Review: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Zélie has lived her life in fear. When she was a child, her mother was brutally slaughtered in The Raid, at the hands of the king’s men, for being a Maji. With her mother’s blood flowing through her veins, Zélie would have been destined to follow in her path, had the king not killed magic along with those who practiced it. However, it seems that more is needed to silence the gods who gifted Maji their powers tan one king’s hatred, and there is a chance that Zélie can bring the magic back. With the help of her brother and an unlikely ally in the king’s daughter, Zélie must risk her life to save magic, and restore peace to the kingdom.

It’s been a long time since I was so immersed in a book; left feeling so at home and wrapped in comfort, while heartbroken and somber at the hurt experienced by others. The attention to detail is phenomenal; here is an entire world created with a history as rich and dark as its future is bright. The phrase ‘epic journey does this book no justice whatsoever, this is a universal voyage, and it is perfection.

Children of Blood and Bone is mesmerizing; such a delicate, intricate plot that is completely arresting and consuming, with characters that are as real as you or me; growing, learning, evolving. It’s nothing short of pure magic. Yet it is beyond magic; it is all the suffering, despair and hatred of our reality mirrored on paper, yet fuelled by hope, inspiration and love. It is a literal embodiment of all that is going wrong, and all that can go right, if only we seize hope, peace and love. This book is powerful, and more necessary than I am able to describe.

How do you get so much emotion – such depth of feeling – into the covers of a single book? It seems an impossible feat, yet Adeyemi accomplishes this with effortless grace. It’s an emotional rollercoaster in the realest sense – tense, exhilarating and unforgettable. I lost count of the innumerable tears shed while reading his books – Tomi Adeyemi, you broke my heart and built it anew, and for that I thank you.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi is published by Macmillan Children’s books, an imprint of Pan Macmillan.