Children of Blood and Bone: A guide to this year's biggest fantasy series

Copy of Children of Blood and Bone — Macmillan Children's

Children of Blood and Bone, the first book from author Tomi Adeyemi, has all the makings of a masterpiece.

The 600-page volume is a multi-faceted narrative not for the faint of heart (or memory), offering a Gabriel García Márquez-esque introduction of the fantasy novel's many tribes, as well as a powerful origin story. The book has made waves in the literary world, owing both to the young age of its author (Adeyemi was 24 at the time of publication) and her record-breaking book deal (seven figures, one of the largest ever). The movie rights were scooped up by Fox long before the book's release, which have since been transferred to Paramount Pictures.

Blood and Bone follows a young girl, Zélie, who lives in Orïsha, a mythical world filled with magic, monarchy, and the problems often associated with them: class discrimination, abuse of power, and violence. She's a member of the group known as the maji, citizens who had special powers before the king attempted to rid the world of magic. She discovers a way to bring those powers back, and, in turn, help the former maji, who have been disenfranchised and mistreated.

Comparisons are drawn, quite naturally, to the Hunger GamesandHarry Potter franchises. And there are plenty of aspects that fans of those YA behemoths will find to their liking. There's a divide in the lives of people of the magic and non-magic variety (we didn't say muggles, you did). The citizens of Orïsha are divided between different tribes, and members of the nobility live luxuriously in the central district. The wealthy tribes even force their servants to participate in deadly arena fights for entertainment.

But the similarities end there, and readers will find a lot to wrap their heads around in the world of Children of Blood and Bone. It's worth studying up before diving into the tome because this is a franchise that's going to be around for the long haul.

The main characters

The novel switches between narrators: Zélie is the clear protagonist, but the central story involves the adventures of four young citizens of Orïsha.

Zélie: A girl from a poor family in the village of Eloirin who lost her mother during the Raid

Tzain: Zélie's very protective brother

Amari: The princess of Orïsha who eschews her family's violence against the maji and helps Zélie and Tzain attempt to bring magic back

Inan: Amari's brother, the prince of Orïsha, charged with stopping the children from restoring magic—and bringing them to justice

Everyone else you should know

Baba: Tzain and Zélie's widowed father

King Saran: Amari and Inan's father, who has a murderous streak and a taste for revenge against anyone with magical powers

Nailah: Zélie and Tzain's pet lion

Mama Agba: A mentor (and fight instructor) to the young girls of Eloirin

Binta: Amari's best friend and palace servant

Admiral Kaea: The head of Inan's army and one of the top maji-haters

9781250170972_endpaper.indd — Macmillan Children's

The maji clans

The maji themselves have their own groups of powers and personalities. Below are the clan names and their specific powers.

Ikú Clan, a.k.a. Reapers: access and manipulate the spirits of the living and the dead

Èmí Clan, a.k.a. Connectors: tap into the mind, consciousness, and dreams of others

Omi Clan, a.k.a. Tiders: manipulate water and ice

Iná Clan, a.k.a. Burners: generate and manipulate fire

Aféfé Clan, a.k.a. Winders: manipulate air and wind

Aiye Clan, a.k.a. Grounders and Welders: manipulate the earth, or manipulate and bend metals, respectively

Ìmólè Clan, a.k.a. Lighters: manipulate light and darkness

Ìwòsàn Clan, a.k.a. Healers and Cancers: heal a wide variety of ailments and injuries, or infect the living with a wide variety of sicknesses and diseases, respectively

Aríran Clan, a.k.a. Seers: see into the past, present, and future

Eranko Clan, a.k.a. Tamers: control and transform animals