CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE

Named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Tomi Adeyemi is a Hugo- and Nebula Award–winning Nigerian American writer and storyteller based in New York, New York. After graduating from Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature, she studied West African mythology, religion, and culture in Salvador, Brazil. Her first novel, Children of Blood and Bone, debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Its highly anticipated sequel, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, also debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Tomi’s Legacy of Orïsha trilogy is being developed into a feature film. Tomi can be found teaching creative writing online. In 2020, she was named one of Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in Media, and her website was named one of the 101 Best Websites for writers by Writer’s Digest.

Instant #1 Bestseller

TIME Top 100 Fantasy Books of All Time

Goodreads Choice Award Winner

“A phenomenon.” —Entertainment Weekly

“A fast-paced, excellently crafted hero’s journey.” —NPR

“Storms the boundaries of imagination.” —The New York Times

“Propulsive pacing and richly imagined world.” —Vox

“Bursting with action, adventure, and magic.” —BuzzFeed

“A masterpiece.” —Refinery29

“Impossible to put down.” —USA Today

“A miraculous achievement.” —The Guardian

“An epic accomplishment.” —Deadline

“An astounding feat of storytelling and world-building.”  —BookPage

1. Zélie and her friends travel throughout Orïsha to collect three magical items: the scroll, the bone dagger, and the sun stone. How do the main characters evolve as they collect each item? What internal and external obstacles must the characters overcome along the way?

2. Compare these three characters: Zélie is a fighter, forced to defend herself and her people from the king’s oppression. Inan is a prince, determined to prove his worthiness as a ruler. Amari is a rogue princess, rebelling against her father’s corruption. How do their goals bring them together or put them in conflict?

3. Zélie and Inan meet each other in the dreamscape on several occasions. Which interaction did you feel most affected each character’s journey of self-discovery?

4. Analyze the following passage: “You have your duty and your heart. To choose one means the other must suffer.” How is this statement reflective of each of the main characters’ journeys? What role does duty and heart play in their decisions at the conclusion of the first book?

5. How does the Kingdom of Orïsha compare with other fantasy worlds in YA fiction?

6. Discuss each of the Maji Clans’ powers in relation to the gods. What similarities do you see among the characters that belong to the same clan?

7. Describe the class structure in Children of Blood and Bone. What role does magic play in the society’s separation of power? How do the class structures within this regime compare to modern-day governments?

8. Throughout the novel, Zelie talks about the price the characters have to pay because of their differences. Give an example of one of these situations, what price the character had to pay, and how it affects everyone. (For example: consider the relationship between Amari and her maid Binta and what price they both had to pay for being friends.)

9. Parent-and-child relationships play a heavy role in this novel, such as Zelie and her mother or Inan and his father. How are the characters’ morals and motivations influenced by their parents and their legacies?

10. Why do you think the author chose this title? What is she trying to convey?