Book Review: Children of Blood and Bone
I first learned of this book thanks to my boyfriend who already had his own copy. After he read and enjoyed the novel I decided that it was a must read. I can definitely see this as the next big book to movie franchise that will be ranked among the Twilight and Hunger Games series. It may be clear by now that I love creating my own dream casts to portray the characters on screen so I’ve already started to come up with my ideas for this series. But before I get ahead of myself, let’s talk about the book!
The Synopsis:
Children of Blood and Bone is a 2018 young adultfantasy novel by Nigerian-American novelist Tomi Adeyemi. The book, Adeyemi's debut novel and the first book in a planned trilogy, follows heroine Zélie Adebola as she attempts to restore magic to the kingdom of Orïsha, following the ruling class kosidáns' brutal suppression of the class of magic practitioners Zélie belongs to, the maji.
My Spoiler-Free Review
I absolutely adored this book from start to finish. One of the key components that made this such a great reading experience was the short chapters. There’s something about a chapter being only a few pages that not only sets a great pace for a book but it also makes me feel accomplished as a reader to get through so many chapters in one sitting. Can anyone else relate to this? Aside from the short chapters, the book is told from the perspective of three of the main characters. This gives us a broader idea of the themes being presented in the book while also making us keen to details we wouldn’t know about if it was being told through the eyes of just one person. This gave the story a movie-like feel and kept me engaged the entire time.
The book also touches on very important themes of colorism within the black community as well as the overall oppression of darker skinned people. I think there are so many important lessons that can be learned by readers of all ages in how these themes are presented and discussed. Many people are unaware of the complexities that go along with the many different skin tones found just within black community alone. Having lighter skin is an immense privilege that we have to acknowledge and hold each other accountable for. This is a book that I would have loved reading in school and I think it will have a great impact on people for years to come.
There wasn’t much that I didn’t like about this book. There were some details that didn’t add up to me, but I can go into that down below in the spoiler section of my review. Overall I would rate this book as a 5 Star read! I am nervous to start the second book as I am unsure how Adeyemi can top this sensational opener, but there is no doubt that I will be finishing this trilogy and fan-girling over every movie. I mean seriously, how often will we have this opportunity for a gorgeous, strong, and inspiring all-black cast at this magnitude?
If you haven’t had the chance to get your hands on this book, then I would highly recommend it! Let me know in the comments of you plan on giving it a shot.
Purchase your copy of The Children of Blood and Bone using my link: https://amzn.to/3hkvA8Q
Now I am going to get into the details of why something in the book wasn’t totally adding up for me. This could be a potential spoiler, so just to be safe you can read this part after reading the book and then let me know if you agree. Spoilers ahead...
Spoiler-Alert
So basically in the book we learn that Zellie needs to perform a ritual that will bring magic back to Orïsha. She has to perform the ritual before the centennial solstice or else magic will be gone forever. The issue I have with this is that we are told throughout the story that the gods, who are in control of distributing magic to the humans, can give magic pretty much without limitations. The gods' magic comes from an even higher power called “Sky Mother“. Sky Mother and the rest of the gods are expressed to have the ability of divine intervention in which they have the power to do their own will and what they believe is best for their people. So it seems a bit strange to me that without each of the magic artifacts and without completing this ritual on time, that magic will just cease to exist. I get that every good story needs a ticking time clock or deadline, but this seems like a significant hole in the backstory of the gods. Am I reading into this too much? Let me know what you all think.
Happy Reading
-Siera Arena
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