Instant New York Times BestsellerNew York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2018 TIME Top 10 Best YA and Children’s Books of 2018NPR’s Book Concierge 2018 Great Reads List Buzzfeed’s 24 Best YA Books of 2018Bustle’s Top 25 Best Young Adults Books of 20182018 Kirkus Prize Finalist YALSA William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist Paste Magazine’s 30 Best YA Novels of 2018Newsweek’s 61 Best Books …
YALSA William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist
Paste Magazine’s 30 Best YA Novels of 2018
Newsweek’s 61 Best Books from 2018
Boston Globe’s Best Children’s Books of 2018
Publishers Weekly Best YA Books of 2018
School Library Journal Best Books of 2018
2019 YALSA Teen’s Top Ten List
With five starred reviews, Tomi Adeyemi’s West African-inspired fantasy debut, and instant #1 New York Times Bestseller, conjures a world of magic and danger, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir.
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.
“A phenomenon.” —Entertainment Weekly
“The epic I’ve been waiting for.” —New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu
“You will be changed. You will be ready to rise up and reclaim your own magic!” —New York Times-bestselling author Dhonielle Clayton
“The next big thing in literature and film.” —Ebony
“One of the biggest young adult fiction debut book deals of theyear.” —Teen Vogue
This title has Common Core connections.
#1 New York Times bestseller, March 14, 2018
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Kind of formulaic. I wasn’t a fan of the romance or characters, but there was nothing inherently wrong with it.
But I am HERE for the juicy diversity
I loved the Children of Blood and Bone. The world is set in such a vivid way, with accurate turmoil shown and interesting types of people portrayed. (I also liked that Adeyemi tried to parallel modern day dynamics in her fantasy world.)
Although there were changing perspectives because of the frequent switching of narrators, most of the pacing was smooth. (A few chapters, though, I wanted to dwell in one character’s head longer.)
I really admired the grit of the female characters, particularly Amari, who rebelled against the restraints of the kingdom. I had a little bit of a problem with Zelie because she seemed to throw herself (and get stuck) in dangerous situations where other people had to come assist her.
I also liked the more nuanced relationship between Zelie and the crown prince. It was refreshing (and surprising) to see it play out in a different way.
My favorite parts of the novel involved the deep love shown in Zelie’s family, the world steeped in West African culture, and the strong female characters depicted. A five-star read.
Tomi Adeyemi’s epic fantasy vibrates with Orïsha magic and adventure in a parable for today’s racial injustices. I was as captivated by the fiction as I was moved by the facts. I highly recommend the audiobook of CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, brilliantly narrated by Bahni Turpin, and look forward to listening to the second book in the Legacy of Orïsha.
This book takes you on a journey through the world of Orisha and presents vivid imagery that helps show the magic of world building!! I loved the development as each chapter helps shape the story and gives life to each character playing a vivid role in the story. The message in the epilogue was very moving as well!! An amazing story!!
I have been getting into YA fiction more and more and this book has stuck with me more than most. I love the world building and the character development in this book. The author does a phenomenal job taking us into the world of these amazing characters and gives the reader incredible tension and plot elevation. I am currently reading the sequel and I am taking my time because I don’t want to finish it!
This is the story of Zelie and her people. She remembers a time where magic ran through the Deviners and Maji. However, a tyrant king made sure that magic disappeared forever leaving Maji dead. Zelie’s mom – who was a powerful Reaper – was taken away in chains and killed shattering their family.
Now Zelie is on a path to bring magic back. With the help of her brother and some unlikely allies in the kingdom, she has one chance and one moon cycle to return magic to her people and rid the kingdom of their tyrant king.
This was a pretty good book. I listened to it while I did yard work (it si 15+ hours) and the reader was excellent. I got invested in the story and its underlying message. It started a little slow and confusing for me, but as I started to invest in the characters it got better. The chapters move between 4 differend POV which I have always been a fan of. I like hearing from different people throughout a story – see how they view what is happening around them. It is a story of heros, good vs evil, and how everything isn’t always as clear cut as it seems.
This has been a popular book out there forever, and I kept passing it over, but I am glad I finally read it. And I am definitely going to read the second book in the series.
I loved this book. The characters popped off the page and I could see them clearly. It took some unexpected twists and turns, so what I thought was going to happen did not. But I highly recommend this novel. I can’t wait to buy the next book in this series. Even though I started another book, I’m still living this story.
One of the best fantasies I’ve ever read.
Great story different than anything I had ever read. So many themes and issues addressed. Very well done. I enjoyed and plan on continuing the series.
Such a great work of fiction. Characters are carefully and beautifully constructed with full spectrum of flaws and strengths. Storyline is exciting and gripping. I really loved this book.
This book builds on the tension of loss, loss of culture, family, freedom and ultimately the loss of magic and the taste of life without, to create that hunger to do anything to restore a state before loss. Emotional journey that at times teases us to want justice for the underdog but the system has its moments. Good read guys…………..
I would have given this one five stars, but I didn’t enjoy the ending as much. I was hooked for a huge part of the book, but once she got tortured, I lost interest for a while. I loved the message. I felt weird about the surprise ending with the magic, but I’m excited to see what she’ll do with her next books. I thought she wrote beautifully though!
Children of Blood and Bone is typically not my genre of books that I gravitate towards. I was pleasantly surprised as I read through the first chapter that it was definitely a page turner. The main character Zelie was aspiring with her constant faith and courage. Even when things seemed to be going so wrong she managed to continue to cleave to the hope that things would change.
I am so ready to read the sequel “Children of Virtue and Vengeance”. Author Tomi Adeyemi is a magnificent writer that captivates her audience from start to finish.
I have never read such an amazing, colorful and full-bodied story. This book should be required reading in schools. A LITERARY MASTERPIECE!
Fantastic book! I don’t read a lot of pure fantasy, but this book grabbed me from the get-go. Well written and wrought with emotion, I couldn’t help but care for the characters and quest. The romance, didn’t do it for me-it almost never does-but it made the story richer at least. The thematic parallels to real world issues of race and discrimination were clearly evident and even more poignant given today’s climate. The author’s not was absolutely heartbreaking to read, knowing it was written three years and next to no progress has been made on the issues she highlighted. Would highly recommend this book and can’t wait to dive into the sequel.
exceptional storytelling and African (Nigerian) characters and folklore
This is my first book from this author and I am a fan!
Overall, I’m totally obsessed with this book. Yes, it was quite long, so get the audiobook. It was amazing! It really added to world-building. Bahni Turpin has an awesome African accent.
The characters are so well done, with a true mix of multiple personality traits with traumatic backgrounds and magical and/or political responsibilities. What’s not to love?
For my full review, please visit: https://www.krwardbookreview.com/
The characters were very well constructed and realistic. In addition the story itself was original and the world building was downright inspirational.
Good for younger YAs, perhaps. Did not keep me enthralled.