Reviews with content warning for Blood - Blood Like Magic

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury

102 reviews

theespressoedition's review

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Alright, I gotta do it. I gotta start off this review with the part that really made me struggle to read Blood Like Magic:
The book literally opens with a character bathing in her own period blood. I'm sorry, but that is really gross. It made me nauseous just reading about it. And while I have no problem with books using blood magic or talking about periods.. that combination really, really hit me the wrong way. Not a strong start. It almost felt like clickbait. Like they added a shock factor right there at the jump to get you to stick around. And it worked. I stuck around. But that knocked a whole star off my rating from the get-go.

The moment I read that the protagonist had to kill her first love, I rolled my eyes. I thought, here we go again. How many times have we read that trope? HOWEVER, I will say that this was executed really well. It was rather unexpected as far as that part of the story goes (and it's basically the biggest part of the story).

I felt connected to the characters. I really liked a few of them, hated a few others, and worried about a few more. I wasn't particularly drawn to the MC because of her personality. It was slightly off-putting. But I did enjoy the love interest and the family dynamic. In fact, the family dynamic was probably my favorite part.

There was such a strong emphasis on the different relationships within the family and that's what tugged at my heartstrings and convinced me to keep reading. It's also what caused me to add the sequel to my TBR at the end, despite not loving this particular book.

Again, I feel like if the book hadn't started out so strangely, I would've been way more in love with it from the beginning.

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casey_larsen's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

4.0

It started veeeery slow in the beginning, and I almost didn't continue after listening to the first ~20%. However, I had read amazing reviews about it, and needed to know what the hype was all about.

I'm glad I continued, and towards the end, I couldn't stop listening I was enjoying it so much. Not to mention the diversity of characters was incredible in both POC and the range of LGBTQIA+ representation. It's what more books should aspire to include. It does get graphic at times with the blood, but it's because their magic comes from using blood, so it only make sense. I just wish I had been a little more prepared, as blood can make me a little weak in the knees lol.

Overall, it's a beautifully fantastical story about love

, both romantic and familial,

and the importance of being able to trust yourself and the decisions you make.

As for the second book coming out, I do plan to read it. However, I'm not sure what's going to happen because everything was wrapped up pretty nicely in this first one, so I'm curious to see what Sambury does.

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aliciawhatsthestory's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Set in the near future in Toronto, Canada where both sci-fi-esque technological advances like aesthetic genetic alterations and witchcraft exist, Voya’s story is really about coming of age and learning to trust yourself. The magic system in this world, the focus on Trinidadian culture and the witch community, and the family drama are all high points that really give this book its shape.

I do wish that the love interest had been developed a bit more, though that is limited by the short amount of time that Voya is given. I also thought that the story of missing girl Lauren would be more central, since it is one of the first things mentioned in the book. The way that Lauren’s story is mentioned throughout but never really developed in any way made it a little difficult to be invested. Similar pacing issues and occasional confused moments in the plot are the reason this book is a four star instead of a five for me.

Still, I found this book very easy to get sucked into and difficult to put down. I enjoyed Voya’s relationship with her family, especially, and I am looking forward to seeing that developed more in the second book as she steps into a new role. I’m hoping that some of the many vibrant side characters in this first book will get their chance in the spotlight in book two, as well.

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typedtruths's review against another edition

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DNF 20%

An 'it's me, not you' situation. The protagonist was compelling and the world was fascinating. A mix of futuristic dystopian technology and traditional witch magic which I've never read before. If only my hang-up about the graphic blood depiction hadn't got me.

➸ Trigger warnings for

racism, slavery, graphic blood depiction, murder & attempted murder, gun violence, and whipping.

Context:
• The protagonist relives the memory of her ancestor, a slave on a sugar cane plantation, being tied to a tree and whipped. Her lover is shot and killed in front of her. She dies from her exhaustion after weaponising her blood (through magic) to murder their abusers.
• In the opening scene, the protagonist sits in a bath of her own period blood for a ritual. She later pours drops of her relative's blood on her open eye.

.

▷ Representation: Voya (mc) is fat, Black & Trinidadian-Canadian; Black, sapphic & transgender scs.

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yadira315's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-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

What an an amazing book I was having a hard time in the beginning but quickly got into the butt book. The book was fast pace it was intense and it had me wanting to keep reading until I finish the book. Absolutely love to see the representation of this book, I love the inclusion of pronouns to make sure they weren’t missgendering people. I loved how this book paid homage to the authors roots and how it was well incorporated into the story. I can’t wait for book two!

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ladyrfc's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

Wonderful world and the magic system has serious draw backs that the character has to face. The consequences of choice are serious and because of this, the ending is exciting and I walked away with a LOT of respect for the lead character. I look forward to the next book!

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