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kelly_e'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? Yes
4.0
Author: Deborah Falaye
MSeries: Blood Scion, #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: March 8, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Emotionally Charged • Complex • Unforgiving
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods.
Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.
Sloane rises through the ranks and gains strength but, in doing so, risks something greater: losing herself entirely, and becoming the very monster that she abhors.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Blood Scion first came onto my radar when it was longlisted for Canada Read 2023 back in January. Unfortunately, it didn't make it onto the shortlist, but being a completionist, I wanted to continue to pick up the longlist titles throughout the year. Of all of the books on the list, I'd have to say this was the one more outside my comfort zone, yet I was pleasantly surprised enjoying more than I'd originally anticipated.
Inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, this novel is marketed as YA fantasy, however, for me it read more like the type of YA primarily written for adults. Books based in mythology will never be my cup to tea, but I definitely don't mind getting my toes wet from time to time, and this book took me places I didn't know it could. It is fierce. It is raw. It is brutal. And it's hard to believe it is a debut.
Equal parts compelling and heartbreaking, Blood Scion offers a fictionalized account of the real-life horrors endured by child soldiers. The intensity of the violence is hard to digest, yet showcases the lived experiences of so many of these child soldiers. There is quite a large cast of characters, but the one that truly matters is Sloane. She's one of those unforgettable heroines and everything about her character development was fantastic.
Tackling themes of slavery, oppression injustice, revenge and power tinged with a little bit of magic, Blood Scion took me by surprise. And while this genre will never be something I rush to pick up, I can definitely see myself continuing on with this series. I have no doubts that Deborah Falaye has a bright future ahead.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• mature readers
• fantasy fans
• readers looking for a strong debut
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Treat something like a monster and it will certainly learn to become a monster."
Graphic: Torture, Murder, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Hate crime, Genocide, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, War, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Racism, Death, Child death, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Colonisation, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Classism, and Self harm
hollyk's review against another edition
- 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
This book is dark, like, really dark. But it's about child soldiers conscripted into an army, so that tracks. I feel like a lot of fantasy series have a similar aspect of teenagers in military, but Sloane actively pushes back against that, where a lot of other protagonists are relatively complacent. I also see some similarities to The Blood Trials in this one, but Blood Scion focuses more on the ancestry and oppression of Yorubas and Scions, whereas The Blood Trials is more sci-fi and political. Sloane is young, and it shows at times, but that's understandable--she's a child forced into conscription. She's not going to be the most successful recruit, and that makes her easy to root for. She's tough, smart, and keeps ahold of her humanity when the military leaders try to break her. There are so many twists and turns, and I didn't see the ending coming. The only questionable thing is (MASSIVE SPOILER)
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Racism, War, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Murder, Sexual violence, Gore, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Vomit, and Animal death
alyxbeau's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Child death, Emotional abuse, War, Xenophobia, Torture, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Self harm, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Genocide, Death, Blood, Child abuse, and Violence
hapennybooks'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? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Colonisation, War, Violence, Torture, Child abuse, Genocide, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual violence, Slavery, Cultural appropriation, Rape, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Adult/minor relationship
kirstenf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Gun violence, Child death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Moderate: Colonisation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, War, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Confinement, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Chronic illness
zee's review against another edition
3.5
Although the story teems with lore, I found it hard to engage in. The recruit training is only 30 days, which seems impossibly short for the amount of action and events, while it also managed to drag on painfully at times. The pacing was highly inconsistent, and the end is similarly (and unsatisfyingly) abrupt.
It sounds like there is already a film deal on the table, and I think this story would translate really well, while adding a rich diversity to the usual types of Western stories told. It was a very impressive debut novel, but just not one for me.
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Violence, Child death, War, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual assault, Self harm, Death of parent, and Blood
dragonwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, War, and Child abuse
Minor: Rape
kaylamoran'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? Yes
4.75
This book was nothing like I expected, and I loved every moment. It reminded me a bit of the Poppy War at times, which is one of my favourite fantasy series.
The pacing was perfect. Sloane was so well developed, so human despite everything she goes though and every awful thing she has to do. Her moments of selfishness were so human, and its nice to read a protagonist for whom self preservation is more important than morality. The story was so well crafted, and the twist at the end caught me totally off guard. Overall, I thought this book was brilliant.
The only reason this isn't 5 stars is because a few words felt overused in descriptions. "Bleeding" (as in to replace a swear word, like the f word) and bastard come to mind.
Graphic: Death, Murder, Torture, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, War, Blood, and Child death
Moderate: Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Self harm and Cultural appropriation
aklovekorn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Blood, Classism, Toxic friendship, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Murder, and War
shadesofdivine's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: War, Torture, Sexual violence, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Child death, Murder, Colonisation, Genocide, Blood, Gun violence, and Sexual assault