Are you looking for a not so fast paced African Literature fantasy book, filled with magic, oppression and blood but is also a cute love story? Look no further, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi is the perfect read, one you will not surely regret.
About the book?
They killed my mother, they took out magic. They tried to bury us, now we rise. Zèlie remembers when the soil of Orisha hummed with magic, but everything changed overnight and magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zèl without a mother and her people without hope. Now she has a chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy, with the help of a rogue princess, Zèlie must outwit and outrun the crown prince who is hell bent on eradicating magic for good.
“When your opponent has no honor, you must fight in different ways, smarter ways”.
What I enjoyed about the book?
The plot. I didn’t expect the plot and the book had a lot of unexpected plots and twists I didn’t see coming so that definitely spiced up the book.
The writing. Tomi Adeyemi is a good writer and it shows in her book, I was immersed into the kingdom of Orisha land and I felt like I was a citizen like the characters, I was feeling everything the characters were feeling, the fear, the hope, the joy, the culture, the traditions even the oppression. The book doesn’t feel rushed and the book is damn enjoyable.
The book is about Zèl, a girl born with magic but can’t use magic because of the monarchy in her society. The monarchy fears the power that the kind of Zèl has, so they restrain them and they take them out. Zèl has a chance to fight and that is what she does, with the help of her brother and a princess who ran away from the same monarchy. Zèl fights the oppression and tries to restore magic, with the crown prince hot on her tail. Did she succeed and at what cost? Damn you have to read the book to find out like I did.
I also enjoyed reading the love story between Zèl and Inan even though it was tragic, they had a connection and it was so sad to see how it turned out.
I enjoyed the Yoruba culture in the book, this is my first time reading a book about my heritage and I am so glad I did, the book wasn’t too unrealistic and there were a lot of mentions about the gods of the Yoruba land. There was the use of Yoruba language, but it was translated for the readers for better understanding. I also got to learn some details about my culture and the gods I didn’t know before.
I enjoyed the way the book was linked to the black violence and oppression which is still happening, it brings awareness and I understood a hundred percent the message she was trying to pass across, the oppression of the maji people by the ones that are supposed to be protecting them, and the maji people are considered a threat just because of who they are, it’s not like that can be helped and I feel bad about the people that died just because of who they are in the book and in reality.
I enjoyed reading about the characters, Zèl and Amari the two female protagonists, I loved Amari’s character development and her love story with Tzain and I almost felt bad for Inan, I enjoyed the points of views of each character because they gave more in-depth and insight to the character’s minds. One fact that can be established is that the king was a monster.
I enjoyed reading the story? I didn’t expect the ending and I cannot wait to pick up the second book, this is a good one from a Nigerian author.
Final Thoughts?
I enjoyed the story, the magic, the gods, the characters well almost all of them, I know that this book is a good read. I rate the book 4.8 stars, so check out the book today! This week is a collaboration with wittyreviewsbyjemi so check out her site today
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