From: From Love, The Letters
To: Reader
Re: Children of Virtue and Vengeance – Tomi Adeyemi
Delivery: Certified Delivery
Dear Readers,
Imagine watching people love each other and still choose war.
Reading Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi made me realize that sometimes loyalty to family can overpower morality, reason, and even peace itself. That was one of the strongest parts of this book for me. Every character was willing to stand beside the people they loved, even when they knew they were wrong. And honestly? I understood that.
As a sequel to Children of Blood and Bone, I expected the return of magic to feel victorious. Instead, it felt chaotic. Bringing magic back to Orïsha solved almost nothing. If anything, it exposed wounds that were already there and made them impossible to ignore.
I found myself frustrated with Zélie more than once. Her decisions were so emotionally driven by revenge that it became hard to watch her see clearly. Every time she tried to kill Inan, it honestly broke my heart because it felt like grief was speaking louder than understanding. She was so consumed by pain that peace never really had room to breathe.
And then there’s Amari.
My heart genuinely went out to her throughout this book. She kept trying to hold everyone together and fight for peace, even when it constantly cost her something. Sometimes the people trying hardest to stop the violence are the ones hurt the most by it.
The themes in this story were powerful: power, revenge, grief, betrayal, leadership. Especially the idea that hatred can be built on lies people were taught their whole lives to believe. Imagine learning that the foundation of everything you thought was true was false. Imagine trying to unlearn generations of fear while grieving the people you lost because of it. This book handled that emotional weight really well.
What stood out most to me was how anger kept everyone from communicating. Deep down, both sides wanted safety, freedom, and peace, but revenge made them enemies before they could ever fully understand each other. That felt less like fantasy and more like real life.
I also really loved the pacing and the different character perspectives. Every point of view added something meaningful to the story. I do wish Roën had more perspective chapters though because somehow he became my favorite character unexpectedly.
By the end, I was satisfied, but emotionally exhausted in the best way. The suspense never really let up, and that cliffhanger? Absolutely cruel. Now I need the final book immediately.
Overall, this was a good read. Not because it was easy, but because it was honest about what pain, power, and revenge can do to people who are already hurting.
From Love,
The Letters
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