Sometimes I just love myself for the fact that I love reading! OK, so this book is not all that great or a literary genius but its good and fast and the girls take charge in a world where men make all the rules. Children of Blood and Bone is about Zelie, a diviner (one with magical blood) and Amari, the princess of Orisha who team up along with Tzain, Zelie’s brother to bring back magic to Orisha and bring down King Saran’s terrorising reign. When Amari sees the scroll that has the power to reawaken magic, she runs away with it from the royal castle and Zelie, without realising who she is, helps her escape.

Zelie and Amari have been chosen by the Gods to finish the quest to bring back magic and they start on this journey, albeit hesitantly and distrustful of each other. King Saran wants to keep magic dead and he would do anything to enure this. His son, Inan is on his side working hard to impress his father and be the future king that his father wishes him to be. What he soon realises though is that he too has magic in his blood which is reawakened when he accidentally touches the magic scroll while chasing Zelie and Amari.

Tomi Adeyemi’s debut novel is full of magic, even her words are magically woven. The love of siblings, struggle of a young girl who has seen her mother being tortured and hanged as an example, a brother’s struggle to keep his younger sister safe; another brother trying to capture his sister to impress his tyrranical father and a young princess who finds in herself the power to stand up against her father and runs away to help the diviners.

Of all the characters, Inan is probably the one who drew the short straw on life’s struggles because he is in the most unfathomable position of all. Trying to fit into his father’s very large expectations, he tries to bottle up his magic so he can be the son and prince that his father wants him to be.

The magical world is nicely woven, the feelings are too real and emotions are brilliantly depicted. With three teenagers having been thrust a task too daunting for them, the emotions are running high and mistakes are made. And it is Tomi Adeyemi’s amazing word-play that brings it all to life. I enjoyed reading this book a lot and I am hopeful that the second part will be just as good.

My rating: 4.8/5