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zpitts's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Injury/Injury detail
lshorner's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I really, really, REALLY loved this book. The only thing I didn’t like is the ending. The adventure is intriguing and keeps you turning the page. DEFINITELY recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, lots of action, mystical quests, Harry Potter like quality, and magic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War
Minor: Vomit
the_wistful_word_witch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh, my heart and soul! I KNEW this book would wreck me and it absolutely did, in the best way. That's part of why it took me so long to finish it. I couldn't bring myself to face the inevitable ending. This book had me crying so hard, especially at the end, but also awwww-ing and smiling at the bright moments in between the dark.
The vividness of the world Adeyemi builds is breathtaking and her characters suck you in, carrying you along with them on their whirlwind adventure. You can't help but root for Zélie, Tzain, and Amari, and the other maji they meet along the way, as they face near-impossible odds to take down their royal oppressors and bring magic back to their oppressed peoples.
I am both eager and hesitant to start the second book because even though I think I know how it will end, it's the getting there that I know will break my heart again - just like the Children of Blood and Bone. Exactly what a great book should do! 😉
The vividness of the world Adeyemi builds is breathtaking and her characters suck you in, carrying you along with them on their whirlwind adventure. You can't help but root for Zélie, Tzain, and Amari, and the other maji they meet along the way, as they face near-impossible odds to take down their royal oppressors and bring magic back to their oppressed peoples.
I am both eager and hesitant to start the second book because even though I think I know how it will end, it's the getting there that I know will break my heart again - just like the Children of Blood and Bone. Exactly what a great book should do! 😉
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Child death and Injury/Injury detail
silverwings's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the incredible start to Zélie’s story as she is pulled into an arduous journey seemingly bound by fate. Despite what sounds like the typical start of a hero’s journey, this was so much more - each of the POV characters, even some of the side characters, have a poignant role to play in the narrative.
I found the characters to be immediately compelling, more so after the first quarter. The theme of seeking justice in the face of immense violence and oppression is woven throughout - as an older reader, it is clear it is meant to be an allegory to modern violence and brutality by authoritarian groups. I felt strongly about this story and its characters: I was inspired by Zélie and her internal conflicts; Amari and her growth as more than a shy, compassionate-yet-powerless princess; Tzain as the brother enduring for his sister; and evenInan, who sacrifices everything despite awful truths about himself and blindly hopes to achieve peace for Orïsha and his father’s approval.
In short, this was a fantastic, heart-wrenching, and beautiful story.
Its small flaws (some rapid pacing and some minor character arcs left unexplored) can be overlooked since it is just the first part of the tale. I will definitely recommend it and reread it in the future, so 5 stars from me. The audiobook has a great narrator, Bahni Turpin, and she kept me in the minds of each character with her range and emotional narration. I was hooked by the first few chapters and listened to it everyday!
I found the characters to be immediately compelling, more so after the first quarter. The theme of seeking justice in the face of immense violence and oppression is woven throughout - as an older reader, it is clear it is meant to be an allegory to modern violence and brutality by authoritarian groups. I felt strongly about this story and its characters: I was inspired by Zélie and her internal conflicts; Amari and her growth as more than a shy, compassionate-yet-powerless princess; Tzain as the brother enduring for his sister; and even
In short, this was a fantastic, heart-wrenching, and beautiful story.
Its small flaws (some rapid pacing and some minor character arcs left unexplored) can be overlooked since it is just the first part of the tale. I will definitely recommend it and reread it in the future, so 5 stars from me. The audiobook has a great narrator, Bahni Turpin, and she kept me in the minds of each character with her range and emotional narration. I was hooked by the first few chapters and listened to it everyday!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Slavery, Vomit, Sexual harassment, and War
mcfeinics's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and Colonisation
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Why did I take soo long to read this!? It’s definitely gonna be one of my fave reads this year — and one I won’t be forgetting for a very long time!
Drawing on her Nigerian heritage and her beautifully skillful prose, it’s easy to see why Tomi Adeyemi’s sweeping YA fantasy debut has become such a beloved book to millions worldwide.
The rich magic system, vividly detailed lore and pacy, high stakes action will have any fantasy adventure aficionado on the edge of their seats. But Adeyemi’s ability to weave such dark (yet incredibly relevant) themes into such an empowering story — imbuing her cast of characters with such depth and poignancy that had me crying (and during the lighter moments laughing) alongside them.
Zelie (one of our MCs and the first POV of character we meet) was probably my favourite of all three of our POV characters. Headstrong, short tempered but utterly invested in protecting her family from the kingdom’s oppressive regime.
Delving deep into her fears, insecurites and childhood trauma we get to explore Zelie’s connections with the Orisha, her magic and her bond to her maji powers —which really brought her to life for me and helped me to understand her motivations and thought processes.
Runaway Princess, Amari and Zelie’s steadfast older brother, Tzain were both really fascinating characters too and I look forward to following the journeys in the rest of the series, I just wish we got the explore Tzain’s POV.
With the themes of oppression, inequality and genocide at the forefront of the story, it’s definitely not hard to see comparisons to current world events— highlighting the work that still needs to be done to create a safer, more equal society for everyone.
It’s rare that a book will leave me utterly speechless (and unable to think about anything else) but this one certainly managed to , and that ending?! I won’t spoil it, but if you love your plot twists frequent and shockingly unpredictable then you’re gonna be incredibly satisfied.
Overall, a phenomenally adventurous, epic fantasy that really lived up to the hype, I’m soo excited to read the rest of the series! Though do check TWs beforehand.
Also, a huge thank you to Pan Macmillan/ Macmillan Children’s Books for the finished copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
whatkireads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh my god this book was SO INTENSE!!
The audiobook for this is phenomenal, I'm convinced there is no other way to read this, the narrator really transported you into the story and the entire story itself?? Was so haunting and intriguing and devastating.
So much happens and it's such a good commentary on oppression and inequality.
The audiobook for this is phenomenal, I'm convinced there is no other way to read this, the narrator really transported you into the story and the entire story itself?? Was so haunting and intriguing and devastating.
So much happens and it's such a good commentary on oppression and inequality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death
aclevela724's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Racism, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
sauvageloup's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An engaging fantasy read with good writing and pacing.
pros:
- what set it apart the most I think was the Nigerian cultural influences, and how Yoruba and the gods made the magic and the worldbuilding different and interesting. There was hints of a larger world which was interesting, but it made a great change to be set in fantasy Africa.
- the writing was solid, imaginative and emotional and the dialogue was good. I didnt enormously connect to the characters, but I did like them and appreciated their complexities and back stories.
- I did like the romance between Tzain and Amari, that felt more natural, and I liked Amari's character and how she develops.
- I also liked that magic was shown through hair (as well as the usual eyes), which I think emphasised the importance of hair in Black peoples culture and how they have been the subject of racism and oppression because of it.
- Adeyemi draws attention to the parallels between the oppressive tyrant in the book and the police brutality in real life and I did feel that resonance in the book.
cons:
- throughout, I felt it very strongly had the YA revolution, fantasy, romance tropes going on. maybe it was fresher at the time, but the romance felt shoved in there for extra drama (esp between Zelie and Inan, Amari and Tzain's felt more natural), and I did roll my eyes a little at some of the plot points (getting a "quest" for a magic stone and scroll, the bad guy flicking back and forth in alliances, Zelie randomly losing her magic for maximum effect, magic being lost to the realm, having to do a ritual on one special day, dead parents fuelling all motivation, etc.). other things were tropes, like everyone being badass with a weapon and them riding giant beasts, but those were more fun.
- also, character motivations felt weird. why did Inan fluctuate so much in his loyalties? I couldnt rly understand that. Zelie too made some odd decisions which seemed to just serve the plot.
- the last line also confused me, not sure if it was meant to or not? clearly magic wasnt lost but why was it so shocking that Amari had magic.
overall, a bit mixed, maybe just because it was written nearly 10 years ago now so didnt feel as fresh. still want to read the 2nd one.
pros:
- what set it apart the most I think was the Nigerian cultural influences, and how Yoruba and the gods made the magic and the worldbuilding different and interesting. There was hints of a larger world which was interesting, but it made a great change to be set in fantasy Africa.
- the writing was solid, imaginative and emotional and the dialogue was good. I didnt enormously connect to the characters, but I did like them and appreciated their complexities and back stories.
- I did like the romance between Tzain and Amari, that felt more natural, and I liked Amari's character and how she develops.
- I also liked that magic was shown through hair (as well as the usual eyes), which I think emphasised the importance of hair in Black peoples culture and how they have been the subject of racism and oppression because of it.
- Adeyemi draws attention to the parallels between the oppressive tyrant in the book and the police brutality in real life and I did feel that resonance in the book.
cons:
- throughout, I felt it very strongly had the YA revolution, fantasy, romance tropes going on. maybe it was fresher at the time, but
- also, character motivations felt weird. why did Inan fluctuate so much in his loyalties? I couldnt rly understand that. Zelie too made some odd decisions which seemed to just serve the plot.
- the last line also confused me, not sure if it was meant to or not? clearly magic wasnt lost but why was it so shocking that Amari had magic.
overall, a bit mixed, maybe just because it was written nearly 10 years ago now so didnt feel as fresh. still want to read the 2nd one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
blckandread's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Murder