Young Adult Fiction: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

YA Fest continues with Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha #1), a book that managed to take that highly coveted place on top of the New York Times Bestseller List in its first week of publication. It does not hurt that its release was much anticipated with readers and author's alike excited to get their hands on it, myself included.

The Situation: Zélie is haunted by the last memory she has of her mother. On a night she wishes she could forget, her mother was dragged away to her death by the kingdom that still rules over Orïsha. Zélie and her brother, Tzain, along with their father, live a haunted and unstable existence as they must be on constant watch against the king's guards, as they receive their orders from a man who hates and fears people like Zélie. One upon a time, Orïsha was full of magic and the people who could use it. But when King Saran decided it was time to rid the land of magic, a decision that ended up costing Zélie's mother her life, the link between the Sky Mother and the maji's was severed, leaving all divîners without their magical abilities. Now that they are powerless and defenseless, the remaining divîners are objects of scorn and discrimination. Distinguished by their white hair, people like Zélie are singled out and abused. But a chance encounter with the person least likely to be a divîner's ally gives Zélie a hope she never before dared to think of.

The Problem: After witnessing her father, King Saran, in a shocking and horrible act, Princess Amari decides it is time she claimed the life of freedom she has always dreamed of. But she does not simply run away. Instead, she takes with her a scroll that seems to have the ability to give divîners back their magic. Knowing her father would not hesitate to kill her, his own daughter, for this act of treason, Amari runs for her life, and right into Zélie and Tzain's. Taking it as a sign from Sky Mother, the three of them take off for a journey to reinstate the power of magic to the divîners of Orïsha. However, close behind them is Amari's brother and heir to the throne, Prince Inan, tasked with returning the rogue princess and the scroll to his father. Giving magic back to Orïsha is already a near impossible task, but Zélie manages to hold onto hope, even as she herself entertains many doubts and fears, while also confronting her complicated feelings for an enemy. 

Genre, Themes, History: This is a fantasy young adult novel set in the fictional land of Orïsha. Zélie and her brother Tzain survived the night of the raids, when their mother was taken from them and killed for being a maji, which is someone who can do magic. If the connection between Sky Mother and the people of Orïsha had not been severed, Zélie would also be able to do magic, but King Saran put an end to all of that. Believing all maji's to be dangerous and evil, due to the regrettable behavior of a few, King Saran is a man who let his fear of a people group rule him into committing unspeakable acts of violence. Teaching his children to believe and act as he does, he has raised his son to believe all magic to be the source of Orïsha's problems, while he keeps his daughter locked up behind the palace walls. Throughout the story, King Saran's fear and hate will be the cause of many innocent lives lost as Zélie, Tzain, and Amari travel across Orïsha in an attempt to restore magic to the land. In the author's note, Adeyemi acknowledges that the book was written during a time when the news was seemingly flooded with stories about unarmed black men and women who were killed by police.  Both the stories in the news and many of the deaths in this book happened because someone with power allowed themselves to be ruled by fear, and an innocent life paid the cost.

My Verdict: I am sure I have mentioned before that fantasy is not really my thing, but young adult literature certainly is, and that, along with the premise, was enough to get me interested in this book. It was a bit of a risk, but I could not be happier that I took it. Clocking in at just over 500 pages, Children of Blood and Bone is an almost non-stop adventure the whole way through. And it is not a matter of Zélie and her friends simply making it from point A to point B. For one, point B keeps moving and shifting. And second, there are so many potential dangers that could stop them, and while some turn out to be helpful, others are more treacherous than previously believed. Using shifting perspectives, Adeyemi gives us three different views of the action, and three different characters who have their own reasons for feeling the way they do about magic. This book is for anyone who loves YA, anyone who loves fantasy, and anyone who loves adventure. Possibly the best part about it is that it is only the first book in a series.

Favorite Moment: When Amari tells her brother she will have no issue taking him down if he stands in her way.

Favorite Character: Amari for Queen! Seriously, she is my favorite by far. I had my doubts in the beginning, as we are probably supposed to, but right before the reader's eyes she turns into the Queen Orïsha needs.

Recommended Reading: The Sea of Ink and Gold series by Traci Chee is also about officials wishing to eliminate a people whose power they are afraid of.