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A review by alibookedup
Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
This is a strong fantasy debut by Ehigbor Okosun -- you have everything you need from a strong female protagonist named Dèmi to a world that comes alive with unique magics inspired by Nigerian mythology and culture. The details throughout are bright and engaging. I never guessed which way the journey would take and it usually did not disappoint. I think a lot of fantasy readers will enjoy this book and those to follow it.
I will say I did struggle through the last 25% of it. There was a strong plot with well laid out hero vs. villain vibes, but something just felt a bit off for me. I felt like a lot of the secrets revealed were a little too much at once and that they didn't come together as flawlessly as I would've hoped. A lot of the action scenes and rules of the Oloso magic also felt stilted like I was missing important information. For example, I found myself having to reread scenes because I felt like I had skipped a line or missed a detail where in fact it was never given or a new rule of how the magic system worked was just thrown into the fray. Many times, I also felt like names for new and not long lasting characters were thrown around like they had been around the whole book when in reality I had no idea who was being talked about.
However, I did mostly enjoy our main trio. Dèmi was a pretty fleshed out character and she carries a lot on her shoulders in a pretty badass way. I personally would've liked if the characters surrounding her could have been given more fluff. Colin, in particular, I found dull because I thought he was just the pining best friend, and while I enjoyed their ride or die friendship, that's the only thing about him that's somewhat interesting until you learn a little bit about him in the very last bit.
All in all, an entertaining adventure filled read that I would give a solid 3.5 stars. I think this series will become a hit with a large crowd and I think Ehigbor Okosun is writing a story that has a very unique edge that many will enjoy.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for an advance copy for review!
I will say I did struggle through the last 25% of it. There was a strong plot with well laid out hero vs. villain vibes, but something just felt a bit off for me. I felt like a lot of the secrets revealed were a little too much at once and that they didn't come together as flawlessly as I would've hoped. A lot of the action scenes and rules of the Oloso magic also felt stilted like I was missing important information. For example, I found myself having to reread scenes because I felt like I had skipped a line or missed a detail where in fact it was never given or a new rule of how the magic system worked was just thrown into the fray. Many times, I also felt like names for new and not long lasting characters were thrown around like they had been around the whole book when in reality I had no idea who was being talked about.
However, I did mostly enjoy our main trio. Dèmi was a pretty fleshed out character and she carries a lot on her shoulders in a pretty badass way. I personally would've liked if the characters surrounding her could have been given more fluff. Colin, in particular, I found dull because I thought he was just the pining best friend, and while I enjoyed their ride or die friendship, that's the only thing about him that's somewhat interesting until you learn a little bit about him in the very last bit.
All in all, an entertaining adventure filled read that I would give a solid 3.5 stars. I think this series will become a hit with a large crowd and I think Ehigbor Okosun is writing a story that has a very unique edge that many will enjoy.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for an advance copy for review!