Scan barcode
amalyndb's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Slavery, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Addiction and Eating disorder
Minor: Transphobia, Gun violence, and Racism
rorikae's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Racism
mitchie100's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
Moderate: Police brutality
foreverbookwandering's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Slavery, Violence, and Child death
Minor: Terminal illness
sunsetcity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
unwise_samwise's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Torture and Medical content
Minor: Transphobia and Police brutality
amivireads's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death of parent, and Police brutality
Moderate: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Murder, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Transphobia
Death of a motheramandaquotidianbooks's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Murder and Blood
Minor: Slavery
bellasbookmark's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Police brutality
Minor: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Racism
nova_quill's review against another edition
- 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
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