Children of Blood and Bone Sampler Review by Tomi Adeyemi

I was absolutely thrilled when I saw Children of Blood and Bone as a sampler up on Netgalley. I knew I had to request it right away. It has been on my want to read list ever since I heard about it. Having read the sampler, I am just more convinced that I need this book in my life. Commence requesting this absolutely everywhere I see it.

Summary

Goodreads summarizes this as:

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.

Review

And I have got to say that, even in the sampler alone, we get a taste of everything that this blurb promises: the bitter taste of injustice, the burning rage of vengeance, and the sweet hope of promise. I was immediately taken in by the lyrical narration style as it enfolds us in this cocoon – much like a spider. In one sense there’s fabulous writing and lush scenery, but a very real sense of danger and inequality on the surface.

We are introduced to the world via an oral tale, if I seriously needed more reasons to love this, and taken into a mysterious setting rife with breeding resentment and a history that is fragile. The characters, especially Zélie, are amazingly complex and rich – even for the brief time I got to know them. There are noble hearted princesses, fierce blooded staff-wielding girls, and when these combine, the world will burst into flames. We become attached to both feelings of oppression, the many forms it takes, as well as the powerlessness we have to stop the rolling tidal waves against us. But Adeyemi takes us on a different journey, one that challenges us to fight our inner strength and change the world.

Overall

Children of Blood and Bone is rich with social commentary. For example there are those who try to bleach their skin to escape from the stigma and match their station, to defy the perceived darkness of magic and skin color – to vainly try to escape the history that lives within our skin. If you can’t tell already, I am so intrigued, even more so than before, about Children of Blood and Bone as it promises a story ripe with possibilities, fierce girls, and a world on the precipice of change.

Make sure to add this to your to-read shelf and look out for March 2018. If you’re a fellow book blogger and want to try your hand at receiving access to this, you can see the Netgalley listing.

Discussion

What books are you most looking forward to in 2018?

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