Review: Children of Blood and Bone

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have very mixed feelings about this book. Because of all the hype and the long wait to get a copy from my library, I had very high expectations, and I just didn't feel like it lived up to the hype. I know there's a lot of exitement about it because of having an author who is a POC, particularly in the fantasy genre.

I'll start with the good. The story did grab my interest right away, and held it most of the time. I love the cover art. I really liked the character of Amari, the princess who rebels against her father and brother to do what is right. I loved the growth in her character, from a frightened princess who made an impusive decision after seeing her father murder her maid and best friend, but not really having a clue what she was doing, to a strong fighter who had the courage of her convictions and is determined to claim the throne in order to lead her country into peace.

I would not say anything was really BAD about it, but some things were annoying. It was very preditable in many ways, especially the romance between the princess Amari and Tzain, the main character's brother, and the ill-fated romance between Zelie and crown prince Inan. Readers can see the sad end of that before it ever gets started, due to Inan's desire for his father's approval overriding any hint of decency and good character he has. In my opinion, the book would have been so much better if that romantic subplot had been left out entirely.

Zelie's character was at times very sympathetic, likeable, and admirable, but at others very annoying because of her poor choices and not learning from past mistakes, which end up costing many, many lives. I'd really like to see the characters of her brother and the princess play a bigger role. The other thing I found annoying was the juxtaposition of a setting that felt like a very anicent time and culture, and the sometimes very modern speech and phrases. Some of the dialog just didn't seem to fit the culture and time. Also, I found the adding of "aire" to the end of real animal names as a naming device for all the fantastical animals annoying, too.

And finally I wondered about the facets of Yoruba legends, mythology, and language being used in high fantasy. I would rather see folklore that is an authentic and accurate representation of an actual culture's mythology and language, or fantasy that is truly all fantantiscal and fictional, rather than a mixing of the two, and another reviewer who self-identifies as Yoruban indicated this usage and representation was problematic to them, as well.

I don't want to disuade anyone from reading this book, but since it has been hyped SO much, I felt more compelled to point out some of the potential flaws. This book is the first of a trilogy, so that's good news to the many who loved it, though I doubt I will read the rest, but will look at summaries and skim them as I am curious about what happens next.

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