• Children of Blood and Bone

  • By: Tomi Adeyemi
  • Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
  • Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (16,272 ratings)

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Children of Blood and Bone  By  cover art

Children of Blood and Bone

By: Tomi Adeyemi
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
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Publisher's summary

Winner of the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year

This program is narrated by acclaimed reader Bahni Turpin, whose past work includes The Hate U Give and The Underground Railroad

"Bahni Turpin's breathtaking narration of this exhilarating novel will keep listeners rooted to their seats, listening intently...an audiobook not to be missed." (AudioFile magazine, Earphones Award winner)

In Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut.

They killed my mother.

They took our magic.

They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers - and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Praise for Children of Blood and Bone:

"[Narrator Bahni Turpin] excels at customizing her voice to capture the unique personalities of each character.... This excellent, refreshing performance of Adeyemi's exciting debut is recommended for all collections where fantasy is popular." (Booklist, starred review)

"One of the biggest young adult fiction debut book deals of the year. Aside from a compelling plot and a strong-willed heroine as the protagonist, the book deals with larger themes, like race and power, that are being discussed in real time." (Teen Vogue)

©2018 Tomi Adeyemi (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Editor's Pick

Writing a new history
"Building on a uniquely West African mythology, Tomi Adeyemi’s debut conjures up a vibrant, amazing fantasy world in which magic once thrived, a segment of the population is grievously oppressed, and a young woman becomes the leader she was meant to be. Bahni Turpin’s mastery of the accents expertly brings the wide array of characters to life, carrying you with the young rebel and her crew across the physical and emotional landscapes that make this listen so special." —Abby W., Audible Editor

Featured Article: Finished Throne of Glass? Try These Audiobooks Next


After finishing Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series, it’s understandable if you have a bit of a listening hangover. This seven-book fantasy series features a fan favorite strong female lead in 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien, and Maas’s writing has been described as "scary good." After all of the build up to the conclusion, hearing the last word of the final audiobook probably felt bittersweet. These epic fantasy series will be your next best listen.

What listeners say about Children of Blood and Bone

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    12,642
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    11,344
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    2,200
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    173

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully Written

I was watching GMA on 3/7/18 and I saw the author Tomi Adeyemi being interviewed by Robin Roberts talking about her book and how excited she was when Stephen King reached out to her on Twitter, yes ma’am he knows your name now. Lol.
So I decided to download it.
I just finished the book today on 3/8/18, yes it took me two days to listen to the whole thing. After downloading the book, first thing I did was turned off my television and I sat in my dark bedroom listening to the book. I felt like I was Sebastian from the Never Ending Story... lol. For 18 hours I listened to this awesome book. Only stopping to eat, sleep and use the restroom. That’s how caught up I was, my husband didn’t even mess with me because he knew better. Lol.
It was Amazing, Captivating, Brilliantly Written. I love how the author took us on this quest into her imagination. Thank you Tomi Adeyemi.

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354 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Audible.. you couldn't find a Yorùbá narrator?





Audible I am thoroughly upset with how this book was narrated!! 4 chapters in and I had to stop to write this review. I cannot go on any further. It is disappointing to think that a book based on my culture has to be butchered in such a way. This book is based on Yorùbá culture, the cities the Dieties the whole entire story... But you are using an actress/narrator who has no idea how to pronounce Yorùbá words like Ìbàdàn and màmá àgbà.... I mean... I cringe every time I hear her say certain words... No offense to her...but she is in no position to do justice to this book.... Are you saying in the whole Wide world we couldn't find a Yorùbá actress or narrator to narrate this award winning book for us?? Please audible.... Africa is not one country and we don't all sound the same and speak the same language... Please for upcoming books in this series I beg you.... Let's get someone that actually speaks the language to narrate and use the proper intonation and accent.... I have been using audible for several years and this is my first negative review.... Please let's do better...

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351 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Story!

I could see every clan, every Maji, every lock of white hair. I felt every emotion. Such a detailed and well written story.

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126 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

amazing new story.....so-so narrator

love the new book....but the narrator ruined it for me. being a Yoruba speaker and understanding the language, it was extremely jarring to have someone mangle the language in a way that makes it clear the narrator doesn't understand what she's saying.
if I didn't know the "foreign" language used, i think I'd have enjoyed the book more.
I hope the next book gets narrated by a dual speaker of English and Yoruba, as it would make an amazing difference....may yet get the e-book version in order to enjoy the book as it should be.
Also, had to listen to the book at 1.4x narration speed, just to have a normal pace!

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118 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

AMAZING!

This book was an excellent listen. The narrator was a great fit for this book. as an African American woman, this book was very emotional as my ancestors were stolen from their land and our culture and traditions lost. Listening to this book has me yearning for more. To find out more about where we originated from. I know it's early in 2018, but this is one of the best books I've purchased in a long time.

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78 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, but an actress who can speak the Yoruba language would have been best

I enjoyed the uplifting messages this book gave readers, such as courage, positivity, bravery, fearlessness, and so much more! I really liked reading about the magical folklore in Nigeria. It seemed to be pretty cool to me. It gave us a view of the authors vivid imagination. I liked how the narrator made it easy to distinguish each character by the tone of voice used for each of them.

With that being said I was disappointed to hear that the book was not narrated by a Nigerian. I’m Nigerian and speak Yoruba and can’t understand how the author did not want to have a Yoruba actress narrate her book. Don’t get me wrong, Bonnie Turpin is a great actress but not for this book.

When I first began to listen to the book, it was very difficult to continue because the narrators accent sounded so opposite of a Yoruba accent. It sounded almost South African to me. The narrator actually confused me when she spoke Yoruba and said the incantations because I found it hard to understand what she was saying most of the time.

Overall, the book was a good read but the narration brought my rating down.

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68 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book but

I listened and I am enjoying the story. I wish the reader had the right pronunciation for the words or cities. I grew up in Nigeria and it took me a bit to figure out what cities the reader was referring to. I enjoyed it.

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64 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The first half is amazing, but...

I loved and devoured the first half of the book. Great fantasy setting, interesting plot, vivid and amazing writing. But where it dropped for me is when the plot and agency of the book came to a grinding halt to spend 10 chapters on romance that had not existed at all until that point. I was jarring and it was a struggle to finish the book, let a lone the forced romance.

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57 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • AP
  • 08-08-18

Ok book

This book was part of my monthly book club read, I decided to get it on audio book to save sometime. Unfortunately the accent of the narrator - may be the author (?) - is so thick that I couldn't follow the story properly and had to leave the audiobook. I understand that different accents are part of the English language, as I'm sure I have an accent myself English being my second language but I'm not a book narrator. Accented reading as real as it may be , dramatically limits the audience capable of understanding such an accent. Unfortunately I can't hardly understand some of the words spoken, as I'm unfamiliar with English spoken on the African continent and the Caribbean. If this is not an issue with you I recommend the book, otherwise don't bother.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Five Stars are not Enough!

Adeyemi did a brilliant job of organizing the storyline. The characters were so vibrant, realistic and yet distinctly different from one another. I could stop listening as the story griped me time and time again. The Children of Blood and Bone rivals(if not surpasses) Harry Potter, a fictitious far away dreamland. The adventures of the main characters were so vividly portrayed the reader easily feels apart of the journey. Although this may appear to be a young adult book, any age will enjoy it. Adeyemi builds the story to exciting conclusion that leaves the reader wanting more. I will be first in line to preorder the next one!

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27 people found this helpful