ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I don’t get compensated for this, it’s just a passion of mine.
Children of Blood and Bone is going to be a best seller, I’m speaking it into existence. I’m calling it. I’m praying for it. I’m wanting it with all my breath, my blood, my being.
I want nice things for Tomi Adeyemi even though I don’t know her. I want these aforementioned and completely vague nice things because she dared to write outside the box, she dared to create, she dared to bare a story that is sharped edged and raw and bold. That is what Children of Blood and Bone is. In this story you will find pain, you will find fear, you will find oppression, and you will indeed find death. But you will also find community, you will find love, you will find power, you will find simple and powerful truths running through the veins of anyone who dared to journey and live another day after the dust settles.
Children of Blood and Bone is a rare pearl among a sea of stones. There is a ton of buzz around this highly anticipated book and beyond the fact that it is among the few major releases within its genre with a person of color as the lead, I found the plot hella intriguing. I am happy to say that Children of Blood and Bone did not disappoint, in fact I don’t know how I am going to survive the wait until book 2 is released.
“Each maji was born with white hair the sign of the gods’ touch. They used their gifts to care for the people of Orïsha and were revered throughout the lands. But not everyone was gifted by the gods.” – Children of Blood and Bone
Orïsha is a place where magic, once celebrated and honored, is feared and shunned as much as Divîners, the dark skinned white-haired people who at the age of 13, would come into their magic and become maji. Zélie, our central protagonist lives in the aftermath of the genocide of her people, mysterious disappearance of magic and endures daily persecution for her status as a Divîner. Daughter of powerful maji, Zélie and her brother Tzain, live with the trauma of witnessing the slaughter of their mother and the destruction of their non-maji father’s spirit.
The book as three narrators:
Zélie, the girl remembers the way her mother’s body looked, when it was left on display the day that magic died.
Amari, the daughter of the king who slaughtered all Divîners and has done everything to destroy magic. She is princess, completely unlike her tyrant of a father, who flees her royal life with a secret that could restore magic and free a people from merciless persecution.
Inan, young man next in line for the throne of Orïsha and Amari’s older brother. A king to be constantly warring between what his heart and making a ruthless father proud. Inan is tasked with bringing Amari back, by whatever means necessary.
The narrative centers on two sets of siblings: Zélie and her brother Tzain and Amari and her brother Inan. Their paths crossing seem to be fated by the gods because once they come together, they change the fate of Orïsha forever.
Final and random thoughts:
Stay woke while reading this book. This is Science Fiction and Young (New) Adult literature but the themes of bias, discrimination, systemic oppression and the power are seamlessly woven through this narrative. It does not overwhelm the story but it is part of its essential building blocks.
My low-key inner feminist wept. Many writers in this genre don’t know how to write strong yet fallible female leads. Chicks who change the world even when their ish is not together. Tomi does this without compromising the integrity of the characterization or the narrative.
This story centers in a part of the world inhabited by a rainbow of black people. There is no monolith of blackness. Meaning black people come in different shapes, sizes, cultures, dialects, and skin tones, this is the very first book in the genre that captures this and brings it to life in such a vivid and breathtaking way that I am at a loss for words.
You are not ready for how the romance in this book plays out. It is freeing, heartbreaking, hopeful, difficult and excellently executed.
This one is for da culture and for the ancestors. When the movie is released, I’m inviting all of my homies over to eat the same jollof rice mentioned in the book and then head to the theater. You are not ready for the level of culture in this book.
The book builds slowly and intricately (also note that I read and prefer insanely fast paced books so grain of salt), get to the middle and things shift in a way that will not allow you to put it down until you are done. I read the first half over two weeks and the last half in one evening.
Theme song while reading: Jacob Banks – Monster
Trigger warning for violence, murder, torture, and detailed descriptions of war.
Release Details: Hardcover, 448 pages. Expected publication: March 6th 2018 by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
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