A review by sharanya
Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury

dark emotional inspiring reflective 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

4.0

WHERE ARE ALL MY LEGENDBORN BESTIES AT??? This book is a fascinating mixture of ancestral magic, Black history, & futuristic technology that had me so intrigued! Voya was a compelling protagonist whose navigations between family & first love pulled me in in spite of myself. Her romance with Luc was SO well done, in spite of the fated-mates feeling of  it all (and we all know how much I *hate* fated mates as a trope). I really felt the tug Voya had towards Luc. Other good things: the world-building showed a LOT of promise in the way it blended science fiction & fantasy, & I can’t wait to see it fleshed out further! I can’t fully speak to the trans rep obviously, but I’ll just say it felt fully incorporated & well fleshed out to me. The bad: GEEZ could this plot have been any more obvious??? There were a lot of first-book foibles that had me rolling my eyes a LOT, like heavy handed foreshadowing, Stupid Adulr Syndrome, & jerky pacing. Still, I’m excited to see where it goes next!