ARC sample review: Children of Blood and Bone – Tomi Adeyemi

This is a review of the first six chapters of Children of Blood and Bone.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy.

I was lucky enough to receive a sample of Children of Blood and Bone from NetGalley. As soon as I saw that it was available, I knew that I had to request it. People have been gushing about the original fantasy elements, and I’m always up for original fantasy.

It’s #ownvoices for black representation.

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I was not disappointed. Not one bit. The first chapters of Children of Blood and Bone are a whirlwind of activity. I could not put it down and basically devoured the chapters.

I was very impressed by the worldbuilding, which was quietly shown through the character conversations and actions. I was also positively surprised by the amount of character development, which was evident in the first few chapters – something that is usually not evident so early on. This character development is not only seen in the two main characters but almost all characters are shown to develop throughout the chapters.

The major characters we are introduced to are all written as nuanced characters, and they felt very real to me. I found the perspectives of both of the main characters fun to read about, and they have distinctly different voices and personalities, which is noticeable through the writing style.

The reader is introduced to fantasy animals: cheetanaires and lionnaires. I wish that there had been more descriptions here, as I wanted to know exactly how these animals differed to real-world cheetahs and lions.

The marginalised group used to be in power, and lorded over the other group, and the roles are reversed now. I’m interested to see how the conflict develops and how much the history of the two conflicting groups will affect the story.

Storylines about colourism, sexism, and poverty were introduced in the first chapters. I’m looking forward to seeing how they are developed in the continuing story. A binary gender system is in place in the society, and I really hope we get to read a book that will break this system.

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I will certainly pick up the book after it has been published, as I had such a fun time reading the sample and I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

Trigger warnings: hanging, violence.

4 stars

Have you read the sample for Children of Blood and Bone? Do you want to read the book once it is published?