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corsetedfeminist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love Zelie and Amari. They’re both so brave and sassy, while remaining very distinctive characters, with their own flaws and traits.
The magic system is deceptively simple in the beginning of the book, slowly gaining complexity and depth as the worldbuilding progresses in the story.
All of the characters, even those we only see briefly, are vivid and endearing, such that even the death of someone we only met in the same chapter is heartrending.
By now you all know that my great weakness is truly morally grey characters and generally complex characters, and this book has them in spades. Inan both tugged at my heartstrings and made me angry, and his decisions made sense even when he made the wrong ones.
I also appreciated that there is no detectable Western influence, including in the morality and the plot. It is West African through and through, without getting distracted by any white people.
I will be happily be continuing the series, probably within the week.
Moderate: Child death, Racism, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War
pheyreads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Torture
sauvageloup's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
tooshay's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death and Death of parent
zluvsreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Cursing
theycallmebookish's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Child death, Racism, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
jasminedaria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
marysunburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Juvenile, I know, but nothing could be more apt.
Children of Blood and Bone – from this point onward COBAB – is a chilling, action-packed, emotional and necessary fantasy saga that embodies like nothing I've ever seen before the sheer pain, rage and discomfort that comes from imperialism and oppression. From the moment we see our main character Zélie first wield her staff in combat we ache with her same desire to slam it onto the guts of whichever pawn of the king first comes her way, and we cheer for her whenever said desire is fulfilled.
Despite it being labeled young adult, COBAB is gritty and pulls no punches. Death is always present, a constant threat and a lived reality, that doesn't even spare the young and innocent. Or, to put it more bluntly, don't get too attached.
This constant stream of young blood is put in perspective once we read the conclusion of the book and we see how author Tomi Ayedemi was inspired by real-life events of police brutality and anti-black racism, many of which, such as the death of Tamir Rice, had very young victims. And despite the main villains being as black as the people he oppresses (there's no white people in this book except as background dressing in some of said villain's dialogue and analogies, which is very "main villain" of him), the parallels to these real-life acts of cruelty and vile prejudice ring just as true through the earnest, heartfelt portrayal of their demise, each one being remembered and commemorated by Zélie even after many chapters of vicissitudes and daring-do, and the genuine call to action and resistance that permeates each one of the pages.
Zélie is one of the best literary protagonists I've had the pleasure to come across. A passionate, vibrant young woman whose anger and indignation, thoroughly woven with a strong sense of morality and desire to do what's right, even if it's strategically inconvenient or seems impossible at first glance, drives the plot and her party through every obstacle like a righteous burst of energy.
She's surrounded by a well-developed and engaging cast, from rebellious princess Amari, who has the best character evolution in the books, to reluctant crown prince Inan, to Zelle's protective and level-headed brother Tzain, to even minor characters like Mama Agba and Admiral Kaea. Yet, in her defiant persistence and spirit, Zélie seems to dwarf them all, and when she lights up, so do we.
If there's anything in Children of Blood and Bone that doesn't spark joy, aside from the involved indignation at the villains' depravity and the many deaths, is the fact that even after six years since its release it's still not getting its due. A movie directed by Gina Prince-Blythewood has been announced, but nothing seems to be made of it and I'd not be surprised if the ever-delayed, ever-nebulous The Old Guard sequel comes first. If it does. But by all means, keep saying black and diverse books don't sell because people don't want them, while you peddle abusive Booktok alphahole tripe that recycles the status quo.
In the end, COBAB's world is as real as many things around us – and even more so than meritocracy.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
The main character gets tortured in a POV shot. The story involves imperialistic conquest and suppression of one's true self, embodied by magic. It tackled a genocide of a fictitious culture of magical individuals, with two POV character's parent characters dying on screen. Many child characters die.good_names_dont_exist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
“I know you’re scared, girls, but I also know that you can do this. Of all the days to trade in Lagos, you went today. Of all the people you could’ve approached in that market, you chose her. The gods are at work. They are blessing us with our gifts after all this time. You have to trust that they wouldn’t gamble with the fate of the maji. Trust in yourselves.”
“In this man—this one wretched man—is an entire kingdom. An entire nation of hate and oppression, staring me in the face. It may have been the guards who broke down the doors in Ibadan that day, but they were simply his tools. Here lies the heart.”
- AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir’s (first book in the An Ember in the Ashes tetralogy)
- FAEBOUND by Saara El-Arifi (first book in the Faebound trilogy)
- SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo (first book in the Shadow & Bone trilogy)
- BLACK SUN by Rebecca Roanhorse (first book in the Between Earth & Sky trilogy)
- THE GILDED ONES by Namina Forna (first book in the Deathless trilogy)—TBR
- RAYBEARER by Jordan Ifueko (first book in the Raybearer duology)—TBR
- AKATA WITCH by Nnedi Okorafor (first book in the Nsibidi Scripts trilogy)—TBR
Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War