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A review by alexalala
Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Démi is a magic wielder in this Nigerian inspired world. Unfortunately for her and her mother, the magic wielders have undergone a harsh genocide by the hand of the king a few years earlier. When her mother is killed for helping a young man, Démi escapes and vows to avenge her people.
The good: I loved the worldbuilding and this universe. The elemental magic was very cool. The story dragged you right in and you could feel the pain that Démi went through very palpably. Jonas was also a fun character and I enjoyed seeing his back and forth with Démi and Colin. The author is clearly well versed in the real world culture and mythology. I liked how unique this voice is in a market that is full of European based fantasies.
The meh: The book stopped pulling me in around the midway point and I felt I didn't care so much what happened next. The stakes didn't feel high enough to make me want to find out what was going to happen. Démi, though seemed age and trauma appropriately focused on revenge, was getting very repetitive and blaming the wrong people for what happened to her mother. She was also leading Colin on a lot, which seems like an odd thing to do to someone who you consider family. The romance felt forced and it was obvious that Démi and Jonas would get together from the start of the novel. There seemed to be an element of fated mates but that was contradicted by saying there was choice involved. Speaking of contradictions, the first half of the book we learn that taking a life will lead to losing magic or death/disability, but then Démi is actually sort of promoted for it in the end? Odd. This also felt much more YA than adult fantasy which I've read it's being marketed as, so I'm not sure what to make of that. I think this book suffered from too many tropes shoved into one, too many ideas and contradictions, bland characters, and a forced romance.
The verdict: You may like this book if you enjoy sort love triangles, mythology, Africa-inspired worlds, elemental magic, a spirit world, magic persecution, and revenge plots.
Démi is a magic wielder in this Nigerian inspired world. Unfortunately for her and her mother, the magic wielders have undergone a harsh genocide by the hand of the king a few years earlier. When her mother is killed for helping a young man, Démi escapes and vows to avenge her people.
The good: I loved the worldbuilding and this universe. The elemental magic was very cool. The story dragged you right in and you could feel the pain that Démi went through very palpably. Jonas was also a fun character and I enjoyed seeing his back and forth with Démi and Colin. The author is clearly well versed in the real world culture and mythology. I liked how unique this voice is in a market that is full of European based fantasies.
The meh: The book stopped pulling me in around the midway point and I felt I didn't care so much what happened next. The stakes didn't feel high enough to make me want to find out what was going to happen. Démi, though seemed age and trauma appropriately focused on revenge, was getting very repetitive and blaming the wrong people for what happened to her mother. She was also leading Colin on a lot, which seems like an odd thing to do to someone who you consider family. The romance felt forced and it was obvious that Démi and Jonas would get together from the start of the novel. There seemed to be an element of fated mates but that was contradicted by saying there was choice involved. Speaking of contradictions, the first half of the book we learn that taking a life will lead to losing magic or death/disability, but then Démi is actually sort of promoted for it in the end? Odd. This also felt much more YA than adult fantasy which I've read it's being marketed as, so I'm not sure what to make of that. I think this book suffered from too many tropes shoved into one, too many ideas and contradictions, bland characters, and a forced romance.
The verdict: You may like this book if you enjoy sort love triangles, mythology, Africa-inspired worlds, elemental magic, a spirit world, magic persecution, and revenge plots.