Advertisement

WME Signs ‘Children Of Blood And Bone’ Author Tomi Champion-Adeyemi

Amanda N'Duka
·2 min read

EXCLUSIVE: WME has signed Nigerian-American author Tomi Champion-Adeyemi, who wrote the New York Times bestselling novel, Children of Blood and Bone, which was released in 2018 via Henry Holt Books.

At just 23-years-old, Adeyemi landed a high figure publishing deal for her debut novel, which stayed at No. 1 on the NYT bestseller list for 25 consecutive weeks. Children of Blood and Bone, the first in the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, picked up the Andre Norton Nebula Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and the Hugo Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book.

More from Deadline

The story takes place in the fictional land of Orïsha and follows Zélie Adebola, a young girl who remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. Everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Its follow-up, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, was released in 2019 and also debuted at No. 1 on the NYT bestseller list. The Children of Blood and Bone trilogy is being made into a feature film with Disney and Lucasfilm

Adeyemi, who graduated from Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature, was recently named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People as well as one of Forbes’ 2020 30 Under 30 in Media.

She continues to be repped by The Nord Group.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.