A brilliant new voice brings us a brilliant new epic fantasy novel: Ehigbor Okosun's first book in an action-packed, poignant duology inspired by Nigerian mythology--full of magic and emotion and set in a highly atmospheric, complex world in which a young woman fights to survive a tyrannical society, having everything stripped away from her, and seeks vengeance for her mother's murder and the spilled blood of her people.
In the midst of a tyrannical regime and political invasion, D mi just wants to survive: to avoid the suspicion of the nonmagical Ajes who occupy her ancestral homeland of Ife; to escape the King's brutal genocide of her people--the darker skinned, magic wielding Oluso; and to live peacefully with her secretive mother while learning to control the terrifying blood magic that is her birthright.
But when D mi's misplaced trust costs her mother's life, survival gives way to vengeance. She bides her time until the devious Lord Ekwensi grants her the perfect opportunity--kidnap the Aje prince, Jonas, and bargain with his life to save the remaining Oluso. With the help of her reckless childhood friend Colin, D mi succeeds, but discovers that she and Jonas share more than deadly secrets; every moment tangles them further into a forbidden, unmistakable attraction, much to Colin's--and D mi's--distress.
The kidnapping is now a joint mission: to return to the King, help get Lord Ekwensi on the council, and bolster the voice of the Oluso in a system designed to silence them. But the way is dangerous, D mi's magic is growing yet uncertain, and it's not clear if she can trust the two men at her side.
A tale of rebellion and redemption, race and class, love and trust and betrayal, Forged by Blood is epic fantasy at its finest, from an enthusiastic, emerging voice.