Overview:
Title: Children of Blood and Bone
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Published: March 2018
Genre: YA Fantasy
Themes: Magic, Family
One sentence summary: After losing her mother the night the magic disappears, Zélie has one chance to bring it and save the maji that wield it.
One sentence review: Believe the hype this book got, it’s one of my favourite reads this year.
Review:
I was late to the game with this one but it was well worth the wait!
Zélie lost her mother to the royal guards as they hunted the maji, making the magic disappear forever that night. Or so they thought. With unlikely comrades, Zélie has one chance to save magic and the maji that wield it.
Brimming with magic and West-African inspired magic, I really enjoyed this one. It was action packed and impactful from the go. The magic systems were cleverly constructed and I can’t wait to learn more about them in the next books. The plot was pacy and I loved the adventure throughout the whole book.
Zélie and Amari were stand out characters for me. This definitely goes into the category of books that I know younger me would love, and also makes me wonder how different I might have been having read this at a younger age. Our main characters are fierce and passionate and I loved them.
We have strong family bonds, community ties, devastation and some hope running all the way through. I was gripped.
Have you read this one? Got it on your radar? Let me know!
If you’d like to get yourself a copy, you can support local bookshops and my work while doing so on Bookshop.org for the physical copy with this link here or on audio with Libro.fm for the audiobook here.
If you like what you’ve read and would like to access more content, we have a cosy reading community over on patreon . If you love a bookish giveaway and learning about all the new releases, we’d love to have you with us. It’s perfect for those looking for community and connection in the online space. You can also find more content on my Instagram here.
And don’t forget to check out my other blogs and reviews – you can find books with similar themes in the same folder link below, or click back onto blogs to see the whole offering.
Last updated 26/10/2026
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