Children Of Anguish And Anarchy: Release Date, Story, & Everything We Know

Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Anguish and Anarchy is one of the most-anticipated fantasy books of 2024, and it will bring the author’s Legacy of Orïsha series to a tense and emotional end. Adeyemi’s young adult fantasy series began with Children of Blood and Bone in 2018, which introduced Zélie Adebola, a girl striving to bring magic back to the kingdom of Orïsha, even if it means overthrowing the monarchy oppressing anyone with such abilities. This goal drives Zélie throughout the first and second Legacy of Orïsha books, and that will likely continue into the third.

Of course, it seems Zélie’s problems will extend beyond the monarchy in Children of Anguish and Anarchy — at least judging by the book’s synopsis. Children of Virtue and Vengeance leaves the series’ lead in a troubling situation, and she’ll need to find a way out of it before returning home to finish what she started. Her fate will be determined in the upcoming novel, and the stakes are higher than ever. Fortunately, readers don’t have to wait long for Adeyemi’s 2024 sequel.

Children Of Anguish And Anarchy Is Confirmed For A June 2024 Release Date

The 3rd Book Arrives 5 Years After Children Of Virtue And Vengeance

Children of Anguish and Anarchy is confirmed and currently has a release date of June 25, 2024. The sequel to Children of Virtue and Vengeance arrives five years after its predecessor, which hit shelves back in 2019. It’s no wonder readers are highly anticipating the next installment in the Legacy of Orïsha series, as it’s been a while since they caught up with Zélie and Adeyemi’s other characters. And after Children of Virtue and Vengeance‘s cliffhanger ending, fans of Adeyemi’s series are no doubt eager to return to Zélie’s story.

With any luck, Adeyemi’s lead will have better luck in the third book than she does at the end of the second. Children of Virtue and Vengeance sets the stage for a high-stakes, tense narrative in Children of Anguish and Anarchy — one that will, hopefully, lead to a satisfying ending. Only time will tell how Zélie and the kingdom of Orïsha fare in Adeyemi’s next book. The author has certainly set the stage for an epic conclusion, especially after the second installment’s final twist.

Children of Anguish And Anarchy Story: What Virtue And Vengeance Set Up

Zélie And Her People Will Face Multiple Enemies

The ending of Children of Virtue and Vengeance makes readers — and Zélie herself — believe that she’s successfully taken the royal palace of Orïsha. The book’s lead even manages to get the jump on Inan, or at least it seems that way at first. However, as Inan spills secrets to Zélie, he suggests they’ll both be dead soon, and thus, incapable of repeating them. She attempts to drain his life force, but Roën appears with a cloud of smoke in tow. The gas causes both Zélie and Roën to pass out, and when Zélie comes to, she’s imprisoned on a ship.

The epilogue sees Zélie lamenting her loss against the monarchy, and she’ll likely need to launch another assault on her oppressors in Children of Anguish and Anarchy. Of course, she’ll need to escape her current circumstances first. The synopsis of the next book suggests that she and the other maji will face terrible conditions and trafficking at sea. It also speaks of Zélie’s encounter with King Baldyr, the leader of the Skulls, who has “has ravaged entire civilizations to find her.”

With Zélie and her people facing such hardships in Children of Anguish and Anarchy, it’s hard to see how they’ll hit back against the monarchy. The upcoming sequel promises to take them to places they’ve never been, then bring them home for a final confrontation with the enemy. This is a promising setup for a high-stakes finale, and it’s fortunate that Children of Anguish and Anarchy will be here sooner rather than later. When it does arrive, it will need to tie up loose ends before readers bid farewell to its world and characters.

How Many Legacy of Orïsha Books Are There – Is This The Last In The Series?

Children Of Anguish And Anarchy Concludes A Trilogy

Children of Anguish and Anarchy is the last book in Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïshaseries, meaning the YA fantasy story will comprise three books in total. The June 2024 release has been marketed as a finale, and its synopsis (via Goodreads) hints that Zélie will confront “her final enemy” within its pages. It’ll be sad to say farewell to the characters Adeyemi has developed over the course of the series, but this does feel like a fitting place to wrap up the story. With so many years between the second and third book, it’ll be great to get more long-awaited answers than questions.

What Tomi Adeyemi Has Said About Children Of Anguish And Anarchy

The Author Elaborated On The Title’s Meaning

Children of Anguish and Anarchy‘s title and description allude to the characters’ struggles in the upcoming sequel, and Adeyemi confirmed they’ll face “a lot of anguish“ during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. The author noted that they’ve already grappled with massive pain in the previous books, but this one will force them to contend with “a conflict out in the external world and also inside of themselves.” Adeyemi went on to reveal that “they have to face a bigger enemy, a larger enemy, and it’s something they never could have anticipated.”

The author also addressed the anarchy element of the title, which she described as “a kind of ‘breaking free.’” That bodes well for Zélie and the other maji, as their fight has been about freedom since the very beginning. Perhaps they’ll succeed in creating a better world for themselves within the pages of Children of Anguish and Anarchy. As Adeyemi told EW, “It’s not just tearing everything down, but about the beauty that can be born out of the chaos and destruction.” It seems fitting for the series to conclude by depicting that dichotomy.

The Legacy Of Orïsha Series Will Be Done Before The Movie Adaptation

It’s A Relief Paramount’s Adaptation Won’t Get Ahead Of The Books

Although it’s sad to see Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha series coming to an end, it’s a relief that the books will be finished before Paramount’s movie adaptation. A Children of Blood and Bone movie was announced in 2020, and Paramount Pictures snagged the rights from Lucasfilm in 2022. Not much has happened on the movie front, but it’s nice to know the project won’t fall into a trap that’s hurt other fantasy adaptations. When films or TV shows premiere before a series is finished, they often risk getting ahead of the source material.

Since Children of Anguish and Anarchy comes out in June, this won’t be a concern for the Legacy of Orïsha books. Adeyemi will tell the story she intends to tell without the movie in the background, and the upcoming film can pull directly from the source material. With any luck, this will ensure it remains faithful from Children of Blood and Bone all the way through Children of Anguish and Anarchy.

Source: Goodreads, Entertainment Weekly