One of my absolute favourite reads of 2018 and the sequel is definitely one of my most anticipated for 2019. Tomi is a brilliant writer and the story is gripping, heart-wrenching and just breathtaking. Would’ve loved to have this growing up.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi was one of my most anticipated reads of the year - an #OwnVoices West African inspired high fantasy! And it was absolutely incredible!

Zélie is a divîner, a person with the ability to become a maji once they turn 13. But Zélie is 17 now, and still a divîner, because magic has gone. King Saran of Orïsha, out of fear and hatred, took away magic, and killed all the maji - including Zélie's mother. Now divîners are persecuted and oppressed, forced to pay taxes to keep them down. If they can't pay, they go into the stocks and become slaves. Zélie and her family try hard to make ends meet as fishermen, but with the ever increasing taxes, it won't be long until Zélie becomes a stocker. When Zélie helps a young woman escape from the guards, she doesn't realise she's helping Princess Amari, King Saran's daughter. A conflicted Amari has escaped from the palace with a scroll that can bring back the maji's power, after witnessing her father kill her divîner best friend after touching the scroll awakens her magic. She has seen what her father can do, and wants to bring it to a stop. Together, along with Zélie's brother, Tzain, they must take the scroll to Châdomblé, a shrine to the gods, where they will discover just what it takes to bring back magic. But hot on their heels in Inan, heir to the throne and Amari's brother, sent by the King to hunt them down. Time is ticking by fast, with only so much time left to complete the ritual, and Inan close behind. Zélie only has one chance to bring magic back to Orïsha, or doom the divîners to a life without magic for good.

Aah, Children of Blood and Bone was so good! I loved the world building! It has it's own creation story, with Nana Baruku - a kind of Mother Nature type figure - creating humans and creating the gods. And as Nana Baruku created both, the relationship between divîners/maji and their respective gods was a sibling relationship. They're still gods, powerful and not exactly present, but Zélie thought of her goddess, Oya, as her sister deity. There are ten different clans of maji, each with their own magic and abilities, each with their own god or goddess. Or there were before King Saran took away magic and murdered all the majis. Now, for the divîners, life is one of oppression, and they live in constant fear. If a divîner is to put one toe out of line, they're beaten by the guards. If they can't pay their taxes, they become stockers - slaves - to work out your debt. But of course, the taxes keep rising, so you never work out your debt. Once you're a stocker, you're a stocker until you die, and conditions are so bad, that you don't last that long.

This is the world Zélie lives in before she meets Amari. Mama Agba, an elderly woman in her town, teaches divîners how to fight in secret, but they can't really fight back if they don't want to be killed. But then she does meet Amari and everything changes. Zélie is such an incredible character! She is so strong and so resilient, even though she struggles and doubts herself and whether she can do this. She has already been through so much; she witnessed the guards taking away her mother, her father being beaten to near death, and her mother murdered, strung up from a tree by a chain, along with every other maji in their town. None in her family have been the same since. But when she hears about the scroll Amari has, and tells Mama Agba, she discovers she is the only person who has a chance to bring back magic, and it's no easy feat. Children of Blood and Bone is action packed and extremely fast-paced, and it doesn't let up. Inan is never too far behind, and the three - Zélie, Amari, and Tzain - have to time to rest, recover and regroup when life throws them a curve ball.

The book is also narrated by Amari and Inan. I really liked Amari. She's quite innocent, having never left the confines of the palace due to her father's overprotective attitude and fear of the divîners. She takes a great risk when she runs from the palace with the stolen scroll, but she can't just sit back and do nothing after she sees her father kill her best friend, Binta. And it's such a courageous thing to do, because she knows what her father is like. Maybe not the full extent, at first, but she knows if she's caught, there will be more than hell to pay. But she never fully realised what it would mean to run away with the scroll. Now she's on this quest never wanted, experiencing hardships she's never had to before. She doesn't complain, but she is scared and she's finding it difficult, and she fears she's going to be a hinderance to Zélie and Tzain. Tzain shows her kindness, but Zélie can only see the daughter of the man who murdered her mother, and has nothing but contempt for this pampered princess who knows nothing of the world. Watching Amari grow into her strength, become more confident, and actually become an asset - and for her to realise that - is wonderful. And seeing the friendship between Amari and Zélie develop was beautiful.

However, I absolutely hated Inan. He is such an ass. And I mean that in the British donkey way, not the American backside way. He's just an idiot. Yes, he's a Captain in the army, and he knows how to fight, is big and strong and pretty deadly. But as a person, he's an ass. What Adeyemi does so well is that she makes him this complicated person. I mean, I understood why he's an ass. He's been fed his whole life all this rubbish from his father about how maji are dangerous, and if they have magic, then everyone will suffer. He's also, as the heir to the thrown, had "duty before self" drummed into him. Things happen along the way that make him doubt what his father has told him. He discovers things, he experiences thing, and it makes him question everything he's ever known. But then he sees other things that completely back up what his father has told him. But it's like he is completely unable to think for himself. It doesn't matter how much he discovers or experiences, he's been brainwashed by his father so much that he dithers back and forth so much, and oh my god, I hated him. I know I keep saying it, but he was such an ass! And when it comes to his actions towards the end of the book, I have much stronger words to describe him. His character and his narration are important to the story, but I just wanted to shake him. Give him a hard slap around the face and tell him to wake up.

As well as being an action packed, fully formed high fantasy, Children of Blood and Bone also touched on real world issues. It touched on colourism and skin bleaching. The divîners/maji tend to be quite dark skinned, and the nobility lighter skinned, so there's this desire to be lighter skinned. Although divîners/maji have white hair, and if you don't, it's clear you're not one, there is a sense that being darker skinned is quite an issue, and Amari has suffered her mother's treatments in trying to make her skin lighter. The way the oppression the divîners experience seemed, to me, to be a clear mirror of racism in our own world; every character in Children of Blood and Bone bar one is Black, but the similarities between racism in our own world and how the divîners were discriminated against are just to obvious. I could potentially be reading too much into things, but there's a possibility that Inan is supposed to represent the white person who is says they're against racism and aren't racist, yet believes what they're told about Black people and other people of colour, and want to keep the status quo as it is. There's also slavery, with the divîners becoming stockers. So there's a lot going on here, and possibly elements I may have missed due to my privilege.

I do have one little issue with Children of Blood and Bone, and that's the cliffhanger ending. I literally have no idea what happened. It just ends. I know something happened, but what that something is, I don't know. I just wish we had a little more to go on. However, it's done it's job, because I absolutely need to know what happens next. There were a number of things that happened that are going to have massive consequences, and the sequel is going to be huge! Children of Blood and Bone was just awesome and pretty damn epic, and I'm so looking forward to the second book in the Legacy of Orïsha series, children of Virtue and Vengence!

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Books via NetGalley for the eProof.

I loved the writing, the setting and the atmosphere of the book which is filled with rebellion, people power and the strength of their magic, along with the diviners willingness to die for the rights of their people and to bring back their magic. Despite being 600 pages, it was a fairy quick and easy read as I didn't want to put it down, I wanted to find out if they could bring back magic and what the consequences would be. My only negative about this book is the focus on the romance from the middle of the book towards the ending which I liked but it seemed to overshadow the more important issues. I loved the ending and I cannot wait for the second book in the series. Children Of Blood And Bone is such a striking, powerful YA read and it is definitely one of my favourite YA books ever!

Tomi Adeyemi has created a vivid, exciting and much needed world in YA fantasy fiction. Not only that, but her worldbuilding is magnificent. The characters were believable (although I was *sure* there was going to be romance between Zélie and Amari), and I found that the development of each was well done, too. My only gripe would be the central romance between Zélie and Inan. I found it hard to believe that she would fall for him and that he would give up his beliefs so quickly. However, the ending was superb and left me gagging for the next one!

An action packed, eventful and extremely imaginative fantasy for young adults and adults, I found the romance dose a bit too much for my liking but overall the plot, the magic system and the revenge story was very good, also it's a refreshing change to read a different culture's imagination & folklore!

Children of Blood and Bone is a stand-out book of the year. With incredible character building, and a richly imagined world, it stands out in the YA fantasy genre. Each character has a unique voice, and I loved the unexpected connections between them, and the emphasis on family.

Packed full of adventure, and lyrical writing, I can't wait for the sequel!

An enjoyable fast paced adventure. I found it very interesting to see perhaps a typical story but from a different cultures perspective.

I feel like this book was hyped from the minute it was first mentioned, but let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I’m not a huge fantasy fan; I enjoy the odd book now and again and I’m very picky about which ones I read. I wouldn’t have requested this if it hadn’t sounded like something I would enjoy, but I didn’t expect it to ignite a desire in me to read every fantasy book in existence. So, you know.

I don’t even know where to start with this review, it has so much going for it. There wasn’t one aspect I didn’t love about it. The characters were incredible, the writing wonderful to read, the plot thrilling, honestly, I don’t have a bad word to say.

I loved the mix of characters; everyone was so unique and interesting and had their own way of doing things. The friendships that formed, unlikely though some may be, were real and fragile. The change in point of view and narrative voice did not put me off, as it sometimes can do in fantasy books. Instead, I got their own voices, their own thoughts, and it made the narrative richer as I could understand them a lot better. I still didn’t know who to trust at points though!

The world was incredible too. I believe it is based on Nigeria, and I truly got a sense of place whilst I was reading (I’ve never been to Nigeria so can’t comment on that specifically). The descriptions were vivid, and I could easily picture the landscape that the characters were in.

Leading on from that to another point that should be highlighted but have no authority to speak on, is that the book is a commentary on society and the racism that underlies it. Even reading it as a white person, I could see this, and it brought home how isolated people feel, even in places where they’ve always felt was home. I knew people felt like this before, of course, but this book allowed me to see their viewpoint through their eyes, and experience it in a way I can understand a little better (if that makes any sense whatsoever). If you know any reviews by readers of colour, please link them below as I would love to read their thoughts.

The plot kept me intrigued throughout, I couldn’t put this book down (the typical one-chapter-before-bed-turns-into-a-hundred-pages kind of can’t put it down). So many things kept happening, I struggled to keep up. Though I don’t say that as a negative. I just mean it forced me to concentrate on what was going on, which made it better as I didn’t miss anything by doing that ‘I’ve read a whole page but actually read about three of the words’ thing.

I don’t even need to tell you that I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It was truly phenomenal and I cannot wait until the sequel comes out, because THAT ENDING. Holy crap it was good.

This book is everything you're looking for - fast-paced and action packed, with beautiful scenery, strong and well-written characters, an inspiring underlying message, original plot and brilliant world-building, and amazing writing. The only thing I had an issue with is how the romantic subplot sort of cheapened the story a little bit and dragged it down, but it managed to pick itself right back up and blow my mind nonetheless!

3.5 stars

Orïsha used to be a land full of magic, where maji could control elements and even the dead.
Then one night the king went to war against magic, slaughtering the maji. That was night magic left Orïsha and the night that Zélie's mother was murdered.
One day she gets the chance to bring magic back to Orïsha with the help of Amari, a runaway princess. Along with Zélie's brother, they must evade Amari's brother, the prince, who will do anything to prevent magic from returning.
Can Zélie bring back magic?

As someone who generally has unpopular opinions when it comes to books, I was worried going into Children and Blood and Bone that I wouldn't like it as much as everyone else. And I didn't. But I also didn't hate it.
I liked both Zélie and Amari, and felt sorry for both of them - they both lived in fear. I enjoyed reading as they developed throughout the book. I also liked Tzain, Zélie's brother.
I struggled with Inan, Amari's brother, from the beginning. I felt like I should sympathise with him, but I just didn't like him.
The plot was interesting, as was the theme of oppression, but I wasn't on the edge of my seat at any point. I saw most of the twists coming, but the one at the end definitely makes me want to read the sequel.
I really, really, REALLY didn't like a certain romance. It seemed unnecessary and took away from the story for me.
The world of Orïsha was interesting and I'm intrigued to find out more about it. I loved the idea of giant lions, panthers and snow leopards.
I liked the writing style and found it easy to follow.
While I am disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, it's a promising start to the series and I'm interested to see what happens next.

Overall this was an enjoyable read, but for me, it didn't quite live up to the hype.

The world building is (as usual) my favourite part of the book. I love that I know the history, the culture, the religious aspects of different characters. This did not disappoint. The history was slowly built up throughout the entire book which means you can understand what's happened to each of the individual characters in the past. This makes it easy to understand our characters motivations and their actions a little more. Zelie has a culture vastly different to Amari, who's also of a different class. This makes for dynamic conversations as they, as characters, have to learn about one another.

I found the magic system to be totally Avatar-esque. Except we had more 'clans' of magic users and they all have a more distinct use for their powers. The one thing about magic I disliked is that most of the magic users were just able to user their magic without training or practise. This wasn't so much of a problem for our main characters but for the side ones that ventured into the story after half way. There were also a few times when I was sat there thinking why the characters weren't utilising their magic in a bad situation.

The book is filled racial prejudices that mirror our own societies (which is what Adeyemi was trying to do) and  it's written so well that you fear for the characters lives throughout. One of my favourite pages of the book is when our main character Zelie tries to explain to Innan who's been brought up to be prejudiced against the magi how she feels around the guards who treat her badly. She's trying to tell him over and over again that she can't just go back and live in the city when the monarchy and the people with power in the city see her as a 'maggot' and beneath them. And he just doesn't seem to understand what she's telling him, and he doesn't want to believe it - and you just know that this is a conversation that Tomi Adeyemi and other POC have had multiple times before. This was so well written, and so very clearly written from the heart that I had to pause for a bit before going back to the book.

Children of Blood and Bone's pacing was wonderful and I never felt bored with the content. It was always quite fast paced and with something interesting going on. From the start there was a strong 'let's get shit done' vibe from our main characters who were happy to just keep on going and to get into interesting situations. The only time I felt like we needed to move on was during some of the 'romantic' scenes.

My problem with romance isn't just towards this book by any means (If you read my reviews a lot you'll already know my feelings). But this particular book was annoying me for a single reason. Every character was paired up with another one. And some were written okay I guess, one of the 'couples' I was on board with and was naturally built up. But another one was a trope ridden snooze fest which seemed to be written in specifically for YA readers who enjoy romance, and not because of good plot reasoning.

Romance not included, all the characters did have great story arcs and evolved (and devolved?) throughout the story. But they didn't evolve into full grown great characters, not yet. There's definite room for improvement and redemption arcs in the next book which I am so excited for. Plus, the cliff hanger was so well done that I just want to get the next book like now. The book was a wonderful read, and as you can see I only really had one fault with it! Which for me makes this fantastic!

POSITIVES
+ World building and magic system

+ Fast pace

+ Cliff Hanger

NEGATIVES
– Everyone get's a romantic pairing

If you read one book this year it HAS to be this book! I devoured this book in a day and don't regret any minute of it. Bring on book 2

I really really really wanted to love this book. But it was not good. It was cliched YA fantasy with underdeveloped characters. The West African myth and tradition that was promised was virtually non-existent. The magic was poor, the world-building was barely a framework, and boy oh oh boy did the novel go on. And on. And on and on and on and on. I was desperate for it be over by half-way through. Oh, and obviously there was a totally obligatory shlock love story which happened because REASONS and forbidden lust. V disappointing.

This book took my breath away. The cover alone is so beautiful and I've been so excited to read it. I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint. The book inside is just as powerful and amazing as the cover. Zélie was a fantastic character to start off with, I loved her from the first page. She may just want to be left in peace at the start, but she soon becomes a force to be reckoned with. A fantastic role model for any young girl, but a desperately needed one for Black teenagers everywhere who can see themselves in a role model that is as powerful and brilliant as Katniss, Tris or any other of the characters who have been out there for white girls for years.

The magic and the story of the book were just as beautiful as the characters. There was so much that I didn't expect to happen in this book and I enjoyed every twist and turn. I loved the magic system and the entire setting. I loved the way they rode big cats into battle, the images conjured up of the characters being chased by people riding giant snow leopards. Escaping on their own stead. It was unique and felt so right for the story that was being told.

There is so much in this book that I adored that it would take days to write it all out. But it's also a book and setting that has so much potential to go further. I can't wait for the next book to see more from this world.

This was just amazing. Full stop. Read this book. I could not put it down and finished it in record time, considering all the other things I had to do. This is a debut novel and it is mind-blowing. I cannot wait to read everything that Adeyemi writes in the future.

Zélie is a divîner. The magic of her people, the Orïsha, has was stamped during the Raid in her childhood in which all magic users were killed. A series of coincidences has given her a chance to restore magic to the land. In order to do that, she will undertake a quest joined by an unlikely group of companions. It will be dangerous as the king does not want the maji to return.

The novel has beautiful world-building and a strong magic system. It has the typical YA fantasy theme of a quest to restore magic with a lot of the typical elements: princes, princesses, swords, magic, armies, evil kings, etc. but it did it well and in ways that were a twist on the typical. The book also deals with a number of serious issues: the genocide of the maji and the subsequent abuse of the divîner people.

It’s told from three points of view – Zélie, Inan and Amari. Inan and Amari are the children of the current king of Orīsha and Zélie is a dîviner. I actually liked all of the viewpoints and didn’t find myself wishing for the chapter to be over, so I could go back to my favourite character. The novel starts strong, filling every chapter with adventure and ends leaving me wanting more.

There are some books where I'm like, I'm just going to avoid the hype and read it later. We've all been there, just look at my tbr pile. Then there are some books that you cannot avoid and feel completely compelled to read, and when you do you're upset because you've suddenly finished and left needing more but why do I have to wait a year for the next installment! (I've progressively starting typing in capitals in my head as I dictate this review!)....

THIS. BOOK...

If you haven't already, stop reading and go buy a copy, because you're going to want to read it.

Strong characters - tick
Strong FEMALE LEAD characters - tick
POC - front and center and kicking all kinds of ass
Settings - AMAZING
Rebellion and Revolution - in abundance
Mythology and Magic- BEAUTIFUL
Twists - I mean I didn't think what happened would so TICK

There was a beautiful fluidity to Tomi's writing that instantly brought you in held you close and swept you away on this journey! You feel everything....the desolation and sadness that the people suffer, the anger in Zélie , the Arrogance in King Saran, the internal battle that Inan goes through... its all here packaged in this neat little book, with a BEAUTIFUL cover and if you managed to get a copy of the red sprayed edges then your book really is on fire.

This is my kind of fantasy! I loved the mythology woven into the narrative, it was poetic and strikingly visual and I want to explore it more.

This book also digs deep into some dark themes, ideas of racism, of power and class, of privilege and control, fear and the power that fear instills into government (something I think we can all relate too at the moment), and you can't hide away from any of these things, they are there and brought back to the table again and again so you have no choice but to confront these realities, because these though fiction imaginations have deep historical roots that are still coming into play and it through narratives like his that the discussions can be opened and at a younger level. We're seeing the courage of young people more and more, speaking out, and this is one of the strengths of YA and the powerful voice it carries.

The characterization was what really made the boo come alive. Zélie was bold and strong, full of confidence and a deep rooted stubbornness. She was a spark that would fly fast and quick and get her into trouble. But you couldn't help root for her and you wanted to share in that confidence. Tzain, was the antithesis, the balance to her spark. Calm and level headed, you could see why he was so respected and why all the girls swooned over him. Amari had a great transformation, but what was not stereotypical about her character and I loved her for it was that she had a history, she had already been broken down and was fighting to just get along, but overtime her confidence and her pride seeps out and the tiger within bursts forth. Inan was interesting. He was angry and the enemy, but his facade was breaking and his realities crumbling around him and what was great about this was that he didn't just accept it and change he fought against it, with it, trying to work out what he actually wanted in his own internal battle, and this made him really real to me.

Basically this book ticked every box I had and I was left wanting more, and having to remember to breath after all that build up. I'm excited for whats to come an I know I'm not the only one!

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.

The hype surrounding this release was immense. I was initially hesitant to begin this book, for my expectations were so highly placed and I felt there was no way that the book could live up to the pedestal the internet had placed it on. I had, however, followed the author on Twitter, around this time, and found her to be come across as such a warm and inviting individual and I was eager to explore the story she had to tell. And what do you know? The hype is real!

This is such a wonderfully diverse read. As a straight, white Western reader I have spent my whole life with the ability to find myself in the pages of books. But not every individual has had the same reading experience that I have. It is incredibly exciting that a more diverse and inclusive representation is now available, especially in the fantasy genre. Exploring this West-African inspired culture and world was mesmerising and I could continue to read another 500 pages following such nuanced characters placed in such a vivid setting.

It is also so pleasing to see that this representation is captured inside a bloody good story-line! Intrigue follows action follows plot twist in a pace never lets up. I was continually anxious as I was immersed in yet another plight that had befallen these characters, who I had so quickly bonded with. The diversity of this book alone, although fantastic to see, would not have been enough to garner such ardent support as it has done. This book delivers on every front and is a well-rounded story, with authentically nuanced characters, all placed inside an elegantly structured world the reader was given free reign to roam over.

I am torn. On one hand I really like a lot about this book. I love the fact that it's fantasy set in a non Euro cenric based setting. That the cast is entirely black. That it tackles that sub-strata of racism within ethnicity - colourism. The prose was beautiful and the descriptions were amazing. The overall story was good. But I just didn't have a really deep connection with the characters. The dialogue was a bit off the peg. Some of the things that happened felt a little contrived. It had some truly powerful moments and generally the pace was good. But this just wasn't quite the immersive fantasy book I was looking for. That said I definitely want to read the next one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me this book to review

Children of Blood and Bone is a very good fantasy book which lives up to the hype. It is dark with adventure, magic, and romance, with just enough world building that I want to discover more. The characters are so complex, and the writing was fantastic and well-paced.

Zelie is a strong character, who follows her heart and fights against injustice, but is also afraid and is her own worst enemy as she feels she can do nothing right. When we first see Amara she is an emotionally abused princess who has no self-esteem and is pushed around, but her inner strength starts to grow. I’m not sure how I feel about Inan but he is indecisive, loyal and intense. Tzain as a character was a bit hit or miss for me but I hope in future books we get to see his POV because I feel like we would understand him more.

I really enjoed this book and with that cliffhanger I cannot wait to read the next book in the Legacy of Orisha series. I would recommend Children of Blood and Bone to fans of the Black Mage series and the Sin Eaters Daughter series.