Children of Blood and Bone

I was all set to love this, but I'm afraid it disappointed. I can't decide if I think it just didn't spark for me or if there's something more objectively meh about it. I read it for book club, and no one there liked it either (though most of them are not usually fantasy readers, so that honestly doesn't help me out a whole lot). The story is told from three different points of view, and I found little to nothing differentiated those three povs. I also didn't love the use of first person present tense. Finally, nothing about the book really came alive for me, not the characters, not the world building. And by the end I felt like the plot was just one thing after another. I really like the idea of a fantasy story based in an African show more culture rather than a European one, and Adeyemi's desire to put the struggles of black Americans against police figures into a fantasy setting I think is a great idea, but I wasn't feeling it as a story. I dunno. YMMV. show less

Spectacular addition both to fantasy canon and to conversations about race -- spectacular because there are so many themes packed into the book, but even more so because they don't bog the fast -moving plot or the world building down. It's very much in the tradition of great science fiction and fantasy of the past, where the writer creates a space to try out ideas and see where their logical conclusions go. It's also a traditional quest book, with characters that provoke strong emotion.I'm very interested to see where it goes next. Every time I think I can see the path, something twists.

Orisha is a deeply unequal society, where diviners - those with the potential to be maji - are oppressed by the will of the king, who fears magic. Sixteen-year-old Zelie is a diviner whose mother was killed during the Raid; a chance (fate) meeting with the runaway princess Amari, who possesses a scroll that restores magic to any diviner who touches it, sets Zelie's path. Zelie, her brother Tzain, and unlikely Amari set off to the temple of Chandomble to find out how to restore magic to Orisha. Meanwhile, Amari's older brother, Prince Inan, is in pursuit. But Inan has a secret - he is a diviner also, though he suppresses his magic. Will he join the other three and subvert his father's will, or will he do his father's wishes ("duty before show more self")? This is the beginning of a journey full of violence - even torture - highlighting again and again the injustices of unequal societies.

Quotes

[Tzain] wants to believe that playing by the monarchy's rules will keep us safe, but nothing can protect us when those rules are rooted in hate. (Zelie, 27)

"On earth, Sky Mother created humans, her children of blood and bone. In the heavens she gave birth to the gods and goddesses." (Lekan to Zelie at the temple of Chandomble, 159)

It doesn't matter how strong I get, how much power my magic wields. They will always hate me in this world.
...
The truth cuts like the sharpest knife I've ever known.
No matter what I do, I will always be afraid. (Zelie, 313)

"I won't let your ignorance silence my pain." (Zelie to Inan, 315)

"Inan has always been caught between wrong and right. I just want to believe he can be right." (Amari to Zelie, 374)

We are all children of blood and bone.
All instruments of vengeance and virtue. (Zelie, 519) show less

Ever since the day of the Raid, the diviners have been without magic. Standing out with their dark skin and white hair, they are still called "maggots" and treated as scum in Orisha. But the gods who once created magic wielders - maji - have been silent for years. Zelie, a diviner girl still hurting from her mother's brutal murder, and Amara, the daughter of the very man who destroyed magic, become a reluctant team when a scroll turns up. When a diviner touches it, they awaken their magic. Can Zelie avenge her mother's death and give power to the maji once more? Or will Inan, Amara's brother and one of the king's guard, catch up to them and stop them first?

This fantasy world is richly-created and unique, incorporating Yoruba and show more touching on themes of oppression that will resonate with current events such as police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. At the same time, the story follows a more or less traditionally episodic quest motif, and Zelie and her friends journey across Orisha to accomplish their goal of reawakening magic. Adeyemi is a first-time novelist who writes with assurance. I found the book a tad long at times (clocking in at over 500 pages) but I enjoyed the world and characters, and look forward to continuing the series. show less

After reading a five hundred page novel by Joseph Conrad, it was interesting to read a five hundred page young adult novel and compare their styles. The themes are not so very different: imperialism and colonialism are central to both. However young adult novels, in my experience, are usually narrated in the first person and extremely plot-driven. Conrad meanders around introducing the characters and settings for at least a hundred pages, while Adeyemi plunges the reader straight into events from the first page. There is nothing inherently better about either approach and I enjoy both, but they definitely make for contrasting experiences.

Comparisons aside, ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ evokes a fantasy world modelled on West African show more mythology, in which magic use associated with a religious tradition has been brutally suppressed. The main characters are two brother and sister duos, one from the royal family and the other the oppressed magic-associated minority. All four have suffered terrible family traumas, which display in microcosm the wounds of the whole population. Their country has experienced genocide within very recent memory and the survivors want to regain their magic to take revenge. Given all this, the narration is intensely emotional and often upsetting. There are some horrible scenes of torture and murder. The main characters are around 18, as far as I could tell, yet already full of self-blame, anger, and fear.

At first the plot follows a quite predictable quest structure, then becomes much more interesting when the implications of magic’s possible return are raised. This involves all kinds of incredibly difficult questions about how reconciliation and peace can be achieved after genocidal violence. The destabilising effect of returning very powerful magic to an oppressed minority is given serious consideration. The final twist, that everyone (in the vicinity? In the country?) gets magic is intriguing.

Although I found the world-building vivid and original, I was less keen on the romance elements. The romantic scenes seemed deeply incongruous given the otherwise relentless violent action. That could well have been intentional. In any event, the romantic matches seemed rather cliched as they could be predicted as soon as the characters in question first met. I was more moved by the endearing moments of developing friendships. Family bonds in this world are far more fraught and there is a real sense of inter-generational conflict. Will this new generation continue the cycle of revenge that they have inherited? Adeyemi gives the reader reasons to hope, while leaving the views of each main character subtly ambiguous. I enjoyed this distinctive and thoughtful vision of magic, despite the frequent brutality of the story. show less

I haven't seen a lot of other fantasy novels which are based on African mythology (Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys is a major exception), so it was quite a revelation reading this book. Adeyemi trades on expected fantasy tropes of subjucated magic users and the rebirth of magic to drive her story successfully, but it is her young group of protagonists who are the main draw. I'm sure many readers are infinitely curious about the magic system based on clans/tribes and the political machinations around the actions of the crown, but it is the growth of Zel and her companions that is most intriguing. Zel, of course, is learning to use her magic for the first time, so she is an easy focus, but the transformations of the crown prince and princess show more are even more crucial to the story and to the development of their world. I found Inan to be a pretty obnoxious character for the most part, because he is so inflexible in his beliefs until he falls in love with a pretty girl, but by the end of the story it is Princess Amari who emerges as the real power player. Technically, she is the one who started the conflict by stealing a magic scroll, so it kind of makes sense that it is her (and Zel) who are triumphant at the finale. Now that magic has returned and Amari has been revealed to also have powers we are well set up for the next book in this series! show less

I rarely read books aimed at teens or young adults (except a few brief readings of extremely popular books, usually before I see the movies they've been made into) but I'm extremely grateful I made an exception for this one. What initially caught my eye was the overwhelming positive buzz around the book as well as plans for a feature film and after reading the synopsis I was more than intrigued; and this book more than lived up to the hype and expectation.

After reading I was floored to put it mildly, this is leagues past most of the young adult fiction phenomenon we've seen in the past decade or so, hunger games who? divergent series what? Sorry, this isn't meant to disparage Suzanne Collins or Veronica Roth, only to express how show more amazing I think this book was (and full disclosure, I have only read the first couple books of the aforementioned authors so maybe I'm not quite as informed as I could be). All that being said, move over Twilight / Hunger Games / Divergent there's a new YA powerhouse in town and this one is breathtakingly readable, with detailed and vivid world building and, best of all, populated with deep, conflicted, messy, intimately human characters.

I won't spoil the ride for you because I think everyone needs this experience for themselves but I will attempt to back up why I'm so enamored with this work. To being with, and perhaps most importantly, this is a teen novel that doesn't pander to it's audience, there are no comfortable cliches or familiar tropes we can put our trust in, the novel is just as unpredictable and dangerous as the real world. This is something I appreciate and I think this generation of teens, perhaps more than any other, can appreciate as well, it's a teen novel that doesn't soften, sugar coat or simplify, it's as raw and demanding as any adult book. Additionally, the novel is set in a richly storied and complex world complete with different cultures and a vibrant, if sometimes bloody history. Think Westeros or Middle Earth but instead of a fantasy medieval Europe, Orisha (the nation the book takes place in) is a fully realized African land with it's own unique customs, peoples, and mythology, we're talking THAT level of intricate world building; and it's expressed masterfully, details are shared organically through discussions and stories, no clunky exposition to be found here. For anyone wishing for a fantasy novel not set in some facsimile of a bygone European country, this is book for you. The crowning achievement of this world building is without a doubt the magic and religion of the nation, the two are inextricably linked and each is fascinating and fairly different from anything in fiction I've read before. As I said, I won't give out spoilers but rest assured the magic in "Children of Blood and Bone" is on par with Rowling's witches and wizards, it's that cool, I promise. Finally, the characters. I love these characters, our protagonist is flawed, impulsive, and sometimes makes choices we the readers disapprove of and I adore that. The other characters don't lack for detail, humanity, or growth by dent of not being THE main character either, they're all just as well written and have as much of an impact on the story, no one feels like a side kick or plot device. Even the characters we despise and root against feel like real, human villains.

To sum up, this is an excellent and worthwhile book. If, like me, you rarely or never read YA lit then make an exception and read this one. If you are a fan of the genre you then absolutely need to experience this book to see how far the bar has been raised. I haven't been this impressed by ANY book, adult, teen, or otherwise in a long, long time and I couldn't be more thrilled that it seems to be part of a planned series (Legacy of Orisha #1). I, and the world, need more of Tomi Adeyemi brilliant writing as soon as possible. show less