Children of Blood and Bone

Children of Blood and Bone
Legacy of Orïsha Book One
Written by Tomi Adeyemi
Fantasy, Magic, Diversity
352 Pages
Published March 13th 2018
Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia
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★★★★★
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.
Heaven and Earth once blessed the lands of Orïsha until the Maji community was slain, a genocide ordered by King Saran. Zélie Adebola remembers the night her small wind swept community was pillaged, her mother slain by atrocities of the Monarchy. The vibrant white mane of the Divĩner children continue to be oppressed and persecuted by the King, in retribution for the atrocities of the Kosidán.

Zélie Adebola is a defiant young woman, her village of Ilorin decimated by the Monarchy of Orïsha as her mother was captured and slain. The young women of Ilorin are disciplined in the artistry of non lethal defence, taught to protect their bodies against the brutality of the Guard, Mama Agba ensuring the Ilorin godlaw is preserved. Brother Tzain is a gentle man, Zélie and Tzain caring for their windowed father and one another. Zélie inherited her tenacity and defiance from her mother, a vivacious woman compassion and inspiration, her husband and children bereaved by their loss.

As Zélie encounters the Monarch heir attempting to abscond the Orïsha marketplace she is reluctantly embroiled in the heist, enticing the Guard to Ilorin to retrieve the sacred artefact. The Divĩners are an enslaved lineage, children with dormant abilities and artefacts once lost to time have now resurfaced to awaken the Divĩners, their ashê laden blood a language of the gods and expendable to King Saran. 

Amari is the daughter of King Saran and a reluctant heir to the Orïsha Kingdom alongside brother Inan, a general of the Orïshan forces. Unaware of atrocities of her Kingdom, Amari is held captive within her palatial tower, maligned by her mother for her dark complexion, her vitality quelled by her oppressive confinement. Brother Inan is a morally ambiguous young man pursuing validation from his father. With the Monarch wealth comes privilege but Inan and Amari are burdened by parental expectations. Amari is a treasonous deflector pursued by Inan under instruction of King Saran, loyal to the Orïsha kingdom and the crown.

The narrative Tomi Adeyemi has conceived is transcendent, intertwined with meticulous folklore. Children of Blood and Bone emphasises the lives of the African American youth lost to violence, inspiring readers and invoking discussion about prejudice. The prose is exquisite, the celebration of  West African mythology and the Yorùbá dialect is captivating. A breathtaking debut.
Abogbo wa ni ọmọ r1ẹ nínú 1j1 àti egungun.
We are all children of blood and bone.

35 comments

  1. I'm so glad that more and more diverse books are being released, and in genres that aren't all contemporary. I'm not a big fantasy fan though, so I have to say that the book in general doesn't really seem like my sort of read. However, that's great that you loved it so much and thought it was well written. I might have to check it out now!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. Please do Lauren, you definitely won't be disappointed. It's truly magnificent.

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  2. I'm so glad you liked this one, Kell. I absolutely adored it when I read it a few weeks ago. Adeyemi has created such an incredible world filled with beautiful prose and striking characters. I loved that she was able to weave this fantasy in with real world issues. I think that is a mark of a pretty wonderful author. I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel, and to see where Adeyemi's future takes her. She is so young and so brilliant.

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    1. She's remarkable isn't she and what an explosive debut!

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  3. I'm so glad you enjoyed this book! I've heard so many wonderful things about it, and have actually been waiting for your review :)

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    1. Thanks Charlotte, it's incredible and one of my favourite reads. I can't wait for the next instalment. I'd love to see what you think of it!

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  4. Couldn't agree with your review more. I loved this book SO much, way more than I expected because fantasy tends to overwhelm me at times. You managed to describe a hugely complex world so wonderfully. Great review! x

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    1. Thanks Sunny. It was incredible! I loved the West African influences and mythology, the dialect was beautiful and a wonderful inclusion into the atmospheric world Tomi Adeyemi created.

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  5. another blood and bone in the title, are our writers having title block or something?
    other than that, would still totally read it

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    1. You need this book in your life Ailyn, it's phenomenal.

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  6. I am seeing this book everywhere, yet it doesn't tire me out at all :D I am so excited to start it - I am just sleeping on it because it's so huge and I am chicken. Glad you loved it, Kelly!

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    1. It most definitely lives up to the praise Mishma, such a magnificent read!

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  7. AHHH, KELLY! I'm so excited that you loved this! I can't wait to get a taste of this author's gorgeous prose and diverse characters myself. I'm heading to the bookstore tomorrow, and here's to hoping they've kept my reservation. <3 Lovely review as always!

    - Aimee @ Aimee, Always

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    1. Fingers crossed Aimee! Tomi Adeyemi is an incredible storyteller, it's absolutely brilliant!

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  8. I'M MAKING MYSELF READ THIS NOW! I just saw Tomi at a book event and she motivated me to read this sooner than later. I'm interested in what parallels I can see between this book and real life.

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    1. That must have been amazing Amber! Will you be blogging about it? I'm so excited to see what you think of it, it's a book you definitely don't want to wait to read.

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  9. I've seen this title floating around! After reading your fantastic review, I'm definitely going to add this to my never ending pile of books to read! The book cover is gorgeous as well!

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    1. It's a must read, most definitely! Absolutely inspired and the prose is beautiful with social undertones. I'd love to see what you think of it!

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  10. I am going to buy this book when I get paid this week. It sounds just like the book for me. I love the diversity here and how culturally rich it seems to be! Can't wait!

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    1. It's absolutely beautiful, the strength of characters and the celebration of Tomi Adeyemi's heritage. It's breathtaking, I cannot wait to see what you think of it!

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  11. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Kelly! Everyone else seems to have as well, so I have high expectations and I have no doubt Adeyemi will blow them out of the water. :D

    Sophia @ Bookwyrming Thoughts

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    1. It's incredible Sophia. I had high expectations too from the early reactions of readers and it most definitely didn't disappoint.

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    2. Awesome! I'm still stuck on a book buying ban, but I'm eyeBalling a copy at the library and will be sweeping it up when I can. 😁

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  12. I love folklore and mythology and this book sounds like something I will enjoy. And can you see that cover?! It looks gorgeous <3

    xx
    Vanessa
    www.blushinggeek.com

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    1. The cover is absolutely hypnotic isn't it. I can almost guarantee you'll love this one Vanessa and would love to see what you think of it.

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  13. I've seen so much about this book everywhere, yet I didn't know what it was actually about.

    Happy to hear that it delivered on the hype. It sounds wonderful

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. It's brilliant Karen, I can't wait to see what you think of it!

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  14. Lovely review! I've seen this book EVERYWHERE. I was going to wait until the craziness died down, but I trust your judgement! I feel like the hype was justified. "A breathtaking debut." (-- was all the encouragement I needed.)

    Do You Dog-ear?

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    1. I honestly expected it to be great but it was incredible, far surpassed my expectations. If this isn't one of the books of the year, I'll riot. You'll love it!

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  15. This book sounds beautifully written, and I'm so glad to hear that you loved it Kel! I've heard nothing but great things about the lore and history -- sounds truly captivating. Grabbing myself a copy asap!

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    1. It's mesmerising! The mythology, the characters and it's incredibly atmospheric. I can't wait for the next instalment!

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  16. This book has been everywhere and I do keep seeing good things about it but I'm always wary when there's a lot of hype surrounding a book. I love the cover and the sound of the story itself so I definitely want to read at some point this year. I hope it'll be one which I pick up.

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    1. It definitely lives up to all the glowing reviews! I'm always a bit sceptical when any book is so universally loved but I can understand why. After the first few chapters I couldn't put it down. The writing is beautiful. I think you'll absolutely love this when you get around to reading it, it's brilliant.

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  17. Every good review of this gem makes me GLEEFUL. This book is just utterly brilliant! It's one of the few ones that have actually lived up to the hype.

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    1. Oh goodness wasn't it just! Absolutely breathtaking and I'm thrilled you enjoyed it as well Verushka, it's truly remarkable.

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