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A review by here_goes_books
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
4.0
An entertaining ya fetch quest story with heaps of action, characters, and magic. Wonderful world building with a slightly fleshed out history and lore system. Throw in a silly romance, warrior women, and if I was a teenager this would have been my book.
But IMPO Adeyemi's debut novel centered around preconceived notions we use to separate and hurt ourselves. Small ideas like we are not enough to larger ideologies that may have started innocently that have been warped. Adeyemi beautifully uses her characters to juxtapose these conflicting ideas: the character who could literally read minds who could not make up his own or the warrior cursing themselves while others finally saw them as tough. Add classicism, racism and it's pretty deep.
Her characters also made mistakes. And justifiably doubted the consequences of their actions. Many heroes doubt themselves, but as readers we don't have many snapshots where heroes think beyond themselves in the moment to the unintended consequences of their heroics.
That said: the characters were teenagers/ young adults and I just couldn't deal with some of the intensity of their emotions at times.
Bechdel: Passes in spades
DuVernay: Yup!
Vito: mmmmmayvbe. A character could be read as bi. But until the author says it, it remains up to the reader.
PM: Character is non consensual touched /sexually assaulted. This is something that motivates the character to fight, be angry, volatile, unsympathetic, and closed off. It adds to why they are scared and why a later betrayal of convictions hurts so much worse.
But IMPO Adeyemi's debut novel centered around preconceived notions we use to separate and hurt ourselves. Small ideas like we are not enough to larger ideologies that may have started innocently that have been warped. Adeyemi beautifully uses her characters to juxtapose these conflicting ideas: the character who could literally read minds who could not make up his own or the warrior cursing themselves while others finally saw them as tough. Add classicism, racism and it's pretty deep.
Her characters also made mistakes. And justifiably doubted the consequences of their actions. Many heroes doubt themselves, but as readers we don't have many snapshots where heroes think beyond themselves in the moment to the unintended consequences of their heroics.
That said: the characters were teenagers/ young adults and I just couldn't deal with some of the intensity of their emotions at times.
Bechdel: Passes in spades
DuVernay: Yup!
Vito: mmmmmayvbe. A character could be read as bi. But until the author says it, it remains up to the reader.
PM: Character is non consensual touched /sexually assaulted. This is something that motivates the character to fight, be angry, volatile, unsympathetic, and closed off. It adds to why they are scared and why a later betrayal of convictions hurts so much worse.