Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

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Figure 1. Children of Blood and Bone book cover (2019).

Evaluation of Book

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi immerges you into a dystopian world where magic pits those without it against those that might harness it again. The king and those in power fear magic to the point of enslaving and financially punishing clans that used to control it. Z`elie, Tzain, Amari, and Inan, two pairs of siblings, drive the bulk of the story as they attempt to find magical sacred artifacts the Maji clans used to own which can bring back magic if a ceremony is completed on the solstice. The ultimate quest, to bring back magic so that the maji will no longer be maggots in the eyes of those in power. And with magic back, everything will change.

When the crown plus maji work together on their quest to bring magic back, they cannot help but grow and learn from each other; making character development the driving force of this book. Amari moves from a frightened princess that allows her father and mother to terrorize her to a person that can emotionally and physically help others. She endures a father forcing her to sword fight with her brother, watching her best friend die by her father’s hand, and finding her resolve to do something about it that allowed her to find her inner self. Also, Z`elie, prone to leaping before she looks, finally begins to process her actions prior to making them, even if this does not always work out in her favor. Her brother, Tzain, assists with this by acting as her conscience, reminding her to do the right thing. But it is Z`elie who will make or break their success on this quest, and she feels the weight of this. And it is through the moments of crisis and the will to move forward that builds their character and allows them to become what nature intended for them all.

Another fabulous thing about this book is the dialogue. Z`elie, Amari, and Inan’s inner dialogue along with what they say allow the reader to see though their eyes, into their true character. Amari often reacts to shocking events by spouting, “Skies!” (p. 61). That catch phrase allow Amari to identify herself as a noble, bring the reader back to the importance of what is happening, and foreshadow events to come. Also, Inan constantly needs to put himself in check, “COUNT TO TEN” (p. 102) and hears his father’s words, “Duty before self” (p. 325). However, Z`elie tops them all when she thinks about things like, “But if I used blood magic” (p. 309) and speaks the native Maji language, ‘`Emi `awon ti `o ti s`un—' (p. 308) when she works her magic. This foreign language seen over and over again puts power into the story and adds a bit of mystique. This is the true reason dialogue creates an essence of the story. (Adeyemi, 2018)

But what first sells the book and makes you want to read it are the illustrations. The cover shows the eyes of a woman, a mystical design on her forehead, with tribal like fabric, beads, and rope holding back flowing white hair. Unbeknownst to the reader, the white hair is the telltale sign that a person can do magic. All of this contrasts with the black background and bloodred letters of the author’s name and title of the book, suggesting something dark and mysterious, which establishes the mood. Then when the reader opens the cover, a blue map of Orisha gives the reader a sense of a time when people first began to travel the world by boat, like the medieval period, because of the sea serpent and style of boats in the water. Also, all of the art points to the Holy Temple and an oddly shaped object that turns out to be an island that only appears every 100 years. Therefore, the map helps extend and develop the plot. Even the introduction to The Maji Clans pages support the story by using different fonts, leaves around the edges, and a brushed look on the pages. These elements provide a sense of nature and a way of the old world. And last, the chapter titles use a font and design that keep with the tribal look of the book as a whole. The art sells itself.

Response

Children of Blood and Bone connects to all walks of life. And for me, it mirrored my world when living in Egypt for four years. The hierarchy that prevails there allows the government and rich to dictate the norms of life, even if the lower classes become invisible. And while the expat community live outside of the norms, the lower classes bend to the ways of the rich. Another connection between the book and my life, the idea of going on quests, or tours, to retrieve magical items. I loved obtaining scrolls, ivory handled knives, and stones from the pyramids, the same types of items the main characters seek out for their quest in the book. Also, the text agrees with my view of the world, that people need to help others find their true selves. And when everyone joins together, things can change over time. I witnessed this during the Egyptian revolution. The rich and the poor rose up together because Muslims and Coptics believed things needed to change. This correlates with Amari taking a stand to help those with the potential of magic. However, the author’s note challenged my views when Adeyemi explains that her book reflects the story of “unarmed black men, women, and children being shot by the police” (Adeyemi, 2018, p. 526). This one line changed my entire relationship with the book. Nothing in the fantasy world meant what I thought it meant. The king, nobles, and the military are the police force of America. When Z`elie feels the wrath of these groups and continuously fears jail where her life will be owned by those in charge of her, the author means police brutality as the norm for all black lives. This generalization hurt because some of my friends are police officers, I teach at a minority school where many of my students want to be police and military personal, and I am currently teaching my son that we respect all people that serve our city, state, and country because their job is to help everyone. So, while I enjoyed the book and looked forward to turning each page to learn more, I no longer consider it as amazing.

Conclusion

Children of Blood and Bone draws you in from the moment you see the illustrations of the book. And if you enjoy learning a new language while seeing characters like Z`elie and Amari fight to overcome their flaws to save the world, then you will love this book. Out of four stars, I give this book three and a half.

Citation

Adeyemi, T. (2018). Children of blood and bone. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.

Willis, C. (2019). Children of blood and bone book cover (photo). Retrieved March 15, 2019 from

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19b7jqDQT-XCNpRtDlbEyD7hqZ_VOSfFf/view?usp=sharing