Children of Virtue and Vengeance review.
I really enjoyed this book. It was pretty sad, though. It felt like the main characters never got a break. I understand, as a writer, that we need to kill our darlings...but for me, sometimes it’s too much and I end up not liking the book or certain parts of it.
I feel like this story is mainly about Zelie and Amari. Amari is determined to get her throne back because she believes she can build a better Orisha. One that includes all people, maji or not. Little did she know, her mother had other plans and more shocking events come to life for her through the book. One the other hand, Zelie is drowning in a sea of sorrow. She lost her Baba, was betrayed by Inan and even though she brought magic back, the world isn’t better - it’s honestly worse. Things perpetually get worse for her through the book.
My favorite character was Zelie. She suffered, she raged and she fought. She was so real, so human. She wasn’t perfect, she wanted to give up, she wanted to not be the one to save the world - but she kept going. I loved that.
My least favorite character was Nehanda. She’s a cruel and ruthless woman. The more I learned about her, the more I hated her.
I disliked how few the moments of happiness were for the main characters. Like the book is so sad that my heart felt heavy for most of it. It got hard to read at some points, but the book was good enough to keep me interested.
I love the world building. There is religion, clans, monarchy, new animals...there is just so much incorporated into this world. It’s really amazing and well done. I really love intense world building books.
There is another book that comes out this year: Awaken The Magic.
Thanks for reading! I am currently reading Crystal Storm. I am always taking book suggestions, but it will be a while before I will be able to read them. I have a TON of books on my reading list right now.
