It adds layers to her experience of survival as a child soldier, and I love the balance of the depiction of the darkness with a ray of hope in her.

She’s a Scion, and can incinerate her enemies, and has spent her entire life hiding. Sloane is a compelling character to view the circumstances through. She also handles the issues deftly and with care, so it’s about getting the message across and not about reveling in the violence. Given the bleak nature of the material, I appreciate Deborah Falaye’s full disclosure of the horrors inflicted on children and the role it plays in the book in an introductory content note. It’s partly a poignant tribute to the culture, as well as a dark reflection on the legacy of colonialism in Africa. Sloane rises through the ranks and gains strength but, in doing so, risks something greater: losing herself entirely, and becoming the very monster that she ahbors.įollowing one girl’s journey of magic, injustice, power, and revenge, this deeply felt and emotionally charged debut from Deborah Falaye, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, is a magnetic combination of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin and Daughter of Smoke and Bone that will utterly thrill and capture readers.īlood Scion is an impressive debut YA fantasy inspired by the Yoruba religion. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within. Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. I will be the worst monster they ever created.įifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will-she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods. ISBN-13: 978-0062854046 | $18.99 USD | 432 pages | YA FantasyĪ young girl with forbidden powers must free her people from oppression in this richly layered epic fantasy from debut author Deborah Falaye, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology and perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and An Ember in the Ashes.

Blood scion review