Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi AdeyemiMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Let me start with: this is a very important, very violent, and wonderful book. And I'm going to read the next book in hopes that it rids me of my one real criticism of the book.
It is very intense for any book--not just for a ya book--but that intensity is the point. Anyone who pays attention to the news and who cares should understand the metaphors laced throughout this book. Sadly, there are those that will need to read the Author's Note to "get it." It can't really be critiqued as a standard ya/fantasy novel because that isn't its purpose. This story is more and it digs into the complexity of conviction, of faith, of heritage, and of legacy. The characters are amazing---flawed, multi-dimensional, ever-growing, ever changing. Life is about choices--some of which are made in an instant, some of which are made for us, and some of which blossom slowly along with our own growth. It is a "fantasy" epic, yes---but it doesn't rest upon all the tired clichés of the genre. Our alliances with the characters split and rejoin as much as their own.
I was so entrenched in it all and then...the end. And an epilogue that obviously throws the door open for part two, but did an insufficient job of closing out this book as a novel. There's so much more to say---not just in terms of the narrative, but in 523 pages leading up to the real point of the sacrifices, the page of Epilogue really doesn't do it justice. I will say that in the brief paragraphs of the epilogue, the end result was exactly what I had hoped for, except that the final sentence left me wondering. I wanted to give it five stars, but there's an imbalance toward character development here--which is a criticism I almost NEVER have. The book has a great rhythm of narration and characterization, with the bigger picture undergirding it at all times. But then the final few pages of the book renders them all basically irrelevant, which I can't think was the point. This is a small criticism, at the end of the day, but I will say that were it not for the greater importance of this book, I might be tempted to set the continuation of the story aside.
Overall, however, I want to know more. I love the use of African religions and my own limited exposure to some West African theologies resonated. This is a book worth reading--hands down. It is an important book and one that deserves to be on reading lists for young adults and probably older adults. Maybe especially older adults.
My review of Book 2 Children of Virtue and Vengeance
