Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

No cutesy introduction is needed for this post because this book was FIRE (and just hit #1 on the NYT bestseller list). I heard so much buzz before it was released that I knew I had to go out and pick up a copy on release day. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi takes West African mythology and creates a world full of both beauty and danger, in which its main characters have to fight for their rights and take back the magic that was given to them by the gods but destroyed by the king. Three main characters tell this story through their own unique points of view: Zélie, the daughter of a maji killed for her magic, who is now fighting to get it back; Princess Amari, daughter of the king who did that killing, who has a death of her own to avenge; and Prince Inan, Amari's brother who is struggling to reconcile his upbringing with the new information he learns throughout the story. 

From the world building to the character development, this book was phenomenal. For a high fantasy it was incredibly easy to follow and understand. Many scenes (including the boat arena battle) had me on the edge of my seat. For a 500+ page book I flew through this in record time. I absolutely loved the world of Orïsha and its characters. I truly think Inan was my favorite. His character went through the most as far as development goes, and his inner struggle to reconcile the beliefs he was raised with against what he has learned on his own is something I think a lot of people can relate to. I loved Zélie and Amari equally and I think choosing between the two would be like having to choose your favorite child...impossible.

I was fortunate enough to meet Tomi and hear her speak this past weekend, and she talked a lot about how this book was personal for her. She said that while she wrote Children of Blood and Bone as a response and coping mechanism for everything going on regarding police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, the book itself isn't meant to be preachy. Tomi was clear that her first intention is to entertain and tell a good story, but that if people choose to look into it further, they will see parallels to everything happening in society today. She wants people to see through her story that what makes them different also makes them beautiful, and described it as "Black Panther," but with magic. Through this work she wanted to give black girls their own fantasy characters to embrace, and give them something where they could see themselves depicted as beautiful and strong.

I fell into this story and the world of Orïsha head first. I am completely invested in this world and its characters, and I have no desire to climb out of this fantastic story any time soon. I can't wait to see what the next book in the series will bring!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars