Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha, 1) Hardcover – March 6, 2018

Children of Blood and Bone is an electrifying triumph of West African-inspired fantasy that crackles with magic, emotion, and heart-pounding action from the very first page. Tomi Adeyemi doesn’t just write a story—she builds a living, breathing world of Orïsha so vivid and immersive that you’ll swear the wind of its beaches and the thrum of its magic are right beside you.Zélie Adebola is the fierce, passionate, and deeply human heroine we didn’t know we were desperately missing. Through her, Adeyemi explores themes of oppression, resilience, identity, and legacy with searing honesty and lyrical brilliance. The characters are raw, complex, and unforgettable—each chapter burns with tension and soul.The book’s pacing is relentless, the twists genuinely shocking, and the magic system rich with cultural roots that make it feel both ancient and revolutionary. Adeyemi’s writing is cinematic, poetic, and laced with the kind of fire that ignites movements.This isn’t just a book—it’s a battle cry. A call to remember the magic that was stolen, to fight for what is right, and to honor those who came before us.If you love epic fantasy with heart, justice, and unapologetic Black girl power—Children of Blood and Bone is non-negotiable.⭐ 5/5 stars. A modern classic.#MustRead #BlackGirlMagic #ChildrenOfBloodAndBone #TomiAdeyemi #Fantasy #OwnVoices #YAroyalty #BookLoversUnite #PowerfulReads

The land of Orisha is a medieval kingdom in a fantasy setting containing magic granted to Maji by the gods. The Maji’s magic was a power that could be feared as some could make fire from their hands or reanimate the dead or control the animals. They used their power righteously as their gods guided them to help the kingdoms and all people. Until one day, all maji’s magic disappears and King Saren’s soldiers sweep the kingdom killing all the adult maji, leaving the children alive as they don't develop magic until the age of 15. 10 years later, Zèlie a 17 year old maji who lives in a small village named Ibeji, with Mama Agba who took in Zèlie, her father and with other maji and diviners in after the massacre.One day, Zèlie is forced to go to the kingdom to sell fish as if she doesn’t make enough money she won't be able to pay the raised taxes and will be sold to the stocks. At the kingdom's market guards are in a frantic search for a thief, Zèlies frightened their looking for her, when she bumps into the person the kingdom is looking for Amari, a 17 year old girl, who asks Zèlie for help. In a panic to escape, Zèlie flee’s with Amari to the gate where she intervenes with Inan, the prince, the son of Saren. She escapes Inan and leaves the kingdom with a makeshift molotov. Amari later presents the object she stole, a scroll taken directly from the kingdom; she tells Zèlie it can bring the magic back if a Maji touches the scroll. And so Zèlie lays her hand on the scroll and she feels the ashè inside of her reawaken.What is explained is only the beginning of the book in very very loose terms.. Children of blood and bone includes many extreme topics that include discrimination, prejudice, oppression, self understanding and self worth. The pacing of the story is presented in a hero’s journey where Zèlie,Tazin (her brother) and Amari travel from destination to destination with the end goal of bring magic back to all Maji in which will give them the power to end their subjugation and fight against the kingdom. The main protagonists Zèlie, Amari and Inan switch between their perspectives between different chapters. Each character has their own dilemmas and character growth.Zèlie is a strong, confident and vengeful character. I would define her as a chaotic good character. Her conflicts include prejudice, Ptsd and self doubt; However she exerts so much confidence and strength throughout the story these internal conflicts are very subtle untill the end. Her main conflicts would be spiritual and physical as she is the maji and main fighter of the group. Her past has left her with a burning hate towards the king and his supporters. Her older brother Tazin has been with her for her entire life and has protected and supported her. Tazin is a true neutral character who is a leader and a diviner which is a maji without magic.Amari is almost a 180 from Zèlie, as she is the princess of Orisha, daughter of Saren and sister of Inan. She is protective, righteous, perceptive and a lawful good character. Being a princess she had never left the palace being spoiled, never needing to worry about her next meal. Being the daughter of Saren he was forced to pick up the sword and learn to fight by the ideals of her father. Through this lifestyle she must be on the side of the king you’d think, however, because of her best friend, her mother figure, Binta a maid who took care of her and also a Maji in which paired with her characteristics she wasn't as affected by the poison of prejudice from the adults. Her journey is finding herself as a person and as a newer version of a princess, one that will do the right thing to protect her people that includes the maji and diviners.Lastly, is Inan is a prince who is good and righteous in his heart. However, he is misguided, poisoned by the ideals of his father which blinds the good within him. Inan is a lawful neutral character who is determined to please his father and to be a good king when his time comes. His internal conflict involves self understanding and acceptance. He is incredibly skilled in the sword just like Amari and is close with the generals unlike Amari. His main conflicts stem between his sister, moral conflicts and a secret Zèlie learns about him.Children of Blood and Bone Is an amazing read. I highly recommend the pacing is great and the action doesn’t die down. However the main reason this book is so good is because of the trauma these 17 year olds face living in a tyrannical kingdom and them fighting to make a better life for everyone starting by ending the people's oppression.

When reading books that are as hyped as this one, I really try to go into it with as little preconceived notion as possible so that I can form my own opinion and experience the story with a fresh mindset. So I tried to read as little as possible when review after amazing review would pop up for Children of Blood and Bone. I didn’t really know much about it other than it was a fantasy based on West African culture, some tribal magic, and a fight for freedom.The world building in this book is fantastic. Its completely original from most all YA stories out there with a rich feel of the actual culture it is based around. I did spend a lot of time looking up specific Yoruba words to understand what I was reading, but that just added to the unique experience that this book enveloped me in. The magic system was also very different from most, based off of each of the ten gods in their religion, each god provides its children with a specific talent or gift. I really liked this and found it very easy to follow as we learned how it worked throughout the story.The characters were all well fleshed out with very different personalities and I found that each one had their own role that played into the plot in its own way. While Zélie was our first character we were introduced to, there were three others that played very important roles in how this story would unfold. The other three were Tzain, Amari, and Inan. Mostly the chapters are told from Zélie, Amari and Inan, but Tzain is a constant throughout the entire book. I felt that in the beginning we see how closed minded most of the characters are, but over the course of the book they grow through many difficult tasks and battles that eventually open their eyes to how they need to make big steps in order to change their kingdom for the better. Diviners (magic wielding people) are very much looked down upon to the point that they are given a number of racial slurs, the worst of all being “maggot”. It broke my heart to see how cruel they were treated because of the way they were born.Zélie was fierce and a fighter at heart, but somehow always found a way to mess everything up. I can relate Zél, I can relate. But with her brother Tzain by her side, she was protected always. I loved their relationship and how strong their family bond was. Losing their mother at a young age, Tzain swore to protect Zélie always, and he stood by that promise through thick and thin.Amari might have been my favorite character (aside from Roen) but as far as main characters go, Amari went from being a quiet and timid princess to the fierce Lionaire. Her character growth was amazing, reading about her breaking out of her shell and to defy her despicable father so that she could help those who needed it most made my own heart grow. The friendship that formed between Zélie and Amari was beautiful in the way that they brought out the best in each other. While it started with a bit of hatred, it quickly grew, and eventually they were the ones who helped each other through even the toughest of times.Inan was a mess. Poor, poor Inan. He just couldn’t catch a break. Brainwashed from birth by his father the king, he was taught that all magic was evil, and that if magic came back it would be the death of all those he loved. So when he finds out that he is also a Diviner his self loathing began to eat him alive from the inside out. I started out really disliking him for is ignorant way of thinking, and how he would do anything to please dear old daddy. But I will say he grew on me towards the end of the book. He still had his downside, but it was better than his bullheadedness from before he felt the fear of what it felt like to be a lowly diviner. The fear of being found out, that he was a maggot. But he grows a lot because of this, and he was actually good at heart under all the lies he had been told all his life.My only complaint would be the romance. UGHHH! I can handle love triangles, teen angst, sappy love stories, forbidden love, even some instalove, and all the other crazy tropes there are out there, but when you start pairing couples off for the sake of everyone having a love interest, it starts to take away from the experience. Sometimes its okay for there to be a character that doesn’t have a lover. That doesn’t make them less interesting, it just means that wasn’t part of their story. I got to a few parts in this book where I was laughing at how ridiculous and forced the relationship was starting to feel. With how powerful and moving the rest of the story is, this just seemed so out of place that I lost some of the emotional investment I had already put into the book thus far. Had this not been the case, this would have easily been a five star read for me.All in all, I really enjoyed this book. Its moving, cultural, powerful, intense, and fiercely passionate. I can feel the love that went into the writing and the message behind the story. I wanted to fight along with these characters for their freedom. I loved how connected you start to feel with the characters and their world, and the emotions this book provoked in me while reading. I can NOT wait until the second book is published, that cliffhanger of an ending will keep me wondering for the next year. Let the torture begin! This book really did live up to the hype and I’m happy I can finally know what it’s all about!

A breath of fresh air for the genre. Well written characters and a vibrant world meet a well paced story. I’m eager for the next instalments.