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straw_hat_kd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
4.75
Tomi Adeyemi came out the gate swinging with Children of Blood and Bone. The book reads like a blockbuster movie in the best way possible. The scenes are detailed to bring you in to what's going on, but they are fast moving so even though a lot is happening you process what just happened after the scene ends. You get three different points of view and each one is just as engaging as the last and helps propel the story forward. Although, I liked the different perspectives, one of the characters I wasn't too fond of. Not because I didn't like them, but because I couldn't trust their motives. The pacing mixed with the different perspectives made this an engaging read. The synopsis tells you what you need to know, but if you are looking for an action packed book, filled with emotion, this is the book for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Hate crime
Minor: Rape
sarina_goh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Bullying, Murder, Death, Racism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Child abuse
Minor: Rape
apuchan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
3.25
It got slow in the middle. Had to put it down. Finally caught back up and got interesting at the end.
Content Warnings
Minor: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, Child abuse, and Rape
raeneptune's review
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Rape
bookishperseus's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Child abuse, Colonisation, Hate crime, Slavery, Child death, Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Self harm, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, and Death
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
kaylaboevers's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Classism, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Genocide and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
jotoide's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book started out fine but by half it started to draaag, so many things happened, so much violence and death but I was left wondering what was the point of it all the ending felt bleak and aimless
I guess it was supposed to be about zelie believing in herself? Or something? I never got a clear feel of her character it seemed like she just did things
Inan was a bitch all book and his romance with zélie was rushed and weird. Amari was good but I cant say much else. Not the worst I've read but it left me wishing it was better
I guess it was supposed to be about zelie believing in herself? Or something? I never got a clear feel of her character it seemed like she just did things
Inan was a bitch all book and his romance with zélie was rushed and weird. Amari was good but I cant say much else. Not the worst I've read but it left me wishing it was better
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Rape
charlotteschapter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Death of parent, and Torture
Moderate: Slavery, Blood, Racial slurs, and Child death
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Rape
tiredgirlreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book - it was adventurous and the world building was absolutely fantastic. No details were unnecessary and I really felt involved in the fantasy world. It had been a while since I read a book like this and I did really enjoy it. The only reason it doesn’t get higher than 4 was because of the romance subplot that i didn’t really believe and didn’t want
But other than that, a big mix of heartbreaking and joy was felt during this reading.
But other than that, a big mix of heartbreaking and joy was felt during this reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Rape
nannahnannah's review against another edition
4.0
Oh man, I’ve been dying to read this ever since it first came out. The summary, the cover, the author; everything sounds like this will finally be a YA fantasy I can get into again. And though the world did just that, there were just one too many cliches -- and the romance annoyed the hell out of me -- for me to fully fall in love with it.
Representation:
Everyone is Nigerian (I assume? They mention Lagos)
Zélie Adebola remembers the night her entire world changed. The night magic disappeared, the night Orïsha’s king killed her mother, every single maji, and left Zélie’s people oppressed and hopeless. But when the king’s daughter runs away with a holy artifact that could bring magic back, Zélie has a chance to bring hope back to her people.
With the very first page, I was drawn into this world. The magic system, the mythology, the characters, the writing. The set-up was so beautiful I couldn’t imagine not loving this story. I mean … giant cat steeds? Is there anything more badass than that?
Unfortunately, the introduction of the love interest and the “magic quest” dampened my enthusiasm. One by one, fantasy cliches began to layer up on the plot, and then when the romance began with the characters locking eyes and a “buzz” happening (in a very non-romantic setting), I just … had to close the book for a second to recover. Such creativity here and then there’s that?
The plot could be summed as the characters having to find holy artifacts to participate in a ritual on a specific day or else magic is lost forever. And, of course, the main character is the “one” to perform the ritual, too. It’s all a little much. And yes, I know every story has been told before and that what matters is how it’s told. And also that, you know, non-white people deserve stories white people have had for centuries. I’m not really a person who should talk about this (lmao, because I’m white), but you know what I mean. But I guess I was just disappointed, because literally everything else was just so masterfully done, it just seemed like this could have been done better?
The characters in general, though? Amazing. I’m in love with each and every one (except for Inan … we’ll get to that). I even love the villain, because he was just done So Very Well -- even when he talked like a stereotypical villain, lmao! He had his reasons, he had his backstory, and I just believed him every time he spoke that he was speaking from his own point of view, and not to be … you know, “evil”. And his daughter; her character arc was so satisfying to read. She's the princess who goes from what’s considered “weak” to confident and self-assured. She didn’t have much page time compared to the other main characters (Zélie; the love interest, Inan; and Zélie’s brother, Tzain), but her character growth was my favorite. She was still herself, but bloomed into a much brighter and confident version.
Now, Inan. He had such potential to be a complex and interesting character! He was torn between his (insta-)love for Zélie and his duty to his abusive father. However what could have been a battle for his own freedom from his father ended up being a flip-flopping instead of being true development ( aka Inan ended up betraying Zélie twice in the novel. Big-time plot events, where by the time the second one came around, I didn’t believe him. It was just like … really, we’re doing this again? The page before, Inan was saying how he couldn’t last another hour without Zélie by his side, waxing poetic about her appearance and saying how he would end this, etc., and then this page he was pledging genuine loyalty to his father without a real reason as to what happened between this change of thought. It was so jarring! ).
Anyway, this was still the best YA fantasy I’ve read in a long while, and that's my favorite genre! I’ll definitely pick up the sequel to see what else happens. And to see these characters grow even more.
Representation:
Everyone is Nigerian (I assume? They mention Lagos)
Zélie Adebola remembers the night her entire world changed. The night magic disappeared, the night Orïsha’s king killed her mother, every single maji, and left Zélie’s people oppressed and hopeless. But when the king’s daughter runs away with a holy artifact that could bring magic back, Zélie has a chance to bring hope back to her people.
With the very first page, I was drawn into this world. The magic system, the mythology, the characters, the writing. The set-up was so beautiful I couldn’t imagine not loving this story. I mean … giant cat steeds? Is there anything more badass than that?
Unfortunately, the introduction of the love interest and the “magic quest” dampened my enthusiasm. One by one, fantasy cliches began to layer up on the plot, and then when the romance began with the characters locking eyes and a “buzz” happening (in a very non-romantic setting), I just … had to close the book for a second to recover. Such creativity here and then there’s that?
The plot could be summed as the characters having to find holy artifacts to participate in a ritual on a specific day or else magic is lost forever. And, of course, the main character is the “one” to perform the ritual, too. It’s all a little much. And yes, I know every story has been told before and that what matters is how it’s told. And also that, you know, non-white people deserve stories white people have had for centuries. I’m not really a person who should talk about this (lmao, because I’m white), but you know what I mean. But I guess I was just disappointed, because literally everything else was just so masterfully done, it just seemed like this could have been done better?
The characters in general, though? Amazing. I’m in love with each and every one (except for Inan … we’ll get to that). I even love the villain, because he was just done So Very Well -- even when he talked like a stereotypical villain, lmao! He had his reasons, he had his backstory, and I just believed him every time he spoke that he was speaking from his own point of view, and not to be … you know, “evil”. And his daughter; her character arc was so satisfying to read. She's the princess who goes from what’s considered “weak” to confident and self-assured. She didn’t have much page time compared to the other main characters (Zélie; the love interest, Inan; and Zélie’s brother, Tzain), but her character growth was my favorite. She was still herself, but bloomed into a much brighter and confident version.
Now, Inan. He had such potential to be a complex and interesting character! He was torn between his (insta-)love for Zélie and his duty to his abusive father. However what could have been a battle for his own freedom from his father ended up being a flip-flopping instead of being true development (
Anyway, this was still the best YA fantasy I’ve read in a long while, and that's my favorite genre! I’ll definitely pick up the sequel to see what else happens. And to see these characters grow even more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Rape
the rape scene was attempted rape