aaronj21's Reviews (912)

I rarely read books aimed at teens or young adults (except a few brief readings of extremely popular books, usually before I see the movies they've been made into) but I'm extremely grateful I made an exception for this one. What initially caught my eye was the overwhelming positive buzz around the book as well as plans for a feature film and after reading the synopsis I was more than intrigued; and this book more than lived up to the hype and expectation.

After reading I was floored to put it mildly, this is leagues past most of the young adult fiction phenomenon we've seen in the past decade or so, hunger games who? divergent series what? Sorry, this isn't meant to disparage Suzanne Collins or Veronica Roth, only to express how amazing I think this book was (and full disclosure, I have only read the first couple books of the aforementioned authors so maybe I'm not quite as informed as I could be). All that being said, move over Twilight / Hunger Games / Divergent there's a new YA powerhouse in town and this one is breathtakingly readable, with detailed and vivid world building and, best of all, populated with deep, conflicted, messy, intimately human characters.

I won't spoil the ride for you because I think everyone needs this experience for themselves but I will attempt to back up why I'm so enamored with this work. To being with, and perhaps most importantly, this is a teen novel that doesn't pander to it's audience, there are no comfortable cliches or familiar tropes we can put our trust in, the novel is just as unpredictable and dangerous as the real world. This is something I appreciate and I think this generation of teens, perhaps more than any other, can appreciate as well, it's a teen novel that doesn't soften, sugar coat or simplify, it's as raw and demanding as any adult book. Additionally, the novel is set in a richly storied and complex world complete with different cultures and a vibrant, if sometimes bloody history. Think Westeros or Middle Earth but instead of a fantasy medieval Europe, Orisha (the nation the book takes place in) is a fully realized African land with it's own unique customs, peoples, and mythology, we're talking THAT level of intricate world building; and it's expressed masterfully, details are shared organically through discussions and stories, no clunky exposition to be found here. For anyone wishing for a fantasy novel not set in some facsimile of a bygone European country, this is book for you. The crowning achievement of this world building is without a doubt the magic and religion of the nation, the two are inextricably linked and each is fascinating and fairly different from anything in fiction I've read before. As I said, I won't give out spoilers but rest assured the magic in "Children of Blood and Bone" is on par with Rowling's witches and wizards, it's that cool, I promise. Finally, the characters. I love these characters, our protagonist is flawed, impulsive, and sometimes makes choices we the readers disapprove of and I adore that. The other characters don't lack for detail, humanity, or growth by dent of not being THE main character either, they're all just as well written and have as much of an impact on the story, no one feels like a side kick or plot device. Even the characters we despise and root against feel like real, human villains.

To sum up, this is an excellent and worthwhile book. If, like me, you rarely or never read YA lit then make an exception and read this one. If you are a fan of the genre you then absolutely need to experience this book to see how far the bar has been raised. I haven't been this impressed by ANY book, adult, teen, or otherwise in a long, long time and I couldn't be more thrilled that it seems to be part of a planned series (Legacy of Orisha #1). I, and the world, need more of Tomi Adeyemi brilliant writing as soon as possible.

This book is a must read for any Millennial, if for nothing else than a brief overview of all the ways our generation is uniquely challenged by hardships and levels of competition our parents never had to face. From the pervasive, crushing burden of student debt, to the ubiquity of unpaid internships, the dearth of good, well paying jobs, and the almost nonexistence of things like job security and upward mobility, Millennials have it rough in many ways. This book is an excellent starting point for looking in to and combating those issues, it's great as an introduction but by no means should it be that only volume you read on any of these subjects, instead use it as a tutorial to get you thinking about the issues of exam oriented education, rabidly competitive job market and exploited "student athletes".

This book more than delivered on the hype Madeline Miller garnered for herself after the success of the Song of Achilles, and as much as I love Achilles's tragic tale, Circe may even surpass it. This novel shows Miller at the height of her art and knowledge, her command of the complex intricacies of Greek mythology and her vivid style and characters allow her to weave a story that's feels less like a retelling of the myths and more like a full realization, a complete and unabridged version of those tales we all know. The gods, titans, and heroes step down off their tapestries and out of their well worn myths to become full and compelling characters full of awesome power and petty spite. Monsters get motivations, the gods are decadent and fascinatingly cruel, and even the most unassailable heroes have their all too human flaws revealed.

The most compelling character by far is the eponymous witch of Aiaia who, despite being a divine mix of titan and river goddess, is riddled with all too human traits and flaws and traits. She changes and grows with the story and though her transformation is often painful and at a great cost, it's inspiring to witness. Madeline Miller lifts Circe from her well known minor, unremarkable role in the Odyssey and shows her as a formidable goddess, witch, and woman. The story is at once timeless and extremely appropriate for modern readers as Circe struggles against not only the dangers of divinity, monsters, and magic, but also against powerful, arrogant men secure in a culture (both mortal and divine) which lets them take what they want and relegate women to being trophies, mothers, or spoils of war. It's no exaggeration to call Miller's Circe a feminist hero, though the author embellishes nothing, merely relying on the inherent misogynistic aspects of the culture and mythology. Overall a fantastic and instantly engrossing read, I cannot wait for more from this author, she has blown me away every time.

There's Power in a Union (the title taken from a popular union folk song) is the extensively researched, exhaustively descriptive history of unions and the labor movement in the United States. While this monolithic book is no easy read, long, complicated, and full of enough organization acronyms to make your head ache (just try keeping IWW, AFL, ICO, and UAW straight, along with their founders and key players), it is worth the effort to understand just how hard the struggle was to obtain even the most basic work concessions from employers. The things we take as given today, like the 8 hour work day, the 40 hour week, minimum wage, and basic safety measures to name a few, never just evolved on their own, they each required a fight, often lengthy, sometimes fatal, to be made into law, and that history, while vitally important, is often forgotten or glossed over.