Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Title: Children of Blood and Bone
Publication: March 6, 2018
Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Publisher

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

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

Mini Review 

I chose this book because I fell in love with the cover. It's absolutely beautiful. There was also so much buzz that I had to see what it was about and grabbed it as soon as it was available at my library. My expectations were really high, so I was a little disappointed. I think the problem was so much focus was on the journey that the world didn't come together well. There was a sense of urgency but not a sense of time to accomplish the tasks. The romance seemed forced and unnatural in a way. I wasn't able to believe that they were falling in love. 

Now, one character Amari seemed to grow steadily throughout the story and I liked seeing the changes in her. I feel like Zelie and Inan didn't really change much to me. The are both fueled by their emotions and tend to lead with them but Amari seems to self-reflect and overcome her own personal obstacles to become stronger. The one constant character was the King and he's a cruel, murderous creature. I didn't like him at all. It was all blood and death when he was around. Overall, the writing is good and the pace is quick but I do feel this is a good beginning to a potentially great story.