Forged by Blood (The Tainted Blood Duology, #1) (2024)

Spellbinding, Magical and Utterly gripping!
Preamble:
From the first page, we're not just introduced but smacked upside the head with the details contained within the prose, making the reading flow smother than butter.

“Please heal him,” the woman says, begging Mummy with tear-filled eyes. “Please.”

My mother grunts, but she takes the boy from the woman and sets him on our cot in the corner of the room.

This woman will get us killed, I know it.

But I waddle over, dragging the calabash behind me, its heavy wooden body leaning against my legs like a cow about to give birth. When I reach the edge of the cot, I open the neck and pour palm wine into the cracked bowl lying next to it. Mummy pulls the boy’s eyelids up and peers at pale irises ringed with red cracks. Then she unbuttons his tunic and examines the network of bulging red veins spread across his pale skin.

The Characters, Plot and Structuring: 4.5 out of 5
The main character is a brave and rather angry young woman that has been an outcast all of her short life, her peoples conquered and ostracized within her Kingdom for possessing magic. She's excellently depicted among a host of other amazing characters and her story starts after a harrowing and violent clash with the invading soldiers .

I want to scream in her face. The woman spits again, and it takes everything I have to hold myself still. Meascan. Adalu. It’s times like these, when these insults wash over me, that I drown in a well of anger. There are so many words for what we are, words sung over me like a lullaby of curses since my birth. The message is the same: We are not human. We are tainted. Tools to be used and discarded

The World-building and Writing: 5 out of 5
The tale is set in an ancient fantastical West African kingdom based on the Yoruba lore and the Ifé Dynasty; the author expertly orchestrates her knowledge of the lore of those ancient times and adds her own imagination to make for a spellbinding journey into the heart of one of the greatest kingdoms to grace the sub-saharan continent. Very detailed and immersive!

The story is told from the first person perspective and the writing leaves no details underneath a stone that's untouched and dissected; be it the main character's inner monologues or the immersive world-building or even, the fantastical magic system (which is elemental); it just gives so much fun to read and you find the pages flying by in no time at all.

The Resolution: 4.0 out of 5
Not much to say here except that I've been impressed and the setup she makes in this one for the rest of the books makes me rather excited for the release of the sequel. Cliffhanger ending as usual.

Conclusion: This has been a good journey set in a unique own-world universe; based on West-African mythology, magic and lore. It's well written and superbly executed for a debut, so I'll highly recommend for those wanting to dabble into but haven't yet, of this kind of Epic Fantasy.

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Rating: 4 stars

Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I am obsessed with the vibrant colours, text and illustrations that make this design stunning. This cover also does a great job of capturing the essence and genre of the story.

Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The first-person narrative and smooth, descriptive prose made immersing myself in this story really easy. I was also fascinated by the rich world filled with diverse creatures, magic and culture, even though I wished it had been better developed and incorporated into the story.

“People will always fear those with more power, and those with power will always fear that they will lose it."

Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Followinginciting events at the start, a compelling, action-packed tale that dives into complex themes such as colonialism, grief, and beauty standards quickly unfolds. While the storyline also includes several twists and turns that keep it interesting, it relies heavily on Young Adult (YA) fantasy tropes and convenient moments, which makes it somewhat predictable.

Main character(s): 🌟🌟🌟
With Demi's painful past and constant struggles adding some depth to her character, it was easy for me to root for and connect with her. However, I was constantly irritated by her impulsive and reckless actions, which made her character seem childish and quickly get tiring.

“Fear is a strange master. It makes monsters from the simplest of men."

Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
A good mix of secondary characters helps drive the story and support Demi through her journey. These characters generally had distinct roles and personalities that made them stand out, but I would have loved it if a few had some complexity.

Romance: 🌟🌟🌟
Despite initial hints pointing to a cute yet complicated childhood-to-adulthood romance, this aspect of the story turned into a cliché love triangle. Even though both connections were interesting, they seemed forced and underdeveloped, especially with the fated mate trope thrown into the mix.

Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Nneka Okoye gives a brilliant performance that is perfect for this story. I was particularly impressed by her use of different voices for the characters and vocal effects, including some beautiful singing!

Ultimately, I went into 'Forged by Blood' expecting a rich YA fantasy read steeped in Nigerian mythology, and that was what I got. Yes, the storyline was somewhat predictable and filled with many tropes, but it was also very immersive and thought-provoking. Those looking for a similar read should check out Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye.

____________________________________

For those who have read this and want to discuss it, here are a few questions:

Q: Which part of the story surprised you most?
My answer: I was most surprised by the revelation that Jonas had been a part of the scheme that caused Demi to lose her mum. This twist came early in the story, and after Jonas and Demi formed a cute friendship, so was both devastating and intriguing.

Q: Do you think there is more to the prophecy regarding Jonas and Colin?
My answer: In some way, the events in this book fulfilled the prophecy (one will bring sadness and despair, the other death). Still, I hope the sequel will dive deeper into this, as otherwise, it would be somewhat anticlimactic.

Q: Do you think Demi is right to seek diplomacy so her people do not become like their oppressors?
My answer: This complex topic came up towards the end of the story and was very thought-provoking. On one hand, I thought Demi was right to seek peace and diplomacy instead of inciting revenge and mayhem. On the other hand, our world today clearly shows how challenging and unreliable diplomatic change is, so it is bound to be a painful, slow journey to liberty.

In Forged by Blood a young woman named Demi must kidnap a prince in order to save her family.

Forged by Blood has all the pieces to really be a standout fantasy but so often for me it took the easy and straightforward approach.

Pacing was a big issue in this book because it would constantly change and we sometimes didn't have enough time to sit with a reveal or a big event before moving on to the next. While at the same time the overall journey felt dragged out because of repetitive scenes or dialogue.

There's a love triangle that made for some wacky and funny moments but everything about how it played out was so predictable it felt unnecessary. If you've read any YA fantasy than you know who she ends up choosing from the start. And she was so whishy washy for most of the book openly kissing them both in front of each other, it felt a little cruel.

I know it was originally written with a YA audience in mind and I don't think the story ever elevated outside of that YA audience despite it being published by an adult imprint. It could easily sit next to Children of Blood and Bone and Blood Scion on the bookshelf. There's no morally gray characters. The bad guys are bad and the good guys, though they keep a few secrets are very clearly shown as morally superior. And there was a lot of room here for nuance but Demi is pretty much a firm believer in taking the high road. I'm wondering if that will change in the sequel. Also not in love with some of the messaging that was presented.

It does end in a way where it gives you a solid conclusion while also leaving room to do more. Though I'm not sure I want to continue on this journey.

Full review
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Ehigbor Okosun does a MAGNIFICENT job as a storyteller.

Forged by Blood is not told by that of a novice, but of a true "WORDSMITH"

Okosun surprised me when I read this was her debut novel, many Kudos to her.

This book is so beautiful and magical if you just pay attention to what Okosun is trying to say.

I am hoping that there is a second book because I am curious to see if Colin will be right or wrong.

Also to see if the prophecy (one will lead to despair, one will lead to death) has truly been fulfilled yet or not.

I personally do not think it has happened yet.

If you are looking for an action-packed, magical, fantastical amazing book, then look no further.

Because on 08 August 2023 Ehigbor Okosuns book, Forged by Blood drops and you HAVE to get it.

This is a must-buy in hardcover for me!

EXCELLENT!!!

LISTOPIA 2023

Thank you, NetGalley/Ehigbor Okosun/Avon and Harper Voyager.Harper Voyager/ For this "MESMERIZING" eARC for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

DNF @52%

This was disappointing. Billed as an epic adult fantasy, it reads like a middle of the road YA fantasy with interesting world elements and pacing problems. Apparently this was originally developed as YA and it really doesn't read like it much was done to age it up. If it had been published as YA, I would call it promising but obviously a debut. As an adult novel...it's just not very good. I'm not the first reviewer to point this out, but the morality is all very black and white. There's a love triangle that feels obvious and quite young. It's in first person which also tends to make things feel younger unless the author is really skilled.

Despite a strong and interesting beginning, I really lost interest in the plot and am struggling to find the characters compelling. Based on some spoilery reviews, I don't think things are going to improve for me so I'm stopping here. As always, your mileage may vary but I would go in with the right expectations. Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy for review, all opinions are my own.

DNF @ page 150.

This story starts off with a bang and quickly drops the reader into the rich world that Okosun created. However, once skip to 9 years later when Dèmi is 18 and hell bent on revenge, it is quite obvious that this was originally a YA manuscript that was aged up to fit into an adult imprint…and I say that as someone who loves YA fantasy.

The pacing of this one is also all over the place. The story tends to meander with the dialogue, but then there are short bursts of action with very little unpacking/resolution.

Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to Harper Voyager for my gifted copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5 stars!

Ehigbor Okosun’s debut novel follows Dèmi, a young woman who is desperately trying to survive in an empire that wants her dead. Years prior to the story, her people—magic wielders—have suffered a brutal genocide by the King. Dèmi and her mother live peacefully in a village until one day the King’s soldiers murder her mother in front of her, setting her on a journey for revenge.

Forged by Blood started off zippy and interesting and does not spend any time meandering around in the world Okosun has created, but ultimately I thought this was a good YA fantasy and a middling at best adult fantasy. I genuinely loved the setting and aspects of the world like the Aziza, and I think Okosun’s grasp of this world’s culture is excellent. There were parts of this that were truly excellent, and I found this to be very readable with fast pacing that demands your attention. I’m quite curious about the prophecy that was given partway through this novel about Jonas and Colin, and I am generally curious as to how this duology shakes out in the end: the end of this novel leaves some interesting questions. Still, this wasn’t quite what I’d been expecting. Billed as an adult debut, while I think Dèmi’s reactions and thought patterns make sense for someone who has continually suffered under colonial violence, she and the rest of the cast read quite young and reckless and since this is told in first person (present tense), the entire story is filtered through her lens. First person is always a tricky point of view for me and I am significantly more sensitive to the voice; Dèmi’s voice is strong but the way she processes events makes it difficult to recommend this as an adult fantasy, but quite easy to recommend as an upper young adult/new adult fantasy.

The start was strong and readjusting my expectations to that of an older young adult novel helped me get into Dèmi’s POV, but while the ultimately plot was straightforward and made sense, there were too many reveals and tropes for me to really sink into this. Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of fated mates or mating bonds and when this popped up I felt very hesitant about any potential romance, and there is a very odd love triangle that I didn’t quite understand the purpose of and felt wedged into the story. There’s also quite a bit of mysterious parentage going on and by the end it felt overworn, but I think I would’ve eaten it up as a teenager. There’s a bit too much going on in the conclusion for me: evil kings and a lot of monologuing and everyone shouting or yelling at each other, though I do think the way things are left leaves interesting questions. It just was kind of a bumpy ride to get there, especially because I thought the start was strong.

I really wanted to love this, however I went in expecting something older in tone and approach and there’s a handful of tropes I didn’t particularly vibe with. Forged by Blood is a fast, well-placed series opener that I think would primarily appeal to readers who enjoy young and new adult fantasy and readers who enjoy certain popular fantasy tropes (mysterious parentage, being a young person hellbent on revenge, fated mates, prosecuted magic, etc).

2.5 Stars

Plot wise there is nothing really new here for a YA fantasy, but the setting was good and the culture well developed.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

What really took me out of this book was the positioning of oppressed people as unnecessarily radical murderers when they (rightfully imo) respond to deeply entrenched bigotry and decades long violence with violence to guarantee their freedom. It honestly felt way too harsh. I’m still going to give the second installment a chance before I write off the series, just to see if Ehigbor Okosun provides a more nuanced and detailed portrayal of the characters.

Edit:
Looked back at my review and realized that I didn’t talk about the stuff I appreciated in the book. The world building is chef’s kiss. The magic system is very interesting, as well as the history. Though I felt the plot dragged in the beginning and I was snoozing a bit, it did pick up and leave me thirsty enough for the sequel.

2.5 stars rounded up.

I'm honestly not sure why the publisher listed this book as "epic fantasy" when it's clearly just YA fantasy. Because of that, I expected so much more. I'm glad at least Goodreads was correct (for once) when it came to labeling this book as YA fantasy.

Anyway.

Forged by Blood is your typical YA fantasy with all its tropes and plot points. The characters are older teens/young adults. The worldbuilding and magic weren't fully developed. The FMC was very impulsive and extremely short-sighted. Nothing screamed "epic fantasy."

Honestly, it read like a rough draft instead of a final draft. It felt like the author threw in a bunch of YA tropes hoping that it would make a story. There were so many deus ex machina solutions to every single problem, so nothing really felt high stakes.

The only thing that stood out to me was the Nigerian folklore and mythology. That was done really well. You could feel yourself immersed in a Nigerian-inspired fantasy world, especially during the sequence in the spirit world with the spirit beings.

But everything else was so lackluster. The worldbuilding made no sense. You could tell that the author wanted to touch on colonization, but it felt wishy-washy. The Eingardians/colonizers were the bad guys, but yet the FMC was super cool with teaming up with their prince? (I haven't even touched on her decisions at the end of the book.)

The politics were weirdly convoluted in an attempt to make it more adult/epic fantasy. I had to wait until 85% through (when the bad guy explained everything) for me to understand wtf was going on. (Turns out it was partly family drama that included a not! Luke Skywalker reveal. Wtf lol)

The magic system was also underdeveloped. I had the sense that certain people had certain magic skills, like healing, teleportation, clairvoyance, etc. But the FMC had elemental powers AND healing? I was so confused, but there was no other choice but to roll along with it.

Another HUGE issue I had were the deus ex machina solutions to every single problem. Our heroes would be in trouble but ofc, they'd be saved somehow.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

Around the midpoint, when the FMC and other Oluso are about to be burned at the stake, her adopted family just shows up to save them? What? How? They're not even in the same part of the country/territory.

I had so many issues with the ending... What was the author even trying to say?? The FMC didn't believe in Ekwensi and the Oluso's cause, so she stayed with the prince and the Eingardians in order to find a diplomatic solution? Even though the Eingardians wouldn't recognize her as queen and the FMC didn't fully trust the prince, but since they were ~fated mates, it was totally okay? So we're cool with colonizer romances these days?

Also, the final battle made absolute ZERO sense. The FMC is fighting the king, who's a trained soldier, and she's not supposed to use her magic in order to make it an even match. But how tf does she even know how to use a sword? This was never hinted at or alluded to at all.

So she breaks her iron bracelets in order to use her magic to defeat the king, which didn't make sense because at first, she didn't want to "cheat" using her magic, but now she realizes that it's totally fine to use her magic because she's about to die?

Also her dead(?) father's spirit appears out of nowhere during the death match to give her a weapon? And I'm not sure she even used that weapon? What was the point of that scene???

MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.

***END SPOILERS***

I was so lost. I finished this novel a few days ago and I'm still lost.

I'm definitely not picking up the sequel.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this arc.

I really wanted to love this book, but it did not work out for me. This novel was incredibly juvenile for it to be marketed as an adult. All of the characters are still very young, and there is nothing really in the book to make it appeal to an older audience. At most, I would market this for New Adults, and even that is a bit of a stretch. The world-building had a lot of promise, but it is never fully fleshed out. At most, we got sections of info-dumping to explain random scenes. The magical element was incredibly confusing. By 25% I still didn't grasp about how the magic system worked and the political turmoil of the countries. On top of this, a love triangle took precedence over everything else. I'm not particularly fond of this trope, to begin with, but in this book, it was unnecessary and felt out of place for an adult fantasy. Overall, a very disappointing debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for the advance copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

DNF @ 13%

This was just not well-written. It is also not an adult book. I'm not going to force myself through a story that I can probably predict every beat of. Also, this book had the "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" line on like page 11, so.

Not for me.

Not rating.

2023 reads: 245/350

i received a digital review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.

after dèmi’s mother is murdered in front of her, she swears to avenge her and the rest of their murdered people, the oluso. so, when the opportunity arises, she and her friend colin set out to kidnap the aje prince, jonas, and bargain with his life to save the remaining oluso. but dèmi and jonas quickly become attracted to each other, which could mean trouble.

though i haven’t read that many, i don’t think a nigerian mythology-inspired book has disappointed me so far, so i was really excited to pick this one up. this really did not disappoint and i enjoyed reading about the in-depth world building and magic system, as well as the discussions on colonialism. i also loved the characters so much, and enjoyed how complex they all were. i highly recommend this book and i can’t wait to see where book two takes us!

maybe when i have a tolerance for weirdo behavior i'll pick this up again, but not today
dnf at 45%

weirdo behavior in question: kissing both boys in front of eachother - like girl this aint the bachelor

*Thank you to Harper Voyager for sending me a copy of this book to review!*

I was quite excited for this book but in all honesty I just didn’t like it all that much. It had a really great premise and the potential to set up a world and magic system that I could have immersed myself in, but I think it just ended up falling quite flat.

The writing, for me, wasn’t that great and I didn’t really find it very engaging storytelling. The world building was really clunky, and we kept getting random bits of political information, or random knowledge about the magic systems thrown in in a way that didn’t really flow. It felt like it interrupted the story just to give us information and context. I feel like it could’ve been a more seamless relationship between developing the world for the reader and telling the story in tandem. I think there was also a massive pacing issue, everything seemed to be moving quite slow and then all of a sudden we had an action sequence, but any problems were overcome with so much ease. The eventual storyline of this book just didn’t feel right and everything was far too rushed. It also couldn’t really decide on tone, it’s supposed to be an adult book but reads much younger.

I think Demi is a great character and a strong choice for the protagonist, but she felt very one dimensional. This was an issue for all of the characters in the book really, we’re given a physical description and repeatedly told their traits and morals and what they stand for, but we never really shown anything or given the opportunity to read some more between the lines. To me they were all just really boring, and I actually didn’t really care what was happening. I didn’t really enjoy my time reading it for the most part, which is a shame because those opening few chapters were so so incredible.

My main issues with the book all stem around the romance really, and the really strange attempt at a love triangle. I love this trope, but it was so badly done here. Jonas and Colin were very bland as love interests, and neither of them had a slither of chemistry with Demi if we’re being honest. Colin is her supposed childhood best friend but they act very strange around each other and it just didn’t feel genuine or developed. The beginning of the book has Jonas and Demi becoming best friends after five minutes, and then ten minutes later he betrays her and she’s furious about it for the next nine years? They were basically strangers and it breaks her heart…but then she starts falling for him? I don’t know, the romance in here was just messy and all over the place and not for me.

I probably won’t be picking up the sequel to this one.

Forged by Blood is a debut fantasy by Ehigbor Okosun and the first in a duology inspired by Nigerian mythology. The main character is Dèmi, an Oluso, or magic wielder, with the power to heal and call upon wind spirits. Dèmi lives in a world where the Oluso are subjugated by the Aje - those without magic - and hunted and destroyed. She spends her early childhood hidden away with her mother, healing villagers and avoiding the detection of royal guards. When she and her mother are betrayed after healing a young boy with a deadly fever and Dèmi's mother is brutally killed, Dèmi commits herself to avenging the murder of her mother. She finds other Oluso to learn from and alongside and does what she can to protect other Oluso like her from brutalization. When she is given the opportunity to kidnap the Aje prince, Jonas, with the help of her best friend, Colin, in order to ransom him and support the appointing of an Oluso into a position of power, she jumps at the opportunity. What she doesn't expect is for the prince to be the boy who betrayed her and her mother a decade before. Loyalties shift and Dèmi must determine what price is too high to pay for victory. Does becoming like your oppressor in order to end oppression mean becoming just like them? Is peace ever a viable path to change?

I had such mixed feelings about this one! The setup was fascinating and I really liked the beginning of the story. The last 40% though was rushed and confusing and had a lot of information about parentage - it felt like a new twist was happening every other page. I also couldn't tell what genre this book was. It's marked on Goodreads as both YA and Adult and I think that sums up some of what didn't work about this book - it had some adult themes and adult characters, but the writing and decision making of the characters was very YA, as was the black and white moralization of the actions taken by characters in this book.

All in all, this was a fabulous debut from an author to watch! I loved the mythology, magic, and focus on found family.

Some quick takeaways:

✅ Debut Novel
✅ Fantasy
✅ Nigerian Mythology
✅ Love Triangle
✅ Fated Mates
✅ Found Family
✅ No Spice

Thanks so much to Ehigbor Okosun and Harper Voyager for this ARC through NetGalley. Forged by Blood is available for purchase now!

I have been curious about this one ever since seeing its cover! It’s very eye-catching. I did like a lot of the book but there were some issues I had that ultimately didn’t make me love it.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Dèmi. We are first introduced to her when a significant event happens in her life that involves the loss of her mother. It takes a toll on her and from that point she is on a mission to make things right, not only for her but for her people as well. Dèmi is very strong, but she can be impulsive. Some of her actions are just so quick and she doesn’t think about the consequences that can follow. I do think that it makes sense since her inexperience is what causes a lot of rifts at the end.

Other characters in the book are fine but I don’t feel like we truly got to know them. Obviously for the more villainous people I felt something because their actions were horrible and you couldn’t help but hate them.

The romance was meh. Their is a forced love triangle. I am usually down for a triangle but it felt like she just used both of them. She would kiss one in front of the other and then get upset when they would fight over things. From the beginning I knew who she would pick. I already have a guess as to what the other guy will end up doing. Everything about the romance was just quick because of the “mate” trope.

I did think that the plot was pretty decent. There were a couple lulls that took me a bit to get through where I didn’t feel like picking it back up again but once you get past the 60% mark it really ramped up and I wanted to finish the rest in one day. There is a lot of talk about colonization and slavery. The author did a good job with the topics and reminded me a lot of what R.F. Kuang has done in her novels. I wouldn’t say its as gruesome but some things were pretty hard to read about. It was just real sad.

Some of the plot twists felt predictable and I feel like I caught all of them before the reveal besides one.

Overall, this was a good read even though I had some issues with it. I am still curious enough to try the sequel since there are a lot of unanswered questions.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a complimentary earc to review! All opinions are my own.

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.

Incredibly disappointing, the only reason I pushed myself to finish this is because I kept hoping the writing of the beginning would come back. I was wrong.
The beginning sucked me in and I was absolutely in love with the story. Sadly it went downhill immediately. The plot was completely lost after the timeskip. The story changed numerous times, and at no point made any coherent sense or followed any sort of structure. I had absolutely no idea what any of the point was.
By the end Dèmi has become so ridiculously overpowered, and so many twists and reveals happen firmly establishing her a mary sue type character. So many plot events happen to the end that just make no sense and felt more and more outlandish as they occurred. Dèmi gets everything a main character could possibly want: adopted by forest spirits, fights the King, somehow avoids instant death because she's special, can use all the magic LIKE WHAT IS GOING ON HERE! Of course the reveal about her Father was just another moment in the long line of ridiculousness. The plot armor was plot armoring.
Seperate but a huge ick of mine, this happens towards the end by the time I had given up on liking the book.We need to discuss why BIPOC authors love writing love triangles that have the BIPOC fmc ending up with the white guy. Why does this always happen! Especially because they always have to be the son or nephew of some super racist guy. It's just, UGH. The chemistry Dèmi has with Collin and Jonas was fine? I rarely see a book do love triangles well, and this is no different. It's difficult to keep a serious tone when the fmc is waffling between two guys who really aren't that different or special.
All in all it felt like the book had no idea what it was supposed to be about. I liked the setting, the magic, and the different creatures, but everything in terms of plot made little to no sense. I did also enjoy the parallels with colonialism, and all of the food depictions. I did get quite hungry reading this.
I am not going to read the next book, and I don't know if I would read anything by Ehigbor Okosun anytime soon. Maybe further down the line with her next series.
I would personally NOT recommend this book.
Love the cover, the cover is so amazing. The book will likely do pretty well because it is a gorgeous piece of art, the perfect blend between composition and design. People will definitely pick this book up because of it, and truly it is likely the books saving grace.

DNF 10%

Черновик шаблонного янгэдалта. Редактор даже не валялся.

His eyes the blue of early dawn, sharp with flex of gold sky woven through, and i let go of the breath i didn't know i'd been holding.

О май гад! У него необычные глаза, голубые с золотом! О май гад, она испустила вздох, который неосознанно задерживала!

Никогда такого не было и вот опять.

Forged by Blood is a tour-de-force of a debut, exploring the relative moral complicity in colonial violence of a host of characters from various strata of society--all told through an epic, fast-paced adventure. Okosun has crafted a lush fantasy world, inspired by Nigerian folklore and wholly original, populated by fantastical creatures with agendas of their own, and a magic system that exacts dire costs from practitioners. Dèmi is a powerhouse of a protagonist, charging towards injustice wherever she finds it, and you can't help cheering her on. At first, her decision-making may seem reckless, but over the course of the novel, Okosun reveals how the impacts of colonial violence have shaped Dèmi's worldview and logic. And you will be transformed through getting to know her!

Don't go into this novel expecting pat tropes and simplistic, binary themes. The multifaceted romance will subvert your expectations, as will the book's treatment of blood magic and the necessity of violence. There are no easy answers here, but plenty of nuance and ethical complexity befitting a novel tackling the legacy of Imperial violence.

"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.

Time of death: 35%

First of all, I think the audio is a must for this book. Amazing voice acting.

Second, it's standard YA fantasy with insta-love, a love triangle, a dead parent etc. It sounded great and I was willing to give it room to grow into itself. It lost me when we tell don't show a life-long curse that the MC has had that is coming due tonight and may kill her (but you know it won't and will likely result in a kissing) and I said no thank you, I am an adult and do not care what teenagers do with their curses or their relationships. Next!

Rating: Enjoyed It, 3.5 stars

This was once again a case where I absolutely loved the world and the magic, but my rating was brought down by pacing and characterization issues.

Forged by Blood is the first in a debut duology, inspired by Nigerian folklore and mythology. The country of Ife has been invaded and colonized by nonmagical Ajes, and they have committed genocide against the native, magic-wielding, Oluso people. Dèmi lives with her mother, hiding and living a life of secrecy, until one day they are discovered and she is on her own. We pick up with 18(ish) year-old Dèmi who is looking to protect her found family and make things right for her people. She is pulled into a scheme to capture the Aje prince for another's political gain, and events unfold from there.

So the things I really enjoyed:
- The magic and the world are incredible. They are lush and beautiful. It is a world that I would like to explore more and really get to know better. Dèmi and company bounce around between different places, but my favorite was The Spirit Realm. I could have read an entire book following those spirits, honestly. I felt like a lot of the worldbuilding elements were very fresh and unique, and I was also really intrigued by the magic system. It was very much a throw you in without a ton of explanation, but I enjoyed that.

- For the most part, I really enjoyed the writing. I think that it suffered slightly from a first person POV because there were quite a few times the worldbuilding was delivered in info dumps by our MC. But the mechanical crafting of the sentences were often quite pleasing. There were lines that were very poignant and really conveyed a lot within them. I expect that this will only get better as Okosun improves in writing craft over time, and I look forward to seeing how it develops

- I felt that the pacing was quite uneven, but when it was on, it was definitely on. We start out with a bang, and then there are different parts throughout that I absolutely devoured.

Things that I found that were neither good nor bad:
- This novel is published by an Adult imprint, but it read like an upper YA novel to me. We follow a very young protagonist in first person POV, and it follows a lot of common tropes and plot beats that are very familiar in YA. I felt like Dèmi, despite experiencing so much brutality in her young life, was still very naive to the ways of the world and was searching for who she is and where she fits in the world. We also get a very poorly executed love triangle. It is a very dark world though, and I expect there will be a lot more brutality in the sequel as we approach the conclusion of the story.

Some things I didn't enjoy:
- As I mentioned, the pacing was very uneven throughout. Honestly, this read a bit like a trilogy that was being stuffed into a duology. I have noticed this in several duologies that I have read in the last few years, and I think that some of the issues could be resolved by giving the author the space to fully develop the world and characters rather than cramming all the plot points in in a mad dash to the finish.

- I feel like the characterizations suffered a bit from the first person POV. I usually love a brash, impulsive, angry heroine, but in this instance I felt like a lot of Dèmi's reactions and choices didn't fully make sense in the context of what we got in her POV. Because so much of the worldbuilding and explanation of the oppression and darkness of the world took place within her thoughts, it was very jarring when we would get a well-rounded explanation from the character of why X was the way it was, but then after taking the time to "think" through the ramifications for the reader, she reacts in a way that is completely contradictory to everything she had just explained. It was very jarring at times, and it kept pulling me from the story. I feel like this issue could have been alleviated if the worldbuilding was handled differently, or if it was part of the narration in a third person POV - because then it would just feel like an impulsive and brash main character rather than a character who just consistently made really poor choices. I also wasn't fully invested in the secondary characters. I feel like this is usually pretty common for me in first person POVs - it takes a while to fully develop the other characters since we only have one perspective, but because Dèmi never felt fully fleshed out, the secondary characters also remained somewhat flat for me.

- One of the major tropes in this is fated mates. However, I really disliked the way that this played out because it involved a love triangle, and as love triangles go, it was a pretty bad one. Our main character seemed to not want a relationship at all but was still making out with both boys in front of the other with no real regard for people's feelings, and it just read very oddly to me.

Overall, there were pieces that I really enjoyed but others that brought my overall experience down. I am interested by the world and by the ending, but what I consider to be the most interesting parts of the story were the ones that we dealt with the least. There was no true indication of whether these threads will be picked up again in the sequel. I assume they will be, but I will probably wait to commit to continuing the series until we get more info on the second book.

I received an ARC of Forged by Blood from Harper Voyager and Netgalley. All opinions are my own. Forged by Blood releases on August 8, 2023.

This was a lot different than I anticipated. I loved the world building and the magic. However, I did think the plot was lacking in places. Things happened that didn't quite make sense or had no build up. It didn't stop me from enjoying a good majority of the book though.

I really loved the description of this book when I first got an ARC copy of it through net galley. I wanted to first thank Harper Voyager for also sending me a finished copy before release date for an honest review. I enjoyed the initial plot of this book. What I loved about it was the world building and the unique magic system. I also loved the main characters Demi and and the strong ethics and morals that she had throughout the book. I also loved the main plot line of Demi taking the steps to fight the oppression in plaguing her world but I think I am a bigger fan of Ekwensi because I think realistically his mindset is where I am at when it comes to fighting oppression. The I think that the love triangle between Demi, Jonas, and Colin was not necessary, I think that the book would have been more enjoyable if the focus was on the relationship between Jonas and Demi. Overall the world building was spectacular. The last 30% of the book there is a lot of info dumping that was rather enjoyable and increased the drama of the book. I do recommend reading this book if you love books with great world building, and breaking down oppression, and also a little bit of romance.

dnf p. 74

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for providing an eARC for me to review!

There was just way too much going on at the beginning for me to settle into the story, and something about the writing wasn't gripping me. The first few chapters don't really give you time to acquaint yourself with this fantasy world, and while I like a fast-paced book, I feel without this foundation you spend the rest of the book still catching up. There was a lot of 'telling' in the worldbuilding that there was, which also didn't help.

It also leaned more YA than I was expecting - perhaps like The Gilded Ones this reads like older YA that may require some content warnings rather than true adult. I found that even though characters were of very different ages, they all kind of blurred together in terms of actions and tone, which made it hard to place everyone's relationships. Dèmi is under 10 years old for the first little bit, but she then reads the same when she's 9 years older.

Fated mates also just isn't my thing, so I don't really see this panning out in a way that's up my alley. I think fans of The Gilded Ones or Blood Scion might really enjoy this though!

Since Raybearer, I am all in on African folklore inspired fantasy, so this one sounded right up my alley. I'll start off by saying, I liked the concept in principle. But I was definitely on the struggle bus with this one several times. I started it with the intention of posting on pub day. Unfortunately, there were several times I put it down and had to press myself to go back to it.

It's a kingdom based story where those with magic are oppressed and often killed. When Demi's mother heals someone with connection to royalty, she is murdered leaving Demi as an orphan to survive on her own. Her paths cross again with royalty and tensions run high as she tries to protect her people from oppression and torture. I loved Demi as a character and the world building was good, but I struggled a bit with the rest.

First, there was a huge time jump that I felt was unnecessary. I get the author wanted an older character for the full story but the way it was done was so jarring. Second, the love triangle was super frustrating. I liked Jonas and Demi's unusual history but Colin was a very frustrating character full of toxic masculinity throughout. Demi was supposed to be so clever and smart, she didn't need either of these boys - think Katniss. Some of the important plot points seem to happen off the page and are just recounted to Demi, I found that super frustrating. Also the pacing was very uneven, there were times where I was reveling in action and times where I was very bored.

In the end, the story got there but I'm not going to go out of my way to read the sequel. I get it was the author's debut, so if I see some positive reviews for book 2, I may give it a go, we'll see.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Willam Morrow Books and Goodreads giveaway for this beautiful physical ARC! I had luckily won and received the copy of this beautiful book and I am very glad to be one to get this ARC and to have read this upcoming debut novel. (Book to release this year in August)

This is Ehigbor Okosun’s debut novel and this book was very promising and good first debut novel release. (:

I believe this book is considered a YA fantasy because the characters are much younger and the story line is not as Adult from what I grasped when reading.
Dèmi(FMC), is a young magic warrior who has grown up around a world of people who had looked down on her due to her magic and to her being of color. This book has great magical storyline and mythical creatures involved along with a lot of societal issues such as racism, corruptive power, etc.
Obvious tropes I noticed within the story:
* mates
* love triangle
This was a fast paced quick read filled with adventure for sure. So much happens within the book that grasps your attention. It shows grief, loss, prejudice, wonder, etc throughout it all.
I think this book is a perfect book for those that are looking to get into fantasy and/or a perfect YA book to get you caught into a fantasy world. It gives you that satisfaction of wanting to know more and read more. I do want to know more within some of the characters within the book and read more of their characters. I strongly want to get more of the story especially how it ended and where they’re at now, so I am excited to once the second of this duology series is released.

Forged By Blood is the outstanding epic fantasy debut from Ehigbor Okosun. Dèmi was forced to run for her life at a young age when her mother was murdered. Nine years later, she’s ready for vengeance and becomes involved in a plan to kidnap the prince. Dèmi is shocked to discover that she has met the prince before and must untangle the many secrets between them. Dèmi will do anything to protect her people and avenge her mother- but how far will she have to go?

Okosun deftly handles politics, romance, action-packed battle scenes, and a well-designed magic system. I couldn’t put this book down! The pacing was excellent- it felt action-packed with adventures, yet still had moments of deep connection between the characters. Dèmi is such a lovable character who it is impossible not to feel invested in. Dèmi is willing to risk it all for her people and tries to help everyone, even if it places her in danger. I enjoyed Dèmi’s romantic predicament and I think she definitely made the right choice. One of my favorite scenes was with the omioja; the verdict they reached was so heartbreakingly beautiful and moving. I really enjoyed Dèmi’s relationship with the magical creatures of the forest and can’t wait to learn more about them in the sequel.

Readers who seek fated mates with a magical connection, strong heroines, and stunning magic systems will devour Forged Blood. Readers who enjoyed N.E. Davenport (The Blood Gift), Jordan Ifueko (Raybearer), and Deborah Falaye (Blood Scion) will love this book!

Thank you so much to Ehigbor Okosun, Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.