Fantasy is a great way to escape the realities of our world, but how can we escape the brutalities of it? Tomi Adeyemi grapples with this idea in her debut, Children of Blood and Bone. The first novel in a young adult fantasy trilogy, Children of Blood and Bone depicts the world of Orïsha, a fantasy country inspired by West Africa, as a way to explore both racial and cultural issues in today's world. Relevant, heartbreaking, and full of magic, the combined stories of Zélie, Amari, and Inan remind us that we can all be prejudiced, but that we all have the potential to grow and change, learn from our mistakes, and create a better, more just world. I can't sing the praises of Children of Blood and Bone loud enough for all to hear, but I will attempt to with my review of Tomi Adeyemi's stunning debut.
Tomi Adeyemi is the #1 New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author of Children of Blood and Bone. After graduating from Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature, she received a fellowship to study West African mythology, religion, and culture in Salvador, Brazil. When she's not working on her novels or watching BTS music videos, she can be found teaching creative writing on her website. She lives in San Diego, California. You can find Tomi at tomiadeyemi.com, and more information on the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy at childrenofbloodandbone.com. If you're interested in more of my reviews of Adeyemi's works, you can find them all here.
Zélie Abebola 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 once magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, the 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 leopanaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest threat may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers--and her growing feelings for an enemy.
Before I begin my review, I wanted to say that it's disheartening and shocking that the top two reviews for this book on Goodreads is are 1-star reviews. I want to say: yes, you can read a book wrong. You can read a book at the wrong time of your life; when you're not ready to read it; or if you're not reading deeply enough. This might be a fact hard to swallow, but it is a fact all the same. So, please, before you pick up Children of Blood and Bone, ask yourself if you're ready for it. If you come from a position of privilege (like I do, I'm not calling anyone out), and you want to read this book, make sure you have an open mind. You need to be ready to read this book. The themes are dark, will cause you to reevaluate everything you thought you knew, and ultimately push you to be a better person. So don't go into this book if you're not ready for that commitment. You need to be willing to draw the uncomfortable and horrifying parallels between Orïsha and America, between royal guards and policemen. You need to ready and willing to grow. Some would argue that you should read this book anyways, even if you're not ready for it. But I think Adeyemi wants readers who have never experienced police brutality or racism to understand what it feels like, so they can fight for change. Close-minded people (no matter how willing they are to read great books) will not help this fight. Adeyemi states in her author's note that if she could just change one person's worldview, she would consider this book a success. Her goal for this book is bigger than entertainment, so we have to read this book openly so we can analyze both entertainment value (it is a book, after all), along with how well her message came across to us.
With that being said, let's move into the more fun parts of my review!
This book is action-packed, but mainly character-based and character-driven. There are more emotional and mental trials than physical trials for all the characters, which leads to growth. complicated growths. This is a pretty powerful statement for a book to make, especially a YA fantasy, since most fantasy relies on extrinsic factors influencing character's choices -- in this book, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation play crucial roles for all the characters. Zélie, our main character, is the best example. Her voice is raw and honest. She doesn't shy away from devastating descriptions or facts about herself and her world that are uncomfortable or unfair. Her voice, will repetitive at times, is the main force that propels readers through this story. Through Zélie, we understand the injustices of Orïsha and the gross crimes committed against her people. Zélie decides that she will do everything to bring back magic, an action synonymous with bringing power back to her people. That's not to say she is perfect. Zélie doesn't trust or like Amari, the princess who falls into her care and helps Zélie throughout her journey. At first, Zélie holds all the things Amari's family did against Amari. As they continue to journey together, and as Zélie and Amari find their purposes and voices in this fight, they learn to get along. They actually become a great model of female friendship not often depicted in American culture. Zélie also does questionable things for the right reason, suggesting her moral complexity (in that way, she reminds me of Amora from All the Stars and Teeth!). Zélie's greatest battles come further in the book, when she grapples with her own abilities and what she needs to do for Orïsha and her people.
Zélie isn't the only complex character with great battles. Inan and Amari are both complex and complicated, in ways that are beautifully and heartbreakingly depicted. Both have to grapple with truths hidden from them their whole lives, and what the world is really like outside palace walls. While Amari is no stranger to physical abuse, Inan has a longer journey in overcoming his prejudices against the maji. Both Amari's and Inan's journeys are compelling and twisted, because they take them down dark mental paths and through difficult choices. For them, the world isn't as black and white as it is for Zélie -- for them, they have to learn a new reality and then decide how they want to live in it. On top of that, they also have to decide who to ally with, how to use their abilities, and ultimately what side of history they're going to stand on. Inan, Amari, and Zélie are all on the same path, physically: they're headed to the same geographic place and hit all the same landmarks. But, on the emotional and mental planes, they're all going through different, relevant, and achingly honest battles. Inan mostly delves deep into deciding what side of history he wants to be on, how he can help, and if he has the stomach to change his entire worldview in a matter of days. Amari, having witnessed and experienced trauma, has to decide how to finally fight her own battles. Zélie, also a victim of trauma and physical abuse, has to basically save the world, all while grappling with her thoughts on whether or not she's the right girl for the job. All in all, this book is extremely character-driven, and each of the characters give readers fresh eyes for the world they live in. All the characters are distinct, and I loved the choice to write from their three perspectives, all in first person! That must have been difficult to write and keep track of, and I give kudos to Adeyemi for always staying on track with the larger plot of the book, while always staying true to these characters, even when it hurts.
Some reviewers complain about pacing -- this book is about 520 pages long, with three narrators, a whole magic and fantasy system, and themes of police brutality, racism, and oppression, among many other things. Taking all that in, I think the pacing is perfect, in the face of the powerful and increasingly relevant social commentary the book provides. I think if you have a problem with the pacing, it's because the book is a fantasy novel that's more character-driven than plot-driven. The characters make the book, and Adeyemi really does spend a lot of page time getting us to understand the characters, their pains, and their motivations. When great physical trials occur, they usually happen quickly (reflective of how those moments would pass in real time), while mental and emotional turmoil spans pages (which is also reflective of how most people ruminate when there's nothing else to do). Like Zélie's voice, I found the pacing to be honest to the human experience.
That being said, I will agree that the pacing can get kind of strange as it related to the romantic notions. While I can only speculate, I'm wondering if the romance was only added because publishers and editors thought a romantic subplot would add "sale value" to the novel. Zélie and Inan are sworn enemies the first time they lay eyes on each other -- but then after a day or two together (which occurs in the last half of the novel) they are head-over-heels for each other. I enjoy what the romance might have been speculating about/commenting on, but I can't say I enjoyed the overall execution of it. Inan is dealing with a lot of conflicting emotions, which makes him untrustworthy -- and it feels strange that Zélie, who has been given the chance to save everything and everyone she loves, would "fraternize with the enemy", even if he says he's no longer going to fight against them. It escalated too quickly to be believable. I understand, for some plot points, the necessity of these conversations and how these two characters would need to get closer. However, I'm a bit critical of this seemingly last-minute thrown in love plot line, which doesn't add to the story as much as it could. Personally, I would have shipped Zélie and Inan had there been more of them at the beginning. Had Zélie's interests been piqued in Inan sooner, or had Inan looked past some of his prejudices sooner, I could have seen this plot line working well. However, those things wouldn't have been true to the characters. So instead, we get a romance that feels a little out of place in a rather dark fantasy novel. Nonetheless, we didn't get any resolution about Zélie's and Inan's "status", and there's a lot more room for growth in the next two Legacy of Orïsha series, if Adeyemi continues on this path. No matter what she does, I'm curious to see how she'll further implement romance as a commentary, and if other characters will finally get their chance. (I, for one, am cheering for Amari and Tzain!)
Lastly, I loved the magic of Orïsha! From the actual magic system, its ties to religion, and its basis on West Africa and West African culture, Adeyemi weaves a beautiful and heartbreaking tapestry of love, loss, oppression, rising from the ashes, and so much more. I personally loved how the magic system was tied to religion, because it gave magic a foundation. Often, magic just exists. In Children of Blood and Bone, Adeyemi gives magic a purpose. I also enjoyed how Zélie's journey brought them all over Orïsha. Inan and Zélie often repeat that they will create a new Orïsha, so it's fascinating that Adeyemi shows us, geographically, as much of Orïsha as she can while building on these complicated themes of justice and power. We also get a map of Orïsha (at least in the hardcover copy), so it's extra fun to plot out the paths Zélie, Inan, and Amari follow while accompanying them on the pages. Tying religion, culture, and magic together sounds super hard, but Adeyemi makes it look easy. The magic system and its origins with the gods is well explained, and I'm hoping we learn more about each type of magic as the trilogy moves forward -- that is, if Zélie and the crew actually succeeded in their ritual and got out alive!
The solstice has ended, but Adeyemi leaves readers wondering, Did the ritual actually work? Who survived the battle? How will Zélie continue forward? And, the question that haunts us all: What will happen to Orïsha? Luckily, Tomi Adeyemi gives us these answers and more with the sequel, Children of Virtue and Vengeance! If you want to find out how Adeyemi crafts this next chapter in Orïsha's story, stay tuned for my review!
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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