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apoppyinthewind's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
5.0
I'm going with 5 stars because I could not put it down and just really enjoyed coming back into this mystical futuristic world that's so good at blending realistic and dark elements. I said it for the first book and I'll repeat it for the sequel, the author does a great job of creating a world that feels real and magical at the same time.
My favourite aspect of this book has to be the magic and that the author's not afraid to explore the darker aspects of the blood magic, especially given that this is a YA book. I also liked reading how the family and witch community develop in this book, growing from the foundation set in the first book. They still have their issues but there's growth that feels like a natural progression.
Voya is still pretty angsty & self-critical at times but it felt more understandable and relatable this time around given the grief and pressure she is under in the story. She also had some good moments where she stood up for herself which helped I think compared to the first book.
I'm getting a little spoiler-y going forward here --I was surprised by Eli's reveal and it was nice to be surprised. I expected he was working with Luc but did not expect the truth but once I read and went back to re-read Eli's scenes it was so obvious and well done. I think it was a smart plot device to bring Luc and Voya back into each other's lives without glossing over the incredible trauma they both experienced in the first book.
I knew Johan was up to no good because the foundation for that was set up in the first book but damn, what he did was messed up. I was a little surprised he didn't have more repercussions for what he did but given that dark deeds are somewhat accepted in the blood magic practiced in this world, it wasn't too world-breaking that he would still have some place in the community at the end.
I was also honestly surprised Keis wasn't fully freed from the house as I genuinely expected more of a workaround than giving her access to the internet and an Android avatar. I was kind of hoping she would have been named Matriarch of the Davis family through some deception from April Mae and that might have given her a way to leave. Still, this not happening didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.
I would recommend checking out this series but you absolutely have to read the first book Blood like Magic to follow what's happening in Blood like Fate.
My favourite aspect of this book has to be the magic and that the author's not afraid to explore the darker aspects of the blood magic, especially given that this is a YA book. I also liked reading how the family and witch community develop in this book, growing from the foundation set in the first book. They still have their issues but there's growth that feels like a natural progression.
Voya is still pretty angsty & self-critical at times but it felt more understandable and relatable this time around given the grief and pressure she is under in the story. She also had some good moments where she stood up for herself which helped I think compared to the first book.
I'm getting a little spoiler-y going forward here --
I knew Johan was up to no good because the foundation for that was set up in the first book but damn, what he did was messed up. I was a little surprised he didn't have more repercussions for what he did but given that dark deeds are somewhat accepted in the blood magic practiced in this world, it wasn't too world-breaking that he would still have some place in the community at the end.
I was also honestly surprised Keis wasn't fully freed from the house as I genuinely expected more of a workaround than giving her access to the internet and an Android avatar. I was kind of hoping she would have been named Matriarch of the Davis family through some deception from April Mae and that might have given her a way to leave. Still, this not happening didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.
I would recommend checking out this series but you absolutely have to read the first book Blood like Magic to follow what's happening in Blood like Fate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Slavery, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Drug use, Gun violence, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
starrysteph's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.25
I adore a good duology - and in this case, I thought the sequel was stronger than the first.
This is not your typical chosen one story. Voya is human and makes mistakes; she’s constantly making tough choices and dealing with the messy consequences. Things never just “work out” for her. She’s human and struggling and always working to be a better person and leader for her family.
It was so wonderful to watch Voya’s character development continue here. She’s got new responsibilities and is learning how to handle her new status as the family’s Matriarch. She’s dealing with sacrifice and handling input from a huge family with a huge amount of differing opinions. Voya has a big sense of duty and honors the weight of that.
The writing started off slow (and I think a good 50 pages could have been shaved off here), but by the time things got going it was riveting.
Sambury puts a unique spin on her worldbuilding. I love love love the sci fi and speculative fiction elements woven into fantasy. The integration of tech and magic and how that impacts and divides the characters is fascinating to witness. The magic system is unique & creative as well.
One of the highlights of Blood Like Magic was the focus on family, and this thread continues throughout Blood Like Fate. There were so many thoughtfully developed relationships - between parents and cousins and family you choose and so on - that were realistically difficult yet still optimistic.
The side characters were very fleshed out; I had no trouble remembering names. As in the first book, there’s some great representation here: Ownvoices Black characters (including the main character and her family), a Mexican character, Chinese characters, two major trans characters, a demisexual lesbian supporting character, and probably more that I’m forgetting to add. The book also takes place in Canada!
I enjoyed the mystery element, but the foreshadowing was quite heavy-handed at times. I was surprised that Voya was so oblivious to some pretty bold red flags.
In my review of the first book, I voiced some frustrations around character arcs and consequences of Voya’s decision. I had some similar grievances here; I appreciated that we didn’t have an ending that was wrapped up in a bow, but the antagonist was let off WAY too easily (like, shockingly so) and the side character that bore the brunt of Voya’s decision at the end of Blood Like Magic deserved much better here. It bummed me out.
CW: murder, death, child death, grief, violence, gun violence, transphobia, eating disorder, addiction, domestic abuse, fire, sickness/infection, terminal illness
(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Gun violence, Death, Grief, Transphobia, Eating disorder, Addiction, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
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