I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it just didn't hit the right note with me. I found the magic fascinating and the world building was very strong, I just wasn't hooked. A shame, and I'm sure others will love it!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy

I enjoyed Forged By Blood very much, and I am looking forward to the second book in the duology. Despite being dropped right into a scene at the beginning of the book, it’s very easy to pick up on what’s happening quickly and get a good background of the world and how things came to be. The story was fast-paced and kept me interested throughout. I couldn’t get enough, and I’m itching for more of this story. I liked all three members of the main trio, and that can be rare for me. I rooted for all of them, and I appreciated the way the boys’ relationship evolved.
The writing of this novel was impressive and did not seem to be that of a debut author. The tension and intrigue in this book gripped me, and I have found that lacking in books with plots that have even higher stakes. The action and description in scenes had this reading like a film to me, and I could see it all perfectly in my head as if I was front row at the movies.
I had the opportunity to read this alongside a friend that also received an advanced copy, and our discussion brought up my one challenge with this story. The ending and the transfer of power did not seem to make sense and align with how I expected given the themes and messages in the book. I am hoping that is directly discussed and addressed to make more sense in the second book.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Ehigbor Okosun for allowing me to review this book. Slight spoilers ahead!

FORGED BY BLOOD is exactly what its back cover copy says it is. It’s a classic YA tale and the first book in an “action-packed” duology that features a badass female protag; destined lovers inside a love triangle; Nigerian-inspired magic; youth rebelling against established political systems; and even a masquerade ball in its third act, to name a few things. Its characters, setting, style, and thematic resonance were all on point, and I enjoyed being inside Demi’s head while she struggled to decide tearing Jonas, the white-coded prince, to pieces or letting her feelings for her in childhood get to her.

What prevented me from rating is as a perfect 5/5 was its pacing. Granted, there’s nothing wrong with it being action-packed or adventurous, but for a book with a world of this size and scale, where we are introduced to its gods and kings all in one book, some slower beats might have helped space things out. To me, when I read it, it felt like I was in a car ride, and Okosun was taking me along. The beautiful scenery brushed past me, and I wished we had taken our time to enjoy it. I also wished that more inspiration from Nigerian culture was taken instead of just its mythos and food customs. Again, nothing wrong with a YA fantasy with Nigerian-inspired elements. I just like my fiction to go a little harder, you know?

Anyway, a debut fantasy novel is no small feat to write, and I applaud Okosun for the magnificent effort she took at crafting what will no doubt become a classic. I eagerly look forward to the second book in the duology and her future works as a writer partly out of enjoyment as a reader and as further inspiration for me as a writer.

This is a beautiful, epic fantasy following Dèmi as she tries to do what's right in the face of obstacles and oppression. She is plunged into the center of court politics in a land that treats her and people like her as dangerous and unworthy. All of a sudden she is used as a piece in a much larger game. She's not sure who she can trust or if she'll ever be able to make a difference. The story will grab you from page one. Dèmi is the quintessential heroine. She's tough but flawed, full of rage but principled and also kind. She battles herself as much as anyone else. The world, the magic, and the various motivations are complicated and multi-layered, which serves the story incredibly well through the first half, painting a full and wonderful picture of a land and a people in trouble. From there, the overlapping lies and ties crest into overworked and confusing territory during the climax. It felt as though the last third could be a whole other book, and that maybe then it would be easier to take in, less jarring, and more believable. Ultimately, the characters, the world, and the buy-in of the first half are so strong that this book is still an absolute win. The sequel will be an auto-buy.

"Forged by Blood," by Ehigbor Okosun, delivers a tale of courage, resilience, and power. Set against the backdrop of a war-torn nation, the story follows the journey of a young girl Dèmi as she navigates through the chaos and destruction surrounding her.

The themes of love, loyalty, and sacrifice intertwine nicely. The writing is beautifully vivid, the descriptions of food made me so hungry, and the cover art is so lovely. However, the storyline takes considerable time jumps too soon paired with the endless world-building making it confusing. I understand Dèmi is young, but she was annoying, and the supporting characters were flat, so I quickly lost interest. It felt very similar to Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I would have loved a fresh storyline. I DNF’ed at 50%. I couldn’t take anymore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

I got to the 45% marked and had to officially call it quits. It was marked as an adult fantasy and it did not match that so as of now I don’t want to read it but I will pick it back up.

I found Forged by Blood to be a great debut novel by Ehgbor Okosun. It is fast paced, the time breaks did through me off a bit but not so much as to detract from the story. Its tagged in adult fiction as well as Ya and it definitely fits YA way better. The story follows Demi who is an outcast she has lost so much and still remains incredibly kind and positive. She is sent on a mission with her friend Colin by a gentleman who wants to come into power in their providence. Of coarse things don't go as planned and it trouble ensues. Overall its a solid book and I will definitely be reading the sequel.

Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun

In many ways, this is a love story. A love story between individuals but also a love story for one’s people and one’s nation. It is also a love story with nature and fantasy and with one’s roots as well. Demi’s people are downtrodden due to their magic. Magic is genetically based and can only be used if the genes are viable. Non-magic users fear and oppress the magic users.
The book starts with Demi meeting Jonas under stressful circumstances. Their relationship is truncated by treachery. Demi and her childhood friend Colin, use their magic to try and gain benefit for a noble who has magic but has achieved success by hiding his roots.
A journey that has plenty of deceit, tragedy, and treachery as well as plenty of action puts Demi and Jonas at a crux of both their relationship with each other and with their races and nation.
I look forward to the sequel and highly recommend the book.

This book was really thought-provoking and I loved the pacing and the story-telling. The main character Dèmi is a strong and kind person who has suffered so much trauma in her short life and yet has so much love to give to others. This book was so sad in parts, and it was hard to understand how she could be so forgiving sometimes. The magic system in this book is so unique and I love the way that people with magic are able to see those who have magic as well. I want to see more of Dèmi's powers come out in the next book.

I am so excited to read the second book in this series when it comes out and I will certainly be buying it to put on my shelf, because I will recommend this book to anyone who enjoys magic and love and overcoming trauma. And also because that cover is gorgeous!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

It was interesting. I don't like the beginning where the main character and the boy they just healed are like "We are friends now, you better run from the guards." There was a lot of over detailed little snippets that, while I can sometimes appreciate it I didn't care for. For example: When Demi is running from guards she is thinking "Oh I used to eat sweet mango candy here" It took me out of the scene.

3.75 stars rounded up.

Forged by Blood had good world building that I enjoyed as it wasn't difficult to follow along with. But after finishing the book the only portions that really stuck out to me were the battle/fight scenes? and because of those portions I would say that this leans more towards NA? I was waiting for something grand to happen that would make me scramble and want to pick up book two and that is where it fell a little flat for me? Also, I feel like we could have benefited from a higher number of main female characters besides Demi.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the e-ARC

I like fantasy, but I tend to get really bored with the warmed-over rehash of battles and kings and faux medieval European worlds. Forged by Blood is a nice departure without completely reinventing the genre. The placement in a world that looks and feels more like an African country than a European one is refreshing, as are the use of powers and the focus on race, class, subjugation, dehumanization and slavery. The first book in a duology I am excited to see where these discussions go.

There are still many of the tried and true tropes: a love triangle, training powers sequences, battles that are super human, a villain turned ally turned villain, evil king, a Bond villain-esk monologue, a heir revealed (multiple times), all with a strong female lead. The tropes are true to the genre. There is no real work to play with or develop these elements. The strength of the book lies in the periphery in the discussions of race, family, class, and in the world building.

I am a little surprised that this is being sold as adult fiction, as it reads more like YA to me, and is a strong contender in the YA world. The character development and over-reliance on the moral standing of the main character are all very common in YA, as well as the love triangle. For adult fantasy, it’s a little on the nose, but for YA it’s really good.

FORGED BY BLOOD BY EHIGBOR OKOSUN
3.5/5 ⭐️
I went into this book really wanting to absolutely love it. The basis of Nigerian mythology was something that really intrigued me as well as a revenge plot. The result was a book that was neither amazing nor terrible. I found myself entertained while reading it and enjoyed most of the story. I also found myself often wondering how the plot got to where it was. There times where things seemed so rushed that I felt as if I’d missed something. While I did still enjoy the book overall, there were many places that felt lacking. The buildup to certain plot points seemed to drag on in parts that left me frustrated and the plot progressed at a strange rate. The romance also progressed at an odd rate and I wasn’t quite sure what was going on with it at points. I think I’ll still read the sequel because I did enjoy this book and want to know what happens, but it did strike me as just average. The magic system was one stellar point that I found to be a bit unique and interesting.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

This was such a refreshing break from the usual medieval fantasy read. It did take me a bit to get wrapped up in the narrative but once I got past the initial few flashback chapters I couldn’t put the book down. Demi is such a strong character while not entirely likable at times, I think that makes her feel very distinct in the sea of fantasy heroines that we’re used to. The rest of the characters are diverse and complementary to her and the story. I really enjoyed the use of African-mythology, it felt like discovering a whole new world. Can’t wait till the next one comes out!

I really wanted to love this book. I love African-mythology (particularly Nigeria and Cameroon) and was excited to see mami wata in a story! But there was just too much going on in this book. There was so much good potential here with all of the world building. But the magic system was both not fully flushed out and too complicated. I think the author could have settled on a few of the magic features and focused on doing them well instead of so many.

The plot was all over the place. The middle was especially bogged down (why the need to stop in the forest for so long?) Why were the stakes so high for this type or quest? There was too much action and no time to stop and understand the reveals, or have them be meaningful. I also think the first few chapters that were from the young Demi's POV were too long, that part of the story would have been better as a brief prologue.

I agree with some of the other comments that a glossary would be helpful. There are a lot of new vocabulary both from this being a magical world and for it being based in Africa. I had a leg up because of my experience there but the general reader wont know what a lot of things that are casually mentioned are.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC of this book.

An enchanting, coming of age fantasy story about a young woman facing prejudice for being a woman of color as well as magic.
A fairly quick read, packed full of adventure, excitement, family, grief, loss, prejudice, magic, and wonder. Also, there's a cute love triangle involved- resulting in fated mates and a young woman's decision. The author did a lovely job of world building. Reads well for a younger person interested in fantasy or needing a starter book to ease themselves into the genre, but also enjoyable for more experienced fantasy readers.

4.5/5

I really liked this book and look forward to the second and final novel. The magic and culture is rich and deep and the characters are all interesting. It's fast-paced and a little hard to follow at times (many names, much history, etc) but it wasn't enough to throw me off. I did find myself having to re-read some sentences to try and decipher them so some writing flow didn't sit with me but overall the style is wonderful and just needs some editing. I would recommend this to fantasy readers! I wonderful first novel. Demi is extremely likeable and I'm excited to see how else she'll grow.

A solid debut. I really enjoyed the setting - most of the book takes place in a territory inspired by Nigeria in the era of colonialism, and the other cultures present are also analogues to real-world societies. The pacing was also excellent. I enjoyed the characters, but I didn't really connect with the romance - the love triangle was kind of awkward.

Tropes: soulmates, friends to enemies to friends to lovers, love triangle (resolved), hidden magic, forced proximity.

This book was absolutely fabulous! I love the characters and their development and their own stories. I can't wait to read the second book!

So good! Really solid fantasy book that wasn’t at all predictable. I had no idea where the plot was going and I was just along for the ride! The magic and world building was super cool. This feels like a great read for YA fantasy readers trying to segue into adult fantasy.