3.5 stars rounded to 4

MC Hutson has created a layered and intriguing world where humans and magical creatures fight for power. Although the story does lean into quite a few urban fantasy and sapphic tropes, it does so in a way that's comforting in its familiarity, rather than lacking in creativity. My only complaints arise from the treatment of the darker themes, such as SA assault, torture, and ignoring corruption. These aren't part of the main plotline but I would have preferred them to be given more weight, rather than briefly mentioned. I think they could have been used to tell a deeper story. I am still curious about what happens next and will continue with the series.

This book had really great world building, I was immersed in the world very easily. The characters were complex and well developed, including side characters. The plot was very interesting too and there were no slow points in the story for me.

I enjoyed the romance. Petra and Vy seem good together and all of the spicy scenes were well written. In my opinion the romance was mostly motivated by sexual attraction, which I personally am not a fan of, but that's definitely a me problem and not a book problem. I feel like true enemies to lovers (which this book definitely is!) has to be fuelled by lust unless it's a slow-burn spanning multiple books. I am very interested to see how their relationship will develop in future books

The audiobook narration was incredible and definitely added to the story.

I am very eager to read the next book in the series. The epilogue left me with a lot of questions... (in a good way!)

Born of Blood and Magic by MC Hutson is the first book in The Lightless series. This audiobook is narrated by Laura Horowitz, and if you know me you know that she is one of my favorite voices. This is a debut novel for MC Hutson, and I liked that we dive into a sapphic, vampire and other supernatural/paranormal fantasy characters. This story is a urban fantasy, with a very supernatural vibe. The worldbuilding is well-layered and the magic system is interesting. From a web of prophecy to betrayal, and with a really painful slow burn, this story carries the pain of the past, the curses, secrets and deep emotions of the present and the possibility of the future.
Both FMCs are complex with an amazing lore behind them.
The only reason that I rate this book as a 4-star read/listen is that I believe there are a few edits that need to be made for the story to shine.

1.5★

I'd like to preface this review by stating that reviews are for the potential readers, not the writer, so if you're the author or in any way affiliated with her, this is your sign to scroll or risk getting your feelings hurt. I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions stated are my own, and I'm grateful for having had the chance to give this book a shot. This review includes spoilers for the book, read at your own discretion.

Look, I love a good paranormal romance, and sapphic vampires are something that caught my attention immediately. The premise of this book is impeccable, a cursed vampire and a vampire hunter have to team up to each achieve their own goals. However, the execution was quite honestly lacking.

My first issue were the characters. They all felt very two-dimensional to me, they were very distinct, but there was just something that didn't let me connect with any of them. Really, the only character I ended up even slightly caring about was Dustin which I would've never guessed when he was first introduced. The character of Kayla—or Commander Clay—was one that I sympathized with from the beginning, but by the end, I couldn't stand her. The character I just outright couldn't stand was Olivia, about whom even after she received a sob backstory I couldn't care any less about. Her story was also just so random, like what??? Our main characters were the exact opposite of what you'd want a fantasy book protagonist be. Vy—or Violet—reminded me of the typical 2014 fanfiction y/n, because she's a vampire, then she's also a witch, and her mom left her and then she ran away to protect the rest of her family from herself... She also doesn't really have any distinct personality past hating herself and being horny all the time. Petra, on the other hand, seemed like a pretty cool character at first, a scarred butch assassin with a traumatic past... but really, said one traumatic event is really her entire personality in the story. That, and being a bitch to Vy for the first, like, good 70% of the book, until she suddenly flipped and was like "wait actually I kinda wanna fuck her." In prologue, Petra had expressed clear religious trauma (from her mother being Catholic and her being gay, which her mother did not support), but this part of her quickly disappeared and was never mentioned again in the story.

That leads me to the relationship between our two main characters, because to me, this was advertised as an enemies to lovers, but can it really be enemies to lovers when they don't even end up together??? Their chemistry was also incredibly lacking, the internal monologues of the characters want the readers to believe how in denial they both are about their suppressed love for one another, but it just wasn't there. Their flirting scenes felt forced, and the book overall felt too sexual for a fantasy book. And don't get me wrong, I do love a good erotica, but this just wasn't it. Like, there's time and place for everything.

Which brings me to the SA scene that happens in Chapter 30. The audiobook has no trigger/content warnings listed, which to me seems extremely problematic. After sourcing the ebook version, I found out that that one does list a couple, but while reading, I noticed even more that weren't listed at all. Except for rape/SA, this book includes on-page portrayal of the death of a parent, on-page racism, homophobia, TERF beliefs/transphobic comments, and many instances of physical violence, as well as many more.

Now, the ending makes or breaks a book, and this one was beyond disappointing. I can't say I really rooted for Vy and Petra, but what a way to mess up over 300 pages of character development. With Petra's memories gone, she ended up with her childhood friend who only previously appeared in the Prologue (her name was Kate I think?) and Vy became, like, the Doctor Strange but part vampire? It made no sense. And one thing that just really irked me was that for some reason Petra wasn't butch in the Epilogue... as if the only reason she was butch in the story was because of the trauma caused by the death of her mother???

With how slowly this book started, and how much the plot dragged on, everything past Chapter 30 happened on a whim and just so randomly. Suddenly there was the serum, and two people were dead, and Alice was Vy's donor, and Vy's mother actually loved her and meant for her to be great, and the most random fucking person was the cause behind this all... Like what?

Anyways, this book greatly disappointed me, and if there ever is a sequel (which, according to the author's Instagram page, is currently in the works), I will not be reading it.

Side note: scrolling through the other reviews and the author's Instagram page, it seems that there has been several issues of her pushing lesbian stereotypes and being biphobic, which I personally cannot support.

I really enjoyed this story. It did a great job of holding my attention all the way through. The characters drew me in and I found myself cheering for them pretty quickly. There was a bit of spice in the book, and I thought that it was very well done. I do think the book needs to come with a couple of content warnings for a couple of potentially triggering things that do pop up in the book that readers should probably know about before they jump into the book, including things like attempted rape and homophobia, among others.

Meh... this is an okay story. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. I just think it could have been so much better. I got it as an audiobook and it took a lot longer to get through it than it should have as it just wasn't holding my attention.
Vi is super whiny and the way her character acts doesn't make sense being that she's a vampire (just not what I would consider typical behavior for a vampire). I was also annoyed with the other MC, Petra. I just have a hard time imagining the choices she makes involving Vi considering how Vi essentially ruined Petra's childhood. Their relationship just seemed weird to me. I love a good vampire story so I was looking forward to this book, but it just didn't do it for me.

Thanks to the Author and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen this audiobook. This is my honest, voluntary review.

Wow! Surprising 5 stars for me!

Thank you NetGalley for an early audio copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

I picked up this book as an ALC and was pretty quickly drawn in. I wasn't familiar with the author and I don't read a ton of sapphic romance, so I didn't have any expectations.

Something about the style of this storytelling gave me 90s nostalgia - I loved it! We are in a world of humans, vampires, and other magical beings, following a human, named Petra. She's working for an organization against the "lightless" aka vampires who has a personal vendetta against one of them, and is sent on a mission to abduct her. Petra feels conflicted bc she wanted to revenge kill this woman, but was sworn on a mission to retrieve her alive. In an effort to trap the vampire, Petra pretends to be romantically interested.... but a chemistry develops between them that she didn't prepare for. And thru their relationship, they both begin to explore their pasts and the family dynamics they were raised in.

We've got:
Sapphic love - rep
Enemies to Lovers
I'm supposed to kill you, but....
Portal travel
Magical beings and humans
Political intrigue
Social commentary are racism and classism
Mother - daughter relationships
Learning to accept one's self
Healing from trauma

I was intrigued and invested till the very end, and can't wait for book 2!

You follow Vy and Petra as they figure out how to function together as they search for the item that could fix everything. Vy killed Petra’s mom years ago and Petra has never forgiven her. I was hoping this would be all I wanted it to be but it was kinda lacking. I’m happy with how this book ended though.

Sapphic vampire/caster vs. hunter? Say no more, I'm in.
I enjoyed this book. The plot takes a big part of the story, and it's clear that this book will be part of a series (I was personally expecting a bit more romance, but that's my cheesy heart talking). The book reads well and has a fast pace, fairly action-packed. The end left me with a bittersweet taste (personal preference; this is not a spoiler, don't expect anything), and I obviously need Book 2 now. The characters were very diverse, and I was so happy about it. Some subjects like racism were also discussed in a mundane way that highlights systemic issues so well. I loved that we had different degrees of knowledge among the characters, and as they got to know each other, their characters developed, showing how it impacts their decisions.
Anyway, I need more of Vy and Petra, and I need to know what happens next.
On the narrator's side, it's Laura Horowitz doing it, so obviously it is perfect (this woman is a goddess of narration.) The voices and acting are on point and really immerse you in the story.

this story was so well thought out and written. there are some details I felt left unanswered, but im hopeful that the second book will have answers. this book had me giggling and crying. cheered when Olivia got what she deserved , I felt horrible for Dustin and cried over Petra and vi.
the epilogue destroyed me, while I knew Petra would be a different person in the new future to have her change that much Hurt, I hoped it would be a , shes the same person in every timeline, type of story.
If you want a couple that hate to love each other, that struggle to do the right and wrong thing , this is a good book for you. the ending is happy and sad. Vi gets what she wants, but it costs her the happiness she already had.
also anyone worried about spice, there is very little detail, just enough to get you on the edge, it was done tastefully

This was the first novel I've read by M.C. Hudson. I won't be reading another unless there's some progression in style of writing. It was clunky and laborious. The audiobook narrator attempted to elevate the book with accents and gravitas.

Story was an interesting concept of urban fantasy with "lightless" which is a catch all for non-humans. The Order of Light which is basically non-human nazis with a evangelical background. Most characters are actually awful and are self serving. Vi is probably the only perspective that isn't awful to be a part of. Mind you its always interesting to see the POV from the antagonists side.

Romance side is...odd. It's enemies to lovers and its definitely still enemies during and afterwards because Petra kind of sucks as a person. Might be improved with subsequent novels.

I don't believe I'll continue the series after this one even if the ending was interesting to change the whole second.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC audiobook.

This book felt like a crossover between Vampire Academy and Arcane in the best way. It was confusing having the hot jacked red head NOT be named Vi but her love interest was lol. I liked the alternating POVs and the character development from both Petra and Vi so the relationship did not feel rushed. I definitely want to see how this series continues!

Thank you to Netgalley for ‘Born Of Blood And Magic’.

4⭐️ I usually try to avoid books with titles like ‘The —— of —— and ——“ but I kinda super enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the drama, action, and lore regarding the world and its building. I liked the characters and their development. I liked that the enemies to lovers aspect actually seemed reasonable. It was paced very well and I never got bored. One thing that confused me was the character(s) Clay who I think is Kayla. There is also a Kate…I think. I didn’t really understand that relationship but it’s fine because it’s not a huge part of the story. As long as I understand that the Clay/Kayla character(s) are in command of the SOLs and slightly crazy. I will offer no information on Petra and Vy. I will only say that this book was pretty good. The sex scenes were refreshing and well-written. I didn’t cringe once. The end of this made me sad but I look forward to knowing there is a second book on the horizon.

TW: Death of a parent, sexual content, homophobia, religious bigotry, blood, murder, violence, drug use, sexual assault

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
This book is right up my alley, it’s an urban fantasy with sapphic enemies to lovers, while looking for an ancient relic vibe.

I did struggle to get into it at first, I found the multip pov and characters in the beginning to be a bit confusing, however, once I got to the 20-25% mark it was enjoyable for me and from there I was super keen to finish it and see how it ended.

I liked the FMC’s, and their banter and story.

The narrator is fantastic, she does a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life.

The ending felt like it was a bit rushed, especially since the beginning was so protracted, but it was satisfying for the story.

I DNF at 62% ish because what do you mean one of the character SA the other???? We’re just supposed to ignore the fact that one of them said no and the other continued?? And then they made out??? Wtf.
The romance was just so forced

Unfortunately I'm not the right target audience for this book and I ended up DNFing at about 10%. The premise of the story was interesting but all the mentions of the modern world (2019) with cars, phones, and mentions of McDonald's really pulled me out of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC of Born of Blood and Magic by MC Hutson.

This was a fast-faced and quick read for me. Whilst it was enjoyable, I do feel it was lacking a lot of lore in the magic systems as well as more about the different races i.e. vampires. I really did want more information on vampires, wolves, and magic, but the end of book one suggests that we will get more in book two.

I felt like the audiobook could have benefitted from two narrators; one for Petra and one for Vi. The narrator, whilst great, and easy to listen to, did not have much inflection change between to two women.

The whole of book one essentially revolves around a girl who wants revenge on the woman/vampire that killed her mother, but repeatedly has sexual encounters with her- and I found that... difficult to believe. A slower burn, a deeper hatred, and a real character arc for both Petra and Vi before they become romantically involved would have benefitted this book greatly.

Gush, gush, gush, gush - that's all I want to do about this book!

I don't think I've enjoyed an Urban Fantasy as much since 'Threads that Bind' by Kika Hatzopoulou. And a queer romance too? Enrapture me, why don't you, MC Hutson?

There's relatively little vampire lore here (which, actually, was a bit refreshing for me, since I've done vamp-after-vamp-after-vamp book recently), but what we do get is concrete and relevant and also whets our appetites for further development in later books.

MC Hutson gives us heaps and heaps of Fourth-Wing-style soldier-school stuff for the vampire slayers/monster fighters, at the headquarter and barracks of the devious 'Order', where Petra is taking her final qualification (given this, my mind flipped a bit at the end with where Hutson has Petra end up!).

Characterisation is fantastically muscular, and the dual-protagonist narrative is artfully crafted.

The audio of 'Born of Blood and Magic' is performed with fluency and real flair by Laura Horowitz (I am really looking forward to listening to her narrate Kaylie Smith's 'Wicked Games' series now, having been so spellbound by her Petra and Vy).

This is a potent little enchantment of an audiobook; thanks to MC Press for the listening pleasure. I'm holding my breath for the rest of the Lightless series!

I don't usually review books I DNF, but I'm dropping this one at 25%

Vy has no personality beyond "My life sucks and man I'm starving for blood and I'm also horny."

Petra's entire personality is defined by one traumatic moment. She does not exist beyond training so she can get revenge on the vampire that killed her mother.

Between that, inconsistent descriptions, and the oversexed nature of almost everything in this book. I just couldn't continue.

I'm super disappointed because this book seemed like it had everything I love and had great comps, but it just wasn't for me.

(I also see a review mentioning that there's a r*pe joke in this book somewhere? If so that's extra disgusting and I'm glad I stopped.)

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions stated are my own, and I'm grateful for having had the chance to give this book a shot.

This book has a happy-ish ending and I cannot wait for the next book. It starts out rather sad but the suspense and hope along with the romantic tension keep you hooked.