A review by betweentheshelves
Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I am so torn about this book. On the one hand, this world that Sambury created is unique and interesting and I loved learning about it. The characters added a lot to the story, and for the most part, they were nicely fleshed out and added to the world that was being built. However, there was a ton of world-building right at the beginning, and the main plot didn't really seem to start until about 100 pages into the book. Which could be your cup of tea! But I wanted the action to start a little sooner.

Overall, I think my main issue is this book felt too long. For me, this meant that a lot of the plot felt repetitive, especially with Voya's task. I was actually much more interested in the mystery with her aunt and how that was going to pan out. As the first book in a series, I think this might have just taken on a bit too much. Pairing it down would have allowed some of the plot elements to breath a bit, and some of the other parts of the story could have been explored in future books.

I don't want to giveaway spoilers, but I also felt "meh" about the ending. Voya's choice ended up feeling a bit harsh, and even though I kind of figured where the plot was going, I didn't know it was going to go to that extent. 

Definitely mixed about this book, but still 100% in love with this fantastic cover.
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