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queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
4.5 ⭐ CW: (provided by the author) whipping scene in the context of slavery, gun/police violence, eating disorder discussion, blood/gore/violence, death, substance use/addiction, child neglect, menstruation discussions
Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury is book one of the Blood Like Magic series. This book was so much more than I expected! Sambury blends urban fantasy magic with science fiction/speculative fiction. We have witches, we have robots, we have trans, bi, gay, and demiromantic rep. There is so much good stuff packed into these pages!
We follow Voya (I'm a sucker for V names) as she comes of age as a witch during her calling. The Thomas witches have been around for generations and each witch goes through a task they have to pass in order to become a full witch and to receive their specific magical gift. Usually the task is as simple as choosing between two things, but the ancestor who gives Voya her task breaks the rules and gives her, what she and her family think, is an impossible task: Find her first love, and destroy them.
Voya struggles throughout the book with making choices. She has a hard time making choices that don't affect anyone and now she has to make a choice that will end with someone dying. This was a great theme for a coming of age novel. Voya has to learn to trust herself, as does her family, to make this choice. It was a little annoying at times to see how indecisive Voya was about everything, but I think that is because I also struggle with making decisions. The curse of overthinking everything to the point that you're too paralyzed to make any decision at all. The main theme here is that not choosing anything is also a choice, and it may not have the outcome we want.
I loved that Sambury discusses different types of love and doesn't put them in a hierarchy with romantic love on top. Platonic love is a big price of this story. We also get some great speculation on what it could look like in the future for it to be safer for BIPOC and trans people while also examining the effects of colonialism, slavery, and racism that weave throughout past and future.
There were so many good messages here about being okay with your body taking up space. People with big hips and butts unite! We also get a very Star Trek like message about not tampering with immortality and science (see ST:TOS Miri and countless other episodes). I also found it hilarious that we got the most Canadian villain ever. He apologized for raising his voice for crying out loud 😂.
If this hasn't convinced you to read this series, idk what will. Now I have to anxiously wait for Blood Like Fate.
Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury is book one of the Blood Like Magic series. This book was so much more than I expected! Sambury blends urban fantasy magic with science fiction/speculative fiction. We have witches, we have robots, we have trans, bi, gay, and demiromantic rep. There is so much good stuff packed into these pages!
We follow Voya (I'm a sucker for V names) as she comes of age as a witch during her calling. The Thomas witches have been around for generations and each witch goes through a task they have to pass in order to become a full witch and to receive their specific magical gift. Usually the task is as simple as choosing between two things, but the ancestor who gives Voya her task breaks the rules and gives her, what she and her family think, is an impossible task: Find her first love, and destroy them.
Voya struggles throughout the book with making choices. She has a hard time making choices that don't affect anyone and now she has to make a choice that will end with someone dying. This was a great theme for a coming of age novel. Voya has to learn to trust herself, as does her family, to make this choice. It was a little annoying at times to see how indecisive Voya was about everything, but I think that is because I also struggle with making decisions. The curse of overthinking everything to the point that you're too paralyzed to make any decision at all. The main theme here is that not choosing anything is also a choice, and it may not have the outcome we want.
I loved that Sambury discusses different types of love and doesn't put them in a hierarchy with romantic love on top. Platonic love is a big price of this story. We also get some great speculation on what it could look like in the future for it to be safer for BIPOC and trans people while also examining the effects of colonialism, slavery, and racism that weave throughout past and future.
There were so many good messages here about being okay with your body taking up space. People with big hips and butts unite! We also get a very Star Trek like message about not tampering with immortality and science (see ST:TOS Miri and countless other episodes). I also found it hilarious that we got the most Canadian villain ever. He apologized for raising his voice for crying out loud 😂.
If this hasn't convinced you to read this series, idk what will. Now I have to anxiously wait for Blood Like Fate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Self harm, Eating disorder, and Terminal illness
Minor: Addiction, Gun violence, Drug abuse, and Police brutality
heatherlaflor's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Slavery
bookswhitme's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow. That's all I can say is WOW! Everything about this was out of this world to be honest. The magic system that Liselle created had be sucked in from the beginning. While this could definitely classified as an urban fantasy, I loved the contemporary-esque elements involved. The focus on familial pressures, how secrets destroy relationships, and trying to figure out how to find yourself when you have no idea who you want to be, hit me right in the chest. Don't get me wrong, Voya frustrated me throughout the entire story, but I also understood her. She had a lot placed on her shoulders and it's hard to break out of people pleasing and stand strong in your decisions when you've had a life of people disappointing you and also telling you that your worth is measured in the gifts you have or what you can provide to your family. I can't wait for the next book.
CW for blood, discussions of murder, ritual sacrifice, dysfunctional family relationships, systemic racism, torture, familial death
CW for blood, discussions of murder, ritual sacrifice, dysfunctional family relationships, systemic racism, torture, familial death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death, Murder, Kidnapping, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, and Violence
kristakp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Slavery, Violence, Murder, Blood, and Self harm
Moderate: Gore, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, and Medical content
aproudmc13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Child abuse, Addiction, Blood, Death of parent, Outing, Racism, and Transphobia
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-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
4.25
'Blood Like Magic' by Liselle Sambury is a heart-filled story about one girl coming into her own for her family and for herself.
Voya has long struggled with making choices. They give her lots of anxiety and this is only heightened with the task that she is given at her Calling, a witch ceremony that will determine if she receives her powers or not. Where many Callings are simple, Voya's is more complex than her family has ever heard of: She must destroy her first love. When a matching service by a local genetic corporation is put into Beta, Voya signs up for the program in hopes that it will help her to find her first love. But when she starts to fall for the boy she has been paired with, her task is complicated, especially because if she fails her Calling, her whole family will lose their magic, not just her.
Sambury has crafted an engaging story that utilizes continually heightened tension to keep you rooted to the page. Though the story starts a bit slow, once the meat of what is happening starts to kick off, I found this book incredibly hard to put down. Voya is a complicated character but she's also deeply relatable. Sambury made it easy to both get frustrated with Voya for her trouble with making decisions while also completely understanding why she finds them so difficult.
Though the cast of characters is relatively large, it was easy to keep them all straight in my head because Sambury has made each character unique. The love, care, and conflict that comes with being part of a big family who all live under the same roof is a central part of the story and Sambury makes it easy to care about every one of the Thomases even when we are faced with their flaws. I also appreciated the inclusion of trans and queer characters.
Another highlight of this story is the way Sambury weaves together a near future setting with magic. Though this story is quite firmly a fantasy, it also skirts into the science fiction realm with a near future setting, the inclusion of genetic advancements, and the everyday advanced tech that Voya and her family live with. Both the fantasy and science fiction elements play off of each other in engaging ways that only add to the overall story.
Other than a few pacing issues at the beginning, 'Blood Like Magic' is a gripping story that made it hard to put down the book. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book and where Sambury's stories will take us in the future.
Voya has long struggled with making choices. They give her lots of anxiety and this is only heightened with the task that she is given at her Calling, a witch ceremony that will determine if she receives her powers or not. Where many Callings are simple, Voya's is more complex than her family has ever heard of: She must destroy her first love. When a matching service by a local genetic corporation is put into Beta, Voya signs up for the program in hopes that it will help her to find her first love. But when she starts to fall for the boy she has been paired with, her task is complicated, especially because if she fails her Calling, her whole family will lose their magic, not just her.
Sambury has crafted an engaging story that utilizes continually heightened tension to keep you rooted to the page. Though the story starts a bit slow, once the meat of what is happening starts to kick off, I found this book incredibly hard to put down. Voya is a complicated character but she's also deeply relatable. Sambury made it easy to both get frustrated with Voya for her trouble with making decisions while also completely understanding why she finds them so difficult.
Though the cast of characters is relatively large, it was easy to keep them all straight in my head because Sambury has made each character unique. The love, care, and conflict that comes with being part of a big family who all live under the same roof is a central part of the story and Sambury makes it easy to care about every one of the Thomases even when we are faced with their flaws. I also appreciated the inclusion of trans and queer characters.
Another highlight of this story is the way Sambury weaves together a near future setting with magic. Though this story is quite firmly a fantasy, it also skirts into the science fiction realm with a near future setting, the inclusion of genetic advancements, and the everyday advanced tech that Voya and her family live with. Both the fantasy and science fiction elements play off of each other in engaging ways that only add to the overall story.
Other than a few pacing issues at the beginning, 'Blood Like Magic' is a gripping story that made it hard to put down the book. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book and where Sambury's stories will take us in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Racism
foreverbookwandering's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Slavery, Violence, and Child death
Minor: Terminal illness
nova_quill's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think that the main character constantly messing up was refreshing, and I love that cover and colors of the book are very bright and even the title is a little hearted and then open the book up to this dark world that only seems sunshine and rainbows on the outside, just the main theme of the book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, and Violence
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Child death, Murder, Violence, Torture, Addiction, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racism, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Terminal illness
16rcampbell's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Another reader would probably rate this a lot higher, I just did not love the sci-fic elements. It was unexpected and not my preference. I really liked the family dynamics. Keis is my favorite. Voya was a frustrating character to follow because she just needed to make a choice and she’s so good at choices for other people that when she can’t make one for herself it’s almost infuriating. It had some pretty heavy imagery for a YA book in terms of blood and violence. At times it felt a little repetitive but I feel like that’s mostly due to the nature of YA books. I liked the twists, everything wrapped up nicely and there wasn’t a bunch of extra stuff to address that got in the way of the main plot. I liked seeing Voya grow and I thought the choices she made in the end were creative solutions and really showed how far she came. I’d recommend this book, I liked it, but I would not read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Abandonment, and Eating disorder
Minor: Transphobia, Police brutality, and Hate crime
Trigger warning - hanging, described in detail