Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

7 reviews

_paperserpent's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Mixed feelings ⊙⁠﹏⁠⊙

This book feels like every other YA book, cliche, predictable, and typical. I HATE the romance :)). But I do like how the magic system has a lot to do with bloodlines and gods. I think the world-building is amazing with just the right amount of description. I LOVE the character development of Zelie and Amari, they were well fleshed out. I'm not really sure about the ending, but I will definitely continue this series. 

I don't know why, but I'm getting a little Nikolai Lantsov vibe from Roen lol. I'm kinda hoping for a Zelie-Roen relationship in the next book.

I hate INAN with all my heart, he's such an idiot. He sees through everything and still can't do the right thing?! I usually LOVE stories with angsty boys with daddy issues, but this guy is such a complete idiot, I can't stand him at all.

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carpechristi's review

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As a Black woman, I wanted to read only Black authors during Black History Month. While this book is incredibly well written, and the world already seems so lush and beautiful, I was not ready for the slavery, colorism, racism, child abuse and sexual assault. I read enough of these kinds of stories growing up and thought this was going to be a little bit more joyful. I understand that setting the tone is probably important for showing off just how victorious the characters are going to be in the end, but I just wasn’t ready to encounter all of those triggers within the first two chapters. I own a physical copy and will revisit it again someday. 

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miss_fish's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Standard "teen girl will save the world once she understands her full magical potential" YA novel, but set in an alternate Nigeria rather than an alternate Europe for something different. I felt there were some world building issues but they were fine for YA, but some scene continuity moments occasionally took me out of it.

Enjoyable, and I found this and the second book at a library sale, so I'm definitely still reading the next one.

For content warnings, there are several mentions of sexual violence and a couple of references to consensual sex. All are very vague, so maybe appropriate for a younger crowd? But if I were 9 or 10 and came across these vague allusions it would have stuck in my head more from curiosity. I kind of wish she'd been a little clearer on the threats of sexual violence front. I felt like the vague and undefined threat felt so much worse than naming it. Also a reasonable amount of non-sexual violence.

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purechaos's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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leyza052's review

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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internalnonsense's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A beautiful, heart-warming and heart-rending YA adventure. It is tropey in the best way, refreshing a hero's journey with a West African-inspired fantasy setting, filling it with meaning informed by very present struggles. It has a strong sense of adventure, companionship, humor, but it is ultimately about children, growing up trying to survive a violent world ruled by oppression, given a chance to change it. It demands empathy, but an empathy that does not excuse. 

.25 off for a character who would have benefited from having a POV, because, as is, he's flat, more there for conflict than character. Also, a section in the middle of the book, while having some significantly cool scenes, felt far too disconnected from the rest, almost filler-like. 

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ehmannky's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a wild ride and I loved it. Zélie is a member of the oppressed magi class, hated because of their magic lineage. Together with her brother Tzain, and her newfound friend and runaway princess Amari, she rushes across Orisha in an attempt to bring magic back to the land. The book toggles between Zélie, Amari, and Inan's (the crown prince) points of view. I don't particularly know how I feel about Inan's POV, as he continues to irritate me, but I do think it adds an interesting level to your understanding of the plot and internalized hatred of oneself.

I've made no secret of my love for female protagonists that are unabashedly angry at the world, and the protagonist Zélie was so angry all the damn time I loved it. Adeyemi writes a brilliant afterward that creates a tie between real-world events (the murder of black people at the hands of police) to the anger in her novel. The book does have very brief mentions of sexual violence and a whole lot of physical violence/torture and death. If those are not things you would like to read, then perhaps this book isn't for you. 

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