Who Is Tomi Adeyemi? Biography, Books, Career and Net Worth

Today, Adeyemi is one of the bestselling young adult authors of her generation. Her Legacy of Orisha trilogy has sold more than three million copies globally. 

All three books debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list. None of that happened by accident.

From Chicago to Harvard

Tomi Champion-Adeyemi was born on August 1, 1993. She grew up in Chicago, Illinois, the child of Yoruba parents who had immigrated from Nigeria. 

Her father, a physician back home, worked as a taxi driver after arriving in the United States. Her mother took jobs cleaning homes. 

These sacrifices shaped how Adeyemi understood ambition — the weight of it, the cost of it, and what it means to chase something that looks impossible from the outside.

She attended Hinsdale Central High School in Illinois, where she earned the Young Scholars scholarship in 2010 and 2011. 

She went on to Harvard University, graduating with an honours degree in English Literature. 

It was after Harvard that her trajectory crystallised. She received a fellowship that took her to Salvador, Brazil, where she spent months studying West African mythology and culture. The trip changed everything.

"I had never seen blackness celebrated and worshipped the way it was in Salvador," she has said. The experience became the seed of a novel.

Writing Children of Blood and Bone

Adeyemi had already tried and failed once. Her first novel went nowhere. 

So when she began work on what would become Children of Blood and Bone, she entered the manuscript into Pitch Wars — a competition pairing emerging writers with established editors. 


The revision process was intense. She completed forty-five drafts over eighteen months.

The novel's premise was simple but resonant: in the fictional West African kingdom of Orisha, a brutal king has massacred an entire class of magic users. 

Zélie Adebola, a young divîner, finds herself holding the only scroll that can restore magic to her people. 

The story drew on Yoruba mythology, on the Orisha deities, on the physical and spiritual landscape of West Africa — and underneath it all, on the Black Lives Matter movement and the grief Adeyemi felt watching Black people killed with impunity.

In 2017, the publishing world reacted in ways the industry rarely does. Henry Holt Books for Young Readers acquired the novel for a seven-figure sum. 

Film rights sold separately to Fox 2000 Pictures — later transitioning to Paramount Pictures — in a deal described at the time as one of the largest debut YA publishing agreements ever recorded.

The Legacy of Orisha Trilogy

Children of Blood and Bone was published on March 6, 2018. It debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and remained there, spending more than 150 weeks on the chart in total. 


The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon selected it as its first-ever summer read.

The sequel, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, arrived in 2019. Number one, again, on debut. 

Adeyemi completed the trilogy with Children of Anguish and Anarchy, released in June 2024 — and once more, it landed at the top of the list on its first week.

Three books. Three number-one debuts. The consistency is remarkable, and it reflects both the loyalty of her readership and the cultural conversation she managed to sustain over six years.

Awards, Recognition and Cultural Standing

Children of Blood and Bone won the 2018 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, the 2019 Waterstones Book Prize, and the 2019 Hugo Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book. 

Five publications awarded the novel starred reviews. TIME magazine named Adeyemi one of its 100 Most Influential People in 2020, placing her in the Pioneers category. Forbes placed her on its 30 Under 30 list in 2019.

Beyond the accolades, what matters is what her work signalled to a generation of Black readers and writers: that African mythology was not footnote material. 

That Yoruba spirituality and West African tradition had narrative weight on any shelf, in any country.

The Film Controversy

For years, Adeyemi was set to be a central creative figure on the Paramount Pictures film adaptation. 

She was to write the screenplay and serve as executive producer. That changed in July 2026.

In a TikTok posted on July 4, 2026, Adeyemi publicly distanced herself from the production. "I'm just laying down my sword and officially separating my name," she said, "because I can't keep being hurt and attacked behind the scenes." 

She did not specify the exact nature of the conflict. Paramount Pictures and the filmmakers had not publicly responded as of publication.

The film, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is scheduled for theatrical release on January 15, 2027, including IMAX engagements. 

The cast includes Thuso Mbedu, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Principal photography wrapped in Lagos in June 2025.

Life Beyond the Trilogy

Adeyemi runs the Writer's Roadmap, an online creative writing programme. Writer's Digest named her website one of its Best Writing Advice Websites in 2020. 

She also worked on My Dad the Bounty Hunter, an animated Netflix series with a majority-Black writers room.

Her brother is the musician Tobi Lou, a Chicago-born rapper and singer who has collaborated with artists including Chance the Rapper.

As for her net worth, estimates place it at approximately one million dollars, though the figure may be conservative given ongoing royalty income, speaking fees, and her coaching platform. 

She earned a seven-figure advance on her first deal alone.

What is harder to put a number on is the influence — the shelf space she cracked open, the readers she reached, the writers she gave permission to. That accounting runs a lot deeper.

— FAQ —

What is Tomi Adeyemi's nationality?

Tomi Adeyemi is American, of Nigerian-Yoruba descent. She was born and raised in the United States, primarily in Chicago, Illinois.

Where did Tomi Adeyemi go to college?

She attended Harvard University, where she graduated with an honours degree in English Literature.

How many books has Tomi Adeyemi written?

As of 2024, Adeyemi has published three novels: Children of Blood and Bone (2018), Children of Virtue and Vengeance (2019), and Children of Anguish and Anarchy (2024). All three are part of the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy.

Why did Tomi Adeyemi distance herself from the film adaptation?

In a July 2026 TikTok, Adeyemi stated she was separating her name from the film because she had been "hurt and attacked behind the scenes." She did not publicly detail the specific circumstances.

Is Tomi Adeyemi related to any other celebrities?

Her brother is Tobi Lou, a Chicago-born musician and rapper known within the independent music scene.