Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha Book 1)

Think Tolkien meets Black Panther during the book of Exodus; a work of import and of deep meaning and of spectacular world building.

It feels like Tolkien because of the expansive world-building and attention to linguistic detail; Zélie (the main character) lives in a world that is fantastical and exciting and every nook & cranny feels like it hides some secret history, while still feeling grounded in the world we live in.

It feels like Black Panther because it is an afro-fantasy novel; the genre is very fresh to me, I've never read anything so unapologetically different from my experience as this book, and it's my loss. Orïsha and her residents feel like they would be totally at home in Wakanda, but it's even more fleshed out. (And King Saran feels nothing like T'Challa).

It feels like the Exodus because of the downtrodden people group with divine favor (the divîners/maji) seeking escape from an oppressive King who fears them even though they're slaves under his boot. The story is robust and full of pain but also joy, and I can't say much more without giving stuff away.

Such a fresh take on the fantasy genre, at least to my eyes. Though it gets trope-y and predictable in some places, and a bit head-scratchy and non sequitur in others, the world of Orïsha is so cinematically rendered through Adeyemi's words, her characters so likable, their pain so palpable, it's impossible to stop reading. And the perspective of a black woman in fantasy is new enough to me that I found myself immersed in a completely different and unexpected world.

There's a planned trilogy, of which "Children of Blood and Bone" is the first; #2 just came out in December. Tomi Adeyemi is pretty young and maybe a little unpolished but writes some beautifully lush and detailed worlds, and realistically broken characters.

I'll definitely follow this series. I bet there'll be a movie.

i think this is the first book ever to give me a book hangover. i want to keep reading and find out more about this world, but i'm sort of glad it ended this way. that way i can be able to read more. the ending left me a little confused, but i think i got it? either way, i can't wait for the next book. now, onto the points!

i love the characters. i love that we are able to see the weaknesses that the characters possess. too many of the young adult books show the main characters as these strong individuals with no fear or weakness. with this book, we saw all the characters' weaknesses and their fears. it almost made them seem human. they don't know what to do either and it made me happy to see characters that are so vulnerable and so helpless at times. i was rooting for zelie throughout the entire book.

which brings me up to my next point. spoilers, but when inan had zelie destroy the scroll, i almost held my breath and thought that our heroes had lost, which doesn't happen in most books, but it does happen. when zelie found a way to restore magic, i felt my hands tremble. seeing zelie reunite with her mom made my cry a little, i won't lie. this book was a wild ride from start to finish and i can't wait to read the sequel. which is when?