Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha, #1) by Tomi Adeyemi Series: Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha,
Published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers on May 6, 2018
Genres: fantasy, Fantasy > Magic, Young Adult Fantasy
Pages: 525
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Goodreads
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.
Catfairy’s Bookmix
This isn’t my playlist but I think it’s a perfect playlist to go along with this fantastical masterpiece!
“They may have a thousand men in their army, but not one of them has the support of the gods. We have magic on our side, so stay strong, stay confident…”
-Zelie
CatFairy’s Thoughts
Children of Blood and Bone is not usually my typical read and fantasy books, in general, are not always in my comfort zone. As soon as I picked up this book, I was taken by surprise because skies…this story is insane! Insanely good!!! The story literally sucked me into the world of Orisha! I love how the world building doesn’t interfere with the plot development and the characters. I think sometimes in fantasy books there is too much world building and not enough plot development and this story was such a delight because it has everything an epic fantasy story should have!
Reading COBAB was a pure adrenaline rush! This book has everything you could ask for from politics, racism, romance, magic, adventure, African mythology, and dynamic multi-dimensional characters that you fall in love with!
Catnopsis
“It doesn’t matter how strong I get, how much power my magic wields. They will always hate me in this world.”
-Tomi Adeyemi
In the land of Orisha, magic is dead. Years ago, magic was alive with the residents of Orisha and they all held different magical powers from people who had diverse abilities such as manipulating fire and connectors who could read the minds of others. The ruler of Orisha, King Saran has a deep hatred for magic. King Saran has abolished magic and will kill anyone who dares to practice it.
Zelie is a diviner and her mother who was a diviner was killed by King Saran many years ago in what was known as The Raid, where many Orishans were slaughtered for practicing magic. Until Zelie gets a vision that she will travel with a magical scroll to a faraway temple to revive magic in the land of Orisha again. Zelie will not be going on this journey to bring magic alone. She will be going on this adventure with her brother Tzain, Princess Amari, Amari’s brother Prince Anan, and of course Zelie’s beloved lionaire Nailah! Throughout this experience, they learn about the power of their own magic and the strength they have in themselves.
Meet Zelie
Zelie is a ruthless and strong character. Also, she is immensely loyal but there is so much dimension to her character overall. Zelie is the kind of person who could get her heart broken at the same time but has no problem smacking you with that staff if you cross her! I haven’t read a character like Zelie in a long time and I was fascinated with her. Although, I have to say that the only complaint that I have with Zelie is that she gave Amari quite a hard time for awhile in the story. Even when Amari was clearly on her side, it was difficult for Zelie to accept her. Despite Zelie’s stubbornness, I admired Zelie’s character and her unequivocal strength.
Meet Tzain
Tzain is an underrated character in this story and I hope that in the second book they give him a chance to develop his character a bit more. I found Tzain to be such a loyal and patient character. Tzain and Zelie are an adorable brother-sister combo and they compliment one another very well. While Zelie is always getting herself into trouble Tzain is trying to get her out of trouble! Every Zelie needs a Tzain!
Meet Amari
Amari is my favorite character in this story because she shows a huge character arc and it develops rather nicely. Amari began the story as a very meek character. Although throughout the story you can see how she changes and her quiet strength slowly comes out with a vengeance. Even though, Amari learns to stand up for herself she is still a sweet character and develops a strong bond with Zelie in the process. Amari is a mix of sweetness and “kickassness” and that’s a great combo if you ask me!
Meet Inan
Inan…Inan…Inan…where do I begin with Inan?! Inan drove me, insane people. Inan wasn’t my favorite character at all. This character is so deeply flawed and didn’t know what the heck he wanted. He would make a decision and then change at the drop of the hat. Inan was constantly battling his mind and he was so indecisive that it drove me nuts! Although I could understand where he was coming from and the intense amount of pressure he was in but I was struggling with this character and found it hard to find a connection with him.
CatFairy’s Final Thoughts
There are many people out there that compare COBAB to a Harry Potter level and I wholeheartedly agree with this opinion! This book is such an entertaining read because it’s not your typical cardboard cutout characters. These characters are flawed, brave, and beautiful all at the same time. COBAB is one of the few fantasy books where all the characters are African American and this makes the book so refreshing and different from the others. COBAB is riveting from beginning to end and there aren’t any parts in the story where it was dragging in the least bit. The whole time that I was reading Adeyemi’s story I felt like I was a part of Zelie, Inan, Tzain, and Amari’s adventure. I am looking forward to continuing their adventure to bring back magic in the second book!
“The book was written during a time where I kept turning on the news and seeing stories of unarmed black men, women, and children being shot by the police.”
-Adeyemi
Racism is a huge part of this book. Zelie has dark colored skin and she is looked down upon in the land of Orisha. The gentry has a lighter-toned skin and they are constantly skin bleaching. King Saran sends out the message to the Orishans that skin color determines their status in society. Unfortunately, King Saran’s message reflects our own society today and we are living in a world where people are constantly being diminished if they don’t meet the status quo. Adeyemi sends out a strong message through this story about what happens when hate takes over the world and how it damages everything around us. Although Adeyemi sends out a hopeful message that even though there is hate in the world around us…love is magical and stronger than hate.
FIVE CHARLIE CHUCHI STARS (HIRE HIM FOR THE ROLE OF NAILAH!)
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