Book Review: Meet The Maji Clans

In 2018, author Toni Adeyemi publishes the first novel in a trilogy. Children of Blood and Bone introduces the readers to the Maji clans of Orisha. Magic was thought to have been banished from this land until a scroll is stolen. It’s another story about a group of young rebels trying to bring magic back to their land despite the oppression of the kingdom. The novel is presented in first person, but the point of view alternates between each chapter. There is a girl called Zelie who seems to be the main protagonist, but two or three other characters are presented as well.

Full disclosure here: young adult fantasy is not my genre of preference when it comes to leisure reading. That bias likely was a major contributor to my difficulty in finding enjoyment. Also, I am well beyond what would be considered a young adult. Adeyemi is not a bad writer, but there was not much found all that distinctive in her prose style. Also, there was not much distinctive about each character’s voice when they were featured in the chapter. I often had to double-check the chapter heading to make sure I was in the right character’s head.

I actually found Adeyemi’s heritage and background as a Nigerian-American more compelling than the actual story. To be fair, she is a new author, and her writing was not noticeably bad. Hell, I am not a master of the written word either, so Adeyemi and I both need the practice. Still, I have read other published works that are considerably worse than this novel. This is likely one of those novels where I would still recommend others to try out since my perception is likely tainted by my lack of experience and interest in the genre overall. It’s not bad, but it just didn’t impact me as much as I was hoping.

Now, I will be returning to more familiar territory for my leisure reading. A few years ago, Agatha Christie’s estate allowed more stories featuring Hercule Poirot to be created by Sophie Hannah. I am more of a fan of the late Dame Agatha and of course, Hercule Poirot. So Poirot has a baffling start to his involvement in The Mystery of Three Quarters.