'Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were 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 an enemy.'
It took me longer than I wanted to finally get around to reading Children of Blood and Bone. I'd seen it on so many lists of great books, and has been drawn in by the wonderful cover since I first saw it, yet always had something come up to prevent me from actually getting around to reading it. When I finally did sit down to read the book I found that I couldn't put it down, and read through it so quickly. Luckily for me the sequel is already out and currently on it's way to me through the post. However, before I get around to reading more about this amazing universe I get to review the book and really delve into why I loved it so much.
The first thing to be noted about the book, and something that I absolutely loved, is the setting. Rather than the somewhat traditional and expected fantasy setting, where the world is rooted in very European myths and cultures, the world that Adeyemi created here is very, very much grounded in West African mythology, and draws upon the Yoruba culture and language. Not only is this such a refreshing change, to actually have something that feels new and original in what can sometimes be a fairly bland genre, but it's wonderful to see a black writer and black culture given a spotlight in which to shine.
Children of Blood and Bone is set in the land of Orïsha, a kingdom ruled by the tyrannical king Saran. A decade ago Saran led a campaign against the maji, those blessed by the gods and granted magical abilities. Stripping magic from the land, Saran had thousands of maji killed, leaving only their children alive, those who never knew the taste of magic. Now the maji, marked by their white hair, are second class citizens and slaves, living under the harsh rule of the non-magical kosidan.
Zélie is a maji who witnessed the brutal murder of her mother when just a child and has been nursing a hatred for the King ever since. Wanting to fight back against the kosidan rule, but knowing that she doesn't have the power to do anything she's a character with a huge amount of pent up anger and aggression; as well as fear. She knows that she could be taken away from her family and forced into slave labour without warning, that the royal guards could rape her, that she could be killed, just because she's a maji. This fear and anger is what drives her throughout the book, and pushes her on her mission to change the world into a better place for the maji.
She's joined on her journey by her older brother Tzain, born without a connection to magic like her, who has made protecting her a big part of his life ever since the loss of their mother; and Amari, the princess of Orïsha and daughter of the man who ordered the murder of Zelie's mother.
Tzain fills in a fairly traditional role of an older guardian figure, more mature and wiser than Zélie in a lot of ways. At first he seems to be more level headed than his sister, and sometimes harsh because of it. However, over the course of the story we learn that there's a lot more to him than this, and his harder exterior is hiding a very emotional, and even damaged, young man. He lived through the murder of his mother, just like Zélie, saw his father beaten and brutalised, had to grow up fast to help and protect his family, and has to live with the fear of losing his sister every day. He's not a maji, he's not a target of the oppressive regime of Orïsha, but he's a victim of the brutality and racism of his world too.
Amari is more complex than initially shown too. Presented as something of a sheltered and spoilt young princess, she sets out to help the maji and bring back magic to honour her friend, who she saw murdered simply for being born different. Whilst not used to the world outside the palace the reader gets to see her grow and mature over the course of the narrative, going from a frightened girl to a warrior queen, one who is prepared to fight for all of the people in her kingdom and challenge the rule of her father.
The amount of care and attention given to these central heroes is great, and the changes that they go through throughout the book are believable and inspiring. One of the most complex stories in the book, however, is Amari's older brother, Inan. Initially presented as something of an antagonist before joining the heroes, he changes his mind about what's right and wrong, about what is the best thing for the kingdom more than once, and his journey is one of the most tragic. He doesn't have the strength of conviction that the others do, and constantly second guesses what's right. Sadly, this means that his story is incredibly sad, as it's his own fears and second guessing that leads him down a painful and destructive path.
The sense of injustice presented in Children of Blood and Bone, of feeling like a second class citizen whose life could be ended at any moment isn't something that Adeyemi included lightly, but one of her main drives for telling this story. She says in the afterword of the book that she was driven to write the book because of the injustices that black people have had to face in America, not just historically, but in recent years too. She cites the murder of innocent black children by police officers, such as Jordan Edwards, Tamir Rice, and Aiyana Stanley-Jones, as important inspiration for the book, and urges the reader to realise that the anger and emotion that they feel for these fictional characters should be felt for the victims of such hate in the real world.
These strong emotions and strong sense of right and wrong help towards the fantastic world building that Adeyemi does, giving not just a rich and interesting world, but one that feels alive. Often Young Adult books have heroes rising up against an oppressive regime because they're swept up in events beyond their control, or because they're told it's the right thing to do; but here it feels like it was always going to happen, that people were waiting for the moment to fight. It feels like a more genuine and real world than many others.
Children of Blood and Bone is a great book for anyone who likes the fantasy genre, or who enjoys YA fiction. However, it's also a story that stands out from others in the genre's. It feels fresh and new, with a mythology that's rich in history and has stunning visuals. It highlights real world injustices and racism in a way that isn't preachy, so that those who might normally be turned off by social commentary will find themselves drawn in. Above all though, it tells an engrossing and engaging story that's full of character development, action packed spectacle, and amazing world building. It's not hard to see why this has been one of the most celebrated and successful Young Adult books in years.
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