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Month: October
Book: Children of Blood and Bone
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
(No Spoilers)
We made it through our second month of the book club and this book was amazing! Here is the review of Children of Blood and Bone by Nigerian-American novelist, Tomi Adeyemi (with no spoilers).
About the Book – This fantasy book takes place in Orïsha, a fictional land, and centers around Zélie Adebola and her quest to save the magic of the Maji (an anointed group of people, blessed with special powers). Life was happy and somewhat peaceful until destruction and bereavement crushed the lives of the Maji people under the orders of a tyrannical king, and the magic disappeared. Zélie learns that the return of magic is possible and sets out with her brother and the princess of Orïsha (an unusual bond) in an attempt to save the magic of the Maji. Along the way, they face many obstacles and discover the truth and origins of the Maji.
The book tackles heavy themes, including prejudice, inequality, young love, betrayal, duty to family vs. self, and tradition.
Likes – Things we liked about the book include:
1. The author made us think. There were a few parallels drawn between the storyline and modern day injustices, especially as it relates to the treatment of minorities and misunderstood groups.
2. The book allowed us to understand different points of view as it relates to the major plot. Three separate characters narrated the book: one who is a diviner (maji before magic), another who is pro maji (but comes from a hateful world), and one who is against the maji, but torn between the two worlds.
3. The book was well paced; every part of the book appeared to be well thought out, allowing us to understand the full plot, leaving little room for questions.
Dislikes – Things we disliked about the book include:
1. The only thing we disliked about the book was that it was extremely slow toward the end, which made us slightly bored. However, this was not a major problem for us.
Favourite Quotes:
“You crushed us to build your monarchy on the backs of our blood and bone. Your mistake wasn't keeping us alive. It was thinking we'd never fight back.”
“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.”
“I won't let your ignorance silence my pain.”
Overall thoughts – There is no other way to describe it, this book was amazing! We are eagerly waiting to read the second book in December.
Overall rating – 4.5/5
Look out for the review of November’s book choice, Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, and be sure to follow Zina Williams on Instagram @kissmyelite and check out her website www.ayetozee.com to follow the book club readings.