Intro

If you’re at all familiar with popular YA fantasy, you’ve probably heard of Children of Blood and Bone. And trust me, the hype is worth it. Packed with action, magic, and a strong heroine, it’s pretty much a must-read for lovers of YA fantasy.

So let’s dive into it, shall we?

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi Overview

Based largely on African mythology, Children of Blood and Bone follows Zélie Adebola, a young divîner—a person with a special connection to the gods and the capability to become a powerful maji—in a quest to restore magic to her people.

Eleven years ago, magic disappeared from Zélie’s homeland of Orïsha, an event that led to the deaths of thousands of maji, including Zélie’s mother. Since then, Zélie and her brother Tzain have been living under the oppression of a ruthless, maji-hating monarchy.

But when Zélie has the chance to bring magic back to the land using a strange scroll, she sets off on a daring quest that pits her against the monarchy itself. She and Tzain make allies as they work to see their mission through, even enlisting the aid of the rogue princess Amari. Enemies, however, are made as well—dangerous ones, such as the relentless Prince Inan, who is determined to make sure that magic never returns to Orïsha.

Will Zélie succeed in returning magic to the land, or will she be forced to succumb to the power of the monarchy?

Personal Thoughts

While this is by no means a quick read—unless you happen to have the ability to read at hyper-speed, of course—it’s actually pretty fast-paced. It doesn’t drag on and on forever like a lot of fantasy novels of its length do, and it generally gets right to the point. You won’t need to worry about sitting through any lengthy travel scenes or crazy long sieges or anything in this one, I assure you.

I loved pretty much everything about this book, but Zélie was definitely my favorite part. She’s tough and not afraid to tell people exactly what she thinks—whether they like it or not—which I think is something that a lot of authors go for with their characters, but don’t always manage to pull off well. She isn’t always nice, but you understand why she’s angry and why she acts the way she does, and you really come to root for her as the story progresses.

Also, while this has nothing to do with the plot or story itself, I just want to tell you that, instead of horses, the characters ride around on creatures called Ryders, which are basically just giant horned cats. Which is awesome.

Well, that aside, that just about wraps it up for this one. I hope that I’ve convinced you to check it out. And, if you’ve already read it, be sure to check out the similar books that I’ve listed below. Thanks so much for reading!

Books Similar to Children of Blood and Bone

• Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
• Nic Blake and the Remarkables: the Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas
• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo