Introduction and summary
I feel like the books you read in your adolescence really do shape your reading tastes as you mature. Often people would say that they were Harry Potter kids for example, but I was a Percy Jackson kid. I don’t think I fell in love with reading till my first Percy Jackson book. It set the scene for my love of magic, mythology, and the supernatural. I adore any form of media that includes mythology whether norse, roman, greek, or otherwise. The marvel and majesty of gods and mortals and how they intertwine. Tales as old as time.
It is crazy it has taken me until I turned 25 to finally tuck into some mythology based on my own culture. Nigerian mythology and general African folklore is not something that is as widely advertised compared to the likes of the big three being Norse, Roman, or Greek. Nearly everyone could mention a character from one of the big three whether a hero or a god. I am a little ashamed it took me this long to look into Nigerian mythology, however, I am incredibly glad that my first dabbling in this mythology was Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. It has been a while since I have passionately fell in love with a book like this. Children of Blood and Bone is set in the once magical land of Orïsha where maji were blessed with the gifts of different gods. Their magic ranging from controlling water, fire, or wind to healing, and summoning poison. However, one night magic disappeared and an event called the raid ordered by the savage king wiped out as many maji as possible. This left the ones marked by magic (the maji) to become oppressed in a society that sought to subjucate them and rob them of their culture. The main character Zélie loses her mother in this raid, but is presented with the last opportunity to bring back magic and save her people from the unrelenting monarchy. Zélie along with other characters must evade the crown prince and the vile king on their quest to liberate the maji and give them a fighting chance for a better life.
What I liked about this book
Okay, let’s get into what I liked about this book, and spoiler alert, there was a lot to like. Firstly, this book never lets the audience forget that this is ultimately centred around oppression and the effects of oppression. Authors who bring oppression into their story must justify its existence in my opinion. Why use oppression in your narrative? Something that affects people in the real world regardless of how mystical or alien the world building is. Whilst it may be a fantasy or sci-fi setting, the use of oppression to drive the plot is deliberate. This book does not shy away from the brutality of what it takes to oppress. The cruelty, the wiping away of their humanity, and the trauma that it imparts on those who feel it. The King is painted as a monster and rightfully so based on his actions. Adeyemi does eventually give context for why the King acts the way he does, but the narrative makes it clear that this is not justifiable. I have read books where they try to humanise the oppressors and justify their reasoning. There is no reason justified reason to oppress, especially to the bloody brutal extent that King Saran carries out said oppression.
Another aspect I absolutely adored was how unapologetically Nigerian/African it was. These characters are black, they are Africans. The language of the gods/spells in this universe is Yoruba which honestly made this book feel more like home. It made me feel seen considering books that have mainstream appeal seldom feature Africans or even black individuals as the main characters. Nigerian/African foods were mentioned throughout. The plot wasn’t slowed down to explain these things. I also feel like several themes explored within this novel such as colourism are ones that can only be accurately written about through the lens of those who have experienced them directly. It is often transparent and shallow when an author tackles themes that are culturally, politically, or economically removed from them, and it is clear in this story that the author has not written outside of their depth.
On the back of this, black people’s hair is often policed. Black people are often having to straighten their curls for schools or workplaces. Often our protective hairstyles are seen as ghetto or trashy. Even though these hairstyles can be linked back to our heritage. This book re-enforces that hair can be part of one’s cultural identity. The pain of having to hide your hair because of discrimination is one that black people have felt consistently over time. Hair is an important aspect of identity and belonging, and I feel like someone who hasn’t experienced the importance of this could get an idea as to why it is so important from this book.
I loved the magic system a great deal. There was a defined magic system that could be explained. The book explains the range of magic available descended from Orisha’s gods. The different gods bestowed different gifts from controlling fire or water, to communing with the dead or healing wounds. The abilities in this book vary and lead for exciting confrontations that prevents the action from getting stale. I loved that those with power who were oppressed, were oppressed for a reason. It never makes sense when individuals with such incredible power are the ones oppressed, but it makes sense in this context. Those without magic can strike down those with magic in a context I won’t explain here.
There is a great range of characters within this book. Characters that were likeable from the moment of their introduction to characters who grew on the reader over time. I really liked the character arcs of the main characters in which we see their POVs through the novel. Zelie, Amari, and Inan are all different characters at the beginning of the book versus at the end of it. We see the affects of their trials and tribulations. The weight of oppression versus the weight of being the oppressor. How the sins of the father are passed to the son. What it means to break the cycle and the very personal cost that it takes to do so. The strength of these characters further enhanced the narrative themes within this novel. A theme of parental abuse in the form of love is woven into the fabric of this book with Amari and Inan in particular. How parental abuse shapes the individuals we become. Do we become as broken as our parents or do we heal the parts of ourselves that they broke out of their sick and twisted vision of love? We see how Amari and Inan products of the same environment, and how they choose to respond to the world. With a character like Zelie, we can see what the affects of oppression can do to an individual and a culture. The way oppression can shrink those with powerful proud souls. Through the eyes of these characters, my heart broke again and again. The betrayals within this story, the cruelty and reality of what it means to oppress, and the feeling of being able to embrace your culture fully. It should not be lost on the reader that these characters are all children or young adults. Oppression thoroughly robs children of their innocence, as children experience untold horrors that most could not fathom. Given the current political context the world is in, books that do not steer away from the true barbarity that genocide and oppression cause are good in my books (see what I did there).
What I did not like about this book
As much as there are many reasons for me to adore this book, unfortunately, there were a few reasons why I did not. One aspect I did not like was the speed in which certain relationships develop. I felt like the romance subplot advanced a bit too quickly given the context it was produced in. However, this is a minor transgression in my eyes. I also wish the magic system ran deeper. I wish we got more context for how magic interacted with the world, and how those with magic changed their world. The world building is very intriguing from the perspective of someone not well-versed in Nigerian mythology. I craved more from this book on the mythology. However, this book is about humanity more so than mythology. So again, this is a minor issue that I had with the book.
Now my dear reader…
…I so desperately wish I had a book like this growing up. A book that had people like me as the protagonists and not just the villain or comic relief. To have an author take such pride in their heritage and repurpose it into such a wonderful fantasy. I do think those outside of the culture could learn a lot from this book. A lot of the unfairness in this book mirrors the unfairness that those of colour, particularly black individuals face on a day to day basis. This book will stay with me for a while. I absolutely devoured this book and ran through it as quickly as I could. The second I finished this, I ordered the sequel. This book has kickstarted a passion to delve into further Nigerian mythology in the various forms they may take. Whether you are Nigerian or not, there is a lot to be taken from this book.
Lazlo ranking: 7/10
- The importance of hair and how it is important for identity and belonging
- The magic system
- The range of characters
- Showing the effects of abuse of children
- Colourism, racism, etc
- Gripping, heartbreaking, emotive
What I did not like
- Romance plot developed a bit too quickly
- Wish the magic system was deeper
The Life Of Lazlo 
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