Reviews

Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye

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bkc's review against another edition

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Trigger warnings.

jane_kelsey's review against another edition

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2.0

No denying the contribution this book is adding, having meaningful conversations about gender, race, sexual assault and many more issues, however it terms of the plot and pace, it just did not grip me enough. There were often times when the story would go really slow and focus on certain things not quite integral to the plot or character development, and times when it would speed up and rush by. I also really struggled with our main character that read much younger for me than she was meant to be, making decisions that at times that were not congruent with anything. Sloane was a character that I felt for, I understood her past history and trauma, however besides that I struggle to attach any other feelings, which makes it more difficult to be invested in their story. The romance was also not for me, did not care for it and frankly it would have been a better book without it.
There's a lot of quotable moments and the prose itself is good.

I think this is a book that a lot of other people will enjoy as my opinion can only be subjective to my reading experience of my expectations. Loved the Yoruba-Nigerian mythological aspects and the world building which was realistic and well done, but at the same time I wanted more from it, more from the fantasy elements.

caileyfrench's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-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

5.0

Blood Scion is a wonderful book that shows the horrors of colonization and genocide through the lens of Yoruba-Nigerian mythology. The twists at the end had my jaw on the floor. This book was heavy but I loved it. Absolutely DEVASTATED that the next book's release isn't until September 2025.

thenovelmaura's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-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

3.0

I really wanted to love this book! The premise and influence of Yoruba-Nigerian mythology made this a highly-anticipated read for me. The magic system was intriguing and I do enjoy a YA novel that doesn't shy away from brutal themes (check the content warnings before picking this one up). However, there's a fine line between using brutality to get your point across and using it for shock value, and Falaye sometimes veers into the latter. I also expected more from the world-building than we ended up getting. While I don't regret reading this one, I don't have a strong urge to pick up the sequel.

Content Warnings