Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

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.

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The Review

Wow. I devoured this book in one sitting and still I want more. Don't be intimidated by the girth of the book because it flies by at the speed of light in all of the best ways. This is the book I've been wanting to read for years and when you get right down to it, I think it's a book that has desperately needed to be published.

Even without the social context, the fantasy is amazing. The world-building is broad, the people are diverse and fascinating and the folklore found a home in my heart where I think it will stay for months. Adeyemi's prose is stunning, and I found myself crying when I became so completely tangled up with the characters.

I considered taking a star off for Inan's character being unrealistic at the end, but the more I thought about it the more I began to question that. Is he unrealistic? I think we have to question what learned hatred and the desire to please does to us, especially if the assimilation begins at childhood. When the only thing you want is to be accepted, even at the expense of someone else, I think becoming blind to the truth of things isn't unreasonable after all, not if it means finally being seen yourself. And isn't that part of being manipulated, depending on the skill of the abusers?

The relationships between Zelie and Amari kind of made the book for me. Two girls from two completely different worlds who know completely different suffering have to find a way to see past their own misconceptions and tear down the walls they've built to protect themselves and I was so down with it.

​Summing up, go and buy this book right meow!