Reviews with content warning for Death - Blood Like Fate

Well, I did screw myself a little bit with this one, folks. After listening to the audio for the first book, I told myself that for the sequel I would for sure read it rather than listen to it... and guess who didn't follow through on that? This girl. Oops.

Okay, in my defense, I did a little of both--physical reading and listening. But I knew it was a chonky book and I would get through it quicker if I listened to it rather than tried to focus all my energy into reading it with my eyes. The only issue is that this is so full of fantastical depth and magic-building, that I lost a lot of it along the way (the same problem I had with the first book).

However, I also just don't think that this particular series is my jam. While there are parts of it that I really enjoyed (namely the diversity, dealing with the tougher topics like eating disorders and substance abuse, and grief), for the most part, I felt like it was a bit overwhelming. Sometimes it seemed like the author just wanted to cram as much of everything as possible into one plot and it seemed a little clunky.

I think that there are some really interesting things about these books but they just didn't wow me. They're good but not something I would reach for again.

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yalestay's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.0

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cakt1991'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

4.0

Blood Like Magic was a stunning debut, so I had high expectations going into Blood Like Fate. And while I don’t think this book is as strong as its predecessor, it’s nonetheless compelling, and adds to the whole story the duology is telling impeccably well.

The world continues to be well-realized and expansive, and I’ve grown to love the mingling of sci-fi technology and fantastical witchy magic. It felt very grounded in the first one, and continues in a similar vein here.

I continue to love Voya’s growth this time around. She remains flawed, making sometimes fatal mistakes and struggling with tough choices. But she’s always trying to be better, and I love the care she has for her family and coven. And the stakes are higher for her here, as she’s stepping into the role of the family’s Matriarch, and I love seeing her reckoning with all her new responsibilities.

There’s a pretty large cast of characters, and I love how diverse and colorful they are. Each of them feels distinct and is easy to distinguish from the others.

Plot and pacing wise, I feel a tad mixed. It absolutely merits the length it is, although I do feel that initially it is a little slow to start. However, it soon gains momentum, especially when the mystery subplot comes into play to amp up the suspense.

This is a solid conclusion to the duology, and will leave readers who enjoyed book one satisfied. If you enjoy stories that blend sci-fi and fantasy elements, with a generous dose of Black Girl Magic, I recommend checking this duology out!

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donnicakelsey's review

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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

5.0

“I was of the “Twilight generation.” Those are the sorts of books I was reading and I was enjoying, but I wasn’t seeing myself in them. Black characters, Black girls, weren’t usually present, and if they were, they were kind of a sassy best friend. They didn’t get a love interest, they didn’t get a lot of character development, and they certainly didn’t get to be the hero. And so I wanted to write a book where that was absolutely the case.” - Liselle Sambury

This is an excellent duology and Blood Like Fate is a fantastic follow-up to the first book. Voya’s growth feels realistic and a true extension of where we left her. Each relationship is very thoughtfully developed. I love the connections to cultivating community and the concept of chosen family. I finished this in one day and was sad to say goodbye to these characters, but the conclusion was very satisfying.

I can’t wait to see what’s next from Liselle.

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lettuce_read's review against another edition

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4.5

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melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-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

4.75

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for an arc of this book!

In this sequel to Blood Like Magic, Voya is the new matriarch of her family and no one seems to believe she can do it--especially not herself. On top of that, Keis is angry at her for her decisions in the previous book, Luc is no longer talking to her, and she can't figure out how her grandmother made the skin care products that were their families livelihood. But when Voya has a vision of the future that could be catastrophic for all witches, she attempts to get together the other matriarchs to try and keep that grim future from happening.

I loved this so much! The perfect end to this duology, and I'm so very happy I was able to read it. I was so so sad for most of the book because Luc was one of my favorite parts of Blood Like Magic and he and Voya are estranged for most of this book. He does play a role in it though, so never fear!

The best part of this book is definitely Voya's character arch. She grows so much over the course of the book and I love the different people involved in helping her do that. She goes on quite the emotional journey and I love that for her! I loved getting to know more about other members of her family, but I especially loved getting to know about the other witch families and their histories!

This is such a great duology and I recommend it with my whole heart!

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starrysteph's review against another edition

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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.)

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bookwormbullet's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense slow-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

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