Children of Blood and Bone

From the Publisher:

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

My Thoughts:

This book has gotten a lot of press and it has taken me a long time to read it because of the length as well as the very long waiting list at my public library. So is it worth the hype? 

It is.

Add this to the long list of exciting girl power fantasy books in the YA market. Granted, it seems oversaturated by girl power fantasy books, but what makes this one different is the indigenous lens which goes against most western centric values of what makes a heroine strong. Although the end was unsatisfactory, what is very refreshing is that Zelie is vulnerable and weak. She is open about that, but characters rally around her regardless. That makes this worth the wait.