Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SYNOPSIS: 

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were 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 an enemy.

REVIEW (Spoiler Free):

WOW! Children of Blood & Bone was spectacular!! I was a little nervous before starting CoB&B because there was so much hype. I didn’t want to be let down. But DAMN! I WAS NOT LET DOWN AT ALL. Children of Blood & Bone absolutely lived up to the hype. I was blown away. CoB&B is an epic high fantasy done beautifully. Tomi Adeyemi’s writing is exceptional. It pulls you in from the first page and doesn’t let go! Despite the length, the pacing was well done and kept me on the edge of my seat. The action was non-stop. Adeyemi created a fast-paced, spectacular world and story. It was just so good and imaginative.

This world is a masterpiece. The story takes place in Orïsha, a fictional world based on/inspired by West African culture and mythology. I have never read a world like it! The history of Orïsha and its magic was extensive, but not overwhelming. Adeyemi thought through every detail and it shows in her creative and beautiful writing. The world is vibrant and captivating. One of my favorite parts is the magic system. It was incredibly unique. The magic system is inspired by West African mythology.  There are twelve clans that each have their own set of powers and characteristics. There are “traditional” powers like manipulating water (Tiders) or air (Winders), but there are also crazy ones like the ability to infect people (Cancers). There’s a list of each clan and their power at the beginning of the book. This is such a cool detail and shows how well Adeyemi thought through CoB&B. I can’t wait to learn more about all of the clans and their magic.

The characters were also fantastically done. Zelíe and Amari are two badass women who have an incredible, strong friendship. The whole cast of characters was epic. Even the villains were so well done. The King was just the right amount of cruel and evil without being cheesy and overdone. I also loved that Adeyemi included the King’s backstory and showed why he is the way he is. I also have a lot of thoughts on Inan, but I am keeping this review spoiler free. I truly felt like I was there in Orïsha with the characters on their journey. I was on the adventure with Zelíe, Amari, Inan, and Tzain. I normally don’t love more than 2 POVs, but I loved all 3 in this. I thought all 3 POVs added depth to the story and the character development was excellent.

One of the major themes of this book is that we all have the power to fight back and to create change. This is shown through the divide between those with magic (low-class, inferior, mistreated, abused) and without (high-class, superior, privileged, nobles), which is meant to represent the racial divide in our society today. I thought this was beautifully done in a way where everyone can understand the hardship and brutality involved. Even though CoB&B is a fantasy, it was able to relate it to our society. It really got me thinking…which made me love it even more. I highly recommend everyone read the author’s note at the end. She talks about this much more eloquently than I am able to.

Tomi Adeyemi has created one of my favorite books and also inspired me.
And that ending?!? Are you kidding!? I can’t cope with the wait for the sequel!

I cannot wait to continue this story and return to Orïsha

FINAL THOUGHTS:

• Action packed, fast paced high fantasy!
• Original world inspired by West African culture and mythology.
• Awesome and unique magic system.
• Fantastic cast of characters, especially the badass women!
• The divide between the diviners/maji & the kosidán (those without magic) is one of the major themes of this book.
• Fantasy, but also highly relates to our society
• HUGE cliffhanger! My jaw dropped and I WANT THE SEQUEL NOW! This wait is going to be killer!