A review by trafalgar_law
Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
I have never DNFed a book before, but I DNFed on page 87.
Forged by Blood starts off fantastically, with Dèmi and her mother healing a young boy, and we get to see the discrimination that the two face, as Oyo, and also as magic users. The mother heads out, leaving the two children, Dèmi and Jonas, alone. Dèmi explains how magic works, and does some great worldbuilding for us. It would be a 1 star, but the worldbuilding and magic system shoots it to a 2.
After that is where all my problems start.
We have a strong, super interesting main character. She is tenacious, intelligent, and headstrong. She’s also thoughtful, caring, and willing to help others.
I hate that throughout some of the issues in the first two chapters, she needs to be saved by this blonde haired, blue eyed boy. I hate the immediate “these two will be together” vibes the story gives off. These kids are 7 years old. I hated how Jonas pulled her into an embrace and stroked her hair, it gave me such an icky feeling. Read the room, Jonas!! If you hadn’t gotten sick by going into the forest, her mother wouldn’t have died and her life wouldn’t be destroyed!
9 years later, Dèmi is 17 and living with her mother’s friends in another city. Dèmi is rude, abrasive, and unlikeable. Her entire personality is split between “I’m edgy, my mom’s dead, everyone should hate me because of something my dad did,” and it’s REALLY hard to read.
Instead of being a powerful heroine, every scene she’s in and is saying or doing something edgy, cool, or heroic… it feels incredibly forced, like that’s what the author wants her to be instead of what she is.
I couldn’t finish. I was going to attempt to, but I saw other reviews from people who also DNFed and I don’t want to torture myself just to get through the book.
Forged by Blood starts off fantastically, with Dèmi and her mother healing a young boy, and we get to see the discrimination that the two face, as Oyo, and also as magic users. The mother heads out, leaving the two children, Dèmi and Jonas, alone. Dèmi explains how magic works, and does some great worldbuilding for us. It would be a 1 star, but the worldbuilding and magic system shoots it to a 2.
After that is where all my problems start.
We have a strong, super interesting main character. She is tenacious, intelligent, and headstrong. She’s also thoughtful, caring, and willing to help others.
9 years later, Dèmi is 17 and living with her mother’s friends in another city. Dèmi is rude, abrasive, and unlikeable. Her entire personality is split between “I’m edgy, my mom’s dead, everyone should hate me because of something my dad did,” and it’s REALLY hard to read.
Instead of being a powerful heroine, every scene she’s in and is saying or doing something edgy, cool, or heroic… it feels incredibly forced, like that’s what the author wants her to be instead of what she is.
I couldn’t finish. I was going to attempt to, but I saw other reviews from people who also DNFed and I don’t want to torture myself just to get through the book.