Over the past few weeks there’s been a lot of discourse about the film adaptation of Nigerian-American writer Tomi Adyemi’s bestselling African-inspired YA fantasy novel Children of Blood and Bone. Much of this has been sparked by the author, who has taken the remarkable step of distancing herself from the film through a series of group chats and videos–calling it “the worst thing I’ve ever had to live through.” Not mincing words. Though no one is quite certain why, it hasn’t stopped 1001 and one write-ups, video reels, and social media posts trying to pinpoint a reason. Altogether, it has thrown the film into utter controversy that’s sometimes hard to follow–but here’s a timeline. Words like “troubled” and “disaster” are now hounding the movie before it even hits screens in early 2027. And new write-ups have emerged about what a failure at the box office might mean for other Black fantasy writers, not to mention its producer Michael B. Jordan, its director Gina Prince-Bythewood, and a star studded cast including Viola Davis, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Regina King, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and more. We talking ALL BLACK EVERYTHING. And it’s ALL BLACK DRAMA right now.

But I’m not here to talk about none of that. I have no more idea of what’s going on with the author, the film, or how it’ll be received, than anyone else. So, what’s the point? Instead, I want to talk about another controversy that emerged online as soon as the first photo stills dropped from the movie. And about the joys, rewards, perils, and pitfalls of writing African-inspired fantasy.