Tomi Adeyemi’s face, captured in an uncompromising, unsmiling portrait, serves as the cover for her latest novel, The Siren. The author describes the image as “terrifying” but necessary, explaining that its direct gaze is like the Mona Lisa following the viewer. Choosing to feature her own likeness is a deliberate act of claiming ownership over her creative work after spending 12 years immersed in the world of Children of Blood and Bone. Unsoftened by a smile, her piercing gaze fixed directly on the viewer. “It’s terrifying – like the Mona Lisa, staring at you everywhere,” she says, laughing, it is an arresting image: her face fills the frame. So for the last 12 years there’s been this sense of carrying everyone.”, and so few of us are given a shot at all. Readers would tell her what the book had meant to their children. “You have no idea what this did for me,” they would say.
Her debut fantasy series, which launched in 2018, transformed her into a literary star, netting a record-breaking seven-figure deal and topping the New York Times young adult bestseller list. Yet, the fame brought overwhelming pressure to represent an entire generation of Black authors. Adeyemi felt the weight of needing to be “Oprah good,” carrying the expectations of those who saw her as a beacon for dark-skinned protagonists in literature. She describes her career as a long, grueling journey, noting that while she is proud of having changed the industry landscape for future authors, the exhaustion of constant scrutiny has been immense. Her 2018 debut, became a publishing phenomenon, netting a major seven-figure deal and debuting at No 1 on the New York Times young adult bestseller list, children of Blood and Bone. A young woman fighting to restore magic to the kingdom of Orïsha, was inspired by West African mythology and offered something Adeyemi had craved as a child: a dark-skinned Black girl at the centre of an epic fantasy, its story of Zélie.
The transition to her current work, The Siren, marks a shift toward contemporary storytelling. Her new protagonist, Emery, a Black student at Dartmouth College, is described by the author as a reflection of her own teenage self, someone who is navigating a desire to belong while running from a difficult history. This creative evolution follows a life path that initially saw her considering medicine and finance before committing to the difficult, non-logical path of an artist.
A significant source of personal distress for the 33-year-old Nigerian American writer has been the upcoming film adaptation of her debut novel, slated for release in January 2027. Despite the project boasting a star-studded cast including Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Regina King, Damson Idris, Amandla Stenberg, and Cynthia Erivo, Adeyemi’s experience on the production was deeply painful. In a July TikTok video, she described the process as the worst thing she has ever endured, detailing instances where she left the set in a state of panic and physical distress. But the 33-year-old Nigerian American author had already spent much of her adult life being watched, the recent public fallout from the forthcoming film adaptation may have drawn attention.
When pressed for specifics regarding her on-set experiences, Adeyemi remains guarded, stating that the entire journey felt biblical and demanding. She also faced public scrutiny regarding the film’s casting and colorism, including a tense exchange on social media involving messages sent to actor Amandla Stenberg. While she co-wrote the screenplay, the author asserts that the director maintained total control over final creative decisions. Consequently, she holds no intention of watching the finished film, viewing it as a project that is no longer hers to oversee.
Looking back at her path from a five-year-old writing fan fiction to the author of a publishing phenomenon, Adeyemi emphasizes that she has had to be resilient. She navigated 63 rejections for her first manuscript before the breakthrough of her debut, working part-time for a film production company in Los Angeles while honing her craft. Today, she focuses on her own strength and grace, prioritizing her personal peace over external interpretations of her life.
She finds solace in the impact her work has had, specifically the increased visibility of diverse characters on bookstore shelves. While she remains focused on moving forward, she maintains that setting boundaries—such as her decision to step back from the film’s lifecycle—is the only way to preserve her artistic integrity. For Adeyemi, the act of reclaiming her narrative is not just about writing books, but about surviving the industry that she helped transform. “It was an intense choice, and I think it’s because I needed people to see me in this one,” she says. “I’ve had so much success, but it was also done in a way where so many people’s interpretations were put on to who I was.”.
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