Often, finishing a long journey is even harder than starting it.
Back in 2018,Tomi Adeyemipublished her debut YA fantasy novel, andChildren of Blood and Bonebecamean instant sensation.
A sequel,Children of Virtue and Vengeance, followed a year later.
Tomi Adeyemi attends EW’s annual San Diego Comic Con party in 2022.Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage
But fans have now been waiting several years for the upcoming third piece in this planned trilogy.
EW can now reveal that the long-awaited conclusion to theLegacy ofOrishatrilogy is set to hit stores next year.
It will be titledChildren of Anguish and Anarchy.
The cover of ‘Children of Anguish and Anarchy’ by artist Lola Idowu.Lola Idowu/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Check out an exclusive look at the cover below.
The monarchy had finally fallen.
The maji had risen again.
Zelie never expected to find herself locked in a cage and trapped on a foreign ship.
Now warriors with iron skulls traffic her and her people across the seas, far from their homeland.
But as Baldyr closes in, catastrophe charges Orisha’s shores.
As with the previous two books, Adeyemi very consciously chose the title ofChildren of Anguish and Anarchy.
“There is a lot ofanguishfor the characters in this book,” Adeyemi says.
“Every book in this series has met me where I was in my life,” Adeyemi says.
The things that were really heavy on my heart writing this third book was this onslaught of female rage.
Adeyemi continues: “So that was something that was happening in America.
It’s where the spark forChildren of Blood and Bonehit me when I went there fresh out of college.
Going back as an author with a profile in their national newspaper was crazy!
But as I was talking to the women there, they were telling me about the persecution they faced.
It was a time where women were feeling not just unprotected by their government, but actually under attack.
That is something that really fed into the creative process of this story.
“She’s just this feisty girl waiting for her chance to prove herself.
I’m thinking of the final act of book three, and…
I’m not going to describe it, but it’s just like, wow.
Together, they demonstrate her growth through the years.
“I think what the cover conveys the most is Zelie’s growth and evolution,” Adeyemi says.
But most of all, when I look at this cover, I feel pride.
