So, I'll start off by admitting that I didn't finish this one.
It's sad really.
I wanted to enjoy Tomi Adeyemi's debut, but as I was flipping past page after page of wham-pow hits and somersaults and narrow escapes, of differing points of view, of this new kind of fantasy world sorta kinda based on Yoruba mythology, I kinda felt like I was reading Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes, the films. Just in book form.
There are some stories made for film.
There are some stories made to be told around a campfire.
There are some stories made to be told with images, in picture-form, and there are a hundred different other mediums and amalgamations of mediums for storytelling...
But there are some stories made to be written, read, and enjoyed as a book. First.
Ever read The Lost World by Michael Crichton? He wrote The Lost World after his novel Jurassic Park was made into a film, at the urging of Spielberg—and doubtless others—who wanted to replicate the success of Jurassic Park the film. Well, The Lost World is great if you want to read a movie. However, Crichton himself was hesitant to write a novel primarily just so it could be made into a movie, and it was the only sequel he ever wrote.
A similar thing is happening here with Adeyemi's book. The book reads like it's begging to be made into an action-packed blockbuster movie. Thereby, Children of Blood and Bone lacks the finesse of characterization, the subtlety of metaphor, the meaty oompf of meaning that storytelling in long books—and movies—like these are supposed to have (especially for YA fantasy which requires paragraphs of detail and explanation, though this book flips—page to page—from one action sequence to the next). Oh, and don't forget those upcoming sequels...
Your book, my book, Adeyemi's book, all have to compete with other books for their reader's attention. This one lost the battle to the five other books on my nightstand. Sorry Adeyemi, but this one was just not for me.
Afterthought: Yes, many stories transcend the medium of their birth. A single book can be made into countless sequels of films. A film can spawn books. Authors, these days, often plan and strategize how their book will translate into film, television, YouTube, websites, and other mediums. It's important to do that, sure, because you want as many people as possible to experience the story. To relate to it. Plus, it makes money for the author. Hybridization is the modus operandi of success, these days. But it can come at a price.
Don't let the price you pay for success be your story.
Don't let the price you pay for success be your story.