African mythology in the (newest) edition – a review of the book “Children of Blood and Bones”, the first part of the trilogy

Let’s start with the ending

Adeyemi needed over five hundred pages to put her ideas on paper. For eighty-five chapters, the reader travels with the heroes in an imaginary world inspired by African mythology. And at last she can breathe a sigh of relief. After reading the entire book, neither the map at the beginning nor the brief description of the mage clans seem so convoluted and incomprehensible. When we cool down after the finale of the story, two more elements await us: the author’s thanks and the quasi-manifesto, in reverse order. In the author’s note, Adeyemi mentions black men, women and children who died senseless deaths in city streets from police bullets. The book, which is written on the basis of these considerations, aims to awaken in the audience what changed the fate of Zélie.

Magic starts

In a world where each of us has an assigned role, things can be easier. You can be born as a Reaper (Mage of Life and Death), Connector (Mage of Mind, Spirit and Dreams), Fire (Mage of Fire), Earth and Spider Mage (Mage of Earth and Iron), Light (Mage of Light and Darkness), Healer or Chancellor ( Mage of Health and Disease), Clairvoyant (Mage of Time) or Tamer (Mage of Animals). If magic is born in you, you will surely feel a new strength in yourself. However, each energy is useful for a different purpose – offensive or defensive. If a Healer is involved in a battle, he cannot defend himself against the attack of others, but has the opportunity to help his sisters and brothers. The armor will make the enemies fall ill with a serious disease in the blink of an eye and leave them in torment, but it will not be able to tame the lion cubs if it attacks the herd.

With élie – the cause of all misfortunes

When the magic is gone, the wizards of Orisha get in serious trouble. They are completely defenseless against the demonic king, his son and his subjects. The only person from the royal circle who gradually begins to understand the mages’ situation and becomes involved in their cause is Amari. However, the beauty and undoubted charm of the girl do not make it easy for her to gain the trust of her potential enemies. To do this, he must prove his strength and good intentions. He must also stand up to his brother Inan and father and defeat them in an unequal fight. On the other hand, Zélie and his brother Tzain must gather all their strength and use one moment to awaken magic and restore people’s faith in a better tomorrow. The dark-skinned girl, however, cannot control her power, which poses a potential danger to her relatives and those

Was it impossible to predict this?

The story told is interesting in terms of its plot. It is also influenced by the choice of most of the main characters – Zélie (traumatized by experiences), Tzain (dominated by the desire to protect her sister), Amari (the rebellious princess) and Inan (the seductive heir to the throne). In Orisha, “magicians at rest” mix with ordinary citizens, which helps to keep the balance of everyday life. The reader may assume how the story of the characters will end. Their profiles are not complicated and the outline of their activities is based on a very basic knowledge of their past. However, it must not be forgotten that the aforementioned predictability is characteristic mainly of youth novels, and the book Children of Blood and Bonesso was classified. Younger readers will probably like this form of narration.

A word at the end

Children of Blood and Bones is an interesting debut of the author of the young generation. The problem of social disintegration discussed in the book is significant both in the context of the plot and in line with what is happening today. The heroes we meet become our loved ones, we stay with them in their journey, we sympathize with the pain, we want a happy ending. This novel could have had many alternative endings. It is a pity, however, that not all of them could turn out to be a classic happy ending.