Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the eARC of Blood Like Magic in exchange for an honest review.

This book just wasn’t for me.

This was one of my most anticipated reads in 2021 and I was thrilled to get an eARC but unfortunately I just didn’t connect with the story. You can see that since it’s taken me since then to go back and finish the book.

I applaud its efforts at inclusivity but other than that there was nothing bringing me back to this book which is surprising given that it’s set in Toronto and about witches. The protagonist was deeply unlikeable, and the adults that surrounded her were even more insufferable.

Now if you have read my reviews or spoken to me about books you know that I don’t mind an unlikeable MC, in fact many of my favourite books have MCs that I’d like to have words with but I disliked every character in this book.

Further, I know this is fantasy, but it’s urban fantasy so the expectation of the plot to be mildly realistic, at least in character behaviours. The fact that every single person including adults too “destroy your first love” to mean “murder your first love” is absolutely absurd.

The plot picked up at the end and I was mildly interested in the resolution of the next book but after a couple of weeks(when I’m writing this review) I don’t have any interest in continuing.

2/5 Stars

5/5⭐ to Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury. Much thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for the egalley to review! Wow! This was such a standout read of the year, especially since I believe this is the author's YA debut. From the very first chapter I was pulled into this witchy story set in near-future Toronto. Since witches like Voya start after their "bleeding" and are confirmed after they finished the Calling, a trial of sorts. I liked how the story started off, just getting to know Voya as a teen doing some self care after her bleeding starts. Next we get introduced to Voya's family and get to know the lore/magic system of their family (& witches in general). We get some fantastic representation with various queer identities included in the wonderful cast of characters. Where the book really gripped me is when Voya got her calling and it was to kill her first love. Star-crossed lovers, but in the best way! So much romance, feels, and angst!! I also loved getting to know the world/setting too, including the tech/genetic company her beau works at. The stakes were so high, and I just kept flying through the pages! The ending was satisfying enough that I wasn't too mad the book was over, but left more than enough for a satisfying sequel that I'm current pining for. Definitely would recommend this amazing urban fantasy and this wonderful Canadian author!

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

My Review:

I received an earc of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and thanks to TBR and Beyond Tours for a place on this blog tour!

After finishing this book, the first and only thing that comes to my mind is wow. It was a phenomenal debut, one that makes me excited to see not only where this series go but what Sambury will write next. You really can’t help but be sucked into this world and the family that is at its heart. I honestly couldn’t put it down. This is one of the best urban fantasies I’ve read so far this year and I think it is going to be a new favourite for a lot of readers.

It is really refreshing to read a YA fantasy book set in Canada, Toronto specifically. I know for a lot of us Canadian readers, we very seldom get to read a story set somewhere we even vaguely recognize and I just love how much Toronto we get in this book. It made me feel like I was there, walking in these futuristic but still recognizable streets of a city I have only visited a handful of times. I think, for that reason in itself, a lot of younger YA readers are going to enjoy being able to connect with this very personalized story telling.

The Black Mirror vibes this book gave me were really off the wall. From the public rating of peers and strangers, to the elusive NuGene company. The atmosphere was almost dystopian, but in a way that you could project these ethical and scientific complications onto the life we’re living now. Though this is an urban fantasy, with the depths of blood magic and ancestors speaking to Voya, the science fiction aspect of it helped to ground it as urban and not just fantasy.

I love Voya as a main character. Her voice was such a thrill to read, and to see the way she grows through the book is amazing. She truly is the embodiment of every sixteen year old who can’t make a decision to save their lives (I am twenty-one and related a lot to her inability to just choose). She is so deeply entwined with the feelings of everyone she cares about that she is always putting them first and thinks that because of that they all view her as weak. The constant presence of Mama Jova is a reminder to Voya, one that takes her some time to realize, but by the end of the book leaves her with a new perspective on where her life is going.

Blood Like Magic was such a thrill to read and I sincerely hope that it gets the love and hype that is due to it. It is the first book in a duology and I sincerely cannot wait until I can have the second book in my hands and find out what is going to happen next.

Blood Like Magic released June 15th

Holy hacking sparks! This book is so unique to the point it should not work, yet it 157% does perfectly and I am in awe.

My official rating for this book is four and a half stars. I don't know what it is about this book, whether it was the story, the characters, the magic, the tech, but there was something about it that refused to let me give anything less. This was just an incredible adventure and a reading experience that completely gripped me from start to finish. Canadian talent at its best, really.

The stakes in this are unreal. I mean, it takes some serious galaxy brain to imagine the plot here, and even more to make it actually hold up and pay off as it did in the ending. When witches come of age, they are visited by one ancestor and given a task to complete before they can access their magic and receive their specific gift. For Voya, she gets thrown a doozy by Mama Jova: Destroy her first love. If she fails in the time provided, her entire family will lose their magic forever. Across trying to fall in love in weeks with a complete stranger, we get to know Voya, and she so very quickly becomes a character you have no choice but to relate and root for. I wanted this to work out for her so badly and was desperately hoping she would find a loophole because I did not want this poor girl to go through a murder at age sixteen.

For me personally, there is so much to appreciate in this.

💫 A proper Canadian setting 💫 Is it Toronto? Yes, but we won't hold that against this book. I was just so excited to see an urban fantasy set outside of the US that that alone was enough for me to pick this up.
💫 Effortless diversity and inclusion 💫 While there are unfortunately still glimpses of racism and stereotyping at work in this fictional future, Sambury does a wonderful job of making this world casually inclusive. The love interest is a trans boy; one cousin is a demiromantic lesbian and another a trans girl; and there are explicit mentions of preferred pronouns by characters in their introductions to others.
💫 A wild as heck world 💫 As I mentioned before, it is so darn unique, with this fascinating mix of fantasy, sci-fi and contemporary that just should not blend together as smoothly as it does here. You have magical blood witches on a backdrop of a world that dabbles in genetic manipulation. And the magic system itself is so rich. It delves deep into generational experience and community that makes it feel incredibly special and worth remembering every single detail and nuance to it.
💫 Unpredictable to the nth degree 💫 I really don't have anything else to say other than events made me say "Oh shit!" out loud at least five times because I did not expect this to take the twists and turns that it did.

While I enjoyed this immensely, I can see why many people called it quits after the first 100 pages. There is a lot going on in the beginning, yet also somehow nothing. For starters, Voya's family is huge, and it's difficult to connect who is who. Uncle this, cousin that—oh, by the way, the twins are both named Keisha. It's a lot thrown at you. There is also Voya's indecision, which was really frustrating because it did her a disservice as the main character by not giving her a lick of common sense. About fifty pages are wasted with her waffling over what is an obvious choice to the reader. Her ancestor presents her with three options, but literally only one she can take that would give any chance of success.

The publisher was kind enough to send me an advance copy of the sequel, and that's very healthy for me because I am dying to see where the rest of this story will go. It's got a tall peak to crest to match the sheer incredibleness of this debut, but I am so ready for it.

Amazing first in what will be an exciting series. Could not put this book down and loved the world building.

Blood Like Magic was a good read, though it didn’t quite meet expectations for what I thought it would be about/ what would happen in the book. I’ve recommended this title to a few customers that have come into the store looking for books with BIPOC characters that includes magic and a bit of romance, and I’d give the book a 3/5 stars.

This is one of my favourite books I’ve read this year. And I honestly haven’t been reading, or even interested in much YA fantasy lately, and I’ve never been the biggest science fiction fan, but this was so good. The combination of a futuristic setting with magical elements is so much fun and the writing in this is so good. I’m not a super visual person, but the imagery is so strong that I could picture everything.

And let’s not get started on the food. There’s a fair amount of food in this I’m not really familiar with, but I felt like I could practically smell it whenever Voya cooked something and it honestly made me really hungry. And I love books with food as a big theme. The only thing better would be if it had recipes.

There were a few times where I thought the author was doing something I would complain about, like when Voya is describing what girls do versus what guys do after their magic abilities are awakened and I thought it was going to be pretty ciscentric, but the author later uses that to confirm the identity of Voya’s cousin, who’s a trans girl, as she chooses to go with the “girl” ceremony, and the family is incredibly supportive of her. Later in the book, nonbinary ancestors are also an element, and that was nice. It’s clear that there’s no forced gendering in the magic, just what people are comfortable with.

The only thing this didn’t really work with is that several times, people introduce themselves with pronouns, which is great to see! But then a lot of the time, Voya will also just look at someone and go “That’s a girl who uses she/her” when she could have that information at her fingertips in literal seconds with the future tech she has at her hands.

It only took me two days to read this, on my kindle, which I always read slower on. And this is a 500 page book! There are a few times when I thought it dragged a little, particularly in the first third or so, but the writing is really lovely so I noticed it less. The first chapter kind of just throws you into things and it took me a minute to get used to it, but by the end of that chapter, I was hooked.

Overall, though, I really have no big complaints. I also am going to point out I’m an only child who grew up without a lot of extended family around. I have a feeling if you have a big family, it would be way easier for you to get into this. It was a little overwhelming at first, but that could very well be a me thing, and it didn’t last long.

By the end of the book, I was super attached to Voya’s family. It’s really impressive to be able to craft such a well-rounded, large group of characters. I really liked that it was set in Toronto – I feel like future-set science fiction hardly ever mentions Canada. I appreciated how the book talked about how transitioning might look in the future a lot. And the writing was just. So good.

It had some hiccups, but I really want to read the sequel and basically anything else the author come out with. Big recommend here.

Representation: Voya is Black, along with most her family and community. Her cousin Keisha is demiromantic, and her other cousin Alex is a trans woman. Luc, the love interest, is a Mexican immigrant, and also trans. He also has a bit of a touch aversion. This makes it sound like there’s like 3 “diverse” characters, but it’s really the whole world. I just especially wanted to point out the demiromantic rep!!!

Content notes: The book includes them! We love to see it. So they are: whipping scene in the context of slavery (Editing Laina: I’m going add that it’s in the context of a magical flashback, not like the future has brought back slavery, just for clarity), gun/police violence, discussion of and character with an eating disorder, blood/gore/violence, death, substance abuse/addiction, mentions of child neglect.

Also, from the author’s comment on Goodreads, there are mentions of systems existing in the book which misgender trans people that is discussed by the characters. I’m going to add that since they do blood magic, there’s a pretty decent amount of characters cutting themselves.

I really liked this book! I think it was really well done. The concept was executed really well and definitely unique
As someone from Canada I really appreciated seeing it set in Toronto as it’s pretty uncommon to YA Fantasy novels.
Something that should be normalized in books is content warnings at the beginning of the book which this book had and I really appreciated. Not everyone “needs” them but for those who do I know it’s appreciated.

Dark fantasy and a dash of sci-fi? Sign me up! If you enjoy witch stories, this title is worth a shot. The plot was so interesting and I enjoy reading all about the family drama and romance. It's really cool to read about ancient witchcraft and magic centered around a tight black family, set in the modern time.

Blood Like Magic - Liselle Sambury

First of all, this cover!!! 😍😍😍

This book follow Black witches, and it’s set in a near future Toronto, which was a lot of fun. We follow Voya who lives with her extended family of witches. To become a witch, a Calling must be completed. Voya finally gets her Calling, and she has one month to find her first love and destroy them.

I don’t read fantasy often so it took me a while to get through this, but once I got the audiobook I raced through the second half. One of Voya’s cousins is a trans girl, another one of her cousins is a demisexual lesbian. The love interest in a trans boy. There was a mystery aspect to this as Voya tries to figure out her family’s connection to her love interest’s foster dad.

The romance in this was so sweet, and I loved the whole family. Voya struggles hard with making decisions and she has a lot of growth in this book. I love how it was set in Toronto and seeing how advanced technology was since it was set in the future. I really liked this and I cannot wait for the sequel!

So here is my main issue with rating this book.

The first 80 pages, 1 star. It was just droning on and on about period blood, and tbh if I did have this book for review purposes I could've dnf'ed there.

The next 350 pages, 2 stars. There were a couple moments that I thought were interesting, however I feel the book pacing was incredibly slow, and definitely could've been trimmed to 400 pages rather than 500.

The final 60ish pages? 3.5 stars. There was a villain monologue that went on WAY too long, but some sweet moments, and had I not guessed majority of the twists I can see someone enjoying the book because of this small payoff.

However, all of that being said, I think the main issue I took with this story was less to do with the story itself (which yes was boring and too long, but I've read From Blood and Ash in 2 days which was equally boring and longer than this book that took me 1 month) and more to do with the marketing. The story is pitched as urban fantasy, while I am much more inclined to classify it as a scifi, with a hint of romance and mentions of magic. In fact, the entire plot centers around this story being set like 40 years into the future where they have a bunch of technological advancements, and these science fiction elements are arguably more involved in the plot than magic is. And on top of that, the main character while technically is 16, reads closer to 13 for the majority of the book, which made it extremely difficult to empathize with her as she felt too immature.

Oh yeah, there were also some weird inconsistencies with it being in the future but a sandwich also still cost her $5, and small things like that which annoyed me but I won't delve into that.

All in all, I would say if you enjoy scifi elements in stories and don't mind a protagonist who reads young, then push past the 80 pages talking about period blood because the plot starts at page 150. And if you prefer not to read about everything I described, skip this one and try Legendborn or something idk

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for providing me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book unpacks A LOT, like, when I say a lot, I do mean A LOT. While it does feel a bit slow on the pacing at times, I believe all the background information and world building was thoroughly necessary in pushing the story along in the right direction. I really whole heartedly enjoyed this new look at magic through a new eye and a new way. I'm more than looking forward to the sequel!

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the dedication at the beginning of the book. This was a really intriguing paranormal fantasy. The cover hooked me the moment I saw it but the setting, writing, was the cherry on top. I live in Toronto and I loved reimagining it as a paranormal world of witches. The magic system was so well-developed; I was a full believer. I did find the plot slow at times and I felt like it could have been slightly shorter but I also understand its to help set up the sequel. There was a lot of minority representation which is always great to see. Loved this and can't wait for the sequel.

4.5 - 5 stars.

I read this book for Indigo's Staff Pick of the month committee, and I'm so thrilled that I got to read it! This book was MAGIC.

It's jam packed with so much magic, drama, intrigue, romance, and fascinating family dynamics. I enjoyed the magical systems, and I really hope we can get even more context on them in the next book. I loved so many things about this book, but especially how it had a bit of everything: fantasy, romance, mystery, science fiction. I loved that this book read like a love letter to Toronto, and to food, and I can't wait for more from Liselle Sambury!

Wow, this book was utterly fantastic! I loved everything from the magic to these characters, to this futuristic world! And the plot was so excellent and there were some really hard choices, and it was an amazing read! I loved reading about Voya, with her decision paralysis, and the tough choice in front of her!

One quick thing that I have to mention that I loved, was that this takes place in Toronto! There's not many books that take place in Canada, and now we've gotten 2, what with A Dark and Hollow Star. But this one was always in Canada, so that's fun.

Something that I didn't know before going into this book was that it was futuristic. Sure, there's the genetic matchmaking program, but I didn't know that this takes place in the 2040's or so. I loved the technology, and how it contrasted with Voya's home life, where it's difficult to stay afloat, that the oven needs to be replaced because it keeps turning off mid-cook.

The big drawing point of this book was the fact that Voya had to fall in love, and then kill that person. It's a pretty horrifying concept, and boy, this book doesn't pull any punches, though not in the way that you'd expect. There's the question of how she's going to actually kill this person she's going to fall in love with. And what questions I had, they were answered in a way that I enjoyed so much!

This book fairly wraps up the plot, as far as I can tell. Maybe there's some lingering threads to that ending, but I have no idea where book 2 is going to go. But I'm excited to see it, because this book fundamentally changed Voya's life, and I can't wait to find out what will happen next!

I loved this book, and I can't wait to see where this series goes!

Voya has been waiting for her Calling, a trial that gives a witch her powers. When it finally comes, Voya is given a seemingly impossible task: she must destroy her first love. If she fails her task, her family will lose their magic. Voya has never been in love. She signed up for a genetic matchmaking service, and she gets matched with Luc, an infuriating intern at the genetic company. Voya has a fast approaching deadline to complete her trial, so she has to fall in love as soon as possible to save her family. Voya doesn’t want to kill her first love, but she’ll have to make some tough decisions to save her family.

This was such a thrilling fantasy novel! The witches in this society had to use their blood to use their magic. There were lots of scenes where blood was used, especially in the first few pages. Genetics were also an important part of this story. It is set in a couple of decades in the future. People could purchased changes to their DNA to alter their appearances. They even used DNA to find compatible partners. This is a plausible future, but it caused some moral and ethical problems.

I loved that this story was set in Toronto. There were so many authentic references that I could relate to because I’ve always lived in Toronto. The Caribbean festival Caribana was an important event in the story. Caribana was the deadline for Voya to complete her task. In this story, it wasn’t just a celebration of Caribbean culture but also a celebration for Black witches in the city. I loved how this book combined real places and events in the city with the fantasy world of the novel.

I loved Blood Like Magic and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in an honest review.

I wanted to love this so badly. In the end, it was just okay. The concept of familial magic triggered by coming of age was really interesting. I wish there were more details on the rest of the family members' powers because that aspect was super interesting to me. Unfortunately, it was the main characters' decisions and certain plot points that really bothered me.

SPOILERS:
The biggest glaring issue for me was Voya choosing to destroy her cousin's future over Luc's. The more I thought about it, the more it made me absolutely furious. All he would have had to lose was the CEO position. He would still be a literal genius and would be able to contact his sponsor dad if he chose. Honestly though, considering Justin was literally a murderer, would being distanced for him even have been a bad thing? Obviously, it would have been heartbreaking since he spent his whole life training to take on this position, but logically he would have found another job and moved on with his life.

When she chose her cousin over him, I thought it would be as simple as taking away her internship (since all he had to lose was the CEO position). But the result was magically confining her cousin to one house, never able to leave or speak to anyone outside the house ever again. Are you kidding?! Who in their right mind would think that's okay? Imagine never leaving your home ever again your entire life when the alternative was a boy needing to pick a new career path?

I rated the book a 3 because I loved the writing style and the concept, but the longer I sit on it the more I grow resentful about it. Honestly, this was so hard for me to rate.

Blood Like Magic was such a unique and diverse read. There was a little bit of everything in it. Magic, Romance, Friendship, etc. It was such a fun read and the characters were very likable.

It’s time for Voya’s calling - a ritual in which one of her ancestors gives her a task. If she succeeds, she’ll be given the gift of magic, but if not, she will lose the chance forever. Voya’s task isn’t like any that her cousins have faced - she must destroy her first love. Seeing as she has never been in love, this could be complicated. And the stakes are higher than anyone could have imagined.

This urban fantasy/sci-fi novel is set in Toronto in the near future, where genetic modification is commonplace, and Google is ancient (that made me laugh 😂). We don’t often see Toronto as the setting of a fantasy novel, let alone one about genetics and witches.

And I would be remiss to talk about this book without mentioning that it is a love letter to Black girl magic. Voya’s community of Black witches was so diverse in gender identity and sexual orientation without being preachy, and sets the precedent for a future where we introduce ourselves with our preferred pronouns. Not the part I would expect to be so revolutionary, but an example I’d like to follow!

The characters in this book are what make it so special. The Thomas family has a bit of everything, personality wise, and their drama kept me turning pages. And Luc was such an interesting character to follow, and I wish we got more of him at the beginning!

While the first half of the book was pretty slow for me, I couldn’t put it down around the halfway mark. (Even though I stayed up significantly later than I intended!) I also appreciate knowing that there will be more set in this world, but without leaving us on a crazy cliffhanger in the meantime. I felt satisfied with this ending but still left wanting more. A fantastic debut!

DNF- Did not find compelling. Was not interested in the plot, which is quite disappointing since I was really looking forward to it.