Blood Scion (Blood Scion #1)

In Falaye’s gripping debut, an epic tale of ancient magic based in Nigerian mythology, Sloane Folashadé has for two years searched for the truth behind her mother’s disappearance, believing that her mother was murdered by the royal Lucis, responsible for the genocide of Yoruba peoples and colonization of their land. Now 15, Sloane is at risk of being drafted into the Lucis’ war against Scions, the magic-wielding ancestors of Orisha gods. Secretly a Scion of the Orisha Shango, Sloane already struggles to keep her powerful blood magic of heat and fire hidden, a task that becomes even more dangerous once she is drafted into the Lucis’ military for training. If she is discovered, she and her remaining family will be executed. Enduring unspeakable horrors and forced to take the lives of her own people and fellow recruits, Sloane’s work to confirm her mother’s murder unravels a web of lies that threatens to burn away her remaining humanity. Though the ending borders on cliché, Falaye’s harrowing duology opener of survival, sacrifice, and vengeance illustrates the effects of trauma and the strength of love in driving acts potentially heinous and heroic. Ages 13–up. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Literary. (Mar.)