Getting to learn about some, for the first time, was a highlight for me and I hope to find out about many more in book 2. I love all the different gods and goddess, but I have never before heard about any Yoruba deities. The fantasy elements and world history are based on Yoruba culture and mythology. While I found both of those to be true, this book was still quite different since this wasn’t a dystopian but was fantasy instead. I was also very interested in the blurb and I found that this book gave me a very light The Hunger Games vibe, and a bigger Divergent vibe. I picked this book up because I really enjoy YA fantasy, I was in love with the cover, and reading more books by WOC authors was one of my 2022 reading goals.

Since I review so many LGBTQ+ books, I do want to mention that this book doesn’t have any queer rep, at least not that I noticed. I did think the story had a few bumps, but overall it was a very good read. The fact that this is a debut makes me even more impressed. The story has some length to it but it was so gripping that once I started reading it, I knew I would be finishing it in the same day. I just finished it and I still feel like I’m buzzing a bit. Thank you so much deborah falaye and harpercollins for the ARC!!Ĥ.50 Stars. and with so many interweaving webs and shocking events, not only making this an impressive first book, but a really promising start to a series.Ĭant wait to see where the story goes next! With complex characters who are more than their revenge, fast pacing and accessible writing, lush world-building and a compelling plot, its hard to believe this is a debut novel. and i think its because both aspects are so powerfully brutal, with the sure potential for characters to lose themselves in both. so i was really impressed with how the african mythology/yoruban religion so seamlessly integrates with the destructive technology of the army. its either fantasy or sci-fi, but hardly ever both. I honestly cant recall the last SFF book ive read. this story is hard-hitting and unforgiving. ‘you have to decide what matters most: your humanity or your survival.’

Blood scion deborah falaye