fantasy

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

June 29, 2018

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!)

FOLLOW ME @CHARLIECHUCHI

View my Pinterest board of Children of Blood and Bone to view my bookcasting, aesthetic, fan art, and bookstagrams!

The Razvak Hunter

October 5, 2017

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Razvak Hunter by Arel B. Grant
Published by BZN Writing House on February 28, 2016
Genres: fantasy
Pages: 236
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Before…
Aelwyd has worked hard to become strong. As the Fairest One of Vallenthar, her power is formidable. Years of battle honed her into a fearsome warrior who never falters in front of an enemy.
However, there are shadows that when they come, they can swallow you whole.
After a hundred years of praying against it, the minute she walks into the chilling scene of death in front of her, she knows her personal nightmare is back.
He nearly destroyed her once, but she isn't a victim anymore. This time, she will stop him, or she will die trying.

Now...
Dalbran knows nothing of friends, joy, or mischief. The orphaned ward of a ruthless warrior woman, she’s never showed him love or affection. Instead she fills his days with learning the art of battle, savage teachings of how to survive in their harsh world. Days are filled with pain and exhaustion, but nighttime used to be his own. Even that is now lost, though, for something lurks in the shadows of sleep, clawing at him the moment his eyes close. He tells himself it’s okay, that he can handle it. However daunting the voices may be, however cold the hand that chokes him in the darkness, as long as it stays within the nightmare, everything will be all right.

As long as it stays within the nightmare…

Catfairy’s First Thoughts

This year I promised myself that I would go outside of my comfort zone and read a book that was not a contemporary YA read and I have to say that The Razvak Hunter was a book that was far out of my comfort zone. Actually, this book was tooo far out of my comfort zone and even though the writing was on point I just wasn’t feeling the story. One of the biggest turnoffs that I had with this book was that there were some parts that were underdeveloped in the story and I just couldn’t connect to the book as a whole!

Catnopsis

The Razvak Hunter is about a girl named Aelwyd who is the face of the people of Vallenthar. Aelwyd represents the land of Vallenthar and she is the most powerful person in the whole land. Aelwyd’s power comes from the Rose of Vallenthar which is the jewel that is nestled on her forehead. The power that she has with the Rose of Vallenthar is that kind of power that is both a blessing and a curse. Aelwyd has the type of power where she can connect to every living being on earth. She is held to the highest standard of perfection and can never do any wrong in the eyes of the people of Vallenthar. (Talk about pressure for poor Aelwyd!)

“Because the Fairest one belongs to all, never to one. The Fairest One is to be a paragon of justice, of beauty and excellence. She is never to take sides, she is never to take favorites…She is never to fall in love. But what happens when the Fairest One can’t help it?”

Aelwyd falls in love with the character of Rodan. They are keeping their relationship under wraps because the Rose of Vallenthar isn’t supposed to be committed to anyone. (I am not sure why don’t ask me.) The secrecy doesn’t stop Rodan and he is absolutely devoted to Aelwyd and will stop at nothing to protect her and keep her away from the Razvak.

“The Razvak is back, raia.”

-Rodan

Things begin to take a drastic turn for Aelwyd when she finds out that the Razvak hunter is back to terrorize the land of Vallenthar. The Razvak hunter is this dark force that feeds off of people until they surrender their souls to the Razvak. Aelwyd is determined to stop the Razvak hunter and put an end to the bloodshed until she finds out that maybe the Razvak may just be biding his time until he is face to face with Aelwyd.

Dalbran is a character that is held captive by a warrior woman whose name is Harer. He is an orphan and has known nothing about the word or meaning of happiness. She is a savage woman that is teaching him how to battle and how to face the dark demons that may await him.

(Some trigger warnings in this book are animal cruelty and there is a scene of a dead child. This was hard to read for me and I want to let my book lovers be aware of this! Oh and for all of you unicorn lovers out, there is a mention of a unicorn that is killed! Abomination! I know! Although there is no description of this unicorn killing because I would not be able to handle it anymore with this book after everything that I just read!)

Meet Aelwyd (Played by Shay Mitchell)

Honestly, I just couldn’t connect to the character of Aelwyd at all! I found Aelwyd to be a cold character and I just couldn’t find many dimensions to her. Aelwyd had her worries and her insecurities about fulfilling her responsibilities as the Rose of Vallenthar and feared to lose her love Rodan. Although the stakes against this character weren’t enough for me to care for this character. I would have liked to see more depth to the character of Aelwyd.

Meet Rodan (Played by Austin Butler)

Rodan was such a blah character to me. I know he is the love of Aelwyd’s life or whatever but I didn’t see the appeal. I needed more of Rodan, more description, more pizzazz more something…unfortunately there wasn’t much to Rodan except the fact that he was devoted to Aelwyd. Rodan was depicted as a faceless character.

Pop Culture References

Personally, I am tired of seeing the whole trope of women fighting over a guy. Towards the middle end of the story, the new character Rowan came out of nowhere and Aelwyd immediately gave her the stink eye when she saw she was making eyes with her man Rodan!

via GIPHY

My main concerns of the introduction of Rowan was that she was introduced too late in the story and it just wasn’t well developed. They should have shown signs of Rowan much earlier in the story and I think it would have added more drama and tension to the story.

Catfairy’s Final Thoughts

After reading this story, I have to say that I am glad I decided to read something that wasn’t particularly on my TBR list. I thought that the language and the world building was exceptional but there was a lack of development with the characters in the story. The story mostly focused on the story of Aelwyd and her world/inner conflict. It just wasn’t enough for me.

Now I am not a fantasy reader, I am more of a magical realism reader so I may be very biased in my opinion! I would still give it a try if you’re a fantasy buff and let me know if you have a different opinion of it but I just wasn’t feeling it at all! This is the first book of the series and it looks like the writer is in the works of creating a second installment! Even though this was not a five star read for me I am looking forward to exposing myself to more fantasy reads starting with the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Mass! Comment below and let me know what fantasy reads you have read that has been your favorite/least favorite!

View my bookcasting of The Razvak Hunter on my Pinterest account!

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Teen Spirit

August 23, 2017

Teen Spirit by Francesca Lia Block
on February 4, 2014
Genres: fantasy, Magical Realism
Pages: 240
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Goodreads

Francesca Lia Block, critically acclaimed author of Weetzie Bat, brings this eerie and redemptive ghost story to life with her signature, poetic prose. It's perfect for fans of supernatural stories with a touch of romance like the Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

After Julie's grandmother passes away, she is forced to move across town to the not-so-fancy end of Beverly Hills and start over at a new school. The only silver lining to the perpetual dark cloud that seems to be following her? Clark—a die-hard fan of Buffy and all things Joss Whedon, who is just as awkward and damaged as she is. Her kindred spirit.

When the two try to contact Julie's grandmother with a Ouija board, they make contact with a different spirit altogether. The real kind. And this ghost will do whatever it takes to come back to the world of the living.

Francesca Lia Block's latest young adult novel is a haunting work about family, loss, love, and redemption.

Teen Spirit by Francesca Lia Block
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I first picked up a Francesca Lia Block at 16 years old it was at a time that I felt lost and felt those typical teenage feelings like no one understood me. (This book brought me back to my teenage self so much that I was even inspired to catch a few Buffy the Vampire episodes for old times on Netflix…will explain as to why later on:) ) Block has the remarkable ability to make me see the beauty in my life and to see the beauty in myself even through all my quirks and eccentricities! Reading the book “Teen Spirit” resurfaced those feelings for me again. Francesca Lia Block’s writing style has always been prevalent in all her books but this book, in particular, reminded me of her Dangerous Angels series in so many parts of the book. After reading this book I think that Francesca Lia Block should continue a series and show Julie in college and so on. The story was so entertaining and the characters were so complex and intriguing that I could not get enough!

The story begins with Julie…

Julie is an awkward teenager with a pension for vintage clothes who is absolutely content with her life living in her 1940’s Spanish style house with her mom and grandma. Her mom is a writer for a television show and her grandmother is Julie’s rock and she is always the person that Julie can confide in when it comes to her high school woes, boys and their common love for vintage clothing. Julie takes comfort with her simple life until things don’t become as simple as they used to be. It all started when her grandmother is just having a conversation with Julie and she is about to reveal something important and then without warning Julie’s grandmother passes away in front of her. Julie and her mother are completely shocked and lost without her and things take a turn for the worse after the grandmother’s passing. Julie’s mother loses her writing job and they are forced to foreclose on their house and move to an apartment and Julie had to change schools.

Julie slowly gets deeper into her depression and realizes that she can’t function in her life without her grandma. Julie doesn’t even have the support from her own mother who is going into online dating and begins to date a loser middle aged guy in a band with a pension for “fishnet stockings.” Julie is desperate to see her grandma and find a way to communicate with her. Then once she starts her new school she meets a goofy guy named Clark whose trademark staple is wearing zany hats such as moose hats, monkey hats, porkpie hats, obsessed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and he enjoys eating “kicharee.”

As Julie gets to know Clark she discovers there is more to Clark than his wacky hats and his culinary talents. She shares with him her loss of her grandmother and expresses a desire to contact her grandmother. As soon as Julie mentions the ouijia board to Clark he is reluctant to do it with her and tries to keep her away from it. Soon enough Julie finds out his real reasons for staying away from the ouija board…

Julie evokes an unexpected spirit and therefore begins a twisted love triangle that involves Clark and a boy named Grant who claims to be Clark’s twin brother. Grant is the bad boy version of Clark and is more of the sexy 4.0 version of Clark minus the nerdy hats…

One of the main aspects of the book that really intrigued me were the supernatural scenes such as the auras that Julie had the ability to see with each person she met, the rituals, the glass bottles of flower-and-gem essences, and not to mention the aura ring that Julie was instructed to wear that resembled a mood ring which is something that I have always looooved to wear as a kid.

This book brought back memories for me of when I first began to read her books and her writing of this book made me realize why I love Francesca Lia Block so much! Teen Spirit was everything that I hoped for in a supernatural read and more! I felt like I was on a journey right there with Clark and Julie and I was loving every minute of it! I loved how Francesca Lia Block wrote the characters of Julie and Clark because they were easy to love but they were real teenagers with their flaws, insecurities, and angst to go along with it. She delved into the characters stories so fluidly and I was rooting for Clark and Julie to finally have their own happy ending every step of the way! The most important lesson that I learned from this book is that death is something we shouldn’t dwell over and obsess about because our beautiful and complicated lives are right in our very own fingertips…

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