Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Series: Legacy of Orïsha #1
Age: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy
Publication Date: March 6th 2018
Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Source: Hardcover (Exclusive from B&N) & Audiobook
Purchase: Kindle | Hardcover | Paperback | Audible | B&N | Kobo | Play Store | iBooks
Synopsis:
The B&N Exclusive Edition includes six pages of handwritten, behind-the-scenes material plus a map of Lagos, the capital city of Orïsha. The city map shows the Royal Palace, the marketplace, and the diviner slums that ring the marketplace.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy.
My Rating:
Quote(s) I Like:
"It avoids rather than hurts, it hurts rather than maims, it maims rather than kills -- the staff does not destroy." - Mama Agba
"Your people, your guards -- they're nothing more than killers, rapists and thieves. The only difference between them and criminals is the uniforms they wear." - Zélie
"You know how to win. Just make sure you know when to fight." - Mama Agba
My Thoughts:
It has taken me a few days to gather myself because I am still attached to this book. Where do I even begin?! Tomi Adeyemi is a phenomenal writer! Her world building is fantastic and her magic system was awesome. I loved everything about this book from start to finish. The pace was great, the characters all complex and intricate and the plot just kept twisting and turning. Gripped from beginning to end!
Zélie was such an amazing character! As the protagonist of this story I never had a moment where I didn't like her. She was spunky, bossy and confident when need be. She knew what she was capable of and she never gave up. Zélie is definitely my favorite character of all the others. She matured throughout the journey to restore magic to her people and as a maji she was just like her mother. I predict that she may even be more powerful than her mother.
Prince Inan was a shocker for me! I did not expect him to be what he was. I always considered him to be a spoiled brat, but learning about his upbringing and knowing that his father was a grade A dick, I felt bad for him. I didn't like how he played the fence between good and evil.
Princess Amarai was a character I saw as weak the whole story up until the end chapters. She is a spitfire and a beast. She may seem weak and fragile, but when the girl needs to kill she goes all out. I loved her boldness and how she stood up to her father and her brother. She complained a lot, but seeing as she was a sheltered princess it made sense for her to. She grew into herself throughout this whole story and I can't wait to see how things change her even more in the sequel.
Tzain, Zélie older brother, was a funny guy. I don't know whether I liked him or not. He was totally overbearing and seemed to blame Zélie a lot. I feel as if he has a lot of growing to do within himself. He was too serious and didn't know how to live and have fun.
The romances were so stinking cute! Tzain and Princess Amari I didn't care for at first, but I loved how they helped one another bring out their quirky sides. Tzain was too uptight and Amari was too reserved, but together they had fun and laughed. Now, Zélie and Prince Inan was a romance I was all over! Sort of the hate to love trope, but it worked considering they were enemies, but technically on the same side. I adored those two love birds together and their little stolen moments together.
Mama Agba was like a sweet old granny to me. I loved how fierce she was and how she encouraged Zélie throughout the story. She was essential to Zélie's upbringing and I loved it. King Saran is an evil twisted bastard. I did not like him one bit. He played the part of a villain perfectly. He was a terrible leader, a horrible husband and an even worse father. The way he treated his kids killed me. I'm glad he met the end that he did.
That ending left me a bit hollow. The ending definitely was what I wanted, but not how I expected. Is Inan dead? Is Amari a maji? I need the sequel right now!
Have you read this book?