I waited months, actually almost a year, for this book to drop by a fresh new voice in fantasy fiction, Tomi Adeyemi. Children of Blood and Bone is a debut young adult novel by the Nigerian-American author. It’s a bold dive into the fantasy-epic genre and I am so happy to read it! If you haven’t heard about it yet, it is a New York Times Bestselling YA novel, filled with fantasy, adventure, action, and Black characters.

The Children of Blood And Bone Story

I heard almost a year ago, via Tumblr, that a book by a Black female writer wasn’t yet in bookstores or available online, yet the movie rights were already bought. This blew my mind! I instantly started following Adeyemi and waiting for the book to be available. Indeed, Children of Blood and Bone is a film in the making by Fox 2000 and Temple Hill Productions. Adeyemi has a seven-figure movie deal to transform her books into films.

I ordered a hardback copy once it dropped in March and now I have had the time to settle in and read it. I won’t give away too many spoilers, because you should all go out and read it. The story follows a seventeen-year-old girl named Zélie Adebola, who has magic in her blood in a place called Orïsha. Magic has been totally outlawed and snuffed out in Orïsha. Zélie’s white hair and “obsidian” skin mark her as a maji, she unabashedly embraces both though it is frowned upon in her society.

Photo: Author Tomi Adeyemi & My Pre-Ordered Book

The worldbuilding in the novel is vivid and grips the reader. The issues of class and intolerance are explored in a well-crafted story that switches perspectives between the main characters. Yet, Zélie is the main character that you can truly root for because she’s courageous and proud of her heritage.  She won’t stop until magic is returned to the land.

It’s A Must Read

What I enjoy about the novel is how it melds aspects of West African mythology (it’s right in the name of the land, Orïsha!) to the sword and shield-wielding genre. Adeyemi is a Harvard University graduate and she did post-graduate work on West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil. What she researched and experienced comes through on every page where magic is described in the story. There are African gods and goddesses, the Yoruba language, and decorative garb such as dashiki effortlessly weaved throughout. I really liked the scene where Adeyemi writes the creation myth of the gods and goddesses and how the maji got their powers.

It is so easy to imagine male-centric hero quests and European-dominated imagery when thinking of the fantasy genre. Yet, Children of Blood and Bone has all the key elements that fantasy readers will love, a kingdom in which the ruthless monarch needs to be put in his place, a quest to dial back injustice and oppression, and interesting nuanced characters that don’t back down from a fight. If the cover art and title don’t draw you in instantly, don’t worry the story definitely will. I encourage readers hungry for a fresh new voice and vision in fantasy to buy the book and be transported into the world of Orïsha.

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Best,

Kai 😀