海角大神

How did we get so lucky with this spring鈥檚 young adult novels? The March releases alone are just *Italian chef kiss*.

At the top of the class is Tomi Adeyemi鈥檚 flawless YA fantasy, 鈥淐hildren of Blood and Bone,鈥� which has already been snapped up in a giant movie deal. Nigerian-American Adeyemi, who has studied West African mythology and culture in Brazil, puts her knowledge on glorious display in 鈥淏lood and Bone.鈥� Through nuanced characters and exquisite worldbuilding, Adeyemi鈥檚 thunderous debut explores race, power, magic, and identity.

The land of Or茂sha was once full of magic. Ten clans of maji, identifiable by their white hair, represented a tensome of deities, each with their own power. Tiders governed the waves; Connectors could manipulate minds; Healers restored people; Reapers ushered them into a peaceful afterlife; and so on.

But after rogue maji killed members of the kosid谩n (or non-magic) monarchy eleven years ago, magic seemed to disappear; some said the gods took it away. A furious King Saran, seizing the moment, ordered every adult maji killed in a genocide later known as the Raid. Since then, those of maji descent (known as div卯ners, since their gifts have not manifested) are imprisoned, used as slave labor, taxed at impossible rates, called 鈥渕aggots,鈥� and abused by guards everywhere.

One such div卯ner is our heroine, Z茅lie Adebola. Her mother, a Reaper, was publicly murdered in the Raid.

鈥淢ama used to say that in the beginning, white hair was a sign of the powers of heaven and earth. It held beauty and virtue and love, it meant we were blessed by the gods above,鈥� Z茅lie says. 鈥淏ut when everything changed, magic became a thing to loathe. Our heritage transformed into a thing to hate.鈥�

Z茅lie, her kosid谩n father, and her older brother, a protective athlete named Tzain, were left to scrape together an impoverished, post-traumatic life under the monarchy鈥檚 boot heel. Tzain, Z茅lie says with disgust, 鈥渨ants to believe that playing by the monarchy鈥檚 rules will keep us safe, but nothing can protect us when those rules are rooted in hate.鈥�

Meanwhile, in the palace, Saran鈥檚 children, Princess Amari and Prince Inan, have been raised by their paranoid, sadistic father to believe that magic is the source of all evil in Or茂sha. When an ancient magical artifact surfaces 鈥� a scroll that, when touched, reawakens a div卯ner鈥檚 gift and transforms them into maji 鈥� the king swears to destroy it. But when sheltered Amari sees him use the scroll to reawaken her div卯ner best friend鈥檚 magic 鈥� and then he slays her on the spot 鈥� she steals the scroll and escapes.

Amari, Tzain, and Z茅lie, whose magic the scroll has now awakened, find themselves on a quest to collect two more artifacts that, if used with the scroll in a sacred ritual, can bring magic back to Or茂sha. But the clock is ticking and they鈥檙e hunted by Inan, who suddenly finds the hated magic growing within himself, as well as a powerful connection to Z茅lie that neither understands.

Whereas Z茅lie describes her magic as feeling like life itself has returned to her, a giant breath after eleven years of drowning, Inan calls his gift a curse, poison, virus, infection. Something toxic that must be oppressed, removed, avenged. The two are diametrically opposed but inextricably linked, and when they finally connect, the physical and spiritual clash is like a sonic boom.

鈥淢agic is the root of all our problems,鈥� Inan bellows during one confrontation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the root of Or茂sha鈥檚 pain!鈥�

鈥渊辞耻谤 father is the root of Or茂sha鈥檚 pain,鈥� Z茅lie retorts.

鈥淢y father is your king. A king trying to protect his people,鈥� Inan says. 鈥淗e took magic away so Or茂sha would be safe.鈥�

鈥淭hat monster took magic away so that he could slaughter thousands. He took magic away so the innocent couldn鈥檛 defend themselves!鈥� yells Z茅lie. 鈥淥ur lack of power and our oppression are one and the same.鈥�

As Adeyemi explores these tensions, her prose gallops at a breakneck pace from one outstanding plot point to another. With precision and thrumming intensity, Adeyemi crafts 540-plus pages of relentless, focused action with nary a blurry moment. I was never lost, never aimless, never distracted by a fudged narrative sequence; really, it left me in awe. The first page alone raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

Her dialogue is also fluid and natural. I eagerly await (but do not envy) the work of audiobook narrators like my oldest sister, who will get to grapple with Yoruba pronunciation throughout.

鈥淐hildren of Blood and Bone鈥� deserves every extraordinary piece of praise lavished upon it, plus one hefty disclaimer 鈥� due to graphic violence and torture scenes, the 鈥渁ges 14 and up鈥� footnote must be respected.

This sweeping epic is perfect for fans of Laini Taylor or Tamora Pierce. If you enjoyed 鈥淏lack Panther,鈥� the Elder Scrolls video game series, or Leigh Bardugo鈥檚 Grisha trilogy, Tomi Adeyemi鈥檚 gale-force gust of fresh air will move you.