Children of Virtue and Vengeance

December 9, 2019
This sequel to Children of Blood and Bone picks up three weeks after the clash that dispatched Zélie's father and brought loss to Orïsha's royal family. Zélie hoped that restoring magic to Orïsha would end the subjugation of its white-haired maji clans; regrettably, however, Zélie's ritual also triggered the latent abilities of nobles with maji ancestry, including Princess Amari and the tyrannical Queen Nehanda. These "tîtáns" need no incantations to wield magic, rendering them unspeakably powerful—and dangerously volatile. With a civil war brewing, Amari makes a bid for the crown, promising peace and equality; Nehanda enthrones another, however, and contrives to use an army of tîtáns to eradicate the maji. Meanwhile, maji rebels dubbed the Iyika aim to assassinate Orïsha's nobles and install Zélie as queen. Adeyemi's thrilling second Legacy of Orïsha novel ups the stakes and expands the series' mythology while extolling unity and illustrating the futility of hatred and retribution. Shoehorned romance and manufactured friction between protagonists aside, Adeyemi delivers a vivid, visceral tale studded with action and capped with a literary gut-punch. Ages 14–up. Agent: Alexandra Machinist and Hillary Jacobson, ICM Partners.

December 15, 2019
In this follow-up to Children of Blood and Bone (2018), Zélie and company are back, and the future of Orïsha hangs in the balance. Zélie, now a maji Reaper, has achieved her goal and brought magic back to Orïsha, but at great cost. Grief and loss are strong themes throughout the book, compounded by guilt for Zélie, who feels responsible for her father's death. Zélie and her older brother, Tzain, try to help Princess Amari ascend the throne, believing her family dead--but Queen Nehanda, Amari's mother, is very much alive and more formidable than they could imagine. The trio join the Iyika, a band of rebel maji working to protect their persecuted people from threats new and old. Though the characters' trauma reads as real and understandable, their decisions don't always feel sensible or logical, often stemming from a lack of communication or forethought, which may leave readers frustrated. Though still commendable for its detailed worldbuilding, with an ending compelling enough to keep fans interested in the next installment, much of the book feels like navigating minefields of characters' ill-advised decisions. All characters are black except for a secondary character with silky black hair, tan skin, and gray eyes "like teardrops." Second installments in trilogies sometimes slump--here's hoping the third book is a return to the vibrancy of the first. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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Starred review from December 15, 2019
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* After Z�lie and Amari successfully completed the ritual that restored magic to magic-wielding majis, they soon find that they weren't the only ones bestowed with powers as a result. Some nobles have developed powers, too, and?ironically enough?they're building an army to carry out the legacy of King Saran and eliminate majis by any means necessary. Led by Prince Inan, Amari's big brother and Z�lie's toxic yet electrifying love interest, the nobles wage a war against the Iyika, a group of maji rebels, testing the strength of blood, loyalty, magic, and love. Adeyemi's propulsive writing will have readers aching for resolve as twists and turns hit unscrupulously and without pause. While the first installment builds the narrating characters' foundations and familiarizes readers with the Yoruba or�shas, this follow-up gets into their psyches and unleashes the power of the deities and their respective maji as they fight for claim of Or�sha. From the beginning, Adeyemi has hinted that the fight for Or�sha would be won by either the monarchy or the maji, a political reality that will likely be all too familiar to today's readers. Terrifyingly enough, however, this sequel seems to ask: What if neither wins? Relentless even beyond its finish, this is a sure-fire hit. Endpapers include maps of Or�sha, which will delight those looking for a little extra to color the reading experience.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Children of Blood and Bone (2018) was a runaway hit, and fans of the first book have been waiting with bated breath for this one. Definitely have more than one on hand.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)