NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

CW: Racism, sexism, discrimination, and enslavement

This book is a masterpiece. It is complex, full of fantasy, and action. It is full of Nigerian cultural references. It will have you experiencing a myriad of emotions. In this Demi is a child later young adult fighting to right wrongs. This is the first of the two books. It contains the backstory and sets the stage for the second and final book.

The characters are relatable, fun and some are endearing while others will have you cheering for their demise. There is a bit of romance. This is a first person narrative and a quick engrossing read.

Whew! Let's get into this review. This was absolutely wonderful. I can't lie I was pissed about the betrayal at the beginning of the book but it made me want to root for her even more. I cried, laughed, cursed, and screamed at my tablet, as she dealt with being betrayed, the twist the turns, and the world-building was done beautifully.
I can say that this was more of a Ya fantasy but I still loved it.

some feedback I can give the author is that although I loved this book it did feel a little rushed in some parts, I sometimes felt as if something was missing other than that I can't wait to read more from you.

I thought that the premise of this book was really cool and I did enjoy a lot about this book including the Nigerian mythology. I liked most of the characters but I did struggle with the sheer amount of characters that were being introduced pretty often and at times the actions that were taken by certain characters. The book was very action-packed which I enjoyed and I liked that it definitely delved into some complex themes around colonialism and, grief. I did not really enjoy the love triangle that was present and how Demi acted at times when it came to the romance and I did feel that certain parts of the ending felt rushed. Overall I enjoyed reading this book and can see myself continuing the duology. Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for our honest review.

I was stressed from chapter one for these characters. Stressed! Stressed she’d get betrayed, that the boy wouldn’t make it! It really sets up the tone and driving forces within the characters for the rest of the story.
I love a classic quest feel that just added another layer for this book which is already drowning in unique world building drawn off Yoruba lore and the Ife dynasty – two things I know little about and am so happy to have been better exposed to now. I’m still stressed though after that ending only because I got everything I wanted from book one and now have the question of what battle will be fought in the following books for these amazing characters?

For a debut, this was a powerful story from Chapter 1. The storyline skips ahead quite a bit to get adjusted to. A little bit more writing in between would make it easier to comprehend the level of skill our FMC has now. I'm sure the sequel will be even better. can't wait to horde another special edition of this book.

WOW. What a STUNNING debut!!! The world this author built is absolutely INCREDIBLE. I was absolutely laughing, crying, and rooting for Demi, our main character, as she deals with heists and plots and twists and turns. The magic system was so beautiful and unique, and I loved how it was incorporated into the world and how each and every character is related to it. And the world building? Beautiful. The writing? Amazing. Perfect for fans of YA or adult fantasy. And the twists? I got whiplash! This book was a wild ride from start to finish, and it'll wrench your heart and patch it back up again. I can't wait to see where this author goes next!

I was surprised this was marketed as adult fantasy, as it read much more like YA fantasy to me. Maybe it was the heavy focus on the love triangle? Overall, a decent read, but I felt very much like I had read this book before, as it was so similar to many other books I've read recently in YA. Big selling point is the worldbuilding and the magic system, but the pacing is inconsistent--sometimes too slow, sometimes too fast, sometimes erratic and jumping around from event to event.

I enjoyed it, but I probably won't pick it up again or seek out the sequel.

(Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.)

I wanted so hard to LOVE this book. I think it has a great magic system, interesting politics, good story. I would say this is a a pretty good YA book, actually, and would give it 4 stars, only really docking because I felt the pacing was a tad off. A lot of it was very solid and overall, very enjoyable.

But it's not. It's an adult fantasy. Apparently.

I'm sorry, this is NOT an adult fantasy, or if it is, it's decent at best. I can't really put my finger on it, but the tone of this is just extremely YA, PARTICULARLY Dèmi and her two boys. Why in the year of our Lord 2023 is there STILL these love triangles? And it's not a GOOD one either. Colin is SO ANNOYING, just as a character, as the friend who's totally in love with our main character but she isn't in love with him, he has a secret but I couldn't care because. Because of that I have to dock this a star. Yes, he is that bad. And the other love interest isn't that interesting, either. Dèmi is naive and impulsive and just reads so much like a teenager brain that I can't consider this good adult fantasy.

This duology has a lot of potential - I LOVE the magic, the world, the history, the fight against oppression in all forms. I will be reading the next one. I just hope it brings a maturity that this one is lacking.

A brilliant new voice brings a brilliant new novel: debut author Ehigbor Okosun’s first book in an action-packed, poignant duology inspired by Nigerian mythology—full of magic and emotion and set in...-The world building is so rich and the magic system is lovely. I'm just starting this one but it has great pacing and storytelling. I love anything inspired by mythology and this one is inspired by Nigerian mythology. There is a witch hunt/genocide feel to it as Dèmi is on the run after they had identified her mother as a Oluso who has magic. They are trying to capture/kill all the Oluso so they are all in hiding. Even those that they help they get betrayed by.
Dèmi is basically alone but creates a found family of those like her.
So exciting and full of political power moves and oppression. Very interest to see how this story continues in the next book.

I really enjoyed this book was completely hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down definitely recommend

Description
A brilliant new voice brings a brilliant new novel: debut author Ehigbor Okosun’s first book in an action-packed, poignant duology inspired by Nigerian mythology—full of magic and emotion and set in a highly atmospheric, complex world in which a young woman fights to survive a tyrannical society, having everything stripped away from her, and seeks vengeance for her mother’s murder and the spilled blood of her people.

In the midst of a tyrannical regime and political invasion, Dèmi just wants to survive: to avoid the suspicion of the nonmagical Ajes who occupy her ancestral homeland of Ife; to escape the King’s brutal genocide of her people—the darker skinned, magic wielding Oluso; and to live peacefully with her secretive mother while learning to control the terrifying blood magic that is her birthright.

But when Dèmi’s misplaced trust costs her mother’s life, survival gives way to vengeance. She bides her time until the devious Lord Ekwensi grants her the perfect opportunity—kidnap the Aje prince, Jonas, and bargain with his life to save the remaining Oluso. With the help of her reckless childhood friend Colin, Dèmi succeeds, but discovers that she and Jonas share more than deadly secrets; every moment tangles them further into a forbidden, unmistakable attraction, much to Colin’s—and Dèmi’s—distress.

The kidnapping is now a joint mission: to return to the King, help get Lord Ekwensi on the council, and bolster the voice of the Oluso in a system designed to silence them. But the way is dangerous, Dèmi’s magic is growing yet uncertain, and it’s not clear if she can trust the two men at her side.

A tale of rebellion and redemption, race and class, love and trust and betrayal, Forged by Blood is epic fantasy at its finest, from an enthusiastic, emerging voice.


If you are looking for a fantasy book: this is it. If you are looking for a book of mythology: this book is for you, If you are looking for action, this book is for you. If you are looking for a good read, this book is for you.

This is a great YA novel. The world building was very well done. The characters were diverse and very well written. The plot started off really strong and there were a lot of twists that kept me interested. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the duology. The only part that was just okay for me was the romance part...to be honest I was really rooting for Colin...Jonas was just alright. But other than that, I really enjoyed the book!

What should you do with a degree in Chemistry? Write a Sunday Times Bestselling book, logically.
A girl with hidden powers, her childhood best friend, and a stolen prince seek vengeance for the oppressed in their society. Ehigborn Okosun’s first novel whisks readers into a world of Nigerian mythology mixed with commentary on the racism and classism people of color face. This review is given in exchange for a complimentary digital copy of the book from NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager, and the author. Okosun has lived on four continents, speaks multiple languages, and has a list of degrees nearly a mile long. All come together into a rich, high fantasy story of Demi and her path of vengeance.
Okosun’s descriptive language immerses the reader into a fantastical world based on Nigerian mythology. While the story consists of goddesses and magic, elements can connect to the real world, specifically, the theme of rebellion against instituted divisions between class and race. The author demonstrates a deep understanding of the issues through the main character Dèmi. Dèmi, with a fiery need for vengeance that inspires readers. By the end of the book, your world has changed as much as Dèmi's.
The wonderful thing about mythology is its reflection of the culture. Readers can immerse themselves into a new world through the stories ancestors have woven and passed down for generations. This is why this debut novel is ideal for fans of mythology, or those looking to curate a more diversified collection of stories. Be warned you will get to the last page and become enraged because the second book is not published yet.
While the wait for the conclusion of the duology shortens everyday, there is plenty of time to read Okuson’s debut novel and learn about Nigerian mythology and how a girl with hidden powers seeks vengeance on an oppressive society. An author with many skills demonstrates that there is nothing she can’t do, from mastering chemistry to penning a bestselling book on their first try. Forged by Blood is a treasure chest of imagery and knowledge.

I read this same book about two years ago, it was called Children of Blood and Bone. I wasn't a fan of it then and I'm not a fan of it now.

Also, can we stop forcing our black heroines to fall in love with the children of their opressors? Why is this such a trend in YA? What are we teaching young women of color?

And from BIPOC authors too. Disappointing.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Every moment of this book was spent in complete confusion. I have little to no knowledge of west African mythologies, so that might be the explanation. I don't actually think that's the entire issue, but it must have contributed somewhat. I acknowledge that. I also read this from an ebook, and I couldn't see the map (it didn't load in my sad little app), so geographically I wasn't always sure of my surroundings. But I think mostly there were several technical issues that got in the way of me engaging with this story.

The most basic is the writing. On a sentence level, there were some nice things, and sometimes the imagery worked. Other times it didn't. I was overwhelmed by how many similes and call-backs the author tried to make. It felt sometimes like an attempt to enrich the world building - Démi would note that something reminded her of a mythological creature, or of an atrocity from her people's history, or of something that had happened in her own past or experience. If that is in fact what the author was attempting, it wasn't successful. It made the writing feel overwrought, it distracted from what was happening in the scene, and throwing in more new language was honestly just more confusing. Here's an example from the last third of the book:

"They fight like this for several moments, Lord Vermillion attacking, bearing down, while Jonas blocks and dodges, arms getting slower with each parry. It reminds me of the winter festival courtship dances - the Benin girls who dance with multiple suitors because their parents are desperate they marry well. The suitors keep coming until the girls, tired of holding out for the best, let a fortunate suitor carry them off like a festival prize, knowing full well that they will never be the same again.
Except I doubt any of those girls had been recently shot in the chest."

Immediately followed by:
"Even as Jonas blocks the latest cut and Lord Vermillion catches him in the stomach with his boot, the king and the guards do not move, watching transfixed, like ooni with their heads barely visible above water, scouting their prey before they hustle their giant, scaled bodies out of the water and devour everything in sight."

I'm distracted by references to things that have either A) never been mentioned before that I can recall, or B) references to a mythological creature that I <i>think</i> we briefly mentioned with in the first third of the book, but I'm not sure because it wasn't ever mentioned in the meantime, and it didn't seem important when it was introduced. The scene loses momentum, and I start to lose interest in what's happening to Jonas. This happened constantly.

So obviously pacing was an issue on the scene level, but the overarching story suffered from pacing issues too. The book opens with Démi and Jonas as children (I think, young children - like six or seven?), and then immediately after it jumps to ten-ish years later. I think this was supposed to set up the love triangle (I know) and the whole thing with Mari, but otherwise it didn't seem necessary. After that it's hard to tell how much time passes. I think most of this novel takes place over the span of a week, but I'm not sure. There are so many "lost time" moments - the entire sequence with the forest spirits especially, but also Démi spends a lot of time either imprisoned or unconscious. This translates to lots of random bursts of activity being immediately followed by a slowing or complete stop in momentum. I don't even know if there is an overarching plot, because the author kept adding things for the characters to do. Démi kept focusing on new things (and as a result, our attention was drawn in a new direction every ten pages or so), and I lost track of what the end goal was. It was ridiculously episodic. I was never sure where we would end up, but not in a good way.

Part of that mock-suspense was because there were so many convoluted "GOTCHA" moments. Many of these moments are presented as something completely earth-shattering, but that supposedly answer questions we were supposedly asking (usually not in either case). These moments were rarely given time to sink in, and the character's reactions didn't feel genuine because they were never given time to process anything. A sizeable number of these gotcha moments were things that the characters knew from their past but the author didn't share with us until it was "important." Some of them were even things that could have been introduced in the very beginning, before the time jump.

The characters themselves were flat and confusing. There was a love triangle, or at least there was something that was supposed to be a love triangle, but really it was one character experiencing unrequited love and that two other characters being inexplicably attracted to each other. There were no stakes to it and then (THIS MIGHT BE A SPOILER) it was topped off with Jonas being Démi's mate, which I saw coming from a mile away, and which I don't care about. Also I felt like it was a weird thing to include in a story where she frequently highlights the violence experienced by Oluso - she literally says they're "hunted like animals," so the animalistic "mate" situation made me feel a little gross. (OKAY SPOILER DONE) The whole romance between Jonas and Démi (which I don't think is actually a spoiler) confuses me a little. It's very insta-love-y, and she spends the first half of the book being like "ugh, why am I attracted to this absolutely hateful, racist man?" and the second half like "I don't care I love him." I feel like Jonas' position in the political scene should have been a bigger hurdle than it was. Démi doesn't really grapple with her feelings for him at all - it's implied that she's loved him since they were children, and all she does is push her feelings aside and then yell at him to make herself feel better. There is no resolution for this. A switch gets flipped, and suddenly she's okay with it.

I have complaints about the world building (how does the magic work?), but I've already talked too much. It always breaks my heart to read the acknowledgements on a book I didn't like, because I know authors put their heart and soul into their work (there's no other way to write if you really mean to), and this was no exception. I always feel like situations like this don't necessarily reflect badly on the skill of the author, but on the work of their editing team. This read more like a first draft of a story, and that is a crying shame, but it's not solely the fault of the author. Someone should have caught it before me, when something should've been done about it. There's the bones of a really interesting story here, interesting characters too.

As someone who reads and works with books professionally, sometimes I hear this scared little voice in the back of my mind asking what we're doing. So many things today are published not because they're good, moral, or worthwhile, but because the publishers (and authors) need to make money and sell books. Maybe I'm making an unfair assumption, but pushing a book through just because one has to fill a quota or make more money than last year does a disservice to the art of writing, and to the reader as well.

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what this author releases in the future.

Well that escalated quickly.

"Forged by Blood" by Ehigbor Okosun starts the Tainted Blood duology. In which it's pretty rough out there. Dèmi has a tough first chapter. After helping heal a boy with her mother she then has to flee her home because of betrayal. Then it gets worse... Later has learned to control her powers, but still must hide them thanks to the policy of the king. Unfortunately folk are going to be scummy and when the chance to assist in some scum busting arrives Dèmi gets caught up in the machinations of a local lord. Who definitely doesn't have motives he isn't saying.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the Arc.

Reasons to read:
-Really good magic, with consequences
-Characters, eventually, just say what they are hiding instead of letting it fester for multiple books
-Real good reasons to remove the current governing system
-Spirits who might be playing an even deeper game

Cons:
-The unfortunate knowledge that if some folks had powers in real life people wouldn't be cool with it

Between the cover and synopsis I was itching to read this book. The author did not disappoint. It has all the elements of a great book

This had one of the best opening chapters I've read in a while and definitely makes you excited to jump into this world. I would recommend FORGED BY BLOOD for fans of Tomi Adeyemi.

The world building, the fantasy, the representation! This was a great book that I could recommend to everyone. I was so enchanted by the magic and how the world was built I could barely put the book down. You're telling me this is a debut? Okosun is an absolute amazing writer and I cannot wait to read more of their books.