More like 2.5 stars. I feel like the female voice was not captured well by the author. Pacing was also extremely slow. Concept was interesting though.

I have finally caught up with the rest of the world and read Children of Blood and Bone. Tomi Adeyemi’s debut is absolute gold.

I think the strongest part of this book is the world building. Adeyemi has created a world full of depth and texture. From language to city structure to clothing, the incredible details provided draws the reader into the story very quickly. I could picture it all in my head easily.

I think it’s safe to call Children of Blood and Bone an epic, with a journey that rivals more than a couple of classics I can think of. The plot itself is strong, although there did seem to be some padding that could have been trimmed. Some of the barriers Zélie had to overcome felt… redundant I guess? It was frustrating to read through when I couldn’t see the payoff for each time she was waylaid on her journey. But maybe it’ll become more relevant in book 2.

The writing reminded me a lot of Leigh Bardugo’s work, especially her Grisha trilogy - which I love. Especially the twist at the end! If Adeyemi continues to write at that level she has a fantastic career ahead of her. I look forward to seeing how the rest of this series pans out, and watching the movie currently in development. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I love the TV show Jane the Virgin - it has a lot of heart and can be super funny. If you haven’t watched it, basically Jane is a virgin who is accidentally artificially inseminated. The show chronicles her journey through parenthood, while trying to balance her friendship with the baby-daddy and her romance with her fiancé. Jane is also an aspiring writer, and Snow Falling is her first romance novel on the show. So of course, they actually published it!

I love the level of detail they’ve put into this book. The author blurb, acknowledgments and mini reviews on the back cover are all written as though Jane were a real person. The ghost writer (Caridad Piñeiro) even provides a review blurb on the back. It’s cute.

But how is the story itself? Not bad! It’s a cute retelling of the first season, but set in 1902 Miami and featuring a happy ending. It’s very light and fluffy. It’s definitely not meant to be great literature, but enjoyable nonetheless. I see it as a love letter to the fans of the show.

The narrator from the show makes an appearance in the book as well. Those paragraphs were a bit jarring, but I understand the reasoning behind it - it’s another way to tie it together. It also helped to build tension with some carefully placed foreshadowing, which was great for the pacing of the plot.

I’m pretty sure the average romance reader will enjoy this book, no matter whether they are a fan of the show or not.