Reviews with content warning for Murder - Blood Like Magic

A slow start but picked up throughout. I really enjoy the premise along with all the magic meets future tech, but Voya could get a little frustrating. Will read the sequel because I overall enjoyed the story and writing.

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tinysierra's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

“There’s something about lounging in a bath of blood that makes me want to stay until my fingers shrivel enough to show the outlines of my bones.” pg 1

I expected to fall in love with Blood like Magic. The synopsis was interesting and the first sentence hooked me. It’s got black witches and queer representation. Speaking of, I swear I’ve seen this book on asexual rec lists, but asexual and aromantic are two different things. It has an explicit demiromantic (meaning that they’re on the aromantic spectrum) side character. There is another character that does not seem to enjoy physical touch or kissing, but the word asexual is not used. Moving on, another thing that influenced me to read the book was the fact that the plot reminded me of Raybearer, which I really loved.

Maybe I set my expectations too high. I’m not sure. I originally decided to DNF this book because it was a bit repetitive and felt like nothing was really happening. After a few months, I picked it up again to see if it got better. I enjoyed the interactions we got to see between Luc and Voya. The way the plot was executed just didn’t do anything for me. I think the writing style was too… dense and long winded. The book felt too long. The pacing was not fast.

I’m disappointed because I also really loved the cover of this one and the sequel. I won’t be reading the second book.

Themes:

-Broken family

-importance of community

-importance of family ties

-connection to ancestors

-cooking

-sacrifice

-trust
-addiction
-poverty
-eating disorder briefly mentioned

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mitzee's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Voya comes from a magical family, and a Black witch community which is lead by matriarchs. She has a multi-generational household and is a teen, along with her cousins is looking to figure out the next phase of her life. Story takes place in a near-future Toronto and incorporates some sci-if elements as well as magic.

Voya is given a task she has to complete in order to receive her magical gift - and is not sure if she will be able to complete it.

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angryluna's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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xandra_'s review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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tomnoor's review against another edition

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3.75

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eregriel's review

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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annagwritesandreads's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I thought this was a beautiful blend of fantasy and sci-fi! I am excited about the rest of the series. HOWEVER, this book (and I've heard this from others) for some reason, this book feels like it's a 800 page book when really it's around 500 pages.

We follow Voya, a witch hiding among a society of genetic modification, cool future tech, and she has her Calling (coming of age ceremony) right around the corner. Her calling is the most challenging calling any witch has seen in ages.

She must be able to make decisions not only for herself but for those she has known for years and those she grows to love. Again, I really enjoyed the entire premise of the book, but it almost felt like it dragged. I'm curious to see where the second book goes!

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