Reviews with content warning for Genocide - Children of Blood and Bone

I do love a good magic system themed story and Children of Blood and Bone did not disappoint. A story about journey, self-discovery and a potentially world changing quest to bring back magic. I enjoyed all the character interactions and the growth that they all go through while trying to find themselves and their places in the world and with each other.

The in depth description and detailing of the magic system and how this is inspired by West African mythology has made me want to go and read more material relating to it as well! I feel it is difficult to describe a magic system with just the right amount of detail but Adeyemi nails this beautifully.

However, I feel there were a couple of typical standard sort of romance tropes that honestly, this book just did not need. While watching romance blossom is nice, I don't feel it added any extra level of depth to the storytelling and the story would still have been just as beautiful without. As I didn't dislike the romance, this story still gets 5 stars in my book and I am looking forward to reading the sequel when I have fully processed the book I just finished reading.

Content Warnings

peaches7's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

Stunning. This book is about taking back your power and embracing your magic. It’s well-written, interesting, and powerful. The chapters are short, the characters are interesting, and the plot is exciting.

Content Warnings

felinedevil's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Make sure to read/listen to the authors note at the end of the novel. There’s an important message written by the author.

Content Warnings

charlotteschapter's review

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adventurous dark slow-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

3.5

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micaelamariem's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

I’ll post a full review on my blog in the morning but omg this was a wonderful book! Based on Orisha mythology from West Africa, and inspired by the urge to fight back against police brutality of unarmed Black citizens, Tomi Adeyemi examines a fantasy world where magic users are stripped of their power and beaten down until a few characters decide they want a change, and how they can fight back against how they were taught their whole lives. Loved the character development, the world building, the important themes, and the shocking betrayals. Ends on a cliffhanger and I need the next book now!

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