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kingphilwith1l's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Just wow. I'm speechless. This is one of the few books that get a perfect rating from me. When I say I couldn't put this book down. It was written so beautifully and the adventure was one for the records. I absolutely love being able to be in this black magical, fantastical world so very much. My only problem is that i finished it and I won't be able to experience this journey the same way as the first time.
aemilyl24's review against another edition
5.0
This was an amazing book. Ms.Tomi Adeyemi created such a wonderful world, the characters and setting is so enriching and incredible to read. Dialogue and action has been fantastic. This was such a fantastic read! I can't wait until the sequel, as soon as it's available for pre-order I will buy it.
mollymaloney's review against another edition
This book hovers between 3.5 & 4 stars for me. I loved the world that Ms. Adeyemi has created. I felt like I was right there with Zelie, Tzain, and Amari as they traveled throughout a fantasy version of West Africa and the way Ms. Adeyemi wrote about the Magi as an oppressed underclass was heartwrenching.
Where it fell down for me was in the characters. The only one I loved was Amari - she was the most interesting and she grew/changed more than any other character. Zelie started out interesting and I had a lot of feeling for her, but after awhile her constant angst was...a lot. She didn't really deal with it, either, which was kind of a bummer. It only got worse and more tiresome as she second guessed herself. Tzain, was largely forgettable, to be honest. He was just kind of there as a sometimes-petulant creator of drama. Inan was...inane. I wanted to like him. Hell, I wanted to love him. I thought we'd be getting a hero's arc with him, but no. Like Zelie, he was consumed with angst and his whole sublimation thing got old after a while.
So yeah - very mixed feelings about this book. I did immediately start the second book in the series and then stopped because I just couldn't do more teen angsty drama so soon.
Where it fell down for me was in the characters. The only one I loved was Amari - she was the most interesting and she grew/changed more than any other character. Zelie started out interesting and I had a lot of feeling for her, but after awhile her constant angst was...a lot. She didn't really deal with it, either, which was kind of a bummer. It only got worse and more tiresome as she second guessed herself. Tzain, was largely forgettable, to be honest. He was just kind of there as a sometimes-petulant creator of drama. Inan was...inane. I wanted to like him. Hell, I wanted to love him. I thought we'd be getting a hero's arc with him, but no. Like Zelie, he was consumed with angst and his whole sublimation thing got old after a while.
So yeah - very mixed feelings about this book. I did immediately start the second book in the series and then stopped because I just couldn't do more teen angsty drama so soon.
candece's review against another edition
5.0
It took me a while to read this book, one because while this book is a fantasy book it hit soooo incredibly close to home. I love it. The author is extremely talented and has a way with words. She brought this story to life in so many ways. The main characters in this book had my heart racing from start to finish. It broke me, but didn’t put me back together again like most books do. This story doesn’t have a happy ending, its reality built within the word of fantasy. The actions of the characters pulled my heart by the strings and I know it will live with me long after I finally close the book and put it back on my shelf. Children of Blood and Bone was magnificent!!!! 10 stars out of 5!
anyamc7's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. Simply stunning. Poingnant and elegant in it's delivery. Reading the authors notes really drove home the underlying message. Cannot wait until the next book. Thank you so much for this beautiful piece of literature, Tomi.
treeandme's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars
Review originally posted on: https://museofnyxmares.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/review-children-of-blood-and-bone-legacy-of-orisha-1-by-tomi-adeyemi/
I was so nervous to start this book because of all the hype surrounding it, but I can definitely see why it's so popular. I was intrigued from the very first page as Tomi Adeyemi has a way of creating atmosphere and setting, without chucking in a load of unnecessary words. So I would describe her writing as powerful and straight to the point. The opening was a perfect way to introduce us to Zelie's world, it was exciting and a meaningful glimpse at the resilience that Zelie displays throughout the book. It is also quite incredible how the hierarchy in Orisha is so clearly established in just the first chapter, you know exactly what it means to be a diviner/ 'maggot' in Orisha.
The early chapters that followed were just as good as the first, however I started to find myself becoming less interested as the characters began traveling. It didn't really carry the same energy of the earlier chapters. Also by this point, we were reading quite a few chapters from Prince Inan's perspective and I found them to be quite repetitive. If I'm honest, I was really worried that the book was going to be a disappointment and this is what prevented it from getting a full 5 stars.
Things really started to pick up again when Zelie, her brother Tzain and Princess Amari had a run in with a mysterious stranger, who provides some very important information/help for their quest. And then came one of the stand out moments of the novel, the story of how the Gods came to be. It was truly magical to read about their origins and it really helped reignite my excitement for this book. Adeyemi described the Gods and their story so beautifully that it wasn't hard for you to vividly picture every aspect.
I liked Zelie and I enjoyed witnessing her growth, but I do think she was unnecessarily mean to Amari at times, even though Amari proved herself time and time again. I loved how their relationship developed, as there was definitely an aura of girl power surrounding them towards the end. Out of all the characters, Amari was the one who stole the show for me. It was nothing short of a miracle, how she progressed from a timid mouse to a roaring Lionaire and with the other characters being so intense all the time, she was like a breath of fresh air.
Tzain was a much needed character to me as he really allowed us to see a softer, more likeable side to Zelie, as he only wished to protect his little sister and she longed not to disappoint her big brother. Prince Inan was a very complex individual indeed, he changed his mind more times than I can count. Even with chapters from his perspective I was constantly questioning why on earth is he doing this or that. I guess given how he's been brought up it's understandable that he'd be so conflicted about what's wrong or right. Consequently Inan was very unpredictable and therefore very interesting, and I can't wait to find out why he's different. I really enjoyed his relationship with Zelie and their moments together were my favourite to read, especially in the dreamscape!!!! I'm really intrigued to see what lies ahead for him due to his actions at the end of the book.
I'm really grateful to the author for having characters that weren't stupid!! By this I mean characters that actually thought before they did things, this helped the plot flow really nicely and clearly. This is one of those books that gets better and better as you keep on reading. There were so many exciting characters and surprises that popped up towards the end of the book. It ended on quite a big shocker so I'm more than eager to read the next installment!!!
Review originally posted on: https://museofnyxmares.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/review-children-of-blood-and-bone-legacy-of-orisha-1-by-tomi-adeyemi/
I was so nervous to start this book because of all the hype surrounding it, but I can definitely see why it's so popular. I was intrigued from the very first page as Tomi Adeyemi has a way of creating atmosphere and setting, without chucking in a load of unnecessary words. So I would describe her writing as powerful and straight to the point. The opening was a perfect way to introduce us to Zelie's world, it was exciting and a meaningful glimpse at the resilience that Zelie displays throughout the book. It is also quite incredible how the hierarchy in Orisha is so clearly established in just the first chapter, you know exactly what it means to be a diviner/ 'maggot' in Orisha.
The early chapters that followed were just as good as the first, however I started to find myself becoming less interested as the characters began traveling. It didn't really carry the same energy of the earlier chapters. Also by this point, we were reading quite a few chapters from Prince Inan's perspective and I found them to be quite repetitive. If I'm honest, I was really worried that the book was going to be a disappointment and this is what prevented it from getting a full 5 stars.
Things really started to pick up again when Zelie, her brother Tzain and Princess Amari had a run in with a mysterious stranger, who provides some very important information/help for their quest. And then came one of the stand out moments of the novel, the story of how the Gods came to be. It was truly magical to read about their origins and it really helped reignite my excitement for this book. Adeyemi described the Gods and their story so beautifully that it wasn't hard for you to vividly picture every aspect.
I liked Zelie and I enjoyed witnessing her growth, but I do think she was unnecessarily mean to Amari at times, even though Amari proved herself time and time again. I loved how their relationship developed, as there was definitely an aura of girl power surrounding them towards the end. Out of all the characters, Amari was the one who stole the show for me. It was nothing short of a miracle, how she progressed from a timid mouse to a roaring Lionaire and with the other characters being so intense all the time, she was like a breath of fresh air.
Tzain was a much needed character to me as he really allowed us to see a softer, more likeable side to Zelie, as he only wished to protect his little sister and she longed not to disappoint her big brother. Prince Inan was a very complex individual indeed, he changed his mind more times than I can count. Even with chapters from his perspective I was constantly questioning why on earth is he doing this or that. I guess given how he's been brought up it's understandable that he'd be so conflicted about what's wrong or right. Consequently Inan was very unpredictable and therefore very interesting, and I can't wait to find out why he's different. I really enjoyed his relationship with Zelie and their moments together were my favourite to read, especially in the dreamscape!!!! I'm really intrigued to see what lies ahead for him due to his actions at the end of the book.
I'm really grateful to the author for having characters that weren't stupid!! By this I mean characters that actually thought before they did things, this helped the plot flow really nicely and clearly. This is one of those books that gets better and better as you keep on reading. There were so many exciting characters and surprises that popped up towards the end of the book. It ended on quite a big shocker so I'm more than eager to read the next installment!!!
evireads's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to love this, but it left me feeling eh. I enjoyed the magic system a lot (I generally enjoy gods-related fantasy/magic), liked some of the characters (Tzain rights), and thought the ending was cool, but other characters were SO annoying and the romance just- wasn't necessary at all (I guess it was because that was the only thing that motivated some of these characters to do the right thing but OKAY). My main frustration was that things just Happened without clear reason, and a lot came down to luck and stumbling upon just the right people who knew exactly what to do. I still enjoyed it and it read quite quickly, and I will probably pick up book 2 (maybe via audio), but still. Eh. 2.5 stars maybe?