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Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)

Tomi Adeyemi

Start date: July 1, 2024

Finish date: July 31, 2024

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What Members Thought

Apr 01, 2021 Colleen Scidmore rated it liked it

Shelves: currently-on-google-drive, magic, romance, not-a-happy-ending-kind-of-book, fantasy, young-adult, cultural, audio-books, drama, overcoming-obstacles

Actual Rating 3.5-3.75 Stars
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This was an interesting fantasy that takes place in a different type of world called Orisha with magical people known as The Maji and non magical people that are Kosidans.⁣
The Maji were very powerful people and controlled most of Orisha until 11 years ago when for some reason the gods (or so they think) decided to take away their magic because some of The Maji were using the power irresponsibly and for evil purposes. King Saran, a Kosidan took advantage of that mome ...more

25 likes · Like · see review

Mar 31, 2018 Dr. Andy rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2018, reread, read-2019

3.5/5
I still enjoyed this. One of the things I love about Orisha is the intense and descriptive culture. We get to experience so many things and there's an amazing mythology and magic system to top it off? Yes Please.

The characters were vivid and I still liked Zelie and Amari. I did see more of Zelie's hotheadedness with this read through so some of her decisions I did question. Amari was such a cool breeze compared to Zelie. I liked her quiet strength and seeing that even if she was nice, she 3.5/5
I still enjoyed this. One of the things I love about Orisha is the intense and descriptive culture. We get to experience so many things and there's an amazing mythology and magic system to top it off? Yes Please.

The characters were vivid and I still liked Zelie and Amari. I did see more of Zelie's hotheadedness with this read through so some of her decisions I did question. Amari was such a cool breeze compared to Zelie. I liked her quiet strength and seeing that even if she was nice, she could still be strong and a badass.

Okay let's talk about the boys. Tzain really annoyed me. His constant blaming did nothing. It didn't solve any problems and it really only made situations worse. He could've helped Zelie come up with solutions but no he just caused drama. Then there's Inan. I really had hope for him, but I'd only trust him as far as I could throw him.

Then there was the romance. With my first read I totally loved and shipped the heck out the four characters. I thought it was so cute. This time around not so much. I don't really see the chemistry between Zelie and Inan. Amari and Tzain I can see a crush forming, but Tzain does not deserve strong and kind Amari. There's was too much instalove for me and I was way more invested in the quest for magic than any romance.

Still! I can't wait to see what will happen in Children of Virtue & Vengeance.
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Wow I finished and I need to sleep before writing a real review??

This book was amazing! Between the characters, the imaginative world and the writing I was in love within the first 50 pages. Zelie I immediately liked, between her temper and her spitfire personality, she was a girl after my own heart. Plus she can fight with a staff!?! Hell yes! Amari I liked because she was precious and lovable from the first page, but she's also a bomb ass bitch that can slice fruit you throw at her head??

Now the guys. Inan had potential and I wanted to like him, but after everything that's happened IM STILL SO DAMN CONFLICTED ABOUT HIS CHARACTER. I kind of want to slap him, but I also just want to shake my head at him??? Bottom line: this kid's dad fucked with his head too much. And then we have Tzain! Okay he was pretty damn great for most of this book, except when he'd blame Zelie for every fucking thing that went wrong. Bitch not everything is her fault.

The writing in this book flowed so beautifully. I loved the fight scenes and the scenes with magic. Okay I loved basically all of it, but how can I not!? The first thing I saw when I opened this was a beautiful map and then the different clans of Maji! This list of clans, their names and magics just made me so freaking happy and excited. And it only got better from there. ...more

19 likes · Like · see review

Jun 29, 2019 Jenn rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, books-i-own, 3-star-reads, new-author-to-me, read-in-2019

So I think I was a little underwhelmed with this book. I kept expecting epicness based on everything I had heard, but it just never came. But that doesn't mean this book wasn't enjoyable.

Our MC, Zélie, lives in a world where magic has been taken. Under the rule of the King, her people were slayed - including her mother - but now against all odds, there seems to be away to get it back. Zélie, along with her brother and a runaway princess, sets out on a journey to bring all the magic back to her So I think I was a little underwhelmed with this book. I kept expecting epicness based on everything I had heard, but it just never came. But that doesn't mean this book wasn't enjoyable.

Our MC, Zélie, lives in a world where magic has been taken. Under the rule of the King, her people were slayed - including her mother - but now against all odds, there seems to be away to get it back. Zélie, along with her brother and a runaway princess, sets out on a journey to bring all the magic back to her people.

For the most part, I liked this book. While it wasn't really anything new to the genre, Adeyemi created some great characters - mostly in Tzain and Amari. Zélie did break my heart with her constantly living in fear of her magic and everything that comes with it. Having watched her mother die in front of her has had a major impact on her as you can imagine and that drives her every move. I really liked how she constantly battled over whether what she was doing was right or not. I believed her internal struggle. And I loved her relationship with her brother, Tzain.

Tzain was probably my favorite character of the book. Having no magic himself, all he wanted to do was protect his family. He went along on this journey and his faith in his sister was pure. He got a little hot-headed toward the end, but Zélie was making some not so great decisions so I understood his anger. His flirtation with Amari was also adorable. Which brings me to the princess. I adored her. She was strong and powerful but also weak and timid. She made mistakes but also knew what was right. She was the perfect balance to Zélie.

What I wasn't a fan of was the instalove that happened with Zélie and Inan. They hated each other in the beginning but then suddenly they had feelings for each other and none of it was natural. In the beginning I felt that Inan was such an interesting and complex character. The crowned prince who believed what his father told him but yet somehow Inan had gained magical powers. I just knew he was going to be interesting. And he was for a bit. But then suddenly it seemed like he was just there for plot. When Adeyemi needed the story to go one way, Inan was the one who constantly switched. He was always just conveniently who he needed to be for the plot. Nothing about his character was a natural progression and because of this, everything involving him felt off and forced.

I am interested in where the series goes from here, but I hope that Adeyemi can figure out how to move the plot along without compromising her characters because then I think this will become a great book rather than just a good book. ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Jun 13, 2018 Kayleigh {K-Books} rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, own-physical

Children of Blood and Bone Review on K-Books <- goes live July 7, 2018

"You raised me to fight monsters. It took far too long to understand that the real monster was you."

Children of Blood and Bone was a book that I'd seen around but didn't really know much about other than it was a YA Fantasy book. With YA Fantasy being my favourite genre of all time that's all I needed to know for me to pick this up. I was fully expecting to be swept away to a new world as I do with all fantasy books but I Children of Blood and Bone Review on K-Books <- goes live July 7, 2018

"You raised me to fight monsters. It took far too long to understand that the real monster was you."

Children of Blood and Bone was a book that I'd seen around but didn't really know much about other than it was a YA Fantasy book. With YA Fantasy being my favourite genre of all time that's all I needed to know for me to pick this up. I was fully expecting to be swept away to a new world as I do with all fantasy books but I was not expecting just how phenomenal this book was. Children of Blood and Bone completely blew me away. It was just completely stunning and moving. I would even go so far as to say it is one of the best fantasy books I have ever read.

Zelie is a 'maggot'. Someone born with magical blood. Destined to come into her powers when she was 13, until magic disappeared. Zelie is now subject to a life being a 'maggot', being discriminated against and being scared for her life... that is until she touches a sacred scroll and gets her powers. Now she must go on a journey to restore magic for good. But when she is followed by a prince hell bent on stopping her will she succeed on her mission?

I loved this book. I loved absolutely everything about it. I was expecting the fantasy elements but I definitely wasn't expecting the heavy mythological influences in this incredible story. This was a definite bonus for me. I absolutely adore books with mythology in them and have read a tonne of them. What I loved more about this one is that it is influenced by West African mythology. This is something I have never come across before and have no knowledge of whatsoever. Due to this I found all of it fresh and unique and unlike anything I have read before... and it was phenomenal.

Tomi Adeyemi has completely blown me away with this fantastic debut novel. I have such a difficult time believing it's her first book. Her writing is just addictive. She draws you in right from the start with her incredible characterisation and world building. Tomi is such a skilled author and this shows in the fact that her world building is done so thoroughly and it's developed slowly throughout the book but in a way where the pacing doesn't feel slow. This is something that is very difficult to do. I usually find that when the world building is slow I find the books pacing a bit slow and boring and I struggle to get into it. Tomi's characters and storyline was so addictive and interesting that it just made you want to read more as fast as you could. This book is just so cleverly plotted and well thought-out. I completely commend Tomi on her fantastic storytelling.

Children of Blood and Bone was so much better than I could have ever imagined it to be. The storyline is stunning, the characters are incredible and the world and magic is phenomenal. I really cannot recommend this book more. I loved every single moment and I cannot wait for book 2 to be released. If you love YA Fantasy and are looking for a different and unique fantasy story this one is for you. It's a must-read.

"Even in the darkest times the gods are always there. Whether we acknowledge them or not, they always have a plan."

...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 30, 2018 Anne rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 25, 2018 Bunnita (Worth Reading It?) rated it really liked it

I didn't know this book was a fairly new release and I'm happy to be actually reading something released in this year...lol Anyway, I enjoyed this read. Having a fantasy character that is not only female, not only a person of color but she is a dark skinned teen is quite refreshing. The story is intriguing and tragic. Zelie witnesses her mother being murdered and part of her culture torn away from her. On this book she finds out that she along with her brother and princess are able to bring magi ...more

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Sep 09, 2019 Shelley rated it it was amazing

This book takes place in a world where magic has been suppressed because of an uprising between those who have it and those who do not. Zeile wants to find a way to bring magic back to the world and stop the oppression of her people. The world is dangerous to all of them and if they are found out, it can be a death sentence.
The ruler that Zeile fears the most also has children, with no abilities of course. His daughter has become fond of someone in their service who has magic and she rebels aga ...more

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Nov 08, 2018 Teddie rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-fantasy, bwormbitches

Feb 18, 2018 Keri marked it as owned-tbr

Shelves: new-series, owned, cover-white, authors-12-i-haven-t-read-yet, trilogies, fantasy, ya

Feb 19, 2018 Suzanne marked it as to-read

Shelves: books-i-own, bookworm-bitches-catch-up-challenge, imcpl-news-fiction-a-to-z, imcpl-news-teen-scene, bookriot-50-covers-w-black-females, goodreads-choice-award-2018, nprs-best-books-of-2018, locus-award-2019, imcpl-adult-summer-reading-2019

Sep 30, 2018 Shruti morethanmylupus rated it really liked it

1 like · Like

Apr 16, 2019 Amber (YA Indulgences) rated it it was amazing

Mar 08, 2018 Heather marked it as to-read

Apr 18, 2018 Summer rated it really liked it

Shelves: sh, fast-paced, fiction, kindle, wndb_ya, young-adult, utpd-start, fantasy, wndb_fantasy, wndb

Mar 15, 2018 Story_girl marked it as tbr-when-entire-series-releases

Nov 14, 2021 Maya White rated it it was amazing

Shelves: november-2021

2 likes · Like

Mar 29, 2018 Enrico Andreuccetti marked it as to-read

Apr 02, 2018 Megan marked it as bfl

May 02, 2018 Anna 'Bookbuyer' marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: own-to-read, shelf-a-1, own, own-fiction

May 14, 2018 Lizz (Beer, Books and Boos) marked it as to-read

Jun 16, 2018 Tessa added it

Shelves: 2018

Jul 04, 2018 Melanie rated it it was amazing

Aug 23, 2018 Emejota marked it as to-read

Aug 26, 2018 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Sep 12, 2018 Twila rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: not-my-cuppa, when-will-it-end, forgettable, series-dnf, annoying-characters, waste-of-time, could-not-care, expected-better, slower, too-big

2 likes · Like