Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1) in Minorities in Fantasy and Science Fiction

Mar 06, 2018 Monica **can't read fast enough** rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: aa-authors-reads, fantasy-for-real

This book y'all! I am blown away by the fact that this is Tomi Adyemi's debut novel. This book is everything that I could ask for in a story and left me desperately wanting more.

Children of Blood and Bone transcends YA or even fantasy fiction. You don't need to enjoy either of those genres to love this book. It is a book that I would want to put into every readers hands. Adeyemi tells a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like an 'other'. Zélie is going down as one of my favo This book y'all! I am blown away by the fact that this is Tomi Adyemi's debut novel. This book is everything that I could ask for in a story and left me desperately wanting more.

Children of Blood and Bone transcends YA or even fantasy fiction. You don't need to enjoy either of those genres to love this book. It is a book that I would want to put into every readers hands. Adeyemi tells a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like an 'other'. Zélie is going down as one of my favorite characters. She is written with such a honest rawness that I almost teared up in several scenes. Zélie acknowledges and accepts her anger and bitterness that is the result of the hateful bigotry towards anyone with the potential for magic. Why shouldn't she be bitter and angry when everything that she loves has either been destroyed or damaged by people who used their strength to crush what they fear?

Zélie has to deal with the frustration of having to take the high road and show mercy when little to none has been shown to those like her. She witnesses the daily cruelties dealt out to people whose only crime is being born the wrong type of person. How little value is placed on their lives and how they are taken advantage of in every conceivable way. Zélie is often torn between wanting to punish the wrong doers and understanding that what you see from the outside doesn't necessarily match what is true.

Zélie's journey, although incomplete, is extraordinary. She is tasked to do something that she feels she isn't capable of, but with the help of her brother, members of the very family that destroyed her personal world, and others she encounters along the way, she is able to keep moving towards the goal of restoring magic and meeting her destiny.

Adyemi explores so many important themes in this one book. Bigotry, hate, death, the tearing down of culture, the elusiveness but necessity of hope, working through justifiable fears, trust, betrayal, disappointment, love (familial, romantic, and friendship), the cost of forgiveness, mercy, and grace both given and received, and the importance of believing in something bigger and more important than yourself.

I'm going to leave it there, because I could write an essay on why this book is so wonderful. If you are hesitant to pick this book up because it's YA or because it's fantasy please don't let that deter you! This is a book that lives up to ALL of the hype! Believe the praise, give into the pressure, and throw yourself into this wonderful story! I received an eARC for this one and I still went out and bought three copies! One for me and one for each of my daughters; it's that spectacular! Okay, my gush is over!

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Jul 10, 2018 Patrick Casebeer rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, signed

Do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK! I was lucky enough to hear about it through Jimmy Fallon’s Summer Reads and I’m happy I did.

The book takes you to another place full of magic, fear, hope, death, tolerance, intolerance, oppression, love, and courage. But the story is one that could be ripped from the headlines right here in our world.

I felt as though I got to know each character, small pieces here, large chunks there, and got the true feeling of love/hate that they each deserved.

I can’t ...more

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Nov 13, 2018 Book.Wormette rated it it was amazing

Where do I begin? Obviously, it's a easy read and page turner: 525 pages in two days. Equally obvious, I don't have a family to tend to in the evenings or mornings before heading out the door. As I read this book, more accurately, pictured this book, all I kept think was,"This would be an amazing movie!". The sci - fi animals, the scenery of Africa: deserts, oceans, and jungles, were a thrill to imagine. I wished that I could actually hear the Yoruba being spoken. Of course, I got a Black Panthe ...more

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May 12, 2018 Vincent Stoessel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Mind blown!

This was a very emotional ride for me. Epic YA that made several incursions across the border into adult fantasy. It has some of the fantasy tropes we are familiar with but also blended with so much old and new narratives from the endless ocean of the African diaspora. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

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May 31, 2018 Nikki rated it it was amazing

To be short, this novel was EPIC! It's not often I am swept away by a novel (in the manner of Netflix binge), but Children of Blood and Bones had me breaking curfew just so I can finish the next chapter(s).

What I most enjoyed about this book is the ethical issues and questions it raised around equality and power and oppression. Many readers, I believe, miss these themes, and I wish the author provided a book club reading guide to help readers understand the underlying messages, and how it relat To be short, this novel was EPIC! It's not often I am swept away by a novel (in the manner of Netflix binge), but Children of Blood and Bones had me breaking curfew just so I can finish the next chapter(s).

What I most enjoyed about this book is the ethical issues and questions it raised around equality and power and oppression. Many readers, I believe, miss these themes, and I wish the author provided a book club reading guide to help readers understand the underlying messages, and how it relates to the current affairs and historical events ranging from Black Lives Matter to the Biafran War (Niagra's Civil War).

As I was reading, I felt that the story was quite reminiscent of the power struggles between the Hausa and Igbo (And Yoruba) tribes leading up to and during the Biafran Civil Wars. Who started the fight? How do both group co-exist without rebellion or a coup? If one group has inherited more resources/power (e.g., oil-rich lands, education, Western military support), should there be equity measures to "level the playing field"?

Additionally, it raises questions on what it means to be an ally to people fighting for their rights. We see this play out with two of the characters who develop romantic/intimate attachments to persons of the marginalized group. This is most saliently explored in the relationship between (view spoiler).

Many readers have noted that they felt the love story was forced, unnecessary, and tangential to the main story. I strongly disagree. I believe it was the story. Without it, we wouldn't be able to explore the following debate. (spoilers follow)

(view spoiler)

My only criticism is that I felt the prose was, at times, cliche and repetitive. Certain phrases and dialogue would elicit an eye-roll from me as they felt a bit cheesy and not realistic. ...more

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Dec 30, 2018 Aprel rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks

This book is super long...listened to the audiobook and it’s like 18 hours. It keeps you hooked until the end. It all makes sense at the end, but in the heat of the moment you get so frustrated with the characters. Good character development, excellent writing, good quotes to keep for life. The audiobook is the way to go in my opinion - she has a distinct voice for each character and they all came alive as she read. Did not give 5 stars because it was super long and seemed to drag on at some spo ...more

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Dec 02, 2018 Alayna Payton rated it liked it

I was really excited to start this book and I did like it. But I wasn't quite as wowed as I thought I would be.
Amari was easily the best character. I felt like she had the most growth. Every other main character was ruined for me by their indecisive attitudes. The back in forth with feelings and views on magic was exhausting.
Otherwise I liked it a lot. Lol. Great and interesting world building. Rich descriptions and storytelling. ...more

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