T
Tomi Adeyemi
Tomi Adeyemi is the author of the bestselling fantasy novel Children of Blood and Bone. Her work often explores themes of magic, mythology, and resistance.
Children of Blood and Bone
Synopsis
Eleven years after King Saran's Raid stripped Orïsha of magic and slaughtered its maji, Zélie Adebola gets one shot to bring it back: an ancient scroll, a sacred sunstone, and a race against time before the window to restore magic closes forever. She's joined by Princess Amari, who fled the palace with the scroll after watching her father's cruelty firsthand, and Zélie's brother Tzain. Hunting them is Amari's own brother, Crown Prince Inan, who discovers a terrifying secret: he, too, has the power of the maji flowing through his veins.
Told in alternating chapters from Zélie, Amari, and Inan, Children of Blood and Bone is the first novel in the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, drawing on West African mythology and Yoruba cosmology to build a world of magic, monarchy, and rebellion.
Genres
Characters
Zélie AdebolaProtagonist
AmariProtagonist
Princess of Orïsha and King Saran's daughter; steals the scroll that can restore magic and joins Zélie's quest, one of the novel's three alternating POV narrators.
King SaranAntagonist
Tyrannical king of Orïsha who ordered the Raid that killed the maji and suppressed magic; Amari and Inan's father.
InanSupporting
Prince of Orïsha, commander of the Royal Army, and King Saran's son; discovers his own maji powers and is torn between duty to his father and his connection to Zélie, one of the novel's three alternating POV narrators.
Tzain AdebolaSupporting
Zélie's older brother, a kosidán with no magic, who protects her on the journey and develops feelings for Amari.
Andre Norton Award (2018)Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book (2019)Waterstones Children's Book Prize (2019)
Frequently asked questions
Is this book part of a series?
This novel is the first installment in the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, which continues in the sequel Children of Virtue and Vengeance and concludes with Children of Anguish and Anarchy.
What inspired the world and magic system in this story?
The author drew heavily from West African mythology and Yoruba culture, incorporating specific deities and domains into the foundation of the magic clans.
Is there a film adaptation of this book?
A film adaptation directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood is scheduled for release in January 2027, though the author has publicly distanced herself from the production following significant personal difficulties during its creation.