I loved this one just as much as the first! Liselle Sambury is definitely a new powerhouse author to be watching. The worlds she weaves are so intricate and vivid. As with many sequels, this one isn't quite as lovable as the first, but it was still an enjoyable and conclusive ending to the series. I cannot wait to see what Sambury continues to do.

In Blood Like Fate, the sequel to Blood Like Magic, Liselle Sambury has crafted a spellbinding YA fantasy set in a near-future Toronto that's both captivating and immersive. Sambury's intricate interweaving of historical elements and family trauma adds depth and nuance to the world-building and character development. The focus on family dynamics and generational trauma is one of the series' standout features.

Blood Like Fate offers a gripping and heartfelt narrative, featuring unique magic, high stakes, well-developed characters, and beautifully explored relationships. Sambury skillfully weaves the history of her characters into their present-day lives, which adds wonderful depth and dimension to the world, the characters, and the story. The novel also handles themes of mental health with care and sensitivity.

Overall, Blood Like Fate is a must-read for those seeking a well-crafted and original YA fantasy that delivers both heart and magic. Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt, the audiobook version is also a fantastic choice for those who prefer to listen rather than read.

Book two from Blood Like Magic where we leave off as Voya Thomas is announced as the Thomas matriarch after her granny's death. She is floundering as the matriarch and is struggling to establish trust from her family in the decisions she makes. After a frightening vision of the extinction of all witches because of Luc, the stakes are high with every move Voya makes.
Told from Voya's POV and set in the future where genetic modifications and technology are woven together. This book details the struggles Voya has in trusting herself and the decisions she makes. As in the first book, there is a lot of futuristic terminology and slang that is challenging to get used to at first. However, the overall themes of family, forgiveness and trust were still salient throughout.
Ok, the bad: The plot line with Eli was, unfortunately, predictable. The plot itself plod along slowly with a lot of exposition. The climax fell flat as the villain(s) had essentially no consequence/repercussion. However, I did enjoy it more than the first one where Voya shows character development in her confidence. Solid 3.5 rounded to 4.

Overall, a fantastic YA duology. I did feel like the plot of the second book wasn't quite as compelling as book 1, and the pacing of the final act was a bit off (it felt like it was dragging at times but also certain big moments ended so abruptly). I also do think that in general, this duology could've been tighter - there's a lot of filler moments that I wasn't sure we needed, but I liked these characters enough that I didn't mind them. Liselle Sambury has officially made it onto my list of authors that I will most definitely be checking out in the future, and I am excited to see what her next few projects brings!

After being given the opportunity last year to read Blood Like Magic early and absolutely falling in love with it, I just knew I had to pick up its sequel. Blood like Fate definitely did not disappoint adding a satisfying conclusion to a well-written duology. If you haven’t picked up Blood Like Magic, I would thoroughly encourage you to check out before you jump into this review as there will be spoilers present.

This review contains spoilers for book one

After the shocking cliffhanger ending that we were left with after Blood Like Magic, Voya is now the matriarch of the Thomas Family, even though everyone is not quite on board with it. When Voya uses her gift to glimpse into the future, she sees the death of all witches and her ex-lover at the center of it all. In order to prevent this, Voya decides to bring together the other matriarchs to form a council to prevent the dark future that faces them all.

You might have thought Blood Like Magic has intense, high stakes but Blood Like Fate takes it to another level. With Voya becoming matriarch, this book shows us the consequences of Voya’s decisions in the last book and how difficult things have become since the ending of Blood Like Magic. We constantly see Voya stressed out with her newfound role as matriarch and struggles with the fact that she will never be able to live up to everyone’s expectations. She faces constant disapproval from the various members of her family while still grieving her grandmother’s death.

One of the elements that I praised Blood Like Magic for was its spectacular worldbuilding, and how it was able to seamlessly weave fantastical and science fiction aspects into the story. Blood Like Fate continues to do this by adding more background knowledge about the previous matriarchs and the limits of her own gifts. In the end, Voya discovers that impure or pure magic isn’t stronger than the other but is brought forth by blood and intent.

The themes of family and community present in Blood Like Magic are once again present here and are done absolutely beautifully. While Voya’s family didn’t always agree with her decisions, they stood by her back and were willing to help her by giving feedback. There were many times that I agreed with Voya’s decisions but once someone disagreed with providing a new perspective, it highlighted how Voya wasn’t making reckless decisions but realistic ones from her point of view. The evolution of how their community is defined helped to highlight the importance of coming together, ignoring labels, and supporting all from different walks of life.

While for the most part I thoroughly enjoyed this story, I did have an issue with the pacing. In addressing the consequences Voya faces in book one, certain points got repetitive and were emphasized to the audience far too much. There were many times when suspicious details were brought up and didn’t relate to the story until the very end. While foreshadowing is a great tool to make a story more engaging for the reader, if it is too much it begins to drag down the story which can be seen here.

Blood Like Fate does a fantastic job of wrapping up this duology and by the end, I was left satisfied. All the various character arcs are tied off in a way that progresses their stories in the most logical and fulfilling way. Many stories tend to leave the side characters’ arcs open-ended and we aren’t given a rewarding ending for them even though we spend so much time with them. Sambury took the opportunity to give all her characters the endings they deserved, completely bringing their characters’ arcs to a close.

The twists and turns woven into the story were executed brilliantly and were unexpected, to say the least. Voya’s journey was done in a way that will have readers captivated from page one. The romance takes a backseat in this story, which allows a focus on family and community to take center stage. Blood Like Fate was a captivating story filled with a focus on community, magic, and thrilling stakes.

The drama continues! Magic is no longer functioning how it used to, something mysterious is happening, and Voya is now matriarch. The sequel to Blood Like Magic is every bit as delightful, well thought out, humorous, and full of family drama I appreciated that the social and cultural critiques kept coming in this well built and unique fantasy world. Blood Like Fate is a loooong book but in the best way! Liselle Sambury has the most beautiful writing style. I highly recommend.

Blood Like Fate by Liselle Sambury is the sequel to Blood Like Magic – completing the duology. I was a little nervous to pick this one up as Blood Like Magic was a slower read for me and I just kind of want to read more books lately — not be stuck on the same one forever. However, it turns out that this book was better than I had anticipated. I ended up liking the story a lot for the most part.

You should probably stop here if you don’t want to be spoiled for Blood Like Magic. This story continues soon after the first book leaves off. Voya has passed her calling and has two gifts. She’s also the family matriarch as Granny passed away in the first book. Additionally, Luc is no longer talking to her. Keis can’t leave the house and is also mad at Voya. Voya has had a vision which shows the witch community in danger. And so, she forms a council to find out what may come and prevent it. Voya believes if the witch community teams up, they can stop whatever happens.

I found Blood Like Fate to be a bit more captivating than the previous book. Maybe it is because I felt like all the characters were familiar with a few exceptions. Or perhaps it was because the stakes seemed higher in this book. The pacing was definitely faster. I thought the way the story wrapped up was artfully done and with a few twists that I did not see coming. Also, I loved the representation — the diversity in characters. This was a solid duology to kick off my autumn reading with — pick up if you want a futuristic story about witches who are Black.

Voya Thomas passed her Calling and now is not only a witch but the Matriarch of the family. Though she has replaced her grandmother as the leader of the family, they don’t listen to her. Her ancestors who she calls upon for advice have been ignoring her, so she doesn’t know what to do next. Then, Voya has a vision of her home burning and her entire family dying. She needs to figure out how to stop it from happening, which means returning to the boy she loves, who may be behind it all.

Blood Like Magic was one of my favourite reads last year, and this sequel lived up to my expectations. It was easy to jump back into the story because the characters were so vivid and distinct. I particularly love the setting of Toronto, my hometown. This story doesn’t feature typical Toronto settings, like the CN Tower, but instead they visit locally known locations like Dixie Outlet Mall and Trinity Bellwoods Park. I love how this feels authentically like Toronto.

I appreciated the blended family in this story. There extended witch families were in this story a lot more because they had to work together to protect the broader witch community. Voya’s family lives in a huge house that includes her aunts and uncles, as well as her mom, dad, and her dad’s second wife and daughter. I liked seeing this positive perspective of a healthy blended family.

I was getting worried close to the end of the story because I didn’t think there was enough space left for the story to be complete. However, it all came together at the end. I really hope that we will revisit Voya and her family in the future because I love these characters!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of this book.

Well... this one was at least better than the first... which is not saying much.

This book does a better job of making me sympathize with Voya, because I can totally understand how it would be hard to be a Matriarch under the age of 18. And I'm glad she finally started reaching out for help from others. But... so much of the pacing in this book didn't work for me, Luc didn't play a major role for most of it (which is dumb, considering she literally gave up her cousin's freedom to leave the house for him), and so much of it was just unbelievable (even for a book about magic where you need to suspend your disbelief for the entire time anyways).

My biggest gripe, SPOILER ALERT, is that Keis never gets released from the house. That would have made the book 100x better, but NOPE. Also... Johan just being allowed to walk free at the end?? So dumb.

Overall, didn't love this series, but loved that it dives both into the idea that family is everything, but that you also are right to leave them behind when they are not good for you.

This is the sequel to Blood Like Magic. This book picks up where the last one left off with Voya as the chosen Matriarch. And as in the last book she is struggling with feeling like she is good enough. There are always confident MCs that assume they will do everything right but you don't always see the everyday person thrust into a position with no training and since others thought they would get the role with no help from family.

I love the science side of this book and the lingo they use. The genetics corporation is an interesting concept and I think that would be interesting to have but would need lots of oversight.

I enjoyed these characters and their diversity. The different relationships in the family with parents, siblings, friendships, romance, in the witch community were all well written.

The magic system , and the seamless blending of fantasy and sci-fi genres. Thought it was awesome they advocated getting therapy, especially at this reading level. The themes can be relatable to real life and help others to ask for help.

I love books with magic and really enjoyed this one! Bonus that it also had science and was a bit future oriented.

Thank you simonteen and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

WOW WOW WOW!!! I put this book on my radar after reading @readwithsid's review. I'm currently writing a more coherent review for Blood Like Fate on pop culturalist. Liselle Sambury is my new auto buy/auto read author! Liselle's world-building in this book is phenomenal. I love that Voya is a character in a fantasy world who isn't perfect and struggles to prove to herself and others that she has what it takes. I highly recommend this one to everyone who's read Blood Like Magic (book one)!!

4.75 Stars

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for an arc of this book!

In this sequel to Blood Like Magic, Voya is the new matriarch of her family and no one seems to believe she can do it--especially not herself. On top of that, Keis is angry at her for her decisions in the previous book, Luc is no longer talking to her, and she can't figure out how her grandmother made the skin care products that were their families livelihood. But when Voya has a vision of the future that could be catastrophic for all witches, she attempts to get together the other matriarchs to try and keep that grim future from happening.

I loved this so much! The perfect end to this duology, and I'm so very happy I was able to read it. I was so so sad for most of the book because Luc was one of my favorite parts of Blood Like Magic and he and Voya are estranged for most of this book. He does play a role in it though, so never fear!

The best part of this book is definitely Voya's character arch. She grows so much over the course of the book and I love the different people involved in helping her do that. She goes on quite the emotional journey and I love that for her! I loved getting to know more about other members of her family, but I especially loved getting to know about the other witch families and their histories!

This is such a great duology and I recommend it with my whole heart!

Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Racism and Transphobia

I can’t say enough positive things about this book. It’s written so well, the characterizations are just as good as the first book and nothing in it is lacking. Character, pacing, tone, every last detail is masterfully crafted and wraps the end of the story up perfectly.

It’s winter after Voya was forced to become the Matriarch of her family at the hand of Justin and she and Luc are, well to say on the outs puts it as lightly as possible. He hates her and has her blocked but she still lurks for him online. Which, yeah I get that.

What’s so fantastic about this book is that Voya really struggles with her new power and position and getting people to respect and trust her. Trust is one of the big themes along with family. After all, Keis, her best friend, absolutely hates her now. Her aunt treats her differently and her mom is stiff around her because they thought it would be one of them who would be named Matriarch.

What Voya wants it to create a community of Black witches, one that really looks out for each other instead of just their own. Similar to her aunt, and when she has a horrible vision of the future, it’s impossible to move forward without that council and that community even though at the beginning it’s still on an I’m only doing this for my family” kind of basis.

And just because Voya’s learned to make decisions doesn’t mean she’s stopped overthinking them and doubting herself and just like in the first book, that continues to get her into tough situations. She wants people to trust her but she doesn’t even trust herself. Add in the fact she’s trying to save witches from dying and her at one point boyfriend being involved, and it’s hard and terrifying. Not to mention she’s been paired up with Eli, a boy who has a history of running away and when they’re paired up, seems like he’s just vacant sometimes which makes everything that much harder. But he works at NuGene so he can get close to Luc and get information, she has to trust him.

None of the characters in this book are forgotten. Each one gets an arc. Her cousins, her aunts and uncles, the other families. Even someone I consider a villain gets an arc. There is so much growth for every character and we see how what they want really does push them. Voya isn’t the only one who wants to protect her family, though.

I love the writing. I love all the food! When Voya was cooking, I was hungry. There’s also a line toward the end that just hit me and I don’t know why it stuck with me but it did. “We’re like a sourdough starter, just getting our first bubbles.” I’ve experienced making a sourdough starter. Watching it grow, feeding for it, caring for it. And seeing it being used for people? I knew exactly what she meant and that line just hit me and I loved it.

This book like the first doesn’t shy away from hard topics. Although the first book had a trigger warning the ARC for this one did not and I feel it should have. As their is an eating disorder and a character who is under the influence of drugs on the page. Although both are handled with the delicacy they require.

It’s a fantastic book. I love it as much as I love the first. And I’ve already got my younger sibling reading the first one, this will make a great birthday present later in the year.

All this to say, I’m giving this book five (5) stars. Buy it. I will recommend it to random people on the street. Read it, buy it. Love it.

I was lucky enough to receive an eARC from NetGalley. Thanks to them and so much to the publisher.

**4.5-stars rounded up**

When I read Blood Like Magic in 2021, I was blown away by Sambury's writing. She drew me in from the very start and I was 100% invested in that book. The perfect blending of SFF elements, along with phenomenal character work, easily made that novel one of my favorites of the year.

To say I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this sequel, Blood Like Fate, would be putting it extremely mildly. This is a chunky-monkey and it is so full of deep, moving, thought-provoking content, I was left in awe upon completion. Sambury left no stone unturned in the exploration of these characters and their lives.

At the start of this story, Voya's family is still reeling from the choices she made at the end of the first book. For Voya, those were the toughest decisions she has ever made in her life and now she is suffering the consequences. Her closest relationships have been shattered, but she must continue on.

Voya has been named the Matriarch of her witch family; their highest position. Even at such a young age, she is now the official leader of the Thomas family, but how can she be? Voya doesn't feel capable, she questions herself and feels like all the adults in her life are questioning her as well. Voya feels they aren't taking her seriously. Is that true, or are Voya's own insecurities getting the best of her?

It is an extremely uncomfortable and uncertain position for her to be in. Making matters worse is that fact that Voya's love interest, Luc, has completely cut her out of his life. For Voya, it feels like she is losing on all fronts.

Then she has a horrifying vision, one that if it comes to pass could mean total destruction for the witch community. It could mean the death of her entire family. Confusing Voya is Luc's presence in the vision. Could he be involved in some way? Is he out to get her revenge on her by punishing her family?

Calling on the ancestors and the greater witch community, Voya begins to investigate the vision. If there is a way to stop it, she must figure it out. She cannot allow that vision to become reality.

It's my understanding that Blood Like Magic is a duology. This did end with a satisfying conclusion, but I will admit, I will be sad if this is all I ever get with these characters. You cannot read these two books and come away feeling like you are not a part of the Thomas family. I was so impressed with how intricate Sambury got with these characters. You come away feeling like you know not only these characters, but through the ancestors, their history as well.

There is a lot of action, a very serious plot involved in both of these books, but for me, the character work definitely stole the show. Even though this is a futuristic story, I loved how inclusive it was and how many current themes and issues were interwoven into it. It touches upon things such as gender identity, mental health, generational trauma and a whole host of familial issues. I thought that every topic Sambury tackled, she handled with grace and skill. Nothing overshadows the overall plot of the story, but enhances it in a truly lovely way.

If I were to offer forth any critiques on this novel, I would say that for me, this one felt a little long. Not in the fact that I felt there was extra content included that could have been cut, I wouldn't have cut anything. I just felt like it dragged on a bit too long.

I almost feel like this story could have been better served if it had been made a trilogy versus a duology. Of course, this is completely personal opinion, but I certainly wouldn't have minded a whole other book in this series. Overall though, I absolutely loved these two books. I cannot even express to you how impressed I am by Liselle Sambury's work.

She blew me away with this duology full of heart, Black girl magic and a level of depth rarely obtained in the genre. I highly recommend these books!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Margaret K. McElderry, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I truly appreciate it!

When I read BLOOD LIKE MAGIC last year, I fell in love. Liselle Sambury’s writing is powerful, riveting, and enticing. I was enraptured by Voya and her family, and with the twists and turns of her journey, which ended messily and painfully.

In BLOOD LIKE FATE, we see Voya come into her own as the new Matriarch, after the passing of her grandmother. We see the conflicts and obstacles that arise out of Voya stepping into her new role, and how the two people most affected by her Calling – Keis and Luc – have completely shut her out, for their own (kinda valid) reasons.

Despite this being quite a large book, I flew through this one! I was so excited to see this post-Calling Voya, who has clearly changed and grown in many ways since we last saw her. The stakes are at an all-time high in this sequel, and Liselle does not disappoint in the mystery department – THAT ENDING!

One of my favorite parts about this duology is the way Liselle focuses on family dynamics, and especially the generational trauma that exists within Voya’s tight-knit family.

All in all, I strongly believe this was a great follow-up to BLOOD LIKE MAGIC, and I will happily come back to revisit these books time and time again. I’m even more excited to see what will come next from Liselle Sambury!

4.5 Stars

What can I say about BLOOD LIKE FATE that isn't just THIS WAS AMAZING. Because it was. My review vlog will be live tomorrow so I'll add it HERE when it's live.

Things I loved about this book:

The Characters. Liselle's character work is literally some of the best in the business. They are not only complete people but they're flawed, interesting, diverse, and relatable. The way the Thomas family and the rest of the Black witch community operate is just so well done. By the end of the book I really couldn't be happier with where things left off. It was really just a beautiful ode to their families and their ancestors and I loved it.

The community. This community of Black witches goes through some growing pains during this duology. The way they view themselves, pure vs. impure and how that ideology changes throughout both books is done so well. When we begin a person making a single choice can ruin the status of their entire family. And Voya sees things in a more gray area and her sharing that with the community makes them grow in a great way. Not to mention that there are SO MANY other families outside of the main five who get to take a baby step forward here and I enjoyed getting to see more of this world.

Which leads me to, the magic system. This is one of my all-time favorite magic systems. It's so incredibly simple and yet vastly different from what you normally see. The magic isn't really a thing you learn, you can't just decide you want someone's gift, that gift is given to you by your ancestors and for the most part it feels like the ancestors give the witches the gift that will best suit them. Listen, there was a girl in this book who her gift was to grow in fingernails at will and that may sound like a silly gift, but my nails SUCK and I would LOVE to be able to grow them at will.

It would be a disservice to readers to mention that as much as I loved this book, I do think the pacing was a bit off for the middle bit of the book. It did get a bit meandering and there were some parts that I felt myself just being like "CAN WE GET TO THE ACTION ALREADY." but I'm a patient person and I was able to make it.

This book was so, so good and I clearly had a great time with it. I cried a lot, these characters really hurt me in a way other characters don't. It was definitely a hit in the feels.

The first book in this duology was one of my favorite reads last year, and after that explosive ending I couldn’t wait to see where this story went next.

Voya never expected to be named Matriarch of her family – and neither did her family. At sixteen she’s very young, and the job comes with heavy responsibilities. Everyone wonders if she’s got what it takes to lead her family, and it’s crickets all around when she tries to communicate with the ancestors for help. Voya was forced to make some impossible choices at the end of the first book, and she’s still dealing with the aftermath when this story begins around six months later. Her grandmother is gone, her cousin/best friend hates her, and the boy she loves doesn’t want anything to do with her.

Voya’s family is large, loud, and intrusive, but they’ll defend their own to the death. With this many characters you’d think it would be hard to distinguish between them, but that’s not the case at all. Each is well-crafted and essential to the story. Besides dealing with her own family, Voya has to convince the matriarchs of the other witch families that she’s capable of holding her own. After a terrifying vision of a deadly future for her family as well as the others, she’s determined to find a way to convince them to work together instead of standing apart. And with no shortage of mistrust and old grudges it’s an uphill battle.

Genetics to play a big role in the story and the future of the witches. Voya wants to believe she can trust Luc, ex-boyfriend and now CEO of the genetics company responsible for their downfall in her vision. But can she?

Faced with the possible end of the Toronto witches, lack of confidence in her abilities as Matriarch, disappointment from her family, and the pressure of bringing the witches together, the stakes are incredibly high for Voya. She’s a flawed character and makes plenty of mistakes, but isn’t afraid to own them and try to do better. Her character arc is remarkable (and I still drooled over the food she makes).

At over four hundred fifty pages, this is a long novel. Maybe it could have been trimmed, but it’s still a thrilling, intense duology I’d recommend to paranormal, sci-fi, and urban fantasy fans.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Blood Like Fate is a wonderful sequel that I was really excited for! I adored Blood Like Magic , and was very eager to jump back into this world. It did not disappoint! As with its predecessor, the story did start out a little slow, but once it got going, I was yet again hooked by Voya and her family. I feel like I gave a lot of the reasons for loving this series in my review of the first book, and I hate to just repeat myself, so. We'll keep this one short and sweet.

The thing I loved the most about this sequel is Voya's growth. She grew a lot during the first book too, but this one took it to the next level. Voya had to find her strength time and time again to save both herself and her family. She had doubts along the way, so many self doubts. But her learning to overcome them was such a joy to read!

As with the first book, family is by far the biggest focus in this one. Obviously there are other relationships that are tested and cultivated, but the familial one takes center stage. I thought it was so great that we not only got to see Voya's character growth, but that of her family as well. They all felt very well developed, and I loved that each member had their own story and personality.

The events in this sequel are very high stakes, even more than the first book. Without giving away too much, Voya must quite literally save her family and herself from death. And it isn't simple, or cut-and-dry. First she needs to figure out what is happening within the witch community, then how to stop it. Makes for a very exciting reading experience!

Bottom Line: A wonderful follow up to the first book, I was wholly satisfied with this excellent conclusion!

Sequels can be hit or miss and Liselle knocked it out of the park. One thing I love about her is her trigger warnings. She was one of the first authors I came across who did it correctly and very well. I personally appreciate that.

While the ending seemed a bit rushed it was still a great read and I couldn’t put it down. The characters were well developed, story was interesting and kept the readers engaged. Addressing family dynamics, relationships and the associated trauma center as done in a way that had you thinking of your own family. This is an important story to tell with all the history intertwined and as a black woman, i would love to see more.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I loved this book! This was such a great closer to the duo and I can’t wait to see what else Liselle writes!


——-
Thank you so much to SimonTeen & Turn the Page Tours for this free book in exchange for an honest review!