Introduction

With five starred reviews, Tomi Adeyemi’s West African-inspired fantasy debut, and instant #1 New York Times Bestseller, conjures a world of magic and danger, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir.

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.

"A phenomenon." ?Entertainment Weekly

“The epic I’ve been waiting for.” ?New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu

“You will be changed. You will be ready to rise up and reclaim your own magic!” ?New York Times-bestselling author Dhonielle Clayton

“The next big thing in literature and film.” ?Ebony

“One of the biggest young adult fiction debut book deals of theyear.” ?Teen Vogue

This title has Common Core connections.

#1 New York Times bestseller, March 14, 2018

Editorial Review

Tomi Adeyemi’s debut novel is the start of what promises to be an epic, addictive new series. The Children of Blood and Bone is influenced by Adeyemi’s West African heritage, and in it she bends religious deities (the Orïsha) and a diverse landscape into a refreshing new take on fantasy. The Children of Blood and Bone is told from multiple points of view, as Inan and Amari, children of the iron-fisted king, and Zélie and Tzain, siblings who have suffered greatly under the king’s regime, find themselves on a dark, magic-filled quest for power. Their journey is accompanied by violence and betrayal, but friendship and even star-crossed love also play a part. Enriched with themes that resonate in today’s social and political landscape, The Children of Blood and Bone takes on injustice, discrimination, and a struggle for change. The action and danger ramp up with each chapter, and I found myself racing through the final pages, holding my breath right up to the cliffhanger ending. -- Seira Wilson for the Amazon Book Review

Excerpt

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Discussion Questions

1. Describe Ze?lie’s background and personality. What are her strengths and weaknesses? How does she change over the course of the book, and what causes the changes? Discuss why she characterizes her past as a “lifetime of mistakes” (p.375). Do you agree with her assessment of herself?

2. Talk about Tzain, specifically his personality and his relationship to Ze?lie, using evidence from the text. How does he contribute to their quest? What does Amari like about him? Discuss Tzain’s statement, “I’m tired of paying for everyone’s mistakes” (p. 395).

3. Compare what Amari is like at the beginning of the novel and what she is like at the end. What brings about the changes in her character? Discuss her relationships with her father, mother, and brother, and explain how those are part of her transformation.

4. Amari embraces Ze?lie’s cause wholeheartedly but Inan wavers. What makes the siblings different in this regard? Talk about Inan’s characteristics and how his father influences him. Analyze the symbolism of Inan carrying his father’s pawn. Why is Ze?lie attracted to Inan? Discuss the important choices he makes, especially those near the story’s end.

5. Summarize the history of Ori?sha in regard to the maji and kosida?n, including the Raid. What is King Saran’s approach to ruling the kingdom and how is it different from his father’s? Why is Saran so violent? Discuss his exchange with Ze?lie before he has her tortured.

6. The gods are a key aspect of the novel. Describe them and the characters’ encounters with them. How do the gods affect the plot? Why are they so important to Ze?lie and her friends?

7. Point to times and relationships in the novel where trust is a significant issue, especially among the four main characters. When is trust justified among the characters? When is trust betrayed? Why is trust such a central issue under a tyranny like King Saran’s?

8. Anger is also heightened under a tyranny. Who is angry in the novel, and why? Is the anger justified? How does anger fuel some of the important action in the plot?

9. What challenges do Ze?lie, Amari, and Tzain face in their quest to save their country? What physical obstacles do they have to overcome on the journey? What are their worst setbacks, and how do they deal with them?

10. Talk about the world building in the novel, which draws on West African history and culture but transforms them and adds magic. What kind of information and descriptions create the convincing, multifaceted fictional world? Find places where the author effectively weaves in information about the setting without slowing down the story.

11. Why do you think the author tells the story from three viewpoints with three different voices? How are the voices different from one another? How would it be different with a single narrator? Why use first-person voices? Discuss why Tzain doesn’t narrate part of the story.

12. Analyze the prologue and epilogue, and think about why the author chose to include them. Discuss the first line of the prologue and that of the first chapter. Discuss the last line of the last chapter and the last line of the epilogue.
Explain how the lines relate to the novel as a whole.

13. Discuss the Author’s Note at the end of the book. What real-world parallels can you draw between the challenges in this book and the challenges minorities face today? Why do you think the author chose to portray these challenges through a fantasy lens?

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