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mj001's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Minor: Slavery, War, Suicide, Sexual assault, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Torture, Hate crime, Rape, Police brutality, and Physical abuse
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
"Forged by Blood" is the first in a new duology about magic, survival, and fighting for what is yours. Dèmi has spent her whole life hiding her magical abilities so that she can remain safe. This becomes especially important after Dèmi places her trust in the wrong person and her mother is brutally murdered. Years later, Dèmi and her childhood friend, Colin, team up to kidnap the Aje prince, Jonas, under the advisement of Lord Ekwensi. Now, Dèmi plans to return Jonas to the king, help get Lord Ekwensi on the council, and help give a voice to the Oluso people. Unfortunately, there is more betrayal Dèmi will have to face and more she must uncover about her magic.
I was really excited to give this story a read because I have not read much from Nigerian mythology. I do think this book does a great job at delving into the mythology and presenting it in a factual and entertaining way.
Unfortunately, this book simply did not work for me. The writing was a little dense for me to get into personally, and I was not in love with the characters. Although I think Dèmi is a strong main character and her plotline was semi-interesting for the most part, there were moments I did not enjoy her perspective. For me, I felt like the inevitable love triangle was highly unnecessary and so out of left field. I do not think Dèmi's interest in either Jonas or Colin helps to move the story along. Additionally, this book reads way too Young Adult for me.
Although this series is not for me, I would still recommend it to people who are looking for a fresh fantasy.
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
bettysbookishworld's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Forged by Blood is a fantasy debut novel isnpired by Nigerian mythology. The mythology is what intrigued me about reading it and it delivered on this front. I enjoyed all the folklore and how it got effortlessly woven into the magic system and the worldbuilding. The story even takes part in a Spirit Realm, which was my favourite part of the book and the most interesting one, too. If this is the reason why you got interested in the book, too, the author does a great job with that and definitely try reading it.
However, I could tell this is a debut novel. The story was missing some sort of nuance. I feel like everything was happening at once without any room for a reader to actually get connected to the story and characters. Events were rushed, plot points got resolved too quickly and characters didn't have much time to actually develop further. It's also supposed to be an adult fantasy, however, the characters and their reactions felt very juvenile. There was also a romance aspect to the book, which consisted of tropes I don't enjoy. I think the love "triangle" was unnecessary when having fated mates/souls, because of its predictability.
I really wanted to enjoy this story, but it just didn't work for me at all. On more positive note, I definitely want to read more fantasy inspired by African mythology and folklore, as I loved it in this book.
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Slavery, Genocide, Colonisation, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: War and Suicide
Minor: Pregnancy and Rape
shelvesofivy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Despite the lovely prose, it admittedly took me a while to become invested in the story. There seemed to be a slight imbalance between exposition and action, giving the feeling of a slow plot—despite the fact that this was not a slow or low stakes story by any means at all.
Around the halfway point, I finally felt hooked by the action and intrigue going on. I can't wait to see what the next book has in store for the characters and their (and my) unanswered questions. This is also the type of book that I'll definitely need to reread! There was a mix of twists that I predicted and did not, so I'd be interested to see all of the foreshadowing in hindsight. (I also want to reread a finished edition; since I originally read an unproofed copy, there were some punctuation and formatting errors)
When it comes to the characters, they really shine! Dèmi makes an incredible protagonist who's both strong and flawed. She has strong beliefs and her actions align with those beliefs throughout the book.
I adored one of the love interests from the beginning, and even though the other one annoyed me (as is usually the case when I read love triangles), I still grew to at least appreciate his character.
This is not a light story by any means (please check CWs!), but it remains hopeful and even humorous at times with the character dynamics. The moments of banter and heart are what I live for, and this delivered ♡
|| Thank you William Morrow Books for the advance reader's copy! I won this arc in a Storygraph giveaway, but all opinions in this review are my own. ||
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Drug use, Genocide, and Rape
amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Demí is a magic user. After healing a colonialist's kid(Jonah), her mother is killed. Demí is betrayed by a new friend, and she is forced to take a life debt to live. Fast forward 9 years, Demí is forced to kidnap her betrayer and go on a quest to save her people and her family.
This reads like an entertaining YA. If you like love triangles, fated mates, inventive African worlds, interesting revenge plotlines, and magic, you might enjoy this book. It was a fun read, and I can't wait for book two.
It does cover colonialism, racism, xenophobia, slavery, child abuse, rand marginalization. Please check content warnings.
Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Genocide, and Grief
Moderate: Xenophobia, Violence, and Slavery
canascorner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Genocide, Racism, Death of parent, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Misogyny