Children of Blood and Bone

Description from Goodreads:

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and 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 the enemy.
Review:

“Partial review based on the 72 page sneak preview.

I am thankful to Netgalley, Henry Holt and Co. and Tomi Adeyemi for the preview excerpt of Children of Blood and Bones that I received.

Initially, the cover did not spark my interest. However, it did grow on me and after reading the sampler, I must admit that it perfectly exemplifies the story within.

The novel is set in the fantasy world of Orisha where the once revered magis have been murdered and their descendants known as diviners are now targeted by an abusive king. In this world, Zelie must come to grips with a terrifying past that haunts her while staunchly fighting for a better way of life.

If the first six chapters are any indication of the book as a whole, readers will not be able to put it down. Adeyemi’s writing is beautifully descriptive and pulls the reader in. While undeniably unique, the writing style of Children of Blood and Bone reminds me of Steinbeck’s “The Pearl.” So far this has been an immensely entertaining novel. I am only disappointed that I cannot finish the book at this time.

Absolutely recommend to fans of fantasy looking for an uncommon perspective.”  Plot Monster Review August 27, 2017.

Updated Review:

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi has 525 pages and was published in 2018 by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers.

I requested this title on Netgalley and was declined.  (I had done less than 10 reviews at that time.)  However, an excerpt was available to read so I decided to read that.  I do not usually read excerpts as I like to read the full text as once.  But, the blurb for this book really appealed to me so I gave it a shot.

As you can tell from the review based on the excerpt, I was quite impressed.  I was so disappointed that I could not finish the entire book at that time.  I have since had the opportunity to read the full text and I am still just as excited as I was back in August.

Adeyemi presents this tale in such a fresh, unique way it is hard not to get drawn into this book.  Her writing is smooth and easy to follow.  The characters are engaging and enigmatic.  Children of Blood and Bone is a fast-paced read filled with vibrant imagery.  Adeyemi has hit a home run with her debut novel.

I still wholeheartedly recommend this book to fans of YA and fantasy and cannot wait to read the next book in this series.

About the Author:

“Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American writer and creative writing coach based in San Diego, California. Her debut novel, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, comes out March 6th, 2018 and the movie is currently in development at Fox with the producers of Twilight and The Maze Runner attached. After graduating Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature, she received a fellowship that allowed her to study West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil. When she’s not working on her novels or watching Scandal, she can be found blogging and teaching creative writing to her 3,500 subscribers at tomiadeyemi.com. Her website has been named one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer’s Digest.” ~ Tomi Adeyemi

Rating:  4 Plot Monster Spiders

Notable Quotes:

“Courage does not always roar. Valor does not always shine.”
― Tomi Adeyemi, Children of Blood and Bone

“Good hearts don’t leave scars like that.”
― Tomi Adeyemi, Children of Blood and Bone

MDW original review.  Source:  Netgalley.