Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 20/03/2022
Cover:
I am obsessed with this cover! Not only are the colours striking, but the portrait of Scion as a warrior is incredibly stunning. Her headpiece screams power and ferocity, beautifully contrasting her peaceful expression.
Writing:
Steeped in Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, the world Deborah Falaye creates is immersive, graphic and fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the extensive history and culture that unapologetically showcases the Yoruba language. While there is no avoiding the wealth of information needed to establish this complex world, I love that Deborah takes her time to gradually weave this information into the story. This allows the fast pace of the story to be maintained and presents the details in manageable pieces. However, this does lead to some information being repeated, but it did not seem often enough to be irritating. My only other criticism is that the time jumps in the story are not explicit, making it difficult to keep track of the passage of time.
I am a descendant of Shango, the god of heat and fire. I am a living inferno. I am a dead girl walking.
Storyline:
The storyline follows the journey of the protagonist, Sloane, in a world that not only wants her dead but forces her to be a child soldier. What unfolds is a complex rollercoaster of events and emotions that I lost myself within. The pace is fast, the storyline violent and unpredictable with numerous twists spread through-out.
The substance and power of the storyline is further strengthened by the brutal themes it presents: rape, child abuse, self-harm, torture, genocide, murder and more. While I am not someone who balks at the harshness of these topics, the brutality of the story eventually began to claw at me. In truth, parts of the story felt like a physical gut-punch while other parts had me crying without warning.
Main character:
Like the storyline, Sloane is a beautifully complex protagonist brimming with rage and violence. She is morally ambiguous – selfish and fierce, yet kind and compassionate. While I usually find such a big contrast annoying, Deborah does it to perfection in this story through Sloane’s inner conflicts. Without slowing the story’s fast pace, there are constant reflections and a deep exploration of how far Sloane is willing to go to survive. These made it really easy to understand all that drives Sloane’s actions and choices. In fact, there were numerous times when Sloane’s internal voice perfected matched some of my thoughts while reading. This made her character far more relatable, and I even began sympathising with her.
Your humanity is worth fighting for
Secondary characters:
There may not be many secondary characters in this story, but most of them are memorable. This is mainly because of the emotional ties each character has with Sloane rather than their complexity or because they are entertaining. In truth, most of these characters are simply used to propel the storyline as they are either involved in the few predictable moments of the story or the numerous twists.
Romance:
The romance has to be the weakest part of this story, but thankfully, it also takes up very little of the storyline. Without a realistic, natural progression, the only clue we have to anything happening between the characters is the strange and questionable behaviour of the male lead. I felt no sparks, no chemistry, no attraction.
In a nutshell, ‘Blood Scion‘ is a brutal, compelling read that I thoroughly enjoyed despite the weak romance. With this book, Deborah Falaye has earned herself a place as one of my favourite authors, and I cannot wait to read the sequel!
Do you agree or disagree with anything mentioned above? Let us know in the comments below.
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