4.5 stars

In a world where Orisha are hunted and children are thrust into working for the brutal Lucis, Sloane is set on a journey to find her mother. I received an arc of this book a while back, and I didn't have a clue what I was getting into. But, wow... This was spectacular.

I was hooked from the beginning. With Sloane's story, we were thrown right into this book. Action started this book, and action took us to the end. I couldn't put it down. I was very immersed in this story, from beginning to end, and I was very sad when this story was over. Also, we better be getting a sequel??? Because that ending... Oh my god it bumped it up a whole half star.

So much betrayal was held in this book, by the end my heart felt twisted and sore. I literally gasped out loud on multiple occasions. I think I got emotional whiplash from this haha.

The characters were also really great! I felt so close to Sloane, that everything that happened to her, I felt like it happened to me. The writing of the characters just made them feel so deep, so dimensional. I truly felt scared for the characters, sad for them, angry with them.

My biggest complaint was that I didn't have proper warning for some of the erm... darker scenes of this book. I might be able to blame myself for not seeking out the trigger warnings prior to reading it, but still... Also, the pacing felt a bit weird at times. I was definitely able to look past that though! I would definitely recommend.

Ummm wtf did I just read, why was it so damn good and where can I get more of it???????

Full review to come soon.

I'm back. To say this is making my favorite of the year lists is an understatement. This book y'all. I was almost ready to throw in the towel on ya fantasies. This was a breath of fresh air after so many failed reads.

The setting. I just wanted to forever explore and visit. I hope we get to roam the Freelands in the sequel.

The characters. While I am forever holding a grudge against the author because she knows what she did to my heart, I loved every characters different personalities and powers and stories. I can't wait for the artists in the community to do fanart because I wanna see all the characters come to life.

And the plot. What a ride. That ending had me shook and wanting more!!!

A dark military fantasy that will appeal to those who loved Red Queen and Children of Blood and Bone,

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸!

THIS BOOK WAS STUNNING!! I genuinely enjoyed it a lot! I love how the African mythology all ties in with the overall story! The writing style was so beautiful.

The characters are so well written and complex, which I loved. There is so much grief and betrayal within the story. There are some themes that may be hard to read for some, so be aware of that!

Overall, this was a great start to the story and I am looking forward to the second one!

Excellent inclusive story! It had everything one looks for in a well written, engaging YA. I will be buying the second.

TRIGGER Warnings: attempted rape, excessive violence, torture, abuse, blood.


This book... is SO good, horrifying, graphic, brilliant, well done. I have so many emotions about this one.

Unlike most reviews, I wanted to share a non-dramatization of my reactions while reading this book.
Start the book..."ok this is interesting, some action already, oh wow ...oh wow ok"
Continues ..."this is a bit slow, might not be for me"
Continues because the cover is GORGEOUS ... "some action, oh no [so much anxiety], oh yes, oh wow... OMG... OMG OMG...
Finishing the book... (Actually screaming)"ahhhhhhh, what?! AHHHH, what? NO NO NO, AHHHH' husband comes in to check on my mental health.. it is not good. I need the next book. he brings me cocoa instead... I guess that will have to suffice for now.
I hope you enjoyed that. It is not often that I have such a complete turn around about a book, and also that I am literally yelling at the end. There can be emotion, sometimes crying, but all out screaming... not often. This one had me.

Blood Scion follows Sloane, a teen that must hide who and what she is in order to survive. She is drafted into the army that is taking over her peoples land, killing them and she believes has also killed her mother (but there is no proof). Making the most of an absolutely horrible and terrifying experiences, Sloane attempts to find out what happened to her mother while training to be a soldier in an army shw couldn't care less about.

I can tell you, in all honesty, the cover is what initially grabbed me for this book. It is stunning in everyway and fits this book expertly. The plot ties together epic worldbuilding with the mythology and lore of what I have learned is insipred by Yoruba-Nigerian myth. This is so beautifully done, and I am so interested in this mythology, I would like to learn more.

Sloane's point of view thorughout this book really showcases the autrocity of war, the abuse and violence in the training and as a reader you really see a slow corruption on her part as she has to deal with her morals and her survival or humanity. In this world, you cannot have both. The change was so emotional and anxiety-ridden for me to read. Sloane is not your normal teen lead character, she never has a chance to be a teen in her world, she already thinks like an adult in so many ways, has to be scheming and untrusting. I also really liked all of the side characters, they all had something to add to the story and to Sloane's progression through the maddness.

The plot was very well done, but you need to be prepared for a lot of violence, death, and bloodshed. There isn't much pause from it either. This is a military, dystopian, fantasy that stays intense as you move through to the ending. Without giving too much away, Sloane has to fight to stay alive so many times, and not everyone is as lucky as she is. I cannot wait to read the next book in this duology. It was perfectly paced by the end and I can only imagine what the next one will bring us.

Simply incendiary.

Reading this book kindled a rage in my bones, a desire akin to Sloane’s to see her world burn. This is the kind of revenge story I die for, the one that asks how far should one go to stop evil, and it delivered.

I ACHED for Sloane. She’s 15, but this is anything but a younger YA story. It’s one of the most brutal YA books I’ve read, both thematically and violently. Falaye does an amazing job capturing the horrors of child soldiers—because, yes, they exist—and unpacking the layers underneath a girl who knows exactly how horrific it is, even as she is one.

She wrestles with becoming a monster to end all monsters. And that’s the kind of dilemma I love in stories.

The twists were fantastic—excellently executed, masterfully threaded through. The writing is evocative and visceral, perfectly befitting the subject. And the roots in Nigerian folklore put a fresh spin on this story of revolution.

Highly, highly recommend—if you have the stomach for it.

Abounding gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for a review!

-À

I absolutely loved this book. I wasn’t expecting the violence but it’s necessary to understand what Sloan and her fellow recruits are going through. I absolutely can not wait for book two.

In a world where teens are taken to become soldiers and people with powers known as Scion, descendants of ancient Orsiha Gods are hunted down and killed, one girl will have to fight to survive and find out what really happened to her mother. Fifteen year old Sloan has the ability to control fire, and has been trying to hide her powers before it’s too late. When the mandatory draft letter comes in, Sloane knows this is the only chance she’ll have to find out what really happened to her mother and who killed her. The only problem is that if her powers are revealed or if she slips up she’ll be in the hands of people who will not hesitate to torture and kill her. Sloane will soon rise through the ranks, making friends and enemies, being faced with difficult training and impossible situations where in the end she’ll have to ask herself if she has become the monster she has feared. This is a story about power, revenge, and freedom and is the first book in a duology. Filled with romance, betrayal, secrets, deaths, friendship and even a heist, it definitely keeps you invested in the storyline. There was a wide cast of characters and the story definitely gave me six of crows/ hunger game vibes with the whole - powered individuals, ragtag heist crew, teens being forced to fight to the death, a oppressive power controlling group of people who one girl will have to be forced to face and even try to kill, betrayals from loved ones that she never saw coming. I liked Sloane, and for a 15 year old she’s pretty great, she’s resilient, strong, and willing to fight for what she believes in. but with all 15 year olds there are bound to be judgement errors... say <spoiler>making out with the guy who had you beat nearly to death only a few weeks after killing another guy you were in love with..., yeah..... not so great. and knowingly messing up a heist and getting said team members caught </spoiler> Overall, its definitely a interesting read that will have you intrigued by the world and characters. I look forward to seeing how the author ends the series and what the characters will do next!

*Thank you to the Monstrous Girls Competition for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I feel like since page 1 of the book, I was descending further and further into darkness. I expected it to be dark, but didn't expect it to get as graphic as it did, especially so early on. I have never read anything it in my life. Sloan is a wonderful character. Watching her do everything she has to do to survive was horrific and terrible and such a fascinating character arc. She loses a lot of herself in this book. She does a lot of horrible things. She makes a lot of bad decisions and, worse, she loses a lot of her humanity because of this terrible world. We do a lot of moving in this book and the person she was at the start of its 430ish pages is not at all who she is at the end, yet the core of her remains very much the same. The side characters were good too. I think I wish we could've gotten more from them. There was a lot of Sloan's inner monologue that I wish could've been condensed so we could have her interact more with the other characters. Because of the nature of the book, I pretty much consider all of the characters besides Sloan side characters, since none of them really stood out enough to be a main character along with Sloan.

The plot of this book is amazing. It did get a bit slow in the middle and, again, the inner monologues got to be a bit much and repetitive at times. However, there are a lot of twists and turns and BIG surprises. I guessed the big one at the end a few chapters earlier, but I hadn't guessed many of the other ones throughout. This is one of the darkest YA books I've ever read. But everything that happens happens for a reason and isn't simply to frivolously put the MC through hell. This book is amazing. It is brilliant. The writing is fantastic. I don't know where the sequel will go, but I am both terrified and ecstatic to read it.

I love reading books about other cultures and their beliefs, lore and mythology. This one did not disappoint. This is a book that stays with you long after you have finished it. It is inspired by the real-life horrors endured by child soldiers and as such it contains very mature content. The book is fast paced and the characters are complex. Interested to see where the story goes from here.

Sloane's determination for answers about her mother's death comes at a price. Wehn she's forced to be a solider for the very rulers who kill her people, she decides the answers she wants are worth dying for. This book shows you how those hard, morally grey characters you love to read about become who they are.

Thank you to Deborah Falaye for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whoa. I stayed up until the early morning hours finishing this book and my heart was pounding so much I couldn’t fall asleep afterwards!

First, can we just take a minute to fawn over that cover?? It’s striking and beautiful and strong, and I’m in love with it!

It’s hard not to compare this to Children of Blood and Bone, since both focus on the African mythology of the Yoruba and the Orisha. I confess that I cannot do a comparison of the authenticity of their respective interpretations of this mythology, but several other reviews from those who know better assure us that Blood Scion does it better.

The writing is not particularly beautiful. It is blunt and unpolished, but where at first I thought it was simply because of the author’s inexperience as a writer, I’ve come to believe that it was this way purposefully. The book is written through the lens of Africa’s child soldier crisis, and I think the bold, blunt, in-your-face language only serves to sharpen the focus on the fact that these are children who have been forced to do and endure unspeakable things in a kill-or-be-killed situation. These situations will at best challenge them morally, mentally, emotionally, physically, and psychologically as they navigate those situations and try to reconcile the experiences in a way that preserves their humanity and sense of self-worth. At worst, it will turn them into monsters.

I do think there were some instances where the writing was a bit amateurish, but this is also an uncorrected eARC, so it stands to reason that some of this will be polished up a bit before it’s pub date.

But let’s talk about the story itself now. Restrained magic, prophesies, friendship, angry ancestral spirits, betrayal, UNrestrained magic, Orisha gods…this was a great ride! Ms. Falaye certainly knows how to write a page-turner!

"After centuries of oppression, of torment and pain and suffering, they dare judge me for my rage."

The world-building is fantastic. I could see each location the story takes us to very clearly, the scene coming alive in my imagination. From the village where Sloane grows up to the training room with Dane, to the spooky forest of the ancestors, we see everything Sloane sees, feel everything she feels.

The supporting characters are all so real as well, and it was easy to empathize with all of them, all the while wondering which among them was the person Sloane was warned not to trust. In the end, I didn’t see it coming and was completely surprised. In fact, there were several surprises and several false leads.

If I had to pick at anything, it would be the reason that Sloane stated as her primary reason for showing up for her training instead of running away with Theo (not that I think the threat to her Baba and Luna or the Lucis ability to track down deserters left her any other choice, really): she wanted to find out for sure what happened to her mother. I’m not sure I could completely buy that the confirmation of her suspicions would be enough to risk the punishment of getting caught. But she’s 15, so….I don’t know…things that make sense to 15 year olds don’t always make sense to adults and add in the culture, who is to say, really?

Regardless, the story was fantastic and absolutely rivals anything else similar out there right now. However –reader beware–this book will punch you in the gut at times and totally leaves you hanging in the end. But don’t worry, this book is the first part of a duology, so the story isn’t over yet and I for one am eagerly awaiting the second/last book!

Wow, just WOW. Fans of Sabaa Tahir and Tomi Adeyemi will enjoy reading Blood Scion. This book gripped me from the very beginning and took me along for the dark journey. Deborah Falaye is unafraid to approach the tough topics that are not spoken about enough, and to handle them with care. In Blood Scion we follow Sloan on her journey to discover her heritage, survive a world that is plotting against her, to embrace a power that she has long thought to be an enemy, and ultimately overcome the monster they are trying to make her. This book was intense in the best ways and there were times I needed to put it down and recollect my thoughts. In Blood Scion you are reminded of how you can find friends where you least expect it while simultaneously reminding you to be careful of who you trust. This book is a stunning reminder of the resiliency that can be found even in the darkest of time, and that monsters are not born - they are made. That above all else you must find the will to survive and determine what is worth living for. The character development in this book was stellar and the characters all felt real and relatable. I can not wait until book two to see where this story takes us. Thank you NetGalley and HarperTeen for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“You have to decide what matters most: your humanity or your survival”

CW: sexual abuse, child soldiers, graphic violence, and depictions of self harm

⚠️ Content warnings: graphic violence, sexual abuse (on page), descriptions of self-harm, human trafficking ⚠️

For fans of Sabaa Tahir, Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye is a violent and heroic look at what happens when oppressed people are pushed too far. Sloane Shade is a Yoruba and a Scion: two races that the evil Lucis royals hunt down without mercy. When she is recruited as a child soldier into the Lucis’s army, which may as well be a death sentence, Sloane embarks on an intensely violent journey for answers about what happened to her mother while she tries desperately to hold on to her humanity.

Blood Scion was a rich tapestry of world building and glaring truths about society. Much of the story has to do with Sloane wanting revenge on the 13 royal families that make up the Lucis dynasty for murdering her people, taking their land, and then adopting their styles as a spit in the face to the Yorubas. Sloane has fire magic, which is immediately snuffed out (pun intended) by the Lucis. So when Sloane is drafted, her main worry is how she will hide her magic. This story was brutal, and very reminiscent of Ember in the Ashes as far as its brutality toward its characters and your psyche as the reader. If you can take a lot of heartache, an author who loves to you with your emotions, and an incredible fantasy, this will 100% be the book for you. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 from me!

Blood Scion is hard to read, but it's so good. I had to take breaks often and read it slower than normal. That helped me a lot. This book is dark and brutal.

Sloane has been searching for answers as to what happened to her mom two years earlier. She and a man disappeared and the local villagers believe they ran away together. But Sloane is positive that her mom wouldn't have left her. Nightwalkers search the village every night after midnight and kill anyone out. Sloan is a Scion, descendant of Shango, the god of heat and fire. She has little control over her fire at times and has killed people with it. Being a Scion is a death sentence. The Lucis conquered their home centuries before and they control everything now. The Lucis started a Draft that puts fifteen year olds into service. If you try to run, you and your whole family are killed. And no one really comes back home after their three years as soldiers is up. Sloane just turned fifteen and was drafted. She doesn't know how she will do it. She'll be forced to kill innocent people just because of who they are. She will kill her own people. There is a test right away and Sloane has to murder someone just to get in. Sloane is abused and tortured. The army turns kids into monsters and Sloane is worried that she will be one of the worst. But she's determined to survive and find the answers to her mom's disappearance, no matter what.

This book is full of abuse. What they do to the recruits is horrible. The pacing was great. I cried more than once while reading. And there are some pretty major plot twists. I don't even know how many times I gasped while reading, but it was quite often. If you can handle reading about racism and the abuses, I suggest giving this one a try. I cannot wait to read book two once it's out.

I gave this book 5 stars and it's one of the best books I've read this year. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a link to Netgalley.

Warnings for attempted rape, death, torture, physical abuse, whipping, racism, fire, blood, violence, and gore. I'm probably forgetting some major ones. The author does go into details for some of these things.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for an eARC.

The character development and plot were perfection. It was so intense that I had to stop reading to catch my breath, but also just wanted to keep going. For some odd reason, I love emotionally draining books, and this delivered. I am begging for a sequel.

Side not: That cover is gorgeous!

This book is PHENOMENAL! The story truly is a masterclass on plot and character development. There is a darkness in the way the “ruling government” controls the people of the land they STOLE! Sound familiar? The main character is a true shero, but she has to come to terms with what survival means. She has to make decisions that she never thought she would make…and this ending! I have no words. As SOON as you can get your hands on Blood Scion - DO So!

This story contains deities from the West Nigerian culture. It’s great to see people who look like me in this literary space!

I had an opportunity to read an e-ARC thanks to Harper Collins and Net Galley. Thank you Deborah Falaye for this amazing work!

Wow! Y'all--Blood Scion is INTENSE! It took me longer to read that books usually do because I'd have to put it down and breathe and. process what had just happened. All of this is good!

Sloane, a scion--people born with with magic in their blood--spent her entire life hiding her ability. She lived in a poor village, Nagaeam and watched as each year young teenagers were drafted to fight for the Lucis killing scion. Soon Sloane is drafted and begins to be crafted into a Scion killing machine. Forced to complete unspeakable acts, Sloane struggles to keep her magic hidden. While in the training camp she learns that you cannot always trust the people who seem to be friends, if they were friends at all. She begins to wonder if she can trust herself and if the ideals that held onto so strongly were the right ideals to have. As her world shatters even further, Sloane must decided whether to desert the Lucis or do what is in her heart--take them down.

I didn't want to include spoilers, but when I tell you that this book is emotionally draining and intense, believe me. It is the kind of book that I'd pick up when I would wake up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep. It is the book that I wanted to end, but I never wanted it to end. It was 100% engrossing. If I had to compare it to other books, I'd say that if we melted Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adyemi and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins together, and then multiplied it by 5, you'd get Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye. Falaye ends the book well, but leaves room for there to be a sequel. I, for one, hope there is. (I just saw on Goodreads that this is Book #1--YAY!!!)

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Teen for this E-ARC. My review is an honest one.

Okay first of all a moment of praise for THAT COVER

Spoiler free review!

So this book is very intense, in like the absolute best way for a trailblazing fantasy to be, but definitely on the more graphic side in case that's not really your thing! The brutality wasn't out of place though, the intensity of what happens makes sense and really sets the pace and stakes for the story and I was really into how well the world building was done. I personally am not someone who stomachs gore for shock value too well but this was not the case here at all. The brutality that is depicted is so so important to paint the overall horrifying picture of what Sloane and those around her are going through. Literal CHILDREN are being forced to wrestle with their own morality when they're forced to be soldiers. They have to experience how disgusting war and oppression is on the literal frontlines and the book does well to breakdown exactly how that effects their descent into their own emotions and conscience.

Simply put, at only fifteen, Sloane was a freaking badass. The way she was written was so incredible and we really got to go through the range of her emotions along with her and I felt like the writing really sucked the reader into her world. I can't say enough how INCREDIBLE the writing was here. I'm eyeing my own fantasy book right now and telling it to step it up lmao because WOW, those descriptions? The world building? The richness of the story comes through so well, the TALENT is so apparent. I also really loved the dive into Yoruba mythology, it was so incredible to explore and I cannot wait to get more into this world!