Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - Children of Blood and Bone

Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

5 reviews

marysunburn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The best way to describe Children of Blood and Bone is that it RIPS.
Juvenile, I know, but nothing could be more apt.

Children of Blood and Bone – from this point onward COBAB – is a chilling, action-packed, emotional and necessary fantasy saga that embodies like nothing I've ever seen before the sheer pain, rage and discomfort that comes from imperialism and oppression. From the moment we see our main character Zélie first wield her staff in combat we ache with her same desire to slam it onto the guts of whichever pawn of the king first comes her way, and we cheer for her whenever said desire is fulfilled.
Despite it being labeled young adult, COBAB is gritty and pulls no punches. Death is always present, a constant threat and a lived reality, that doesn't even spare the young and innocent. Or, to put it more bluntly, don't get too attached.
This constant stream of young blood is put in perspective once we read the conclusion of the book and we see how author Tomi Ayedemi was inspired by real-life events of police brutality and anti-black racism, many of which, such as the death of Tamir Rice, had very young victims. And despite the main villains being as black as the people he oppresses (there's no white people in this book except as background dressing in some of said villain's dialogue and analogies, which is very "main villain" of him), the parallels to these real-life acts of cruelty and vile prejudice ring just as true through the earnest, heartfelt portrayal of their demise, each one being remembered and commemorated by Zélie even after many chapters of vicissitudes and daring-do, and the genuine call to action and resistance that permeates each one of the pages.
Zélie is one of the best literary protagonists I've had the pleasure to come across. A passionate, vibrant young woman whose anger and indignation, thoroughly woven with a strong sense of morality and desire to do what's right, even if it's strategically inconvenient or seems impossible at first glance, drives the plot and her party through every obstacle like a righteous burst of energy.
She's surrounded by a well-developed and engaging cast, from rebellious princess Amari, who has the best character evolution in the books, to reluctant crown prince Inan, to Zelle's protective and level-headed brother Tzain, to even minor characters like Mama Agba and Admiral Kaea. Yet, in her defiant persistence and spirit, Zélie seems to dwarf them all, and when she lights up, so do we.

If there's anything in Children of Blood and Bone that doesn't spark joy, aside from the involved indignation at the villains' depravity and the many deaths, is the fact that even after six years since its release it's still not getting its due. A movie directed by Gina Prince-Blythewood has been announced, but nothing seems to be made of it and I'd not be surprised if the ever-delayed, ever-nebulous The Old Guard sequel comes first. If it does. But by all means, keep saying black and diverse books don't sell because people don't want them, while you peddle abusive Booktok alphahole tripe that recycles the status quo.

In the end, COBAB's world is as real as many things around us – and even more so than meritocracy.

Content Warnings

ericageorge91's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Spoilers ahead!

Children of Blood and Bone (CoBaB) is about a quest to restore magic to the oppressed dîviner/maji people in a Nigerian-inspired world. It’s a multiple POV book that follows Zélie (a dîviner that lost her maji mother one fateful night), Amari (daughter of a violent king that wants to rid all magic), and Amari’s brother, Inan (heir to the throne with secret maji abilities).

My favorite part of this book is the mythology of Sky Mother and her deity children. As a kid, I loved that part of the Greek Mythology units where we learned about Zeus and the Olympians magical abilities and this book brought back that joy. I wished CoBaB explored more of that mythology in the story. Maybe, they’ll delve more into it in the sequel?

This is a YA book. I felt like the plot was predictable, but entertaining for the most part. This story definitely doesn’t shy away from the brutal oppression of the dîviner/maji in this world so be aware of that.

Random Thoughts:

Inan’s POV: Of the different POVs, reading Inan’s was the most frustrating experience. He harbors a lot of self-hatred after discovering his maji abilities. While this is completely understandable in light of his upbringing, it was still a lot 🙇🏾‍♀️ If this was a book full of trans characters, it would be like reading Kaitlyn Jenner’s POV and seeing her committed to destroying gender-affirming care, you know? I understand internalized hatred, but I need you to be so fucking for real right now. Do you really think they’re gonna pick you? Did Kaea not completely show her ass when she used her dying breath to call you a magical slur?? Do you really think your father won’t treat you the same 🤨

The Celebration: While that gods festival was beautiful and touching, the lack of urgency I often find in YA books needs to be studied. Did we not learn from the last time pursuers caught up with you when you let your guard down? Why THE FUCK are we throwing a party when you haven’t accomplished your task?? A vicious king is after you and you’re over here making eyes at your enemy-turned-love 🤦🏾‍♀️

The Romance: Amari and Tzain…fine…at least they’ve been traveling together so there was time for that relationship to develop. Inan and Zélie’s?? I know it’s supposed to be enemies-to-lovers but it felt so rushed and contrived. It just didn’t feel earned…at all. If I’m being honest, the only romantic relationship I believed in was Amari and Binta’s and they’re not even canon 💀

Zélie and Inan’s views on magic: Their flip flopping over whether or not magic should be dispersed didn’t feel consistent with their upbringing. Why does the girl who grew up revering magic fuck up once and immediately think, “Hold on now…maybe everyone getting magic isn’t a good idea?” Why do you have the guy who grew up despising magic have a moment of clarity and immediately gets on board with it?

Characterization: Amari was pretty fleshed out and had a decent amount of character development, but the rest of this cast felt flat. I’m not in love with any of these characters. Like, I would politely hold the door open for Zélie Adebola, but I would gently lay my jacket (or myself) across a puddle to protect Bree Matthews’ feet, you know what I mean?

Pacing: Along with Zelie and Inan’s romance, I felt like Inan’s character arc in CoBaB could have spanned across the entire trilogy. Same goes for gathering the magical items. Having them all in the first part of the book felt entirely too Convenient.

Lingering Questions: How did the king find Baba in the end? Did they explain that his sudden capture? And how is magic showing up with Inan and Amari? When it was just Inan, I thought it was because the queen cheated. Unless she did it multiple times? Or is this supposed to mean the gods found this non-maji worth it to gift powers? I don’t know.

Overall, I’m mildly curious to see where this story goes, but not pressed 🤷🏾‍♀️

TW: Murder/execution, grief (loss of parent), sexual harassment, colorism, child abuse (mention), death, arson, infidelity (mention), torture, self hate, abduction, PTSD, violence, animal death (brief), body shaming (brief)

Rep: BIPOC characters (Nigerian-inspired world)

Content Warnings