Blood Scion

Blood Scion is a 2022 young adult fantasy novel by Nigerian Canadian writer Deborah Falaye.[1][2] Falaye's debut novel inspired by Nigerian and Yoruba mythology was published on 8 March 2022 by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins as the first book in a planned series.[3]

Blood Scion
First edition
AuthorDeborah Falaye
CountryNigeria
LanguageEnglish
SeriesBlood Scion
GenresYoung adult , Fantasy
PublisherHarperTeen
Publication date
8 March 2022
ISBN978-0-06-322081-2

Writing the book over 10 years, Falaye drew inspiration from novels like Things Fall Apart, A Long Way Gone and They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children and as well as West African mythology and the Yoruba culture and language.[4] The kidnapping of school girls in Nigeria by terrorists and the trauma she felt about child soldiers settling after years of war and conflict motivated her to develop the story of Blood Scion.[4]

Development

Falaye grew up in Nigeria where she was fed daily with Nigerian and Yoruba mythology and culture mostly by her grandmother until she migrated to Canada with her family and noticed how different she was from other black kids.[1] She had always wanted to write a book based on her culture and wrote two unpublished books before settling on Blood Scion.[5] Falaye began writing the book in 2012 and drew inspiration from the Orisha and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart which was the first book she read while growing up.[1] She was also motivated by the then trending #BringBackOurGirls movement in Nigeria which stood against kidnapping of school girls by Boko Haram terrorists and the trauma of faced by child soldiers who have taken part in wars.[1][4]

Plot

Set in a Nigerian inspired world, Sloane is a Yoruba girl and a Scion— magic people who are descendants of the ancient Orisha gods and are hunted by the Lucis. On her 15th birthday, she is chosen to become one of the child soldier for the Lucis. Sloane is taken to the island of Avalon where she will be trained to fight against other Scion and also partake in the Yoruba genocide of her people. Sloane will have to hide her identity, find out what happened to her dead mother and destroy the Lucis from within the Army.

Reception

The book received generally positive receptions from book reviewers and readers alike and will was among the most anticipated book of 2022.[6][7][8] It was recommended by several media outlets including The Mary Sue, Bustle, Buzzfeed and Tor.com .[9][10][11] A starred review from Booklist Review called the novel "fast pace and engaging."[12]

A review by YA Book Central called the novel "a riveting and compelling YA dark fantasy."[2] Sarah Perchikoff in a review for Culturess stated that "Blood Scion will captivate you from beginning to end."[13]

References
  1. "BLOOD SCION Author Deborah Falaye on Her Brilliant and Brutal Debut". Nerdist. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  2. "Featured Review: Blood Scion (Deborah Falaye) – YA Books Central". Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  3. "Yoruba Mythology Inspires Deborah Falaye's Debut Fantasy Novel Blood Scion". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  4. Amanda MacGregor (2022-03-01). "Three Inspirations Behind Blood Scion, a guest post by Deborah Falaye". Teen Librarian Toolbox. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  5. "Deborah Falaye Interview - Blood Scion". Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  6. "25 Books By Black Authors to Read in 2022". Teen Vogue. 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  7. "10 Brilliant Books to Read That Will Put a Spring in Your Step This March". Nerdist. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  8. "March 2022 New Book Releases: Celebrating Women's History Month | The Young Folks". 2022-02-28. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  9. "Hannah Gadsby's Memoir & 47 More New Books To Read This March". Bustle. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  10. "The Mary Sue Book Club, March 2022: Immersive Fantasies & Fierce Retellings". The Mary Sue. 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  11. Brown, Alex (2022-03-07). "New Young Adult SFF for March & April 2022". Tor.com. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  12. Deborah, Falaye, Blood scion, ISBN 978-0-06-322081-2, OCLC 1302597292, retrieved 2022-03-20
  13. "Blood Scion is a thrilling story of survival you won't be able to put down". Culturess. 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
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