Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences.
Today we are featuring Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi!
The book has been described as Black Panther plus magic or an African Last Airbender. It’s received enormous press due to its reported seven-figure advance and movie deal and has received multiple starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and others. But is it really that good?
After months of waiting, I finally got the chance to find out.
Young Zelie witnessed her mother’s murder when magic was purged from Orisha on the orders of their evil king. When she by chance comes in contact with a magic scroll stolen by the king’s daughter, it awakens her power to command the dead. Zelie soon discovers that she can use the scroll and other artifacts to bring magic back to Orisha. Zelie and her brother join the rogue princess in their quest to restore magic and activate a new generation of magi, but they are being tracked by the king’s ruthless son who believes that magic will destroy their world.
This intriguing plot plus the colossal stakes are enough to make Children of Blood and Bone a worthy read, but what really makes the story shine is the brilliant world building, complex magic system, masterful character arcs, and the complex political themes woven into the story that inspire wonderful discussion. And somehow, somehow, on top of all that goodness, Adeyemi found a way to mix in an evocative slow-burning, star-crossed romance.
Sounds unbelieve that she could pull so much off in one book, but she did. It’s a bit of a master class in everything a writer should know, definitely a book to be studied as well as enjoyed. I can’t wait to read book 2 in the Children of Orisha trilogy.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a paper copy, an e-book, and an audiobook (thank you, Libro.fm). This was great because I had the paper copy near my bedside, the e-book at my desk in the kitchen, and the audiobook on my phone for those in between moments when you can squeeze in a chapter while you chop mushrooms, fold laundry, or take the dog for a walk. Of all the formats, the audiobook was my favorite. The narrator, Bahni Turpin’s voice (same narrator as The Hate U Give) was perfect and added a texture to the story that made it come alive. Because of the unique names and spellings, I highly recommend starting out on paper/e-book before you switch to audio to get grounded in the characters and locations. Whatever format you chose, it’s an unbelievable, memorable read.
The Children of Blood and Bone was recently selected as the winner of Jimmy Fallon’s first book club contest!
Twenty-four-year-old Tomi Adeyemi isa Nigerian-American writer and a former #PitchWars participant and mentor. Tomi’s also an inspiring writing coach who loves to give back to her writing community. Check out her website to sign up for her writing classes and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Posted by Michelle Leonard.
Thanks for the recommendation! Audible keeps recommending it to me, so I’m glad to hear you affirm that it is good. I’ll definitely read this now.