It’s been a while since I devoured a fantasy book. I feel like there are many that catch my eye these days but I often pick it up once and never again. And then there’s The Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. This book literally took a chunk out of me, reminding me how beautiful and painful it is to get transported to another world that only exists in the paper between the covers. I literally devoured the book. When I normally would put a book down and not find the motivation to pick it back up, I was struggling to close it. It ignited everything giddy and exciting about the novels I read as a child or teen and hit all of my reading pressure points; everything from the magic to the immature relationships to the tragedy and character development.

I can’t say whether or not the book carried ‘literary excellence’ because I don’t believe those words carry the same meaning for all of us and would rather it not be looked at with such a critique. What I can say is that I couldn’t put it down and I drank it all in. The way Adeyemi describes and builds on the world is breathtaking. For me, this novel is art, and I’m dying to run into a bookstore after the public holidays and Boxing Day chaos is over to buy the next novel.

Invocation. That’s what Adeyemi’s writing is. The paragraphs are like incantations, conjuring and invoking images and feelings. I don’t even know how to put it in words properly because I’m still that kind of reader that reflects in feeling rather than in a review.

There were moments when I recognised a trope or hated something the characters were doing, but there was never a moment where I didn’t think any of it was not meant to be there. I wasn’t angry at all about how things progressed and was just excited and waiting for anything I could predict. I could try and be nit-picky and over-analyse the text, but any of the “issues” or incorrect grammar would be completely forgiven. I’m literally enchanted by this novel, and that hasn’t happened since I was sixteen.

It’s one of those novels that ignites my greedy side, not wanting to recommend it because I want it for myself. But I do recommend it, if not just for the way it breathes on its own but because of the importance of the content and the message that Adeyemi seeks to spread. I’m not going to speak about what the message is, though, because I think it’s important to read the book first, looking at it as a novel first. Although, the themes are very clear.

I’m not going to post a rundown of the plot or the blurb of the book because I knew nothing about it when I picked it up, but if you like fantasy worlds and magic that explores culture beyond European borders or Elves, this book is a beautiful place to travel to.

I just wanted to share my feelings about reigniting my passion for reading, whilst trying to gather them into words. Thanks for reading!