Forged by blood is a coming of age novel with beautiful prose with a story that follows a young woman of color with magic as she struggles with her magical abilities. I love having the chance to read a novel that focuses on non european folklore; over all I loved this book and am excited to have the rest of the world see this novel.

This book was beautifully written, a wonderful story filled with magic and Nigerian Mythology and I loved it! I really couldn’t get enough of the magic system (which correlates to the color of your skin which really just mirrors issues here and now of course) and I love Dèmi so much!
I typically am not a big fan of love triangles, but was it really a triangle or were men assuming possession of a person because of friendship? Idk.
I can’t say enough though how beautiful the world building is. I felt like I could easily imagine the world, and I am so anxious to get to book 2 ahhhhh 🥰 the BETRAYAL in this story guys 👀 absolutely wild stuff.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager for an eARC of Forged by Blood!

Incredible word building, Nigerian mythology, and unique magic system! Ehigbor Okuson stuns in her new debut novel! The writing is well-paced and easy to follow, but I would label this more as Upper YA borderline New Adult. There is an amount of violence in the book where I would not totally label it as YA. The characters really grow into themselves as the book progresses and I was really invested in them! High stakes with a dash of romance- this book is one to watch out for come release day!

I loved this so much! Okosun had me at "Inspired by Nigerian mythology".

Okay so first and foremost, I absolutely love reading books by authors that are a part of or write about cultures that are different than my own. I love learning new terms and being immersed in a world that I don't get to read about often. Also, the names of everything in this story are so pretty.

This book focuses on a society where Oluso (people who are able to use magic) are persecuted, hunted and often killed for the crime of existing. The way people are treated is quite horrible but there's nothing overly graphic written out in plain language. Our MCs of course are on the good side of evil, fighting an uphill battle of trying to convince people not to royally suck without just murdering everyone. So Demi and Colin kidnap a prince. And so it begins.

The story itself was fast paced and engaging. There's several twists and revelations and.. a lot happens, and it happens quickly. Dare I say maybe too quickly at times? As if the author had so many ideas and just wanted to get them on a page. I think that will naturally improve as she continues to write. There is a minor (not annoying or overly steamy sadly) love triangle. There is a "fated mates" scenario. There's duals, and lies, and magic and betrayals. Overall, it's a really nice break in setting from a lot of the popular fantasy books trending right now and I would definitely recommend giving it a try if it sounds like something up your alley.

*Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review*

Wonderful opening to a series! Very solid debut! I found it to be a fascinating, fast read - sometimes a bit detailed in the world building, but I see that need to explain so much. African cultural references are so needed in literature and I am excited this author is bringing this brilliance into our library! Four out of five strong stars for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to love this book; however, I found myself struggling to get through it. The info dumping was confusing to me. I feel like this book could benefit from a glossary/index; a lot of the terms aren't explained, and just when I can infer to what words mean, MORE new vocabulary is added. Same with the influx of characters. We are introduced to a lot of characters back to back and I could not keep up. The writing didn't flow well. There was missing information in regards to how they got where they were etc. The whole romance/love thing felt VERY forced. I could not fathom why she would string Colin along as they had 0 chemistry, and it is stated from the get go that she doesn't feel the same way about him. Also the constant doing of the "wrong" thing just so things blow up and push the plot forward seems like a juvenile way to go about things.

With that being said, I really loved the concept of this book. The ideas and plot were original, and I loved the magic system. I loved the themes in the story and the message it conveys. This was worth the read for me, but just barely.

I loved this book. I devoured it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. It had amazing worldbuilding, an interesting magic system, address colonialism, and has amazing characters.

In this world, not only is racism prevalent but so is prejudice against magic. People will use you as long as your magic is useful to them, but will abandon you when you need help. Demi is trying to help her people so they don’t have to hide her magic anymore, but has to rely on those she is with to complete her journey.

I will say that I kind of hate love triangles, which made that part frustrating because Demi couldn’t develop a relationship with either without it causing contention.

I loved this coming of age story and I’m excited to see what happens in the sequel.

Forged by Blood is one of the best YA fantasy I've read so far this year! I confess I haven't been such an enthusiastic when it comes to YA fantasic since two years ago, when my mood for theses books were really bad, but I'm so happy that Forged by Blood has changed my mindset about this. Y'all should give a try to this one.

Forged By Blood gets all the love from me! I absolutely loved it! From beginning to end, you’re immersed in a world of magic and adventure with a bit of romance. The writing is excellent and the story engaging. There are so many things going on in the book, literally never a dull moment…I had a hard time putting it down.

Demi is a young woman filled with magic and a lot of questions. She and her best friend Colin go on a quest to kidnap the King’s nephew Jonas for the sake of helping their people. From there more questions arise and the truth slowly begins to unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for approving my request to read such a good book. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for the second book.

AMAZING storytelling. Okosun is an amazing debut writer with incredible world building. I loved the folklore woven into the fantasy realm of this book. The pacing was even and the plot kept me hooked and entertained. I would recommend this to any YA reader who was delving into the fantasy genre.

I just couldn't get that emotionally invested in the characters or the story. I didn't care for the love triangle, and the characters were also just too young. They made a ton of horrendously bad decisions -- so many that I was shocked that they would be expected to lead their country moving forward. I also thought that the whole "mate" thing was ridiculous - there's no better way to force a romance by introducing a "destiny aspect."

Received a free copy from Netgalley.

This is a coming-of-age story focused on a young woman and her magic but also her ability to maneuver in a world with prejudice.

This obviously makes for a very engaging read. I loved the world-building and the inclusion of Nigerian mythology within the story. That said it was a very quick read and paced wonderfully!

My only note would be that I'd hope to see more character growth in the sequels - literally! This book focuses mostly on Dèmi as a child for nearly the entire book. This is fine because I have seen that adult books do this often and it works incredibly well (Game of Thrones, Assassin's Fool, etc..) but it was missing that understanding/or connection piece for me I guess because she was a child. I would like to see this character develop more in the second book for sure now that we've understood Dèmi's childhood with this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advance copy of this book!

This is a strong debut inspired by Nigerian mythology and full to the brim with magic and vivid descriptions. The broad strokes of the story are reminiscent of classic tropes—a young hero in a world determined to stomp out magic—but the details are fresh and exciting. The descriptions of food, clothes, and scenery come alive throughout this story, and Dèmi is a great protagonist to follow. I think a lot of young people will enjoy this story.

I enjoyed most of it, but there were definitely some parts that I struggled to get through. Particularly where the action really picked up, it was more difficult to follow the story and it felt like things were skipping ahead without getting necessary details. Especially in the last 25% when things get very intense, it felt like there was a massive info dump of all these lies and secrets that was a little tricky to unfold. Along with that, I wanted to see some of our characters become a bit more fleshed out, Colin in particular. He is with Dèmi for the majority of the book but feels very one dimensional.

All in all I look forward to seeing more from Ehigbor Okosun in the future after this debut! For me this one is a 3.5⭐️ read, rounded up to 4⭐️ for goodreads.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read this early!

This captured me from the very start! The writing is absolutely beautiful and the characters feel real and dynamic. The magic system is based on Nigerian Mythology, which is something I know nothing about, so having this introduction was really great! The explanations of the magic system were very well fleshed out and were the driving force for the entire story.

I cannot wait for book two!

Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dèmi, a young magic-wielding warrior, sets out on a mission in this debut fantasy novel.
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Like most fantasy, this novel is half fantastical magic and lore, and half real-life sociopolitical commentary. The fantasy side has everything one would want: magic, MMA-style warfare, and mythical creatures. And the reality side has commentary on racism, corruptive power, and other oppressive ideals.
The setting is really great. It’s based off of the mythologies of Okosun’s Nigerian background, and it seems to have some medieval and Roman influences as well.
One miss for me, though, is the contrived nature of the plot. It kind of felt like bits and pieces were taken from other fantasies and thrown at the wall to see what would stick. In other words, the plot outline was kind of choppy and didn’t standout as its own refined, unique piece of work. It’s an enjoyable read nonetheless!

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dèmi is a classic YA fantasy heroine, for better and worse. For better, she’s admirable in her pursuits in a way that feels authentic to the character; she’s tough and kindhearted without feeling fake or too perfect. For worse, Dèmi didn’t extrapolate enough on other characters; my read on her friends/enemies was limited to what she shares, but Dèmi as a narrator made it harder for me to understand others’ motivations and actions.
I was also kind of surprised and disappointed that there aren’t more female characters. Other than Dèmi, it kind of feels like all of the other important characters are males.
Also, I don’t like love triangles, so this aspect really threw me off and disappointed. Especially because the two love interests feel strangely similar, which is to say, simple: nice, moral, tough, and that’s it. Though I’ll say I love the vulnerable and gentle sides to the male characters.
But in all, I’m excited to see how the characters develop in the sequel.

Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The figurative language is gorgeous and enjoyable to read. Okosun writes prose that enhances and complements the plot.
Furthermore, there are SO many important nuggets of truth in this novel that parallel the real world: tyranny (and colonialism?), racism (specifically anti-Blackness), and a general fear of those who are different. Most accurately, it’s clear that Okosun uses her Nigerian background - specifically the mythologies of her culture - to bring to life the story and its messages.
On a more critical side: I don’t usually say this, but I think this story actually went TOO fast. Not that the plot goes fast (which is generally a good thing), but that the writing is quickened; instead of things developing naturally and being explained thoroughly, it feels rushed or as if pieces are missing. Part of this is that descriptions are lacking. I love imagining a story in my head, but usually this requires some level of description as the basis for what I’m seeing. But there aren’t enough descriptions of people or places - I couldn’t always tell what was happening or exactly where they were within or between scenes.

Recommended to fans of fantasy, especially BIPOC fantasy.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins, and Ehigbor Okuson for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fine. I’d place it somewhere between YA and NA, mostly due to violence, although the violent scenes are not at all graphic.

The first half of the book, where the story and world are being built up and the characters are developing is great. But towards the end it starts to get rushed and there’s quite a few YA fantasy cliches and tropes and some of them left me feeling like I missed something, but I really don’t think that I did.

I will likely still read the sequel just to see how it plays out.

Forged by Blood is an decent debut novel, but there were quite a few things I didn't like.

The good, it had fabulous world building. The magical creatures she encounters were fascinating. The magic system is easy to understand. I think my favorite part of this book was reading about the magical creatures they encountered in the forest. They were so fascinating.

There were also moments where the authors words really resonated with me when they spoke about injustice, colonialism, and discrimination. There is heavy topics in this book but if you're like me and enjoy thinking about social issues than you will perhaps also enjoy these parts of the book.

Now, the things I didn't like. I think mostly these things are just personal preference. So I really don't like the mates trope and this book had it but then there's also a love triangle. It just doesn't make sense to me because if she has a mate she's destined to be with what's the point of the other love interest? I like love triangles if they are done well and unfortunately I don't think it was done well here. One is her friend and the other the prince she met as a child, but then didn't see him again until years later. I mean none of the relationships here were explored enough for me to like any of them. It's insta love with the prince and everything with the friend is confusing because in the very beginning she says she doesn't see him like that and then she kisses him, but then she's professing her love for the prince. It's all so weird.

I think I'm at a point where I don't want to read about the oppressed "taking the higher ground" and not violently overthrowing those that enslaved, killed, and r**** them. I want anger! I want revenge! I want a vengeful MC that's ready to do what it takes to end the violence even if it means more violence. Morals be damned. That's not what we get here and I was just disappointed. I think after reading Iron Widow I just want more characters like that MC.

Then I take issue with her giving up the throne she rightfully won. Why give her power if you're going to take it away before she can even do anything with it?

Thanks netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun was a great read filled with rich history and story telling that just keeps you going

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of this book.

DNF at 62%

This debut novel has wonderful world building and an interesting magic system. However, it very much reads like a debut novel. The chemistry between the characters is very forced, the plot line is very predictable, and our main character is so stubborn and refusing to learn from the mistakes she is currently making it feels repetitive.

The intro is very captivating, but in the first four chapters we are constantly reminded that Dèmi is eight years old, it is reinforced over and over. She even pees herself to show how much of a young child she is. Yet this eight year old is capable of murder, and while it’s absolutely possible it definitely threw me off.

There are also many times where we are getting info dumped in the middle of an action scene which completely takes away from the scene and yanks the reader out of that moment.

This book definitely has potential and I do see myself eventually finishing it, Ehigbor Okoson is extremely talented and I look forward to the potential she unleashed in her future works.

4.25/5 stars! This cover gave me absolute life and I was so excited to read this debut novel by author Ehigbor Okosun. There is beautiful POC representation in this novel and every page of this book had me sitting on the edge of my seat. The world-building is stunning and I adore Demi. I did struggle at times with a lack of depth for some of the characters. But for a debut, this was expertly written.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily