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A review by ladytiara
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
3.0
Blood Magic is an interesting addition to the young adult paranormal genre. In a genre overrun with vampires, werewolves, and fairies, Tessa Gratton's novel provides a welcome change. Although magic isn't unknown in the genre, the particular world of blood magic that Gratton has created feels new and different.
Blood Magic's heroine, Silla, is a very unhappy teenager. A few months earlier, her parents died under horrible circumstances. Everyone in their small town believes that her father killed her mother and then himself, but Silla has trouble believing her beloved father could have committed this crime. When she receives a mysterious package containing book of spells, apparently written by her father, she's desperate enough to try a spell, to find some sort of connection to the father she's lost. She performs the spell at her parent's grave, where she's seen by the new boy in town, Nick. He's disturbed by what he sees, because it brings up unpleasant memories for him, but he's very intrigued by Silla. They begin a romance and are soon caught up in the mystery of the blood magic.
The story is told from both Silla and Nick's points of view, in alternating chapters. Interspersed throughout the story are diary entries written many years earlier by a woman named Josephine. Their connection to the main story doesn't become apparent until well into the book, but the diary entries are an interesting contrast to the present-day tale. I enjoyed the way the mystery slowly unfolded.
I liked Silla very much. She's been through a major trauma, and it's hard for her to move on when everyone in her small town regards her as damaged. She and Nick have an instantaneous connection, a trope that's a bit overused in YA books, but it worked for me in this case. Nick and Silla are both fish out of water. Silla may have grown up in this town, but she no longer fits in, and Nick is a city boy who's been transplanted to this place against his will. Their connection makes sense.
There were some minor issues with the pacing of the story, and I felt it dragged a bit in the middle. However, things got really exciting toward the end of the book, and it was hard to put down. The climax was exciting and very creepy. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.
(I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine.)
Blood Magic's heroine, Silla, is a very unhappy teenager. A few months earlier, her parents died under horrible circumstances. Everyone in their small town believes that her father killed her mother and then himself, but Silla has trouble believing her beloved father could have committed this crime. When she receives a mysterious package containing book of spells, apparently written by her father, she's desperate enough to try a spell, to find some sort of connection to the father she's lost. She performs the spell at her parent's grave, where she's seen by the new boy in town, Nick. He's disturbed by what he sees, because it brings up unpleasant memories for him, but he's very intrigued by Silla. They begin a romance and are soon caught up in the mystery of the blood magic.
The story is told from both Silla and Nick's points of view, in alternating chapters. Interspersed throughout the story are diary entries written many years earlier by a woman named Josephine. Their connection to the main story doesn't become apparent until well into the book, but the diary entries are an interesting contrast to the present-day tale. I enjoyed the way the mystery slowly unfolded.
I liked Silla very much. She's been through a major trauma, and it's hard for her to move on when everyone in her small town regards her as damaged. She and Nick have an instantaneous connection, a trope that's a bit overused in YA books, but it worked for me in this case. Nick and Silla are both fish out of water. Silla may have grown up in this town, but she no longer fits in, and Nick is a city boy who's been transplanted to this place against his will. Their connection makes sense.
There were some minor issues with the pacing of the story, and I felt it dragged a bit in the middle. However, things got really exciting toward the end of the book, and it was hard to put down. The climax was exciting and very creepy. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.
(I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine.)