Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha #1)

Summary:

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. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Review:

This is a book that I was pretty hyped up about and I think that’s the main reason it felt a little flat for me.  What I loved included the world building, the setup for magic and the dynamic situation with the king / family.  What was disappointing for me was the instalove setup that never seemed to fully develop.  I can go along with instalove if it at least has some retroactive development, but it never felt like Zélie developed a strong voice where her feelings resonated with Inan and made me understand her true emotions.

When it comes down to it, I think this is a book that is still worth the read because it has some diversity in character and setup (thank goodness because it was getting a little monotone in the fantasy world), but it wasn’t one that had strong lasting power or will become a favorite.  Over time I probably will pick up the next in the series to see if it improves as the story goes on!

Warning: Contains repeated violence and sexual content.

Rating: 3 stars!

Who should read it? Folks looking for a solid fantasy series with a few less tropes than others.

Want to read the whole series?

• Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orïsha #2)

• Untitled (Legacy of Orïsha #3)