Voya Thomas comes from a long line of witches, but fails the test that will allow her to come into her powers. Granted a rare second chance by her ancestor, her new task risks her whole family's magic and requires her to kill the one she loves. Voya is a wonderfully developed character, her attempt to fall in love in an impossible situation rings authentic to many teenagers' desire to be loved at all costs, and the world building and Black magic throughout is incredible. An incredible series opener and a must-purchase for libraries.

Blood Like Magic (Blood Like Magic #1) by Liselle Sambury is a great debut YA novel. I particularly appreciated how well Sambury combines magically and sci-fi elements. Honestly, the combo was a bit jarring at first, but once I got into the swing of things I got a kick out that touch. I also greatly appreciated just how important family is in this novel. All of the characters were so well developed and felt just like they could have walked right off the page. I can't wait to read the upcoming sequel.

If a healthy mix of science fiction, urban fantasy, witches, and amazing LGBTQ+ representation gets you excited then totally check out Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury.

This story is so rich, raw, and powerful that it’s difficult to boil down to a simple review. Just know that these pages are filled with badass characters who are asked to make difficult choices in order to grow, save the people they love, and to come out stronger.

Sprinkle in a robust Magic system, a Canadian setting, and genetic modifications/cybernetic enhancements and you have one of the most creative stories I’ve read in a while.

There are so many reasons to appreciate this book. Firstly, I loved world-building in the tale. The author creates a futuristic view of Toronto, where we see the technology used in the character’s daily lives. Yet, the author also adds elements of magic to this futuristic landscape that made the story so captivating.

Secondly, I loved how the author portrayed Voya’s family. Voya comes from a large family, and I loved the sense of community embedded with the plot. Whether it be Keis, Granny, Dad, or even Priya, you feel like you become a part of the Thomases, irrespective of how dysfunctional they are.

Thirdly, I enjoyed the concept of the story. Voya needs to destroy her first love, or else her family will lose their ancestral magic. Voya is a beautiful protagonist you can immediately relate because she is flawed and makes mistakes. On top of all this, you also have the mystery of Elaine, which adds nicely to the plot. There is never a dull moment in the story, and the author builds the story, especially in the second half.

The author also highlights the romance nicely! I adored Voya and Luc together. It was interesting to see how Voya controls her feelings, knowing what she has to do with Luc after one month. The chemistry they share is electrifying, whether they are in the flea market or NuGene.

The only downside to the tale is how lengthy it is. As much as I love reading big books, it took me a good three chapters to get immersed in the story. However, once I got past the initial setback, I thoroughly enjoyed the tale.

Overall, “Blood Like Magic” is a beautiful start to the series, and I cannot wait to read the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Magic??? Killing one’s first love??? Futuristic witches??? All sounds like a yes to me.

I could have done without the first fifty pages or so of the book. The very summary of the book says that Voya has to kill her first love. Yet this revelation doesn’t come into play until page 125ish. Those pages are just filled with a bit of info-dumping, some world-building, and a boatload of indecision. It made the book feel longer than it was and made the beginning feel really slow. That being said, once we found out Voya’s task is to destroy her first love, things really picked up.

The writing was a major contributor to the picking up of things. To put it simply, it flowed really well. The dialogue is snarky and it’s really easy to fall into the rhythm of the book. Once we got to the heart of the story, it kept things moving. In the realm of fantasy, the writing definitely felt on the lighter side and is perfect for the summer months.

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The plot felt a bit undercooked to me. The world and the magic were much more fully developed, but the plot itself left a bit to be desired. Like it sort of seemed like a winding trail, unsure of a firm direction. Sure, the goal in mind was always to make a choice, but it felt like the end had much more emphasis than the steps it took to get there.

Ok. Let’s talk world building. Besides a bit of infodumping in the beginning, I thought the development of the world was really well done. It was really cool to be fully immersed in this futuristic society that relies on genetics, these mind phone transmission thingamabobs, and a bucketful of technology. Seeing the system combined with magic was honestly one of my favorite parts of the whole book.

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There are a ton of characters in this book. There are a lot of family dynamics going on, and all of them felt so genuine. Sambury did a really great job capturing that family dynamic. Even when they didn’t all agree, or it was messy, they still were there for each other. Given the ending, I’m excited to see how this is going to be explored further in the next book.

I kind of struggled with Voya and her narration. Voya just lacked direction as a character. Girl had no idea what was going on or what choice to make for basically the entire book. It made being in her head feel a touch repetitive. Being in Voya’s mind was like being on a hamster wheel of indecision and by the midsection of the book it really started to get to me.

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Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. The writing and dialogue is so easy to fall into and the worldbuilding is really intriguing. I most certainly will be picking up the next book, I'm invested in the characters and need to know what's next ahhhhh. If the idea of futuristic witches intrigues you, I’d highly recommend checking out Blood Like Magic!!

Voya Thomas comes from a family of witches who have come to their powers by completing Trials set forth by their ancestors. When Voya's Trial is to choose between destroying her first love or the end of magic within her family line, Voya must make the seemingly impossible choice...it's too bad choices are already challenging for her.

There were trigger warnings for violence, which was appreciated. This books is told from Voya's POV and is set in Toronto, Canada in the year 2049 (I think...) with a cast of amazingly diverse characters! LGBTQIA with trans characters who are not merely a side character or afterthought, this book was written so carefully to encourage accurate visibility racially, ethnically, and gender...the whole gamut of identity representation. Liselle Sambury builds a world in the future where witches, magic, and technology are part of everyday life and jargon without isolating the reader. There were a couple of parts in the middle that went by a bit slow as Voya struggles internally to complete her Trial (some parts which were a bit repetitive and I may have just skimmed...), but Sambury was able to build empathy for characters and raise the stakes believable as Voya gets closer to finding possible solutions. I cannot wait for book 2!

Yep, okay this is a book I needed, and I needed it more than I thought. This is such a refreshing and unique book! Often times when we read witchy books it's in the past or a current setting, but what about futuristic? Why don't we do that more?! Well, Blood Like Magic does that, and it does that so well!

Blood Like Magic follows Voya, a black-Canadian witch, who receives a task from her ancest0r - she must destroy her first love or her entire family will lose their magic - FOREVER. LIKE WHAT? Those are some high stakes! Featuring a blend of scifi/magical elements, Blood Like Magic has one of the most unique settings I've seen in a long time! Voya is an amazing protagonist thrown into an incredibly challenging and difficult situation. I love that she's kind of messy, she makes mistakes, but she's trying and I love that we're getting that in this story. Often times characters are painted as far too perfect.

I genuinely enjoyed this book and can't wait for the sequel!

FUCK

BLOOD LIKE MAGIC hits really hard...definitely don't read it if you are in a bad mental state, it will definitely heighten it.

FUCK it is so good...but also I am a bit haunted now? Is Mama Jova gonna come after me now?

I REALLY wanted to love this- I mean look at that cover! And the description! But honestly, I couldn't get past the first chapter. Bathing in period blood? No thank you.

After failing her Calling, a trial every witch must go through in order to come into their powers, Voya is given an unexpected second chance. In order to get her own powers, as well as keep magic in her bloodline, Voya must find her first love and kill them. The only problem? Voya isn’t in love. She isn’t even in the realm of love. When she gets an opportunity to participate in a beta matchmaking service based on DNA, Voya jumps at it and is paired with surly and grumpy Luc. However, falling in love to save her own powers is far from the biggest thing on the line with this task.
This story is an exciting mix of science fiction and family drama, but readers will root for Voya and her beloved family the whole way through.

I really liked this book. It was a different spin on magic and futuristic than what I am used to. The only thing I was set off about was the blood: blood baths, blood rituals, blood poured in your eyes, etc. Granted I knew blood would be related, hence the title of the book. I just assumed it would be like other books (small prick on a finger or palm of the hand). So after disregarding the blood aspect, it was a great story. I loved trying to figure out the mystery as the story went along. I loved the openness of LGBTQ+ in the story. I loved the choices made and how the main character stayed true to herself. I loved how she dealt with the villain in the story. I loved seeing her granny and getting to know her. I loved that Voya could cook and bake. She used her families history and mixed it with her own spin to create recipes. I really enjoyed figuring out the witch community and the whole purr/impure aspect of it all. The author did a great job on character building. There were a lot of characters through out and you loved or hated most. Hated because she wrote them so well, their personalities made you believe they were real. It was just a good book and a different take on a YA magic story.

4.75/5 stars

My thoughts are all a mess as I consider everything that this book was, but I'm gonna try to organize them to write a somewhat coherent review lol.

First things first, I'm a big fan of the world that Sambury created. I loved the Canadian setting, and the fact that it was set in the future (but not too far there) was sooo intriguing. I loved all the ways Sambury imagined the future, from the tech advances to the way communities evolved, to her comments on continuing racism and police violence toward Black people and how it may be "better" but that doesn't make it "best" yet.

The premise is hooking and intriguing, but the book itself is so much more complex and layered than the synopsis has the space to let on. The family ties in this book, for instance, were so powerful and something I hadn't necessarily caught a glimpse of in the synopsis. It's all so well-thought out, everything from Voya's cousins' relationships with each other to their relationships to Voya herself.

The way Sambury wrote consequences is so incredible, too. It's painful to read in places, because you can just see how a different choice may have led to a different, better outcome, but at the same time it's so obvious that was the ONLY choice the character could have made in that moment, based on their personality and the knowledge they had.

All I'll say, too, is that my heart breaks for Luc. Love that asshole.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Blood Like Magic" follows an indecisive teenager who is stuck having to make a final decision rating to the fate of her and her family. This story is almost urban fantasy in a way, mixing real-life situations with magic, but this story also takes place around ~30 years into the future, including sci-fi technology as well.

First off, I almost DNF'ed this book. The pacing is really slow, but picks up at around 40%, just as a warning for anyone who's not into slow-paced books with intricate worldbuilding. Secondly, this book almost feels like it belongs in the "New Adult" category, it's pretty dark and morbid in many ways. So I'd be wary, even though the protagonist is 16 she deals with *a lot* of crazy stuff that typical YA protagonists don't go through.

I went back and forth on Voya often, but it's been a really long time since I've read about a protagonist who was extremely indecisive, so I wasn't used to this kind of character. She worked really well though, it was great seeing her development throughout the story and how she learns and grows in the process.

Her family was interesting and the dynamics were fascinating, the best parts were when she was poking at "holes" in her family's relationships and realizing that not all was at it seemed. The story was really about family at its core, but I appreciated that the messages weren't like "Always listen to your family they're perfect and always right", it was different and more realistic, while still being optimistic about the love of families.

I really haven't quite read anything like this story, it's intricate and lovingly woven, I'm very excited for any possible sequels in the future!.

I absolutely loved this book! The characters, plot, and overall aesthetic were immaculate. The only reason I am docking a star is because the pacing felt off throughout the majority of the beginning of the novel.

What a creative and entertaining read! This book was different than I first expected but in such a good way. I didn’t realize that it was going to be set in the future but after reading a bit and understanding the world more I was all in.

Voya is a strong, caring and determined character who I adored. I could completely related with her indecisive nature and feel for her journey to determine what she truly wants out of life. I also loved the deep family connections and how well developed all the characters were. The back stories and histories were thorough making the entire family jump off the page. The story itself was so interesting with the mix of magic and technology. Plus, the concept of Voya having to fall in love and then kill that person felt like watching an accident I couldn’t turn away from. I had to know what would happen, particularly after the first meeting between Voya and Luc went so horribly wrong. I don’t want to ruin anything but will say I loved all the twists and turns this story took me on.

I wanted to like this book and I have never given a bad review in here but I could not even finish this book. It was so confusing and all over the place. But then in other parts it said the same thing over and over. I didn’t care enough about the main character to keep reading, I made it 70% in and then just decided I did not want to keep reading, something I never do. This book might be great for a different reader but for me it fell very short.

This book was amazing! It oozes Black Girl Magic. I wish I could've grown up with stories like this, but I am so happy a new generation of strong black girls have amazing characters like Voya to read about. I enjoyed the undercurrent of sci-fi in this witchy work of art.

This was an exciting take on urban fantasy with some futuristic biotechnology infused in. As a biologist, I really liked that combination. I found the story a bit slow to begin but there was quite a bit to set up so it was understandable. The plot was predictable but still quite fun to watch unfold. I thought the family dynamic was really well built and even though there were SO many characters to keep track of, I think the author did a good job of juggling them all. The main character was a lot like myself which gave me a mix of annoyance at my own faults and a keen empathy of hers. I wouldn’t say I was overly invested in the characters in this book but I didn't dislike any of them. I think the relationship between the main character and her cousin was the best relationship in the book. The romance was sweet but plain. I assume that will continue to grow in the next book. Overall, I think this book is a good addition to the YA fantasy genre and can be enjoyed by YA readers of all ages.

This book was pure (& impure) magic in the best way. I felt so connected to the characters and the story. I absolutely loved the casual queerness, a gay uncle with a bunch of kids??? A trans cousin & trans love interest????? A lesbian cousin who discovers she’s also demiromantic???? Ancestral trauma, magical trauma, so so much packed into this story. I absolutely loved every minute of it and encourage all of y’all to read it ASAP.

I absolutely adored this book, so much so that I just knew I had to get my own copy. (The cover was so beautiful I just knew it needed a permanent space on my bookshelf so I have it preordered for the release date and I am so excited) This book is everything my soul needed and more. It is a book that truly had everything wrapped in a pretty witchy bow. I do think that there was a good balance of magic while also doing a beautiful job of incorporating real life themes such as the importance of family, neglect and substance abuse and so much more. I also loved Voya. I found her to be frustrating at times, but also it in turn made me love her even more for it. This is truly a special story and has made Liselle Sambury and autobuy author for me. I think she is absolutely brilliant and I love the world she created, so much so that I found myself pulling up this book on my phone while I was out and about. I am a huge fantasy reader and I tend to be a bit picky, but there was truly just something about this book that I want everyone to experience. Also Voya's task to find her first love and be assigned to kill them is just all I have ever wanted in a story but never knew I needed. I know I am rambling at this point, but I just simply cannot put into words how in love with this book I am. Also the amount of representation in this book just truly made it that much more special. I truly think almost every reader can pick up this book and identify with a character which is such a rarity in the bookish world.I also loved the pacing of the book. I think that the world building was done slowly but really well, and overall I cannot wait to push this book onto any and all of my friends that read fantasy. I also appreciated the fact that even though it was fantasy, it was still easy to follow and I think that this is largely due to the brilliant writing. This book is truly one of a kind and I cannot put into words how much I appreciate being given this book in advanced.