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Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
1.0
Updated review (14 April 2020)
Since I posted my initial thoughts, I've received some strong reactions and questions that I did not anticipate. For my peace of mind, I am writing this review to hopefully better articulate my opinion and the issues I have with Children of Virtue and Vengeance. But first, some important notes:
1. I am not an own-voices reviewer for this series and, therefore, I cannot speak on the authenticity of the Black representation. I also cannot speak on what is offensive or triggering to Black people. In this review, I'm going to discuss things that I personally cannot ignore.
2. Trigger/Content warnings for strong war themes; death and violence; genocide; mass murder and attempted murder; blood and blood magic (not explicit); torture; depictions of grief; loss of parents and loved ones; emotional and verbal abuse from parental figures; trauma.
_
To better contextualize the events in this sequel, here's a brief rundown of how and where Children of Blood and Bone ended:
✨ The ritual needed to bring back magic is interrupted and goes awry. Zélie uses her deceased father's blood to perform a different ritual in the hopes that it would forge a new connection with the gods.
✨ Inan is stabbed by his father, and Book 1 deliberately leaves out whether or not he's able to survive.
✨ Upon seeing her brother stabbed, Amari kills her own father, and as he dies, she vows to become a better ruler.
✨ Magic is restored and the ending hints that Amari has magic now, too.
_
Essentially, Children of Virtue and Vengeance is all about the violent war between the current ruling class (headed by Queen Nehanda and) and the Iyika (a maji revolutionary group led by several Elders, including Zélie). Nothing else matters except this war, apparently. And from this war, Children of Virtue and Vengeance begins its quick and painful descent into being the book equivalent of Game of Thrones, Season 8.
This sequel leaves so much to be desired that I cannot possibly list down every single flaw in this book. So I won't even try. But here are my major issues with Children of Virtue and Vengeance:
1. The many missed opportunities to end the war and the unnecessary character deaths.
2. Error 404: plot not found
- Is it a coincidence that Children of Virtue and Vengeance has 404 pages and its plot cannot be found? I think not. In all seriousness, this sequel revolves around the war and nothing else -- which isn't necessarily bad, but the thing is the endgame remains unclear throughout the story. We never really get an idea of what the author is trying to achieve or what direction the story is supposed to take. We only get three kinds of scenes: (1) arguments among the characters, especially between Zélie and Amari; (2) trying and getting beaten up by someone and/or almost dying; and (3) the rebels' attacks being thwarted by the Queen. And these happen ad nauseum.
3. Bad writing.
- I bought a paperback copy of Children of Virtue and Vengeance at 50% discount, and this is my first time encountering so many typographical and simple grammatical errors in a finished edition of a book. Was this even revised? And aside from these shortcomings, there are also inconsistencies present in the world-building and in the plot.
4. Forced heterosexual romantic pairings.
- In Children of Virtue and Vengeance, Amari and Tzain are now a couple, while Zélie falls for a new love interest. I know that I'm not the only disappointed Amari x Zélie shipper out there, although this sequel has made Amari irredeemable in my eyes (to be discussed later).
Nevertheless, I do think that the criticisms suggesting that Amari's character is queer-coded hold merit. The way Amari and Zélie interact with each other hints at a greater chemistry than any of these heterosexual pairings combined. I mean, there is literally a scene wherein Tzain kisses Amari and her kneejerk reaction is to ask about how Zélie is doing. How are they possibly straight!!!
5. Book 2 throws away many crucial elements and developments in Book 1.
- The restrictions in the magic system that was introduced in the first book? They don't apply to everyone anymore! Magical abilities that previously did not exist? They just appear and are explained away with "oh, these were gifts given by the gods." The close sibling relationship between Tzain and Zélie? Gone because Tzain's only role in the sequel is Amari's love interest. The unlikely friendship and mutual respect between Zélie and Amari? Poof, gone with the wind. In fact, it's the relationships that suffered the most in Children of Virtue and Vengeance, be it romantic or familial or platonic.
6. Whom are we supposed to root for?
- My biggest struggle with this sequel is figuring out whom I'm supposed to root for. None of the main characters are fit to take on any leadership role, much less the throne to rule over Orïsha.
✨ Zélie spends most of the sequel understandably grieving over the people she's lost. Because of certain events that happened in the previous installment, she has developed major trust and anger issues, which occasionally prevent her from making sound and logical decisions. I will admit that she gets pretty unlikable throughout the majority of the story. However, among all the main characters, I think Zélie has the most reason to not be her best self. Nonetheless, her inability to make rational decisions definitely means she isn't ready to lead a group, much less an entire kingdom.
✨ Amari is suddenly the worst character of this series (and no, I won't take any arguments about this). She goes from the headstrong princess who's determined to right her family's wrongs to a culturally insensitive brat who believes she's entitled to the throne!!!
✨
✨ Tzain has no personality or function outside of being Amari's love interest. There's literally nothing else that I can say.
Also, their convictions and motivations drastically changed whenever the author needed to push the plot forward. Truly, this sequel can rival the character internal inconsistencies in the last season of Game of Thrones.
7. And suddenly, Amari becomes Daenerys.
- You read that right. All throughout Children of Blood and Bone and even at the beginning of this sequel, Amari is built up to be this really admirable heroine with a heart of gold. Despite her upbringing as a noble, she is able to sympathize with the maji (thanks to the maji handmaiden whom she befriends) and defies her father by stealing the scroll that can restore magic. As we eat up the chapters of Children of Blood and Bone, we witness her grow an actual spine and a remarkable fierceness. By the end of the first book, we do want this girl as the next ruler of Orïsha.
However, in Children of Virtue and Vengeance, her character not only regresses but drastically veers towards an unforgivable territory. During the war, Amari initially strives to broker peace between both sides, and she believes that the best way to achieve peace is with her on the throne. And thus she begins her gradual descent into a self-righteous savior narrative. Is this starting to sound familiar? As the story progresses, the more Amari regresses -- with her becoming increasingly fixated on securing the throne and proving to her deceased father that she is a more capable and compassionate queen. Her fixation leads to her own downfall, with her making horrible decisions.
Amari's character development in detail:
✨ Amari joins the Iyika and is shocked to discover that she isn't immediately welcomed with open arms by the people her family has been trying to exterminate for decades.
✨ Amari is frustrated because (1) she holds no power over the Iyika, (2) she feels that no one properly appreciates her "sacrifice" aka her killing the father whom she hated, and (3) everyone likes Zélie more. She never seems to understand why everyone is distrustful and hostile to the daughter of the man who dedicated his life to killing them.
✨ To "earn" their respect and gain influence, she demands Zélie to teach her incantations and languages belonging to the maji culture. Zélie eventually agrees, but she explicitly makes it clear that she will only teach Amari if she swears not to use her magic against other maji.
✨ HOWEVER, Amari decides to challenge the current Elder of the Connectors Clan for the leadership role. During their battle, she uses the incantations to put her opponent in comatose. (Of course, this does not sit well with the other maji and Amari is still all "why does everyone hate me! i just want to be the queen they deserve!")
✨ For a brief moment, she is supportive of Inan being the king and tries to work with him. However, things happen that cause her to lose her trust in him, so she reverts to her obsession with becoming The Best Queen Ever. She also decides that she must kill her mother and brother to secure her reign.
✨ Despite Zélie's protests, Amari leads a mission to infiltrate their enemy's stronghold and kill her remaining family members. (Note: The Queen and Inan are hiding in Zélie's old village.)
✨ When their mission fails, it is revealed that Amari prepared a backup plan, which involves releasing poisonous gas into the entire village in an attempt to kill her family members alongside the innocent civilians. Let me say that again: Amari commits mass murder to become queen.
✨ And instead of reflecting on the horror of her actions, all she thinks about is how Zélie could be a casualty as well (because she never returned from the village). But after a brief moment, she convinces herself that Zélie's death isn't her fault.
8. The ending.
- Many readers have criticized the ending of Children of Virtue and Vengeance, but most criticisms I've read tend to focus on Zélie's shortcomings (i.e.) and overlook the severity of Amari's decisions, as well as other pressing concerns -- specifically, the way this sequel inadvertently condones genocide, mass murder, and war crimes. I truly do not care if you think this is a huge spoiler because I think warning people who consider these topics triggering is more important than appealing to your sensibilities.
Listen. I do not have the energy or the time to unpack every minuscule detail of the last 20 or so chapters of this sequel. Instead, I will provide a succinct rundown and you are free to draw your own conclusions:
Summary of last 25% of this sequel:
✨ After the Iyika barely survive an attack from the Queen's forces, Zélie appeals to the Elders that they should leave Orïsha and start anew. She declares that she does not want to lose more lives in the war.
✨ HOWEVER, Amari convinces the Elders to launch an attack, as well as a mission to infiltrate their enemy's hideout and kill the Queen and Inan. (Note: They're hiding in Zélie's old village.)
✨ As they plan their attack, Amari secretly works on a backup plan in case the mission fails.
✨ They fall for a trap and the mission fails. Zélie is separated from her team and is stuck in the village.
✨ Upon realizing that the mission failed, Amari carries out her backup plan (despite knowing that Zélie is still there): release poisonous gas into the entire village in the hopes that her mother and brother would die from the poison as well. Let's repeat that: Amari commits mass murder to secure her throne. (Daenerys is shookt.)
✨ Is Amari sorry for killing an entire village of innocent lives? Nope. All she cares about is that she *might* have killed her friend, too. But she then convinces herself that it's not her fault: "Zélie's sacrifice allowed us to win the war. This is the story we shall tell."
✨ Zélie somehow survives and gains EVEN MORE power. She is able to give the same power to a few other Elders. Together, they magically resurrect all of Amari's mass murder victims.
✨ Amari is locked up for her war crime. (I guess it's not really a war crime if they're revived through magic? *rolls eyes*)
✨ Zélie realizes that her newfound power is unstable, and this can be resolved by sacrificing someone she loves. So, she decides to take Amari's life.
✨ Mama Agba steps in Amari's place and sacrifices herself.
✨ Inan discovers that his mother framed the maji for the murder of the royal family, which sparked the king's raids and genocidal crusade.
✨ Inan realizes that the monarchy is corrupt and decides to abolish it altogether. He then informs Zélie of his actions through a letter.
✨ Zélie still decides to lead another attack, and Amari is allowed to battle with them.
✨ Amari confronts her mother (aka the person responsible for the genocide of maji) and spares her life because she wants to be the "better person." (Never mind the fact that she committed MASS MURDER a handful of chapters ago.)
✨ Because Amari allowed her mother to live, the Queen is able to regain the upper hand and releases a (random) gas attack that makes all the maji rebels pass out.
✨ When Zélie wakes up, she realizes that she and her companions are in chains and are on a slave ship drifting on the ocean. And the sequel ends there.
And I also think it's worth noting that some have voiced out how the final scene in Children of Virtue and Vengeance is harmful and can be triggering to Black readers. Read this own-voices review from Briana and please consider hitting the review's 'like' button so that we can increase its visibility.
TL;DR:
Unfortunately, my full review surpassed the character limit and I was forced to delete many cited scenes and specific examples. But anyway, Children of Blood and Bone is a standalone now and no one can convince me otherwise. I will definitely not read the next book.
Since I posted my initial thoughts, I've received some strong reactions and questions that I did not anticipate. For my peace of mind, I am writing this review to hopefully better articulate my opinion and the issues I have with Children of Virtue and Vengeance. But first, some important notes:
1. I am not an own-voices reviewer for this series and, therefore, I cannot speak on the authenticity of the Black representation. I also cannot speak on what is offensive or triggering to Black people. In this review, I'm going to discuss things that I personally cannot ignore.
2. Trigger/Content warnings for strong war themes; death and violence; genocide; mass murder and attempted murder; blood and blood magic (not explicit); torture; depictions of grief; loss of parents and loved ones; emotional and verbal abuse from parental figures; trauma.
_
To better contextualize the events in this sequel, here's a brief rundown of how and where Children of Blood and Bone ended:
Spoiler
✨ The ritual needed to bring back magic is interrupted and goes awry. Zélie uses her deceased father's blood to perform a different ritual in the hopes that it would forge a new connection with the gods.
✨ Inan is stabbed by his father, and Book 1 deliberately leaves out whether or not he's able to survive.
✨ Upon seeing her brother stabbed, Amari kills her own father, and as he dies, she vows to become a better ruler.
✨ Magic is restored and the ending hints that Amari has magic now, too.
_
Essentially, Children of Virtue and Vengeance is all about the violent war between the current ruling class (headed by Queen Nehanda and
Spoiler
InanThis sequel leaves so much to be desired that I cannot possibly list down every single flaw in this book. So I won't even try. But here are my major issues with Children of Virtue and Vengeance:
1. The many missed opportunities to end the war and the unnecessary character deaths.
2. Error 404: plot not found
- Is it a coincidence that Children of Virtue and Vengeance has 404 pages and its plot cannot be found? I think not. In all seriousness, this sequel revolves around the war and nothing else -- which isn't necessarily bad, but the thing is the endgame remains unclear throughout the story. We never really get an idea of what the author is trying to achieve or what direction the story is supposed to take. We only get three kinds of scenes: (1) arguments among the characters, especially between Zélie and Amari; (2)
Spoiler
InanSpoiler
Inan3. Bad writing.
- I bought a paperback copy of Children of Virtue and Vengeance at 50% discount, and this is my first time encountering so many typographical and simple grammatical errors in a finished edition of a book. Was this even revised? And aside from these shortcomings, there are also inconsistencies present in the world-building and in the plot.
4. Forced heterosexual romantic pairings.
- In Children of Virtue and Vengeance, Amari and Tzain are now a couple, while Zélie falls for a new love interest
Spoiler
as her previous love interest licks his woundsNevertheless, I do think that the criticisms suggesting that Amari's character is queer-coded hold merit. The way Amari and Zélie interact with each other hints at a greater chemistry than any of these heterosexual pairings combined. I mean, there is literally a scene wherein Tzain kisses Amari and her kneejerk reaction is to ask about how Zélie is doing. How are they possibly straight!!!
5. Book 2 throws away many crucial elements and developments in Book 1.
- The restrictions in the magic system that was introduced in the first book? They don't apply to everyone anymore! Magical abilities that previously did not exist? They just appear and are explained away with "oh, these were gifts given by the gods." The close sibling relationship between Tzain and Zélie? Gone because Tzain's only role in the sequel is Amari's love interest. The unlikely friendship and mutual respect between Zélie and Amari? Poof, gone with the wind. In fact, it's the relationships that suffered the most in Children of Virtue and Vengeance, be it romantic or familial or platonic.
6. Whom are we supposed to root for?
- My biggest struggle with this sequel is figuring out whom I'm supposed to root for. None of the main characters are fit to take on any leadership role, much less the throne to rule over Orïsha.
✨ Zélie spends most of the sequel understandably grieving over the people she's lost. Because of certain events that happened in the previous installment, she has developed major trust and anger issues, which occasionally prevent her from making sound and logical decisions. I will admit that she gets pretty unlikable throughout the majority of the story. However, among all the main characters, I think Zélie has the most reason to not be her best self. Nonetheless, her inability to make rational decisions definitely means she isn't ready to lead a group, much less an entire kingdom.
✨ Amari is suddenly the worst character of this series (and no, I won't take any arguments about this). She goes from the headstrong princess who's determined to right her family's wrongs to a culturally insensitive brat who believes she's entitled to the throne!!!
✨
Spoiler
Inan is a wishy-washy character who constantly flip-flops on his beliefs and ideals. Despite his authority as the crowned prince, he is hardly taken seriously by his court and is almost always undermined by the queen. With that being said, he's the only decent character because, despite his flaws and general stupidity, he does try to do the right thing.✨ Tzain has no personality or function outside of being Amari's love interest. There's literally nothing else that I can say.
Also, their convictions and motivations drastically changed whenever the author needed to push the plot forward. Truly, this sequel can rival the character internal inconsistencies in the last season of Game of Thrones.
7. And suddenly, Amari becomes Daenerys.
- You read that right. All throughout Children of Blood and Bone and even at the beginning of this sequel, Amari is built up to be this really admirable heroine with a heart of gold. Despite her upbringing as a noble, she is able to sympathize with the maji (thanks to the maji handmaiden whom she befriends) and defies her father by stealing the scroll that can restore magic. As we eat up the chapters of Children of Blood and Bone, we witness her grow an actual spine and a remarkable fierceness. By the end of the first book, we do want this girl as the next ruler of Orïsha.
However, in Children of Virtue and Vengeance, her character not only regresses but drastically veers towards an unforgivable territory. During the war, Amari initially strives to broker peace between both sides, and she believes that the best way to achieve peace is with her on the throne. And thus she begins her gradual descent into a self-righteous savior narrative. Is this starting to sound familiar? As the story progresses, the more Amari regresses -- with her becoming increasingly fixated on securing the throne and proving to her deceased father that she is a more capable and compassionate queen. Her fixation leads to her own downfall, with her making horrible decisions.
Amari's character development in detail:
Spoiler
✨ Amari joins the Iyika and is shocked to discover that she isn't immediately welcomed with open arms by the people her family has been trying to exterminate for decades.
✨ Amari is frustrated because (1) she holds no power over the Iyika, (2) she feels that no one properly appreciates her "sacrifice" aka her killing the father whom she hated, and (3) everyone likes Zélie more. She never seems to understand why everyone is distrustful and hostile to the daughter of the man who dedicated his life to killing them.
✨ To "earn" their respect and gain influence, she demands Zélie to teach her incantations and languages belonging to the maji culture. Zélie eventually agrees, but she explicitly makes it clear that she will only teach Amari if she swears not to use her magic against other maji.
✨ HOWEVER, Amari decides to challenge the current Elder of the Connectors Clan for the leadership role. During their battle, she uses the incantations to put her opponent in comatose. (Of course, this does not sit well with the other maji and Amari is still all "why does everyone hate me! i just want to be the queen they deserve!")
✨ For a brief moment, she is supportive of Inan being the king and tries to work with him. However, things happen that cause her to lose her trust in him, so she reverts to her obsession with becoming The Best Queen Ever. She also decides that she must kill her mother and brother to secure her reign.
✨ Despite Zélie's protests, Amari leads a mission to infiltrate their enemy's stronghold and kill her remaining family members. (Note: The Queen and Inan are hiding in Zélie's old village.)
✨ When their mission fails, it is revealed that Amari prepared a backup plan, which involves releasing poisonous gas into the entire village in an attempt to kill her family members alongside the innocent civilians. Let me say that again: Amari commits mass murder to become queen.
✨ And instead of reflecting on the horror of her actions, all she thinks about is how Zélie could be a casualty as well (because she never returned from the village). But after a brief moment, she convinces herself that Zélie's death isn't her fault.
No. I push away the weight I could never bear. If Zélie were alive, she would've returned with Nâo. The monarchy killed her with their explosions. Zélie's sacrifice allowed us to win the war. This is the story we shall tell.
8. The ending.
- Many readers have criticized the ending of Children of Virtue and Vengeance, but most criticisms I've read tend to focus on Zélie's shortcomings (i.e.
Spoiler
her trying to kill AmariListen. I do not have the energy or the time to unpack every minuscule detail of the last 20 or so chapters of this sequel. Instead, I will provide a succinct rundown and you are free to draw your own conclusions:
Summary of last 25% of this sequel:
Spoiler
✨ After the Iyika barely survive an attack from the Queen's forces, Zélie appeals to the Elders that they should leave Orïsha and start anew. She declares that she does not want to lose more lives in the war.
✨ HOWEVER, Amari convinces the Elders to launch an attack, as well as a mission to infiltrate their enemy's hideout and kill the Queen and Inan. (Note: They're hiding in Zélie's old village.)
✨ As they plan their attack, Amari secretly works on a backup plan in case the mission fails.
✨ They fall for a trap and the mission fails. Zélie is separated from her team and is stuck in the village.
✨ Upon realizing that the mission failed, Amari carries out her backup plan (despite knowing that Zélie is still there): release poisonous gas into the entire village in the hopes that her mother and brother would die from the poison as well. Let's repeat that: Amari commits mass murder to secure her throne. (Daenerys is shookt.)
✨ Is Amari sorry for killing an entire village of innocent lives? Nope. All she cares about is that she *might* have killed her friend, too. But she then convinces herself that it's not her fault: "Zélie's sacrifice allowed us to win the war. This is the story we shall tell."
✨ Zélie somehow survives and gains EVEN MORE power. She is able to give the same power to a few other Elders. Together, they magically resurrect all of Amari's mass murder victims.
✨ Amari is locked up for her war crime. (I guess it's not really a war crime if they're revived through magic? *rolls eyes*)
✨ Zélie realizes that her newfound power is unstable, and this can be resolved by sacrificing someone she loves. So, she decides to take Amari's life.
✨ Mama Agba steps in Amari's place and sacrifices herself.
✨ Inan discovers that his mother framed the maji for the murder of the royal family, which sparked the king's raids and genocidal crusade.
✨ Inan realizes that the monarchy is corrupt and decides to abolish it altogether. He then informs Zélie of his actions through a letter.
✨ Zélie still decides to lead another attack, and Amari is allowed to battle with them.
✨ Amari confronts her mother (aka the person responsible for the genocide of maji) and spares her life because she wants to be the "better person." (Never mind the fact that she committed MASS MURDER a handful of chapters ago.)
✨ Because Amari allowed her mother to live, the Queen is able to regain the upper hand and releases a (random) gas attack that makes all the maji rebels pass out.
✨ When Zélie wakes up, she realizes that she and her companions are in chains and are on a slave ship drifting on the ocean. And the sequel ends there.
And I also think it's worth noting that some have voiced out how the final scene in Children of Virtue and Vengeance is harmful and can be triggering to Black readers. Read this own-voices review from Briana and please consider hitting the review's 'like' button so that we can increase its visibility.
TL;DR:
Unfortunately, my full review surpassed the character limit and I was forced to delete many cited scenes and specific examples. But anyway, Children of Blood and Bone is a standalone now and no one can convince me otherwise. I will definitely not read the next book.
A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
5.0
* I received a physical ARC of this book from its publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter
4.0
Listen. This whole trilogy should be made into a movie. (Also, I can’t rate this book any lower because it DID make me cry, and I love the family and found family realness.)
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
5.0
Oh my god. It is nearly 4 in the morning and I am only partially awake, but here are my initial thoughts:
The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
4.0
There is definitely a lot to love about this book. From its feminist take on modern dating and hookup culture to its criticism of healthcare (or lack thereof) in professional sports, The Right Swipe is a refreshing contemporary romance with much to offer. However, I think it glossed over some Important Things, such as the consequences of the main character’s actions and even the romantic development itself. This book has left so much room for it to be more impactful, and I can’t help but feel that its execution is underwhelming.
That being said, I don’t think that I can rate The Right Swipe any lower. Partially because of the many themes and nuances it explores. But mostly because of the format: I really enjoyed listening to its audiobook edition. I thought that the voice actors successfully brought life into these characters.
Recommended!
That being said, I don’t think that I can rate The Right Swipe any lower. Partially because of the many themes and nuances it explores. But mostly because of the format: I really enjoyed listening to its audiobook edition. I thought that the voice actors successfully brought life into these characters.
Recommended!
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
5.0
“Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves.”
Absolutely blown away. Full review to follow.
* I received a digital ARC of this book (via NetGalley) from its publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Absolutely blown away. Full review to follow.
* I received a digital ARC of this book (via NetGalley) from its publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
5.0
I loved every moment of this story, but the later half was sheer perfection and the ending left such a huge smile on my face. Full review to follow.