Series: Legacy of Orisha #1
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Source: Bought
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.
You guys, this book was so good and I'm so happy it's getting all the recognition and praise it deserves. So many fantasy novels are all based in the same recycled worlds and this one felt so fresh and exciting -- I loved the history, the setting, and the magic systems. This fantasy novel makes me excited to see what other diverse and amazing stories will be released.
Children of Blood and Bone is told through three different point of views: Zélie, Amari, and Amari's brother, Inan. These characters were so interesting -- they were flawed, had unique backgrounds, and had to confront different obstacles throughout their journey. While they drove me crazy at times (particularly Zélie and Inan), I found myself rooting for them throughout the story. Also, I love Amari. Seriously, she was the character I was rooting for the most, the one that had me feeling all the feels. I want all her dreams to come true and for her to be happy for forever. As far as Zélie and Inan go . . . I was frustrated with them so often. Zélie kept making rash decisions that put people in danger and Inan was so wishy washy . . . I kept wanting him to have an independent thought and do what he wanted to do, rather than the people around him.
The plot was fairly straightforward -- a quest in which the characters were working to retrieve something to save many people. I won't say much else because I don't want to spoil anything but I definitely enjoyed the main plotline in this. One thing that bothered me though was that there seemed to be so many side quests that took us away from the main story. I started getting frustrated and it made me take longer to read this than I wanted.
Overall, this novel was one that made me excited to read more like it. I'm hoping this will lead to more diverse and interesting fantasy books (and more diverse books in general). I'm also excited to see where this series goes -- the ending was a bit of a cliffhanger and I'm looking forward to getting answers to the questions I was left with!
“Courage does not always roar. Valor does not always shine.”
Four out of Five Teapots
This is one of my favourite books of 2018 by far! I was also rooting for all three of the characters all of the way through, they're all so unique. Adeyemi's world-building was incredible, I need the sequel asap! Great review x
ReplyDeleteEvie x | https://eviejayne.co.uk
I'm glad you liked it so much!! It's definitely a super good read -- I'm looking forward to seeing how the series continues!
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