Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Blood Like Fate

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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liseylovesbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring 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

4.5

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clawclawclaw's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

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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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