I was interested in Blood Scion because I was seeing it marketed alongside other books I enjoyed, so I figured this too would be right up my alley. Unfortunately it didn't end up working for me. It was too dark for my personal tastes, and I just struggled to stay invested in it. I just am the wrong audience for this one.

This book was about 100 pages too long. The story was decent but dragged and there were things that happened that didn't drive the plot forward.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Blood Scion is such a beautifully written YA fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out Blood Scion today.

(ARC from NetGalley, except I got around to it well after the pub date) First if all, whoever designed this cover I want to give you a kiss on the forehead. This book is INTENSE! If you're a fan of The Hunger Games trilogy or the Poppy War trilogy by RF Kuang, pick this up. It's not a light and breezy YA so please check CW.

Blood Scion is a powerful fantasy book that features a Black girl protagonist who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and others.

Name: Blood Scion
Author: Deborah Falaye
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

What I liked

🔥 the magic system: l loved  the magic system in this book. I am a big of youraba mythology and just mythologies in general, so reading about  a magic system connected to orishas made me like a book more
🔥 I enjoy books that has action and brutality spread out throughout the book, I feel it made the book engaging and also kept me on my toes ( if that makes sense) although some of the things that happens in this book were kind of predictable but I still enjoyed it.

What I didn't like
🔥 the romance : it felt rushed and under developed ,Sloane spent 80% of the book hating Dane just to suddenly start feeling butterflies in her stomach for him from where?? I didn't buy into the way Sloane's feelings towards Dane suddenly changed because they had no chemistry, there was no build up or tension or anything at all throughout out the book for me to work with ( you cant just throw love into the mix at the end like that)so I wasn't a fan.
If you like
African mythology
Action packed fantasy
Then you will like this book
Thank you @netgalley and @naijabookbae for my review copy

Sloane is a 15-year-old descendant of Orisha gods and determined to uncover what happened to her mother after her disappearance. However, the journey is perilous as she is regarded as something evil under Lucis rule: a Scion. She must keep her powers a secret during her quest, which is made more difficult when she is conscripted into the army of young people who will train to obliterate all Scions. Fraught with loss, burgeoning friendships, and uncovering the power within herself, this is a coming-of-age tale that weaves folklore, mythology, and magic into an exciting YA fantasy adventure.
Though this did take me a while to go through as in any first book in a series, Deborah Falaye builds the world in which Scions are hunted, there is a history of genocide, a militia of youth, a mystery surrounding the MC's parent, and the untapped potential of our MC that is left as a cliff-hanger into the next in the series. Overall, 3.5 rounded to 4. This series has great potential and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

This was a very interesting and creative book, and it had a high-stakes plot, but I also felt like a lot of the twists had little to do with the story overall or weren’t set up for the way they could have been for them to have impact.

This book was an interesting read, to say the least! Overall, I enjoyed my time reading it, but it didn't stick with me the way I was hoping it would. I think it's a good fit for readers in this age demographic, though, and will be recommending it to any teens looking for a well-written fantasy to sink their teeth into!

Excuse me, have you heard of our lord and savior Deborah Falaye? *Pushes a copy of Blood Scion into your mailbox*

Absolutely as a loss how to accurately describe how good this book is. After reading The Blood Trials, I wanted something with similar vibes and Blood Scion absolutely delivered.

I give this a four star rating because the ending kind of flew off the rails and right before the ending, characters started getting a little 1 dimensional. But overall, fucking fantastic stuff.

The fact that this is a debut novel blows my mind.

This is a compelling story and I loved reading about the Yoruba mythology and gods throughout the story.

It has some heavy content (check out the trigger warnings) bit I highly recommend this book and it is definitely worth a read.

this book was WILD. i knew it was going to be dark before going into it but it was DARK dark. i want to make it clear that even though this book is YA, there are some extremely gruesome and upsetting scenes in this book. that being said, i ended up really loving this. i loved following our main character sloane and it didn't take long for me to care so much about her because she went through the RINGER like what the heck. i kept thinking that surely things couldn't get worse and then deborah falaye said ok watch this. i loved watching sloane's journey and can't wait to see where book 2 goes because that ending?? there were so many reveals and i really didn't see many of them coming. this was an extremely impressive debut and i honestly feel like this could be the next hunger games if more people pick this up.

tw: death, gore, genocide, self harm, sexual assault

Wow! What a debut. This fantasy gave me huge Children of Blood and Bone vibes. It was super easy to fall into and stay engaged in. The magic system was easy to understand and intriguing. The twist was fantastic, if not a tad predictable. No matter though, the sequel is definitely one I'll be reading.

Let us talk about the cover, it's stunning. I received the e arc as in a giveaway and I couldn't review it until now because life had gotten in the way.
Asuch as I loved The Hunger Games and as much as I wanted to love this,I couldn't. I tried, I stuck with it giving it chance after chance to redeem itself but it didn't.
The tropes used here have been done alot of times but since the vernacular and culture were very different, it gave the whole story a new spin. But the mediocre uninteresting plot still made cracks in the beautifully refreshing setting and culture representated in this book. For diversity I give this book a 10/10.
The protagonist was meant to come off as fuerce, grief stricken but strong unfortunately all I could gather was bothersome, a girl constantly nagging and just grating. I get why she was built that way but I just couldn't tolerate her. I hate when protagonists act like they know more than everyone else, like their plans and ideas are the only ones that are sensible and well thought out while everyone else is irrational when in actuality they are the ones who sound extremely rash. Yeah our protagonist was just like that.
Despite being thrown into chao as soon as the book starts, I still felt bored. The writing was a bit confusing for me because of the different vernacular used but thats on me...

A fast-paced, gritty young adult dystopian novel. When 15-year-old Sloane is drafted into the military to fight against the "gifted" in their communities, she faces the wrath of that same army when they discover that she herself is among the "gifted" they have pitted themselves against. She desperately tries to hide her giftedness, while simultaneously trying to uncover the mystery surrounding her parents' deaths at the hands of the army.

The ruthlessness at the core of the army is bone chilling and there is an element of this story that reminds me of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games, but not exactly, which gives it a freshness that I enjoyed. Sloane is a well-crafted character, and her challenges seem overwhelming. She has a fighting spirit that cannot be denied by her or anyone she comes in contact with.

I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the sequel/s.

Thank you Net Galley for providing the ARC and thank you Deborah Falaye and publisher for allowing me to read early to review.

This book is so intoxicating. It is deep and dark but utterly amazing. If you are looking for a read that provides an emotional connection to the characters and the world, this is it. Please be aware of TW prior to reading as the theme could be triggering to some. Despite this, the book is written in such a way that you just can not put it down.

Sloane, a Scion - descendant of the ancient Orisha gods, has spent her entire life hiding her special ability to literally incinerate enemies from a society that prosecutes anyone with powers. But things change when she is forced to train for the Lucis army alongside the very people who want her dead. However, Sloane is intelligent and she hatches a plan to infiltrate the regime and bring it to its knees. Her ultimate goal is to discover what actually happened to her mother who has disappeared without a trace. Sloane quickly rises up the ranks, getting stronger every day while keeping her powers hidden. However, the ultimate challenge may be to retain her own identity and not become the monster she fights.

Sloane is a strong, complex protagonist aka a survivor. Her journey is difficult and yet she learns more day by day as the author expertly weaves themes of family, self-discovery, loyalty and trust into the story line. The support characters are a force to be reckoned with also and as the story unfolds Sloane learns several important life lessons such as family isn't always determined by blood. The setting is colorful, rich and vivid lending to the overall richness and enjoyment of this epic story. The mythology and world building is so compelling to the point of becoming real while serving to draw readers in. Blood Scion is a powerful, sometimes poignant, brutal story that tackles issues of forced child soldiers, genocide and the horrors and victims of wars. It's an emotional, action packed journey I highly recommend to fans of fantasy and strong female protagonists.

Epic fantasy in an extremely original story. The cover only just hints about the delights inside the cover. Recommended for every library serving teens and young adults.

I already own this and really enjoyed it! This is the type of YA fantasy that I like sharing with students. the characters are strong and the plot is fresh. So happy to recommend this to all YA collections!