no denying the deep unflinching loyalty between them. Princess Amari showed the greatest growth during the course of the plot – she starts off as a shy, mousy and scared girl on the run who has to rely on the girl who definitely hates her (for her father’s sins, of course!) but she slowly but surely grows into her own strengths throughout the plot! Prince Inan is Amari’s brother and the heir apparent to the Kingdom of Orisha and has been conditioned his life on the hateful teachings of his father – and honestly, he is the most complex character of all the others. Throughout I could literally feel the hate and the confusion leaping of the pages when I read his POV – it made me feel things for him; things I can’t definitely define as pity or even sympathy! The plot is pretty much predictable – especially for an ardent fantasy fan; but it is the writing that keeps the reader interested in the plot. The plot is more of an adventure story rather than an action one; yet it works. The plot kicks off in high gear right from the start and never lets up – there is always something or the other happening in every single chapter; which made keeping the book down quite the physical effort on my part. The ending is not exactly cliffhanger – ish but it was unexpected and there are a whole lot of questions left at the end of the book – and now the wait for the second book seems awfully longish!

Das Land Orïsha wurde einst von den zehn Maji-Clans beherrscht. Sie nutzten göttliche Kräfte, konnten heilen oder in die Zukunft sehen, beherrschten Feuer und Wasser, Licht und Dunkelheit, Leben oder Tod. Doch vor 11 Jahren verschwand plötzlich alle Magie. Daraufhin ließ der skrupellose König Saran in der Blutnacht alle Maji töten, unter ihnen auch die Mutter der 17-jährigen Zélie Adebola. Die Kinder der Maji, die sogenannten Divîners mit ihren markant weißen Haaren, durften zwar weiterleben, werden aber seitdem verachtet, unterdrückt und als "Maggots" beschimpft. Alle Hoffnung auf bessere Zeiten scheint verloren, bis Zélie per Zufall ein magisches Artefakt in die Hände fällt. Gemeinsam mit ihrem Bruder Tzain und der rebellischen Prinzessin Amari begibt sie sich auf eine gefährliche Mission. Doch ihr Feind, der pflichtbewusste Kronprinz Inan, ist ihnen bereits dicht auf den Fersen. Kann Zélie die Magie nach Orïsha zurückbringen und ihrem Volk zu alter Macht verhelfen? "Children of Blood and Bone" stammt aus der Feder von Tomi Adeyemi und ist der Auftakt ihrer Legacy of Orïsha-Trilogie. Die Autorin aus Nigeria legt hier ein grandioses Fantasydebüt vor, das seinem Hype absolut gerecht wird. Der Roman hat mich von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite in den Bann gezogen und gefesselt. Definitiv ein Jahreshighlight! Allein das Worldbuilding begeistert. Tomi Adeyemi entführt uns hier nach Westafrika - in ein Königreich voller göttlicher Mythen und einzigartiger Magie. Ob heilige Tempel, quirlige Märkte, Wüstenstädte oder riesige Reit-Raubtiere - all das wird sehr lebendig und detailreich geschildert. Eine faszinierende, komplexe und gut erklärte Fantasywelt, die mit viel Atmosphäre glänzt. So fließen z.B. auch viele Worte und Sätze in afrikanischer Sprache mit ein. Zudem sind die Parallelen zur Realität unverkennbar. Denn die Autorin greift hier allgemeingültige Themen auf wie Rassismus, Unterdrückung, Gewalt und Ungerechtigkeit und regt damit zum Nachdenken. Dazu kommen interessante und vielschichtige Haupt- und Nebencharaktere, die allesamt Schwarz sind. Auch deshalb ist das Buch etwas Besonderes. Im Mittelpunkt stehen dabei zwei Geschwisterpaare: Fischerstochter Zélie und ihr Bruder Tzain sowie Prinzessin Amari und ihr Bruder Inan. Drei davon fungieren abwechselnd als Ich-Erzähler im Präsens: Zélie, die immer mehr an Stärke hinzugewinnt, aber auch ihre verletzliche und zweifelnde Seite zeigt. Amari, die alles andere ist als eine verwöhnte Prinzessin, ihre Ängste überwindet und sich bald als toughe Kriegerin entpuppt. Und Antagonist Inan, der ein Geheimnis verbirgt, von einem besseren Orïsha träumt und hin- und hergerissen ist zwischen Pflicht und Gefühl. Mir haben alle Figuren und ihre jeweilige Entwicklung ausgesprochen gut gefallen, besonders aber Zélie und Amari. Zwei starke und gleichwertige Heldinnen in einem Buch, die auch noch eine tolle Freundschaft verbindet. Das hat man auch nicht so oft. Das Ganze ist wunderbar geschrieben und liest sich angenehm flüssig. Schon bald fliegen die Seiten nur so dahin. Action und Spannung kommen dabei auf keinen Fall zu kurz - mit episch-magischen Schlachten zu Wasser und zu Land, blutigen Schwertkämpfen und rasanten Verfolgungsjagden. Wir erleben einige überraschende Wendungen und auch ein paar schockierend-brutale Szenen, die mich richtig fassungslos machten. Etwas Romantik darf natürlich auch nicht fehlen - mit einem bezaubernden Paar und einer schicksalhaften Liebe, die allerdings unter keinem guten Stern steht. Das alles gipfelt in einem packenden und dramatischen Showdown, bei dem mir so manches Mal der Atem stockte. Gelingt es Zélie & Co, die Magie nach Orïsha zurückzubringen? Wird jemals Frieden herrschen? Am Ende steht ein richtig fieser Cliffhanger, dessen wahre Bedeutung ich nur erahnen kann. Ich freue mich daher schon sehr auf die Fortsetzung "Children of Virtue and Vengeance" und auch auf die bereits geplante Verfilmung! Insgesamt kann ich "Children of Blood and Bone" uneingeschränkt empfehlen. Grandiose und mitreißende Fantasy an tollen Schauplätzen, die ihrem Hype mehr als gerecht wird. Begeisterte 5 Sterne von mir!

Amazing ! So new and so exciting. Thrilling all the way and the Magic of the orishas ... makes everything even better. Zelie is an amazing main character and it's so good to have afrofantasy based in African lore. I loved this book. It healed something in me as a hard-core fantasy lover that never saw any character looking like me before.

Great read. Nice world-building, tense narrative. A little rushed by the end.

This book is so phenomenal, wanted to read the book before the movie release. So excited

Arrived in good shape. This is probably the prettiest book I own❤️