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.

3.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley and MC Press for an ALC. All opinions are my own.

Narration: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Romance: 2/5
Worldbuilding: 4/5

I loved the narration! Laura Horowitz did a great job bringing life to the characters and world. Unfortunately I wasn’t really sold on the relationship between the two protagonists. I felt like Petra went from begrudgingly allying with Vi to “touch her and die” way too quickly. Additionally, this was the sort of enemies to lovers where I wasn’t convinced that they had an emotional connection, it was mostly sexual tension.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ALC.

Okay so that ending!!! I’m very curious about where the bigger story is going. Can this be classified as a romance..? I guess it depends on if Hutson returns to this couple, although an IG posts says this series will be interconnected standalones.

I enjoyed the worldbuilding in this urban fantasy! I think the POVs of two side characters were interesting and pretty tragic…but they offer a glimpse into brutal society Petra is a part of.

I think what I struggled with was the central part of the story in which Vy and Petra are on their quest, the pacing slows quite down and has a lot of exposition that could have been more seamless. It took me a while to be convinced that they both fell for each other emotionally and not just sexually. Their kiss was just so out of the blue for me! There was also some bits of dialogue that I just did not vibe with.

I gotta say, I’m very curious about this world. There are so many threads to follow. I think I’ll be interested if the key information of the story wasn’t only in dialogue, but also experienced by the characters.

When an assassin and vampire have a common goal, they will risk everything to see change. I love reading the enemy to lovers troupe. However the ending was bittersweet. The vampire world in this book is unique, I haven’t read anything like it so I definitely would recommend if you’re interested in another vampire story.

A thrilling Urban Fantasy with mystery, love, and betrayal. I was rooting for these two in their quest for acceptance (even if they don't know that's what they are looking for)! I was really looking for a Fantasy with vampires that were a little bite happy. There wasn't enough biting in this book for me, but the plot was probably better for it 😆 Enjoyable overall!

A good story in general , I found the concept of The Order and the unhumans and side characters were set-up well and in a way I enjoy. It was interesting and layered. Compared with other fantasy stories that have a similar plot, I feel like Born of Blood and Magic stands out more because of its twists.

I liked the world-building a lot, especially the lore around the Order and the magic system, but some of the intricacies left more questions than answers. That said, since this is a series, I’m okay with that. I’m curious to see how it develops.

When it comes to Liv and Petra, they grew on me. It was a bit insta-love, but their dynamic got more interesting as the story went on. The worst part for me was really the pacing. The beginning of the book is perfect in that aspect ( tense, intriguing, well-balanced), but toward the end, things start happening too fast with no real purpose. It felt rushed.

Still, the concept, romance, and darker elements worked well overall. I’ll definitely keep reading the series.

To start this review, I want to say that I read this book via audiobook. As for the review, the story falls flat despite its promising premise. It also struggles with pacing due to excessive world-building that detracts from character development and plot progression. The characters never grabbed me and failed to evoke any real emotional investment. The dialogue feels stiff at times, and the romance seems forced and lacks chemistry. Overall, the book doesn’t quite live up to its potential which left me with an underwhelming experience rather than the thrilling fantasy I was promised.

This was a fun surprise—an urban fantasy with vampires, magic, secret orders, and an enemies-to-lovers romance that actually works. Violet ("Vy") is a cursed vampire who can’t handle blood, and Petra is an assassin sworn to destroy her kind. When they must team up for a prophecy and a magical relic, sparks fly—and tension builds beautifully.

What I loved most: Vy and Petra are well-balanced, flawed, and compelling. The magic system and the supernatural world are layered and original without being overwhelming. The emotional arc is strong, and the chemistry between them had me hooked from halfway through.

A few moments felt slow or a bit confusing—some organizational details about the Order of Light aren’t fully explained. But that didn’t stop me from rooting for them, even when I wasn’t always sure what was happening behind the scenes.

Overall, it’s a solid Sapphic fantasy romance that delivers on intrigue, emotion, and worldbuilding.

I am devastated by the ending.
I was pleasantly surprised by the over all storyline as it wasn’t a storyline I felt had been told over and over. I enjoyed the new elements of other non humans coming into play.
The betrayal was a good twist that I should have seen coming but added an element to the story that helped cement the main characters bond deeper made my devastation at the end all the more hurtful!
Thank you MC Press and NetGallery for the audio ARC, but I’m gonna need a minute!

I'll be honest, I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. I really like the concept, and the story. I found it difficult to connect with, or even really like, the main characters. Every time I went to listen to it, I hesitated just because I wasn't really enjoying it. However, once I finished a chapter, I found myself wanting to listen to more! I'm just literally "eh" about this book. If you like the idea of sapphic supernatural beings, I'd say go for it, knowing you might be let down.

I will also add- I really enjoyed the narration!

This was an interesting take on the supernatural. After seeing her mother slaughtered by a monster as a teen, Petra joins the ranks of The Order of Night, a monster hunting operation that works in the shadows and kills and collects monsters of all types. And by monsters, I simply mean supernatural creatures and beings. Because, let's be honest, we can guess who the real monsters are!
Violet is the vampire who, in a bout of desperate hunger and no control, took Petra's mom's life so many years ago. Being a vampire/sorceress, Violet was hunted by The Order of Night. And, therefore, by Petra herself!
When they meet, they are unable to pull away from the magnetism between them! Unable to stop from touching and kissing and being near each other. Who will win in this power struggle between their goals and their hormones?!
This was a fun read!

The narration for this audiobook was great.

The characters were well developed but the world building felt like aspects were missing. Some plot lines seemed to be forgotten throughout the book. The overarching plot was interesting.

Solid 3.5 // honestly this book should be subtitled "And The Consequences Of Time Travel." This had its good points but all in all it fell a bit flat for me. The characters were lush, but some of the mechanics and world building elements felt more like making stuff up to fit the plot and less like logical additions to the world. I still had a lot of fun tho.

Rep: lesbian of color MC, white lesbian MC, queer side characters

spice: two vivid sex scenes

tw: murder, death of a parent, death of a child

I thought the audio version was very well done. The quality of the audio was amazing and the narrator totally killed it. She delivered amazing performance, little accents here and there. Unfortunately I didn't finish it, because I just kept getting distracted by the story line, bored and eventually I didn't want to go back to the book. I requested this audio book, because I actually started the paperback and didnt finish it. I was hoping the audio version would win me over, but this book just isnt for me.

So many possibilities!

The book had a lot of characters, introduced many different parties, so the plot could go in any direction in the future.

I liked the reader, the military training, the laboratory experiment, the confrontation between the normal world and the supernatural world.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free review copy of the audiobook!

This was not only a good book, but the narration was excellent. The Plot was engaging and entertaining. The relationships and spice were on point. I would definitely recommend this book for fans of sapphic diverse books!

Nora Horowitz’s narration is the highlight of this audiobook; she brings so much depth and distinction to each POV (Kayla, Vi, and Petra). Her performance made the emotional beats and physical tension feel incredibly real, even when the plot felt rushed or uneven.

I loved the fantasy elements and the world-building was intriguing, though at times it was hard to follow due to abrupt plot shifts or unresolved threads. Some narrative arcs just disappeared, which made it harder to stay grounded in an already complex magical world full of new names and systems.

I appreciated the chemistry between Vi and Petra, but wished for more emotional connection to anchor their dynamic. The romance overall felt inconsistent, too little to satisfy romantics, but just enough to occasionally distract from the central storyline. Petra’s gender identity also seemed tied too closely to trauma and circumstance, which gave me pause and left me wanting a more affirming portrayal.

Kayla’s POV confused me at times; I wasn't sure her perspective added enough to justify the frequency of her chapters.

Still, this was an interesting, atmospheric listen for the summer—engaging narration, a compelling world, and some moments of strong character voice. I’d definitely keep an eye out for what Hutson and Horowitz do next!

Ehh, I feel like this would’ve been better as a regular read rather than an audio. I believe it's at least three POVs, but they blended since there's only one narrator. For me, the story fell flat. We start in the past, which is minor backstory but only on a single character, and then jump to the present, where it's a quest of vengeance. Also, as someone who loves a good romance, this one is more of a sub-plot.

Really wanted to love this as it's sapphic vampires but the sexual violence just killed the enjoyment.