“CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE (LEGACY OF ORISHA)” BOOKS,
A quest to restore a powerful force to the world
“As long as we don’t have magic, they will never treat us with respect. They need to know we can hit them back. If they burn our homes, we burn theirs too.”
These are the words Zélie’s father, Baba, shares with her moments before she sets off on a fantastical journey across the land of Orïsha. Tomi Adeyemi’s debut novel, “Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha),” puts us in the shoes of Zélie, Amari and Amari’s brother, Inan, each of whom has a unique relationship with magic.
Zélie — an Orïshan with magic potential known as a “divîner” — saw magic stripped away from her people, resulting in the death of her mother and ultimately the oppression of all divîners.
Amari’s only exposure to magic came from her best friend and servant, and for most of her life, she remained ignorant of the atrocities committed by her father, the King of Orïsha. Inan, on the other hand, had always embraced his father’s hatred for magic and constantly works for his approval.
After a cataclysmic event in Orïsha known as “The Raid,” magic was thought to be lost forever — that is until the discovery of three mysterious objects seems to be bringing it back in sparks.
The gods believe that Zélie is the one who can fan those sparks into a flame, but she can’t do it alone. Amari must turn her back on everything she knows and join Zélie — along with Zélie’s brother, Tzain — to travel across Orïsha, find the three objects and bring magic back once and for all. However, Inan is hot on their trail, and he’ll do anything to stop them.
“Children of Blood and Bone’s” world of Orïsha is both inconceivable yet uncomfortably familiar in many ways.
A product of West African culture, mythology and well-known fantasy tropes, Orïsha is plagued by issues similar to those in our own world; those with magic heritage exist on the margins of society and must live under the rule of a tyrannical monarch.
Through three alternating narrators — Zélie, Amari and Inan — Ms. Adeyemi navigates the dangerous and often complicated dynamics of privilege and power with wit and nuance.
The protagonists experience political and philosophical transformations that often touch on difficult questions we may ask ourselves when combating real-world injustices. Where do we draw the line between compromise and dogmatism? When, if ever, do we choose violence over discourse?
From a pure fantasy perspective, Orïsha is home to a wide variety of interesting creatures, locales and people groups.
However, the abundance of proper nouns presented in the first few chapters is fairly daunting, and there were moments where particular bits of lore could have been examined more thoroughly.
Ms. Adeyemi manages to avoid the obvious “good vs. evil” plotline that most young adult fantasy novels follow. While it’s easy to root for Zélie and company, “Children of Blood and Bone” demands that we also question and criticize their valuesand motivations while consideringthe positions of the antagonists.
Character development is present throughout the novel, although it is often rushed to make way for primary plot points. The uneasy alliance between Zélie and Amari, for example, suggested the emergence of a compelling dynamic, one that could stimulate the growth of both characters.
However, their path to friendship is vague and underdeveloped. Despite these shortcomings, the protagonists’ internal struggles are as exciting to follow as their supernatural conflicts.
“Children of Blood and Bone” introduces young readers to a culture to which they may not have previously been exposed and is a welcomeaddition to the fantasy genre.
Fans of fantasy and history alike will adore this novel and eagerly anticipate the next two books of the planned“Legacy of Orïsha” trilogy.