Children of Blood and Bone

Hardcover, 544 pages

English language

Published March 6, 2018 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR).

ISBN:: 978-1-250-17097-2
OCLC Number:: 1029088715

(1 review)

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.

2 editions

Sami Sundell reviewed Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)

Review of 'Children of Blood and Bone' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

A powerful tale about oppression and fighting it - with magic! I found the writing to be captivating, and the pacing worked well.

The romance subplot was a bit thin and, to be frank, not believable. Inan as a character seemed to be built specifically for the romance plot. The hand wringing and constant agonizing over how his father would take his actions I could take; his turn into a hero and love affair for the protagonist didn't make sense from the point of view of either of the characters, and his betrayal while continuing the hand wringing was just a welcome end to an annoying affair.

There was one thing in the book that really made me raise my eyebrows, though, and not in the good way. It was torture. As a tool for the oppressing regime - and as a tool for the author to highlight the regime's …

A powerful tale about oppression and fighting it - with magic! I found the writing to be captivating, and the pacing worked well.

The romance subplot was a bit thin and, to be frank, not believable. Inan as a character seemed to be built specifically for the romance plot. The hand wringing and constant agonizing over how his father would take his actions I could take; his turn into a hero and love affair for the protagonist didn't make sense from the point of view of either of the characters, and his betrayal while continuing the hand wringing was just a welcome end to an annoying affair.

There was one thing in the book that really made me raise my eyebrows, though, and not in the good way. It was torture. As a tool for the oppressing regime - and as a tool for the author to highlight the regime's murderous actions against a minority - it's acceptable as part of the tale. But it doesn't end there: also the protagonist uses torture, and whenever people are tortured, the story implies it's an effective way to get information. It's not. It's violence and a violation of basic human rights, and it should be portrayed as such.