Children of Blood and Bone

By: Tomi Adeyemi

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

This program is narrated by acclaimed reader Bahni Turpin, whose past work includes The Hate U Give and The Underground Railroad

In Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut.

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. 

©2018 Tomi Adeyemi (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic Reviews

"Bahni Turpin's breathtaking narration of this exhilarating novel will keep listeners rooted to their seats, listening intently.... Turpin's captivating narration, with incantations sung in Yoruba, intense battles, and lively, devastating dialogue, makes this an audiobook not to be missed." (AudioFile)

"[Narrator Bahni Turpin] excels at customizing her voice to capture the unique personalities of each character.... This excellent, refreshing performance of Adeyemi's exciting debut is recommended for all collections where fantasy is popular." (Booklist)

Beautifully Written

I was watching GMA on 3/7/18 and I saw the author Tomi Adeyemi being interviewed by Robin Roberts talking about her book and how excited she was when Stephen King reached out to her on Twitter, yes ma’am he knows your name now. Lol.
So I decided to download it.
I just finished the book today on 3/8/18, yes it took me two days to listen to the whole thing. After downloading the book, first thing I did was turned off my television and I sat in my dark bedroom listening to the book. I felt like I was Sebastian from the Never Ending Story... lol. For 18 hours I listened to this awesome book. Only stopping to eat, sleep and use the restroom. That’s how caught up I was, my husband didn’t even mess with me because he knew better. Lol.
It was Amazing, Captivating, Brilliantly Written. I love how the author took us on this quest into her imagination. Thank you Tomi Adeyemi.

212 of 224 people found this review helpful

Amazing Story!

I could see every clan, every Maji, every lock of white hair. I felt every emotion. Such a detailed and well written story.

96 of 104 people found this review helpful

AMAZING!

This book was an excellent listen. The narrator was a great fit for this book. as an African American woman, this book was very emotional as my ancestors were stolen from their land and our culture and traditions lost. Listening to this book has me yearning for more. To find out more about where we originated from. I know it's early in 2018, but this is one of the best books I've purchased in a long time.

50 of 55 people found this review helpful

amazing new story.....so-so narrator

love the new book....but the narrator ruined it for me. being a Yoruba speaker and understanding the language, it was extremely jarring to have someone mangle the language in a way that makes it clear the narrator doesn't understand what she's saying.
if I didn't know the "foreign" language used, i think I'd have enjoyed the book more.
I hope the next book gets narrated by a dual speaker of English and Yoruba, as it would make an amazing difference....may yet get the e-book version in order to enjoy the book as it should be.
Also, had to listen to the book at 1.4x narration speed, just to have a normal pace!

50 of 58 people found this review helpful

Five Stars are not Enough!

Adeyemi did a brilliant job of organizing the storyline. The characters were so vibrant, realistic and yet distinctly different from one another. I could stop listening as the story griped me time and time again. The Children of Blood and Bone rivals(if not surpasses) Harry Potter, a fictitious far away dreamland. The adventures of the main characters were so vividly portrayed the reader easily feels apart of the journey. Although this may appear to be a young adult book, any age will enjoy it. Adeyemi builds the story to exciting conclusion that leaves the reader wanting more. I will be first in line to preorder the next one!

20 of 23 people found this review helpful

Audible.. you couldn't find a Yorùbá narrator?

Audible I am thoroughly upset with how this book was narrated!! 4 chapters in and I had to stop to write this review. I cannot go on any further. It is disappointing to think that a book based on my culture has to be butchered in such a way. This book is based on Yorùbá culture, the cities the Dieties the whole entire story... But you are using an actress/narrator who has no idea how to pronounce Yorùbá words like Ìbàdàn and màmá àgbà.... I mean... I cringe every time I hear her say certain words... No offense to her...but she is in no position to do justice to this book.... Are you saying in the whole Wide world we couldn't find a Yorùbá actress or narrator to narrate this award winning book for us?? Please audible.... Africa is not one country and we don't all sound the same and speak the same language... Please for upcoming books in this series I beg you.... Let's get someone that actually speaks the language to narrate and use the proper intonation and accent.... I have been using audible for several years and this is my first negative review.... Please let's do better...

121 of 146 people found this review helpful

Yoruba Pride

I am so in love with this story. It makes me proud as someone with Yoruba heritage and how our culture is a focal point in this story. This book is everything I can’t wait for books 2 and 3! I am so excited!!!!

21 of 25 people found this review helpful

More of This

I am so happy to see more and more diversity in fantasy, and this is no exception. A dark-skinned heroine who is as fierce as any leoponaire, Zélie is a complex, and well fleshed out character. The world building is superb, and I loved the richness and color of the magic system. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

I do have some (minor) gripes, however. First of all, the scene in which we first meet Zélie, where she is attempting to graduate, and we're introduced to her rival, ends up having very little to nothing to do with the rest of the story. Second, Zélie is, in most cases, a very strong and compelling heroine. However, she gradually becomes more and more histrionic, and it gets frustrating. There were several points at which I really just wanted her to call off the pity party and get herself together.

My last gripe is Bahni Turpin. I recognize that I'm in the minority here, but she's really not my favorite narrator. At all. She's not *bad*, but she tends to overact, and she has a very bad habit of yelling into her mic, which if, like me, you listen to your audiobooks on headphones, is extremely unpleasant.

All that being said, this is an important book on so many levels. I loved the relationship between Zélie and Amari. And just when you might think this book is falling into the familiar YA fantasy tropes, it takes an unexpected left.

18 of 22 people found this review helpful

Great book but

I listened and I am enjoying the story. I wish the reader had the right pronunciation for the words or cities. I grew up in Nigeria and it took me a bit to figure out what cities the reader was referring to. I enjoyed it.

9 of 11 people found this review helpful

I TRIED 🙄...

Really, I did! All the hype and 5-star reviews, I was looking forward to it. I used my monthly Audible credit so I was listening to this book. I really enjoyed Bahni Turpin’s narration of The Kitchen House (great book, btw!) and thought she was a great fit for this book as well. The story was interesting but the dialogue? Not so much!! Yes, we all understand that the culture was polytheistic, but do we HAVE to say, “oh my gods” 5000 times? The simplistic interaction between the characters became like fingernails on a chalkboard. I’m glad I could return it. Thank you Audible!

17 of 22 people found this review helpful