Name: Children of Blood and Bone
Rating: 4.118617683686177 (803 reviews)
ISBN: 9781250170972

Tomi Adeyemi

Zelie Adebola remembers when the soil of Or sha 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 killed, leaving Zelie without a mother and her people without hope.

Children of Blood and Bone

Sneak Peek - Children of Blood and Bone

Lilah Welch

Elda Mengisto

“We are all children of blood and bone. All instruments of vengeance and virtue.” This was a book I was looking forward to reading for a long time. The idea of an African-based fantasy novel, let alone a Nigerian-based one, was something completely new. Hence the amount of hype this got when it was first published and what emerged across the bookverse online. The fact it will eventually become a movie will further amplify the storm around the book. Let me tell you this--the hype is rightfully true. The story focuses on Zélie, a seventeen-year-old who has a habit of getting in trouble when not training with her staff. She lives with her older brother Tzain and her father, who are discriminated because she has the potential to develop magic. About a decade earlier, this cost her mother's life, because she was a Reaper and the king wanted to ban magic. When a series of antics leads to an opportunity to restore magic throughout the realm, Zelie, her brother, and a rebel princess Amari take the chance to do so. It's told through three different points of view--Zelie's, Amari's, and Inan's. Out of the three, I found Inan's the most compelling of them. He opens up as a loyal son to the king, who believes magic is a curse on the people and a threat to the realm. Little did we know, he possesses his own type of magic, which he keeps hidden. His relationship with Zelie is interesting, and I like getting to see their point of views on magic. I like the idea of a relationship between them, and Adeyemi weaves that well into the bigger narrative. The nuances about magic which appear at the festival are really well done, and I like seeing Inan's character development. What happens next is even more shocking, and I couldn't believe what happens to him in the end. What's interesting was that I found out in the author's note, I've learned that Adeyemi wrote this book in response to policy brutality in the United States. She shows similar phenomenons through the death of Zelie and Tzain's mother, and the murder of two children when they try to defend magic. However, I see the difference in that magic is something which can be used for good and evil; I can't see that with racism in the United States. One of Adeyemi's strengths in the book is her worldbuilding. Not only with the magic system involved, but also culture, food, and religion. The latter plays an important role in terms of how this magic is utilized; what would be interesting is to see what would happen if it was untethered from the gods. Overall, Children of Blood and Bone is not only a great novel utilizing Nigerian influences, but an awesome fantasy novel on its own right. A lot of good elements come together to tell a hero's journey with its own twist, even if reading the blurb doesn't make it stand out at first. Based on the ending, a sequel lurks on the horizon, and I'm all in for it. (8.5/10)

M. Sosotris

I ADORED this book! Beautiful fantasy world based on Earth cultures that ISN’T Medieval Europe. The magic system is really cool and the world feels real and lived in.  Amazing characters. Twists, turns, and tons of wonderful adventure. I absolutely want to read the sequel right away. Don’t be put off by the fact that it’s YA if you’re an adult. It’s as brutal, terrifying, and wondrous as anything written by the greats of adult fantasy. Read. It.

Děti krve a kostí

V tuhle chvíli vůbec netuším, jestli dát 4 nebo 5 hvězdiček. Takže v téhle recenzi si zrekapituluji vše o knize a na konci se snad rozhodnu.

Začnu tím proč bych ubrala prakticky jednu celou hvězdičku. Za co?
ZA.
TU.
ROMANTIKU.
A tím konkrétně myslím Inana a Zélii. Absolutně mi nevadilo, když se scházeli ve snech a pokradmu na sebe pokukovali. Ale když se prakticky podruhé v životě potkali, nenáviděli se do morku kostí - jakože fakt NENÁVIDĚLI - a pak najednou BUM, láska jako trám. Upřesním svůj názor ještě více: vadila mi hlavně z pohledu Inana, protože to z něj dělalo takovou fňuknu (v té druhé polovině, první byla z jeho pohledu božské čtení). Z pohledu Zélie mi to nejdříve nevadilo, protože to bylo fakt jen kradmé. Pak se ale na sebe třikrát podívali a ona se musela krotit, aby po něm neskočila. V tu chvíli jsem si ale připomněla, že jí je 17 a že s ní asi mlátí hormony plus všechen ten adrenalin, takže to bylo víc v pohodě než u toho ztraceného Inana. I když ho mám ráda, ta jeho posedlost jí je taková svazující jeho potenciál. Ale, když nad tím ten přemýšlím, vlastně to dává smysl, protože poprvé cítí takový cit jako láska a tak MUSÍ ZA KAŽDOU CENU bojovat za její bezpečí (to se pěkně odrazilo v té chvíli, když ji unáší z vězení na konci, ale i když mu dojde, že nesmí magii vzkřísit, tak ji nezabije a je mu jedno, že ji má probudit ona to bylo fakt skvělé). Takže, jak říkám, vlastně to dává smysl. Plus je psychicky nevyrovnaný, protože zabil někoho, koho měl rád mocí, kterou nenáviděl, která mu proudí v žilách a spaluje ho a jeho mysl musí TAK ŠÍLENĚ trpět, plus tlak že strany otce (jakožto vnitřního rádce a ukazatele toho, co je dobré, co špatné..)

Amari mi naopak vadila na začátku - vždyť nic nedělala. Pak se vzchopila po souboji lodí v Ibedži a byla mi mnohem sympatičtí - vývoj postav je vážně skvělý. A u ní mi ta lehká romantika z Tzainem nevadila, kéž by to u téhle spíše platonické lásky zůstalo i u Inana a Zélie. Kéž by.

I když mi přijde, že Zélie prodělala nejmenší proměnu, protože se stále vrhá do boje bez přemýšlení atd., tak udělala pokrok v myšlenkovém postoji. Ví, co jí oslabuje a jak, ví však, co ji dělá silnou a má stále větší odhodlání bojovat, protože objevuje nové a nové důvody. 

Tzain je skvělá postava. Když nad tím ten přemýšlím, on mi jako jediná z hlavních postav nevadil ani pikosekindu.

Pak v příběhu začalo ztrácet smysl pár věcí: jak se král dozvěděl, že se vynoří ten ostrov? A jakmile jsem tuhle otázku napsala, došla mi sama odpověď: Přece věděl, jak má zničit magii - pomocí zničení artefaktů. Takže tohle věděl už předtím, ok, to jsem ráda, že mi to došlo, protože hned mi to zvedlo hodnocení.

Další věcí, co mi nejdříve nedošla je třeba to, jak se dozvěděli jméno Zulejky? Vždyť jí všichni říkali Zu a nikde není zmínka o Zulejce. Ale trklo mě, autorka hodně věcí neříká nahlas, nechává nás si to domyslet, v tuto chvíli Di můžu domyslet celý rozhovor o tom, jak Zu řekla, že to je jen její přezdívka a Zulejka je její celé jméno. V tom autorka nechává prostor (ať už úmyslně nebo ne) to je úžasně osvobozující. 

Takže když nad tím teď nakonec přemýšlím, ta romantika se dost dobře vyvažuje úžasným propracovaným světem, vývojem postav a logikou. Takže pět z pěti.

I was in such an awe the entire book. That epilogue left me with wanting more and more. It was so heartfelt at times, my heart aches for all the injustices. It was a truly great book and story. 

Tsu 💙

I wish I had liked this book, but I swear it was so hard to. The story had so much promise, and I was really interested in exploring west african culture and mythology in a fantasy novel. What a huge disappointment.

I hated the main character from the beginning. Has to be one of the most selfish, idiotic, and just downright annoying characters I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading about. She had literally zero redeeming qualities and everyone kept pushing this idea that she was somehow a competent person. I hated her so so much. Absolutely incompetent and stupid, not only does she cause the destruction of her own village but then immediately falls in love with the man who burned it down. Just… ugh.

The romance between Inan and Zelie was incredibly stupid and undermined the very message the book was trying to put across. Why have your main character, who’s fighting against her people’s oppression, fall in love with her oppressor?? I hate how the author tried to redeem Inan. Like he didn’t care about all the people he’d killed and helped oppress, til miraculously he falls in love with one of them and understands “killing = bad”, “oppression not good”. Even after his so called redemption he still spewed nonsense and still showed that he didn’t really understand that him and his father were in the wrong in the first place. Absolutely ruineddd this book for me.

The writing was okay, but truly got annoying at times. It was insanely repetitive. If I ever read the words “duty over self” ever again im going to lose it. I get repeating a phrase or a quote to emphasize the emotional importance, but jesus christ!!!!! Also the author used “Dammit” a lot…. pissed me off too.

The pacing was weird, days were flying by like nothing, but the passage of time didn’t even make sense sometimes. Plus it was supposed to be emphasized that the characters were on a time crunch but it felt like time slowed down and sped up whenever the author needed it to for the plot. 

bel 

I wish I had liked this book, but I swear it was so hard to. The story had so much promise, and I was really interested in exploring west african culture and mythology in a fantasy novel. What a huge disappointment.

I hated the main character from the beginning. Has to be one of the most selfish, idiotic, and just downright annoying characters I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading about. She had literally zero redeeming qualities and everyone kept pushing this idea that she was somehow a competent person. I hated her so so much. Absolutely incompetent and stupid, not only does she cause the destruction of her own village but then immediately falls in love with the man who burned it down. Just… ugh.

The romance between Inan and Zelie was incredibly stupid and undermined the very message the book was trying to put across. Why have your main character, who’s fighting against her people’s oppression, fall in love with her oppressor?? I hate how the author tried to redeem Inan. Like he didn’t care about all the people he’d killed and helped oppress, til miraculously he falls in love with one of them and understands “killing = bad”, “oppression not good”. Even after his so called redemption he still spewed nonsense and still showed that he didn’t really understand that him and his father were in the wrong in the first place. Absolutely ruineddd this book for me.

The writing was okay, but truly got annoying at times. It was insanely repetitive. If I ever read the words “duty over self” ever again im going to lose it. I get repeating a phrase or a quote to emphasize the emotional importance, but jesus christ!!!!! Also the author used “Dammit” a lot…. pissed me off too.

The pacing was weird, days were flying by like nothing, but the passage of time didn’t even make sense sometimes. Plus it was supposed to be emphasized that the characters were on a time crunch but it felt like time slowed down and sped up whenever the author needed it to for the plot. 

Emily Burns

What a stunning, gorgeously woven, incredibly important novel. I am floored.

Mercy Jepchirchir Barno

I absolutely loved this book. With each page, it just kept getting better and better; this is one of those books that have you by the grip. I couldn't put it down one bit. Like no words can explain what this book had made me feel; from heartbreak to happiness, sadness, and such, some parts made me want to even cry. This book is amazing and I would personally highly recommend it to anyone who's into Fantasy/YA kinda books. You will not regret it.

kelsey

“let them be afriad.” let them taste the terror they make us swallow.

oh wow. so i love how the whole book was a parallel to police brutality. 

everything about this book was beautiful (except i couldn't stand inan and tzain started getting on my bad side) but i can't wait for more.

arwen

abby .˚｡⋆ ༊ .˚｡⋆

Amazing writing, amazing characters, amazing plot.. this book absolutely broke me and i absolutely love everything about it and i can not wait for book #2 i need it now!

Luke Harkness

A truly fantastic fantasy book with a unique setting. Featuring an immersive world, believable characters and wonderously imaginative concepts, this is one of the best fantasy books I've read in a while. On top of these aforementioned positives, it features plenty of tense moments, cool action scenes and twists and turns for days! Definitely recommend for all!

Cody Degen

I liked the setting and themes of the book very much but didn't care too much for the characters. I also felt there was a lack of specificity in the detail that made it difficult for me to visualize what was happening in my head. To be fair, that's somewhat common in YA so I may be asking too much of the genre.

Madison Grady

Melissa Palmer

Book #20 Read in 2019
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

This is a young adult fantasy book, the first in a series, where people are trying to bring magic back while others will do anything to keep it from returning. This book has tons of action, interesting characters, fights, romance etc to keep readers engaged. I would recommend it to both high school and adult readers.

Winner of the Tonight Show Summer Reads with Jimmy Fallon. Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut Children of Blood and Bone. They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us. Now we rise. Zélie remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. When different clans ruled – Burners igniting flames, Tiders beckoning waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoning forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, anyone with powers was targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Only a few people remain with the power to use magic, and they must remain hidden. Zélie is one such person. Now she has a chance to bring back magic to her people and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must learn to harness her powers and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where strange creatures prowl, and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to come to terms with the strength of her magic – and her growing feelings for an enemy. The movie of Children of Blood and Bone is in development at Fox 2000/Temple Hill Productions with the incredible Karen Rosenfelt and Wyck Godfrey (Twilight, Maze Runner, The Fault In Our Stars) producing it.

Sha-Tyra Clausell

Perfect from Cover to Cover, even the author's note.

Moth

I loved everything about this book. It lived up to the big hype, which isn't something books have been doing for me lately. For fans of Avatar The Last Airbender who want something with the same spirit and a diverse cast of characters, this book is for you. We follow Zelie, a young diviner who with a chance run in with the princess of her kingdom changes everything when the long lost magic of their world is reignited in her. Her, Amari, and Tzain (Zelie's brother) are sent on a mission by the gods to bring magic back to their world. But Amari's father stands in the way, having taken the magic from the world to start with and who killed the original maji in a raid to set an example, including Zelie's mother. 

Everything about this book is magic. The story is pack full of adventure, keeps you completely addicted to the end to know the answers. Zelie is tough and stubborn, which makes you either love or hate her (in my case utterly love). She's suffered a lot, leaving a hard shell around her and she's fierce for the people she cares about. Of course, there's a hate to love story in this, which was wonderful, but ends sadly. A character, Inan, did bother me in the fact he went back and forth constantly, making himself suffer to meet his father's approval. Which is his character. He's conflicted and just wants to do what he's been taught is right, even if it isn't.

The writing was amazing. The story and characters amazing. And the end left me both confused and desperate for me to better understand. I honestly can't wait for the next book. It was an awesome ride that I 100% believe everyone should read.

Instant New York Times Bestseller New York Times Notable Children's Books of 2018 TIME Top 10 Best YA and Children's Books of 2018 NPR's Book Concierge 2018 Great Reads List Buzzfeed's 24 Best YA Books of 2018 Bustle's Top 25 Best Young Adults Books of 2018 2018 Kirkus Prize Finalist YALSA William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist Paste Magazine’s 30 Best YA Novels of 2018 Newsweek’s 61 Best Books from 2018 Boston Globe’s Best Children's Books of 2018 Publishers Weekly Best YA Books of 2018 School Library Journal Best Books of 2018 With five starred reviews, Tomi Adeyemi’s West African-inspired fantasy debut, and instant #1 New York Times Bestseller, conjures a world of magic and danger, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir. 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. "A phenomenon." —Entertainment Weekly “The epic I’ve been waiting for.” —New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu “You will be changed. You will be ready to rise up and reclaim your own magic!” —New York Times-bestselling author Dhonielle Clayton “The next big thing in literature and film.” —Ebony “One of the biggest young adult fiction debut book deals of theyear.” —Teen Vogue This title has Common Core connections. #1 New York Times bestseller, March 14, 2018

Taking off half a star because I really feel this should have been a standalone book. The overall plot and everything comes to a head and gets resolved, I feel like leaving it on a cliffhanger just means I now am in the middle of a series that doesn't need to exist as a series. The epilogue could have been longer and taken place 5 years in the future with an overview of the rebuilding of these characters lives and it would have been an amazing ending that wrapped up an epic story.

I loved the book for the most part though! It's definitely a book I can see myself re-reading in the future for the vibes and story and especially the characters. I really love how they develop the female characters through the book. 

Just not sure I will read the second book, it feels unnecessary. 

Emma Lechner

Taking off half a star because I really feel this should have been a standalone book. The overall plot and everything comes to a head and gets resolved, I feel like leaving it on a cliffhanger just means I now am in the middle of a series that doesn't need to exist as a series. The epilogue could have been longer and taken place 5 years in the future with an overview of the rebuilding of these characters lives and it would have been an amazing ending that wrapped up an epic story.

I loved the book for the most part though! It's definitely a book I can see myself re-reading in the future for the vibes and story and especially the characters. I really love how they develop the female characters through the book. 

Just not sure I will read the second book, it feels unnecessary. 

Danny Werhane

alexandra

OH MY GKDBQJABWIWHSIAJ WHAT DID I JUST READ I'M SO OVERWHELMED BY MY EMOTIONS

Aishling

** spoiler alert **
           This is less of review and more about me getting my thoughts out on the book. I feel like Inan changed his mind about magic too quick midway through the book. He was so assured it was awful and then all of a sudden he’s okay with it and Zelie. And then again he turned around and changed his mind. I just felt like it was a bit out of place. If he’d taken longer to come around to magic it would’ve been more believable.

farah

** spoiler alert **
           oh god. I feel harsh rating it as 2 stars, because as a YA fantasy nove, its probably 3-3.5 stars. But the fact it has expanded beyond the general YA audience means I don't have to be too gentle

What did I like?

I think the world and setting were interesting, I especially thought having Inan struggle with what to do regarding magic was a good idea. I can't say I would be totally pro-magic myself.

The intial chapters and the setup was well done as it slowly introduces you to the world - though was a tad too slow and payoff wasn't worth all the detail that was given to the siblings home village.

What didn't I like?

Oh god (again). The romance between the prince and Zélie . It blossomed in a matter of days. The entire book takes place over the course of about...3 weeks? Yet Zélie manages to fall for the guy who DESTROYED HER VILLAGE (I REPEAT: DESTROYED HER VILLAGE), in a matter of days? This bitch it crazy. 

Ok but trash YA romance aside, as a fantasy novel there are many other glaring issues.

1 - magic system. if Zélie declared she could make a ship using her magic, I'd just nod and move on. That's how poorly the magic system has been described. Author could learn from Sanderson who handles this part very well

2 - world building. While many attempts are made to flesh out a world, it's so shallow I feel like I know almost nothing. How were magi's functioning in society pre-raid? What were the organisational structures? How did they learn their powers? Could you get better or was it talent? How is magic power as a resource, can same-type mages work together? How about other countries mages? It gives me HP vibes due to how the whole magical world seems to focus on a single country

speaking of HP.....O. My. Fucking. God. Love is the ultimate sacrifice? The blood of her father? Seeing her mother and being told to go back to the living after sharing how proud she is and how she has always been watching and will always be watching????? Im done

My first dip back into YA fantasy since I was young and I could not have chosen a better book! While the pacing can be slow at times, the ending of this story and the various plot twists that I did NOT see coming kept me enveloped in Adeyemi’s world of Orïsha. Overall a great read and I can’t wait to keep going with this series. (PS you don’t want to miss the author’s note at the end!)

Angie Van Sprang

dija

CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE EFF JUST HAPPENED BECAUSE IM SHOOK WHAT IS THIS WHY IS IT HOW DID IT HAPPEN WHY 


RTC when I'm no longer shooked

Children of Blood and Bone

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