Life got in the way and I could not finish the book. Thanks to the publishers for the chance to read the book.

Pacing was a huge issue in this book. I felt as though the good scenes were rushed and then nothing happened afterwards for pages and pages on end. This book was originally for a YA audience and I feel like that is how it should have stayed. Aging up the characters and not changing a single other thing about the story does not make it an adult novel.

I started this one a while ago, and it just couldn’t catch my attention. In just the little bit of the book that I read, I can tell that the characters aren’t going to be for me. I may come back to it another time, but I have to put it on pause for now. If I ever pick it up again I will update my review!

The beginning grabbed my attention however as it went on I did get bored, however love the diversity and the world building was stunning.

So this was one of my backlog arcs, and I ended up doing the audio version for most of the book. The world building is exquisite, the cast of diverse characters and the themes of racism, forbidden love and a few others were incredibly well written. I found myself swept away into this world and completely captivated. Absolutely will be reading the finale to this magical duology!!

Forged by Blood offers an epic adventure set in a richly imagined Kingdom of Benin, where magic and the supernatural come alive in vibrant, sometimes terrifying ways. The story follows Dèmi, a young magic-user (Oluso), on a quest for vengeance against the oppressive non-magical Aje who have enslaved and persecuted her people. After her mother's murder, Dèmi teams up with the hidden Oluso Lord Ekwensi and her childhood friend Colin to kidnap the tyrant king's nephew, Prince Jonas, in a bid to save her people.

Okosun's world-building is a standout, drawing heavily from Nigerian folklore to create a deeply immersive setting. The novel's magic system and mythos are compelling, and the narrative is packed with action, political intrigue, and moments of genuine tension. However, the story is not without its flaws. The love triangle between Dèmi, Colin, and Jonas feels forced and underdeveloped, detracting from the otherwise engaging plot. Additionally, the characters, particularly Dèmi, can be inconsistent, and the dialogue often disrupts the pacing during high-stakes moments.

Despite these issues, Forged by Blood remains a promising debut. Okosun's writing shows great potential, and her ability to weave Nigerian mythology into a fantasy narrative is impressive. While the novel struggles with some typical debut pitfalls, it delivers an engaging and imaginative story that will leave readers eager for the sequel.

The cover is stunning with its vibrant colors and illustrations. The writing is immersive, though the world-building could be deeper. The story is action-packed and explores complex themes but relies on predictable YA tropes. Demi is relatable but can be frustratingly impulsive. Secondary characters are well-defined, while the romance feels clichéd and forced.

The imagery was well done but the story couldn't keep me turning pages as quickly as other books. Thanks to the publisher and author for the chance to read it.

This is a book that I was excited to read and it certainly grabbed my attention early on and kept it. However, I began to see that it was quickly falling into the "colonized falls in love with the colonizer" trope and that is a hard one for me to read and suspend enough reality for in order to enjoy. Other than that, this was well-written!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for an honest review! Forged in Blood is an immersive tale, that explores West African mysticism with beautiful prose and gorgeous imagery. From the beginning of the story, I was interested in Demi's fate and wanted her to succeed. Okosun did a wonderful job of drawing readers and keeping their attention throughout the book. Even though the pacing slowed in the middle, I still believe this book is a solid debut. I cannot wait to read more of Okosun's work, I will be recommending this book to my patrons for sure!

I loved the beginning of this one. It definitely sucked me in! However, somewhere towards the middle I began to lose interest in the book. The cover is beautiful and while I liked it - I just didn't love it as much as I would have liked.

Gosh dang I wanted to love this book and in moments I did.

I think it could have been me and just not the right time. I ended up confused for most of the book. It could have been me not paying close enough attention during the audiobook and just not following as closely as the book deserved.

The setting was really well done and I absolutely loved the culture aspect of this. It was explained in such a good way. As for the plot it wasn’t really anything new but it was enjoyable overall. A middling new adult fantasy really that’s just okay. The writing was pretty good for a debut author and I found the characters really well done with depth and personality.

This book seems to sacrifice character development for world building and it suffers for it. I will not be continuing the series as I feel no connection to the characters.

**Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the eARC**

I was really hopeful for this one, and it has such a stunning cover. The pacing was not great and I think this may not be marketed to the right audience, but it was a solid read.

I cannot believe I was approved for an arc of Forged by Blood; A Novel by Ehigbor Okosun! This was so freaking epic and incredibly glorious. I was truly thankful to have gotten to read this before most people! I would like to purchase this one for my physical library!

3 Stars

Thank you Netgalley and publisher, for this ARC.

I liked the story at the beginning, but towards the middle, I was getting bored and losing my place. I liked the magic concept and the world building, but not so much the main character, Demi. I felt like her character was under developed and there was not really any character growth toward the end that you usually see.

I am undecided at this point if i will pick up the second book.

More like a 2.5/5 for me, but rounded up, because I think mis-marketing was one of the biggest problems with this book. This is not an adult fantasy--it is very much YA, and I don't say that lightly. And it's a shame, because so often, women (and especially women of color) have to deal with being slotted into YA when their books are emphatically not (thanks, patriarchal gatekeeping); this is one of the rare cases where the reverse is true. Some of the things in it that would have been par for the course in a YA novel--the angst over a love triangle, the spoon-feeding of explanations that don't trust the reader to make every connection, and so on--are unfortunately not so well received in a book that claims to be adult.

So what makes me so confident this book is YA? Well, a few things. It's very coming-of-age focused, with a big emphasis on a girl who is learning about the complexities of revolution and justice, and trying to change the world...but also falling in love. There is SO much relationship drama surrounding a love triangle, it really detracted from the more powerful elements of the story. The main character also reads very young, despite being 18, and this struck me as a bit of mischaracterization: we are told that she is fierce and powerful and scrappy, having grown up constantly fearing for her life, and yet she constantly makes foolish and rash decisions that are at odds with her supposed street smarts. This isn't me saying every book character has to be smart, but when we're told that this is a mature character, I would expect more...well...maturity. And there's nothing graphic in a way that would push this over the line into adult content, either. Sure, there's violence, but it's no worse than in YA books like The Hunger Games. There's also some fade-to-black sexual content (very brief) and allusions to rape, but again, nothing explicit or graphic. And the writing itself veers in a more juvenile direction as well, with a preference for telling over showing, and telling the reader exactly what to think about the tricky ethical quandaries raised, rather than giving the reader freedom to think for themselves.

Now, don't misconstrue this, because the book wasn't all bad--the world was interesting and vividly drawn, I liked the various magical creatures encountered (including mami wata, some dragon-like creatures, and quirky wind spirits), and the exploration of themes of colonization and oppression (including the cost of revolution, and whether it is possible to adhere to your values while also fighting for freedom) was set up nicely. There were also some lovely descriptions on a sentence/paragraph level. But as a whole, the story felt disjointed--the start was strong, the middle bounced around aimlessly and a bit randomly, and the ending was just one twist after another (in the way that makes you go "wait...huh? so what was the point of all that?" rather than the way that steals your breath away)--and the YA slant, again, kept this story from reaching its full potential.

I'll be interested to see what Okosun writes in the future, but don't think I'll be continuing with this series. That said, it would likely be a good pick for high school students, especially those who want more Black Girl Magic, African-inspired fantasy, and themes of revolution.

Why must we have another love triangle where I'm fine with the FMC just being alone. For the first 60% of the story, I was deeply invested in everything and the characters but after a few (too many) twists and true identity reveals, things started moving at a blitz pace and I found myself getting lost in the sauce with the action and the characters true motivations. At this point, I'm shocked if the FMC believes any man again.

Although book 1 left me with many feels, I'm curious to see how the end of the duology plays out and if peace is even achievable. I'm hoping that the characters start to read as a little more "mature" since this is marketed as Adult Fantasy. Maybe there will be a time jump in book 2 where they've settled into their new roles and such. While this was not the 5 star read I was anticipating, I loved delving into Nigerian mythology and can't wait to see what lies ahead for our main characters. This read was a solid 3.75 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC!

I have not finished Forged by Blood yet, but I have read over a quarter of Forged by Blood. I love the world-building and the uniqueness of this story. However, I find the FMC to be on the juvenile side. Also, there are a few scenes with awkward dialogue. Overall, I am enjoying this book and am looking forward to seeing where this story takes me.