When I was younger, books like Children of Blood and Bone introduced me to reading. magical stories full of mysticism and cultures so different from the one I grew up with. they were like a gateway drug to reading.
Now that I’m older (and hopefully wiser), I still love blood and bone kid-like books. Nigerian mythology, Yoruba belief and more intertwine around Zélie as she fights to bring magic back to her world after a cruel king goes to great lengths to eliminate anyone who practices it…including Zélie’s mother.
You are reading: Books like children of blood and bone
This is a story filled with danger, ill-fated romance, oppression, and the horrors of racism and misogyny. If you’ve already read the first book in the Adeyemi saga, what others are out there?
8 books like children of blood and bone
the throne of jasmine, by tasha suri
never underestimate younger readers. Books like Children of Blood and Bone come in all forms, and while The Jasmine Throne is marketed towards an adult audience, younger readers will love it too. Malini has been imprisoned by her brother, her dictator.
With only a few maids visiting to clean every night, Malini is on her own. But when she witnesses the true nature of a maiden named Priya, her paths intertwine.
and begins a quest for revenge. There are more than half a dozen points of view to follow in this character-driven story, but Suri succeeds where some authors fail, causing you to care for each person in different ways.
If you love morally gray queer fantasy, you’ll devour this novel. Suri writes with an intoxicating certainty. this is a real page turner against a backdrop of Indian mythology and culture.
beasts made at night, by tochi onyebuchi
Imagine being able to get rid of all the bad things you’ve done and have them manifest as beasts. now imagine being someone who can take your sins by killing those beasts, a process that can drive you crazy.
that’s the premise behind beasts made of night. And what a premise it is!
books like children of blood and bone enjoy torturing their main characters, and poor taj goes through a wringer in onyebuchi’s novel. like aki (a sin-eater), taj is paid to remove sins. but when he consumes the sin of a member of the royal family, things quickly spiral out of control.
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read this if you like interesting twists on magic influenced by Nigerian culture.
forest of a thousand lanterns, by julie c.
Would you choose power over love? This ancient conceit is at the core of Dao novels inspired by East Asian culture and mysticism. Books like children of blood and bone often present their protagonists with terrible choices, and this is no different.
xifeng is a peasant who lives in a village that nobody knows. his aunt guma has told xifeng that she can become empress of feng lu, but to do so would be to turn her back on love and exploit the magic that runs through her veins; mainly by devouring the hearts of recently killed people.
if you don’t like antihero stories, you probably won’t like the forest of a thousand lanterns. but if, like me, you love a story in which the protagonist is the opposite of “another irritating do-gooder”, you’ll enjoy this book.
an ember in the ashes, by sabaa tahir
There are many books similar to children of blood and bone that are inspired by the bloody history of mankind. an ember in the ashesis inspired by the brutally civilized world of ancient Rome.
elias is a soldier and laia is a slave, but they both feel trapped. When her brother is imprisoned, Laia agrees to enter the military academy to spy on the rebels who promise to rescue him. there she meets elias, a soldier who hates the tyranny of the martial empire of which he is a part.
If you like great epics that make you angry and sad, happy and indignant, then An Ember in the Ashes is for you.
Have you already read this book? Explore our list of more books like an ember to ashes!
flame in the mist, by renee ahdieh
I was lucky enough to travel through much of Southeast Asia in 2019 (before covid). my last two weeks were spent in japan, a country i want to visit again. Books like Children of Blood and Bone cloak their cultural influences in fantasy and legend.
Flame in the Mist combines magic with historical fiction and introduces us to Mariko, the daughter of a prominent samurai on her quest for revenge against the bandits who attacked her clan. Disguising herself as a boy, you can’t help but fall in love with Mariko as she travels and makes her way to an ever-changing goal.
Blood, love, secrets, bloodsucking trees, forest spirits, betrayal and counter betrayal await you if you choose to follow Mariko on her quest.
the reader, by traci chee
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A world without reading or books sounds like a nightmare where the Nazis won World War II. in the reader, we are introduced to sefi and kelanna’s world where books and reading just aren’t one thing. or is it them?
sefi and his aunt nin have been on the run ever since sefi’s father was killed and spend their time hunting and stealing. Things take an interesting turn after Nin is kidnapped and the only clue Sefi has is the strange rectangular object her father left behind before he died.
if you enjoyed children of blood and bone, add this one to your list.
skin of the sea, by natasha bowen
mermaids against gods. it’s easy to imagine this as the elevator pitch of the skin of the sea, a story full of salt, legendary creatures and vengeful deities. simi serves the gods as a mermaid, collecting the souls of all those who die in the sea. things go awry when she saves the life of a live child thrown from her boat.
In order to protect the other mami-wata (mermaids), semi has to find the ultimate creator while keeping a shadow following her and the boy she rescued from her back.
the skin of the sea celebrates all the positive and uplifting aspects of black African culture and history during terrible times. It’s not only an exciting adventure in its own right, it’s also an encouraging sign for the future of publishing, I hope.
hunger, of soul katsu
History and fantasy mingle again in this wagon-wheel disaster tale of the American West. i really enjoyed stephen king’s work, so i was intrigued to see his endorsement on the cover of the hunger.
While it starts off slow, you soon find yourself drawn into the donner party, especially when the supernatural elements reveal themselves. Drawing on the historical tragedies of this train car (bad snow, starvation, general deprivation, mental and physical health issues), Katsu uses the supernatural to truly terrify the reader. Is there something sinister in the dark? Or is it all in the heads of the characters?
if you enjoy the creepier psychological elements in books like children of blood and bone, you will find your way through this novel.
books like children of blood and bone offer magic, romance, terror, tragedy, betrayal and adventure. if you enjoy any or all of these narrative elements, then the above books will have something for you.
Looking for more books like Children of Blood and Bone? Do you have any recommendations that are not on the list? tell us in the comments!
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