“No matter how much I crave peace, the gods have other plans.”

Normally I’m weary of contemporary books with a lot of hype, and I don’t think I’ve seen many books more raved about on this website than Children of Blood and Bone. Well, now that I’ve actually read it, I too can jump right in and add my voice the rabid fanbase. This book is great! I can’t believe it was only Tomi Adeyemi’s debut, what a page turner.

Perhaps because parts of the early story structure reminded me a great deal of Avatar: The Last Airbender, by midway I felt I could predict what would happen next. What a mistake, instead absolutely nothing goes in any predictable manner. Without spoiling anything, I will say that even though the main characters are quite young, their actions have very adult consequences that are at times exciting and others heart-wrenching. I was literally on the edge of my seat flipping through the final pages.

Given that this is a YA book and its main characters are only teenagers, amongst the magic and lionaires, this is still very much a coming-of-age story. Zélie, Amari, and Inan each have a unique outlook on a pretty brutal world that they grew up in following an event akin to near genocide. More so, their choices have greater consequences that not only impact others' lives, but work to shape the very world around them.

I won’t say anything other that I enjoyed this book, I recommend it, and why does December 3rd feel so far away?