Isn't it so satisfying to find a book that looks fabulous, seems interesting, and actually IS insanely good?

It's one of the best feelings in the world.

I will admit that I went into CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE with high expectations. How could I not have? It's been hyped quite strongly, the synopsis sounds like a challenge, and high fantasy is my favorite genre and the one I judge the harshest. There are a lot of good fantasies out there, so CoBaB (I just looove how that acronyms) had expectations to live up to, and a reader to satisfy.

I must say, I enjoyed this immensely.

One of the aspects that stand out is the super-detailed world-building. I'm not sure if the final edition will have a map, but the settings were described so fluently, so effortlessly (and without any info-dumps, may I add. *cough*TomiAdeyemiIsAMasterWriter*cough*) that a map was simply not necessary. I could truly see all the places that the characters were going, and it's extremely rare that I find this feasible without a printed map to guide me. In short? I'm impressed. Much-ly.

Zelie, Amari, and Tzain made a delightful trio. I love fabulous squad dynamics, okay? I love 'em. Zelie is the 'main' main character, the one who starts us off, and I liked her POV, I did. Amari is the 'rogue princess', a softie who can wield a sword, defy her father, and still be soft-spoken and kind. Amari was my absolute favorite in this, honestly. And the last narrator is Inan, Amari's brother, who embodies the whole 'nature-vs-nurture' conflict, and all that entails. He and Zelie had a Nina/Matthias-style relationship, and that's all I'll say about that.


The pacing was marvelous, marvelous, marvelous. Tightly-packed, fast-paced, one action sequence after another after another. I love this. Yes, characters had ample time to be developed, and scenes were lushly described, and yet this never happened at the expense of the pacing. This is undoubetly the trickiest part of any book, and the fact that it was handled this professionally, and in a debut (!!) at that, is fascinating. We start off with adrenaline pumping and end the same way, making a 500-ish page beast of a book go much faster.

So why the missing star? This may be a case of me being overly nit-picky (I warned you about me and high fantasy!), but because three characters all narrated in 1st person, I found the three voices a bit too similar to each other. There were times were I really need to flip back to the opening chapter page and double-check the name at the top. Again: I may be nit-picky, and this may never be an issue for you, but I pay really close attention to characters, and I couldn't help but notice.

But all in all? Guys, this was a monster of a book. I devoured this and am still wanting more (that cliffhanger! *shakes fist*). I love this, I do, and you bet I'll be buying myself a finished copy when this releases in March.

Thank you, Henry Holt, for the ARC!

This sampler couldn't have been more amazing. I can't wait to read the whole book in March.

This. Book. Has. It. ALL!
I want to gush forever, but I simply think you need to experience it for yourself.
Suffice it to say, you will be yearning for the sequel!

PHEW, okay, that was a journey. A really long journey. I was very excited to get the full ARC after reading the six-chapter sampler which I adored, but I think, ultimately, this series isn't for me. It reminds me of other popular YA series that I tried and couldn't get through - Young Elites, An Ember in the Ashes - in that it feels like a blockbuster hero journey with characters and themes laid out for the reader. If you're into that, you'll probably like this. There's definitely a place for it in YA lit.

It's fine. Tropey but executed fine. The characters are competent and consistent 90% of the time. I love how Zelie's fierceness is written. I love the direction of Amari's arc. I love the worldbuilding surrounding the gods. But I was waiting for more nuance. There's a lot of great stuff and strong, memorable moments - but much of the story is an action-packed journey, and there's no space for the story to breathe and reflect. There's no chance for the reader to figure things out. Emotions and themes are spelled out, and they whip back and forth suddenly; and I get it - there's so much conflict going on in every single of one of the characters - but the writing doesn't always convince me, especially in the most important moments. The pacing stunts moments of emotional growth, and some of the tropes never rises above being tropes.

I'm iffy about the oppression of the diviners/maji somewhat being due to the fact that they hold destructive powers that other people fear. There's baseless oppression - the idea that diviners are not even human, never seen or discussed like humans, exploiting them for economic gain, the excuses used to mistreat them that don't make sense but don't have to - that part is done well. Racism doesn't have sensible reason, and it's rooted in capitalism. But there's also conflict over whether the way maji are treated is "necessary" for the safety of others, which contradicts that. If the story wants to present that kind of conflict, that's fine, but I don't think it was handled with enough depth. Later books might explore this more, so I'll give some benefit of the doubt on that.

My criticisms might just be because it's a really long journey happening in present tense. I think I'd be more forgiving if it was shorter, but it's a long story with plenty of pages given to action - it should have taken some pages to breathe; whirlwinds of sideplots are left in the dust. It's certainly a Type of YA fantasy series as well, a type I've never historically liked, but may be more palatable to someone new to the genre; I liked it better than any of the ones I've tried before, and I'm glad it's tackling important topics head on.

I. Love. This. Book! I was so excited to receive an ARC for this book! This was definitely one of those stories where I was pleasantly surprised by how long the book was, but found myself dragging out my reading because I did not want it to end!

Children of Blood and Bone is a beautiful, engaging West African fantasy about magic and power in the kingdom of Orisha. In Zelie Adebola's world, magic has disappeared and all maji (magic-users) have been killed, save for the very young who had not awakened their magic yet at the time of this genocide. Zelie has grown up with the knowledge that though she is maji, she will never know her magic as her mother before her did.

"One day magic breathed. the next, it died." Only the gods know why."

Not only are maji no longer able to use magic, they are the most ostracized group of people in all Orisha. Looked down upon by the powerful and ruthless King of Orisha, maji are subjugated into fixed roles within Orisha society. They are the poor, the homeless, and the enslaved. And then one day something happens that could change the fates of all maji and Zelie must make the choice to step into a powerful role for her people. This event initiates a journey for Zelie and her magic, she must set out to discover how to bring magic back and defeat the king. Along the way she wrestles with her own magic and self-discovery, questioning herself and the gods, but ultimately growing into her role and empowering all around her.

"Gods are nothing without fools to believe in them."

I cannot gush enough about this book! It met and surpassed all of my expectations. The journey that Zelie and each main character go through is handled beautifully and realistically. I love that Adeyemi presents her characters with flaws and weaknesses and they are all still lovable, despite those flaws and weaknesses. I loved seeing how each character grew into their own as the story progressed. Not only within the realm of the magical, but also emotionally and socially. Often I feel like many young adult novels rush through a character's growth to make room for the rest of the story, and I did not feel that way with this novel at all. Children of Blood and Bone felt fleshed out in every way for me. It is a heartbreaking, beautiful, shocking story full of vengeance and hope, belief and disbelief, love and hate. It encompasses all of this while also introducing the reader to a fantastical new world and the use of magic in this world. Here's hoping there's a sequel!

"We are all children of blood and bone. All instruments of vengeance and virtue."

We NEED more books like this! Books with beautiful, diverse, flawed but growing women, women who are empowering themselves and standing up through their fear. We need more books that embrace other mythologies and cultures in the fantasy world, especially for youth.

Alright, I'll stop myself there before I continue gushing. Read this book as soon as possible!

I am so excited for this book! I flew threw this teaser like it was nobodies business and I'm so ready to delve into the rest of the novel. The world building, characters, and plot were all very engaging, completely original, and such a great aspect to explore. I honestly cannot put into words how excited I am to read this book in its entirety.

My ARC was only the first few chapters, but I cannot wait to read the rest. Tomi's prose is lyrical, powerful, and unflinching. I loved it!

4.75 really

This was just a preview, but it was a great one. The author definitely knew how use every chapter to add a lot to the story.

The chapters were not short, but they were still fast-paced and intense, so it was never boring. I also feel that in just a few pages we managed to get a good sense of who each character was, and the worldbuilding was very interesting, lots of words to get used to, but I think the information was well delivered to us.

There were heavy prejudice issues regarding magic, but also very reality based racial issues, and they have a front seat in this story's development.

My only con is that I think we should've met Binta right away before things happened, so we would feel more of a connection with Amari's feelings. Also, violence towards kids is a delicate matter and it's a thing here, so I'd have to see how it's handle throughout the rest of the book. I'm sure it's intentional that we feel very unconfortable about it, but I hope it never gets gratuitous. It has to serve the purpose of telling the story.

Overall this was really well written, and I can't wait to actually read the entire book. It surely will be big when it gets released.

CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE is one of the best, most complex YA fantasies I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Rich with details and realistic characters, it's easy to speed through all 500+ pages of this book because it is just so addictive. Set in an African-inspired fantasy world, COBAB follows three perspectives: Zélie, Inan, and Amari, each character unique and multifaceted, as they race against the government and each other to try and save magic in a world where magic has disappeared.

It's an #ownvoices story, and it shows: COBAB shines with the magic of Tomi Adeyemi's culture and talent.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy, or for infrequent readers of fantasy looking for a story they might love. This is a must-read of 2018.

Please consider me and @womenwriters for a full ARC. We would love to promote this book. It is fabulous and exactly what we're looking for. Thank you.

I can't wait to read the entire book! I thought that Adeyemi did a fantastic job of hooking me, the reader, in with just the first six chapters, and the three different POVs I was able to read from all interested me. I can see this becoming the most talked about fantasy novel of 2018, and I am so excited for it!

beautifully written, with characters you become deeply involved with. The fantasy elements are original and well constructed and it left me wanting much, much more.

I so enjoyed peeking into this rich, luscious world. Can't wait to read more!

This was a stunning sampler. I loved the charactees and the world the inhabitant an interesting look at magic and magic users.

The concept sounds interesting and I think that this is a really strong beginning of the book. I've heard that it's already been optioned for film which makes me even more excited to read the rest of the story when it comes out in March (unless I get an ARC).

The sense of diversity hits the reader right off the bat. It is refreshing, creative, and makes me want to read more!

This preview excerpt was just the beginning of what's more to come. Can't wait till I get my hands on a finished copy!

A wonderful sampler, my excitement has been doubled! Based on the synopsis and this sampler I'd say we have a great book to look forward to next year! 5 Stars

Definitely gonna check out this book when it comes out. The premise is unique, and reflects some of the social issues in the current world. The fantasy part kind of reminds me of Red Queen, but the writing in this one is far superior. I don't really read YA fantasies all the much thanks to the likes of Red Queen(which started promising, then falls pretty fast). But this one seems like it deserves to be read.

I can't wait to read this novel. The preview was wonderful.