Written by M.N.
Picture below: Author with her book
Information
Author: Deborah Falaye / Genre: Fiction/Fantasy / Published: 2022
Warning: Themes of war, violence, and sexual assault
Summary
Written in the form of a fantasy novel, Deborah Falaye weaves a story of a young girl avenging her mother. Sloane is fifteen years old and as a Scion, she has powers kept hidden from the rest of the world: she is able to turn into a living fireball and burn people alive- and this power led her mother to die protecting her. Sloane hides her powers against the rule of the Lucis, a tyrannical group that has hunted her people, the Scion for centuries because of their supernatural abilities.
Despite loathing the Lucis, Sloane is conscripted as a child soldier into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday. Thrown into violence, Sloane has no choice but to accept it, as deserting would result in her and her family being killed. However, her grandfather, Baba presents her with a priceless opportunity: a map that leads to the Shadow Rebel’s hidden fortress filled with Scion powers. Baba insists that after Sloane trains to be a Lucis soldier, she should run far, far away to the fortress to live there peacefully. Filled with remorse at abandoning her family, Sloane agrees despite feeling that deep down, she will never leave her loved ones behind.
Sloane’s morality is instantly put to the test on assessment day, the day when the Lucis guards would determine if she would join their army. With great sacrifice, she is able to go to Avalon, the place where she will train for a grueling thirty days. In the end, those days will result in the loss of her humanity each second she spends with the Lucis soldiers and their brutality.
Despite being constantly forced to commit heinous actions against her own race, Sloane finds solace in the discovery of friends similar to her in the army. Together, the children work to accomplish their individual goals while Sloane finds herself amidst the grand scheme of things. What was once a quest to get revenge for her mother turns to Sloane leading her people to freedom.
How the Book Relates to the Modern World
The Yoruba are a West African ethnic group that live in Nigeria and Benin. Their language is Kwa, and words from this language are used throughout the book. Blood Scion also contains cultural references such as the ìlèkè, or white, religious beads the Yoruba wear and pay homage to their ancestors, the Orisha. Ancient myths are also scattered throughout the novel, such as when Sloane’s mother tells Sloane about the story of Obatala, a man who helped create the first Yorubas.
The setting of the story is set in a battle-strewn landscape with abandoned towns and burned buildings. Many of the horrors of real-life wars take place in the story. Most gruesome of all, Blood Scion talks about child soldiers and how they are sent to battle with guns drawn. This reflects the child soldiers used by African countries such as Liberia in recent and past wars and brings to light the horrors the children have to face in times of bloodshed. Since the second Liberian Civil War, there has been an estimate of over twenty thousand child soldiers who are in need of homes.
Why the Book Should be Read in Schools
As a fantasy novel, Blood Scion is a fictional tale that is more of a fun read outside of school. Despite this, the book uncovers the horrific events that take place in many third-world countries which include tormented destruction through war, torture, and famine.
Rating
Emotionally packed, the author of Blood Scion captivates her audience with the raw struggles of Sloane as she faces war at a young age. Despite all of the circumstances that Sloane faced, she was able to overcome each one of them with her quick wit and strong will. Readers will definitely root for Sloane as she destroys every single one of her opponents while achieving her revenge. As Blood Scion is a series, I’m looking forward to the other books that follow Sloane’s path to freedom.
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