I absolutely LOVED this book! The story captivated me from the first page until the very end and left me wanting more! So much more!

A Dream of Blood and Magic begins 5,000 years prior in a realm outside of Earth. Immediately, your heart feels for this family and the secret surrounding them. Quickly, the reader is transported to present day New York City where we've got vampires running nightclubs and military ops, strong-willed witches... and Avery. Avery who's an orphan and has vivid nightmares that she draws on paper to calm her mind. Avery who's like the Snow White of magical animals. Avery who soon discovers that she is also magical.

I can not wait for the second book and to see how this new (but old) relationship begins and evolves. Can witches and vampires really all get along for the good of themselves and the world?

This book is as addictive as Avery's blood is. :)

5 stars - a slow burn urban fantasy with vampires and witches.

Averys life is turned upside down when a bird crashes through her apartment in Brooklyn. As her dormant witch magic awakens, she is thrust into the long standing feud between witches and vampires. Avery turns out to be a special witch called the spirit marked, who can unlock a portal into the witches original homeland but in doing so, cause irrevocable damage to our world. The witches have also freed a decades old Vampire Azreal who was captured by his brother Kane who Avery has been unexplainably dreaming about. Tensions fly when Avery and Kane meet.

I absolutely loved this one - the world building and plot was phenomenal and captivating. A slightly slow start but once it got going I was hooked and it was hard to put the book down. The romance is slow burn and only begins to heat up towards the end of the book as the author teases more tension in book 2, that I can’t wait to get my hands on.

I felt Averys confusion and heartbreak as she learned more about the true world that had been hidden from her. I loved her relationship with her spirit guardians and I hope we get to see more of shadow in the next book.

Mostly dual pov between Avery and Kane but we also get to see Azreals pov which I enjoyed and I have the feeling her will be more ally than enemy in future books.

Would highly recommend for fans of serpent and the wings of night or kingdom of the wicked.

I took some time to gather my additional thoughts on the novel before finalizing my review. Overall, it was great. The world in which this book is set is so interesting, as it combines magical creatures in an urban fantasy that is set almost within the bones of historical fiction. I was fascinated by the unique magic system that the author establishes. A witch ignorant to her own abilities that derive from a generation of women just like her, who she is actually able to embody and learn from in her dream walking abilities. Her ability to dream walk offered a unique opportunity to readers, as it established important backstory without straying away from the primary narrative and plot. I loved how her dream walker abilities gave the reader insight into her past, but I would have loved to see more development in her present relationships. While I enjoyed how fast paced and action packed the chapters were, i just wished the book had been longer and there was more time allotted to exposition. I wanted more of the relationship between Avery and Shadow to be fleshed out before he was captured, that way the reader could observe how their relationship developed, and her loyalty to him didn't seem so sudden given her untrustworthy nature. I wanted more character development and more details about the world and Avery's life before the major conflicts in her apartment with the witches and vampires. While I was devastated about Shadow, and understood the severity of losing a spirit guardian in the context of the book, I feel like his capture would have had more weight if the reader had more time to become attached to him and his relationship with Avery. While I can appreciate a short book such as this one, that makes for a quick read with its face paced story telling, as a reader I always love when authors have the time to explore exposition more than just action. It creates more suspense when conflicts do occur; given a readers attachment to characters when more time is allotted for their development, it makes for higher stakes and more to lose, which makes me that much more invested in said conflicts. Finally, I appreciated the descriptions and poetic narrative of some of the scenes in the novel. The imagery the storytelling evoked was beautiful, and I myself felt like I was lost in a castle in the Scottish Highlands. I had such an appreciation for the syntax and how the characters acted and spoke their ages. I cant wait to see how they mature. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and I anticipate the next installment of the series, I simply can't wait to see where the next book takes Avery. This book incorporated a lot of my favorite tropes (close proximity, enemies to lovers, chosen one etc), in such a fun way, I cant wait to see what's next for this author. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, I look forward to new content in the future.

Trigger Warning: blood, gore, violence, death, human trafficking, explicit scenes, kidnapping, and past trauma.

It was an extremely interesting and exciting book. I had a great time reading about and losing myself in this magical world of betrayal, magic, and love. If you prefer paranormal romances with darker undertones, I strongly suggest this book and can't wait for the next in the series.

Gothic fantasy, enemies to lovers, witches, vampires, all the good stuff. I’d say this is probably slightly more fantasy than fantasy romance and it did take me a little while to get into but overall a good read that I’d recommend trying

Tropes: chosen one, enemies to lovers, forced alliance, miscommunication, prophecies, forbidden attraction

Pacing: medium-fast

This is an urban fantasy centered around a witch who comes into her powers as an adult. Her magic validates her feelings and experiences that were previously labeled as “madness” while in the foster care system. It provides you a magical system with witches and vampires who have an ancient rivalry that has implications and consequences in today’s world. Throughout the book you see how evil both vampires and witches can be. Both groups have smaller factions that are trying to protect innocents and their home world. The book ends leaving you wanting more and ready to read the second book.

Avery Jaxon is a 21 year old woman living in Brooklyn, New York. She’s had a very hard life growing up in the foster care system is very hard for a child. Her mother and father died when she was 7 years old and going from foster home to foster home made her have trust issues. She has a mouth on her that gets into trouble a lot, but most recently she’s found out she’s a witch.

Avery is the spirited marked, one of the most powerful witches that have walked the earth, the only problem is that she doesn’t know how to control her powers mostly because she’s never received training and her mother dying 14 year prior doesn’t help.

One day after waking up from a dream at 3 am Avery was sitting at her desk when all of a sudden a crow crashed through her window. She noticed that one of the crows wings were either broken or dislocated so she went and grabbed some things to wrap the birds wing. Avery then left for work at the local library and while she was at work, she had gone outside and saw a kid in the middle of the busy street and there was a bus coming, Avery panicked and all of a sudden a burst of wind blew and overturned the bus to make it stop. Avery then started feeling sick and hurried home. When she got home she hurried to her bed and passed out, when she woke up she saw a man in front of her bed and she freaked out.

The man in front of her bed was her spirited guardian she named Shadow. Shadow was anything but a man and her told her several times that she needed to stop thinking of him as a man because she was having sexual feelings out him. I’m going to stop here because I don’t have to give the rest of the book away but it is so good.

Oh my god! This book was so freaking good!! I just found my new auto buy author! Olivia Boothe you have outdone yourself with this book!! It had everything to keep me interested. I couldn’t stop reading it! I finished this at 3 am and I was sad when it ended because I really really wanted to know what happened next.

Wow! This book had me hooked. I found myself having to try so hard not to race through this to find out what happens next and I'm so glad that I savoured this story. I really enjoyed the style of writing and the different POVs. The vampires are, obviously, morally grey so it took a little time to figure out who the 'good' guys might actually be, and that is always fun when reading. I have a feeling there will be more twists and turns in the follow up which may skew this view and I'm here for them all. This book has witches, vampires, elemental spirits and magic.....it also gets a little spicy towards the end! An ancient prophesy and mysterious happenings, about which bits and pieces are revealed in the first book, but not too much. I haven't read much contemporary fantasy but this book I could not put down! I cannot wait to see how this story unfolds and what more there is to Avery and Kane's story

I don’t typically read urban/modern day fantasy—but this book may have changed me. If you’re like me, it’s the perfect intro into urban fantasy, due to the way it combines traditional fantasy with more modern elements. I found the fmc, Avery, easily likable, funny, and I love that she’s just a regular gal whose life gets flipped upside down. I tend to lose interest if a romance element isn’t brought in early on, but I read the whole thing in 2 days flat. The romance is sloooow burn, and you get to really know Avery as well as the other mcs in a way that drives the plot more than just forcing a romance right off the bat. I’m so excited for book 2, and also can’t wait to see where Avery’s story goes!

This is an intoxicating gothic contemporary fantasy that I know will be even better during the reread & that this is just the beginning of an amazing series. There is A LOT of complex world building in this book - I’d say the first half is totally world building and you’ve got different realms and portals along with MULTIPLE POVs and about a dozen characters to keep track of. If you have the patience I’d highly recommend taking notes as you read this one… there’s a lot of information to absorb.

Avery’s POV was my favorite for sure - I loved learning about what she had been through and my heart truly felt for her. The last 20% of the book felt like it went by so fast and the ending had me wanting the sequel IMMEDIATELY. We are definitely being TEASED with a satisfying enemies to lovers that I’m already impressed with.

This book was incredibly well thought out and beautifully written - I would HIGHLY recommend this to lovers of Crescent City, From Blood and Ash, Serpent & Dove, and Heartless Hunter. Vampires, witches, magic all around — this is going to be one epic series. I’m ready for more smut, Olivia!!

Than you so much to NetGalley and Three Brothers Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I am totally invested in this exciting series and I’d love to read more from Olivia Boothe.

“She was... more than a witch I wanted to drain of her blood. She was a woman I wanted to claim.
That fire she'd sparked in me flared inside my chest and my protective instincts began to surface, to win over my need for the kill. I didn't want to hurt her. I couldn't hurt her.”

"These moody vampires are going to be the death of me,"

A five stars book!!! My goodness !! I so needed something like this!! Vampires, witches, covens, incredibly strong but hidden powers, dream walkers and a past that links Avery to a world she has never known. She is Spirit touched and she is hunted. But she has had visions all her life. Imagine what happens when the main vampire men she met in her dreams suddenly knock on her doorstep (well not really). I sure know what I would have done. And when I met Kane … readers like me, have to fall in love with this brooding, morally grey, grumpy vampire lord who is ready to do anything in his power to save the people under his rule … and then some. Connections sparkle, truths are revealed and bargains are signed. And underneath it all, a complicated plot that gives such an interesting twist for the possible outcomes. This story has such potential, I find myself more than a little bit interested in the future of it!! I sure thing feel like I need more since I devoured this book in one sitting !!!
And even if it was the beginning so some parts were not clear, it is so be expected. It felt actually like a great choice to leave some questions hanging and some wounds still open. More room in the future for new explanations and action!!! Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, constant tension and vampires primal senses … oh, I so need the next one today !!!

“But you know what drives me crazier than human blood? Witch blood-that's the fucking curse your contemptuous foremothers placed upon me.
"You are a walking, breathing temptation that threatens to unravel me thread by fucking thread. I came out here tonight to feed on that saints-damn pig because my hunger for you blasted through me like a hurricane, determined to wreck my bones until only rubble remained, to destroy everything and everyone I love.”

“My self-control is on a precipice, my honor ready to burn to cinders... all because of you.”

This is the start of what looks like is going to be an epic series! It has vampires, witches, familiars, multiple worlds, dream walking, and lots of other exciting stuff. There’s certainly a lot of info in the first third or so of the book and a lot of names/terms to take in, but once all of that started to settle in I was invested. The world building and characters are compelling and complex, and I enjoyed each of the POVs.

Avery was a great MC - she’s had a super difficult life and is just now discovering that she has all of these badass powers. Kane and Azrael are thousand-year-old vampire brothers with a lot of history that I’m dying to know more about. This is definitely a slow burn, but the little hints of spiciness made me excited for what’s to come. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Kane in particular. I still have a ton of unanswered questions so I’ll definitely be reading the next book.

Thank you to Three Brothers Press for the ARC!

This book was so intriguing based on its premise. While it took me a while to be acquainted with the writing style and magic system, I found myself completely immersed approximately 30% in. The readers learn about Avery's past and how this connects with a much larger supernatural conflict where she is caught in the middle as the chosen one of a prophecy. Since Avery's elemental magic abruptly emerged, she struggles to navigate her sheer power with the guidance of her spirit companion (she will eventually have one for each of the elements). However, multiple forces are after her and she must determine who is a friend or foe. This is a great first installment to set up for the series as we slowly see Avery's development throughout the novel. Her relationship with each of the side characters are definitely considered slow burn but I cannot wait to see its pay off. I am incredibly intrigued by the spirit guardians (namely Shadow - loved the character so much!) and am looking forward to exploring their purpose further. The snippets we saw of Azrael and Arabelle were so compelling and I am a sucker for love triangles so I cannot wait to see how this comes into play. I am a Team Kane truther as expected. He has so much depth in his character and the readers can absolutely understand his motivations based on his past. There was no reason for the shower scene to be that sexually charged. I was definitely expecting more smutty scenes but the author was definitely teasing more in the future. That being said, there were minor details that sorta missed the mark for me - but this is based off personal preference and I seem to be in a reading slump upon beginning this book. However, I am definitely seated for the next book and can't wait to further explore this world.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for an honest review!

What a ride! I’ll be honest, I found the beginning a bit hard to follow, but once I got accustomed to the authors writing style WHELP. Gimme more. I need to know what happens in the next book!!!

I am def team Kane though.

I love how the author has managed to generate an attachment to characters, and is descriptive enough to not distract from the overall story line!

Ultimately I can’t wait for the next book to come out

This book had me in a chokehold from the very first page. Gripping action in the first two chapters that left me with questions just begging to be answered.

I was briefly prepared to become impatient waiting for those answers, but this story just cascaded onwards, taking me along for the ride.

Boothe brings a whole new meaning to writing well, the world building and complexity of the characters being naturally incredible. There were no points in the book where anything felt forced, it flowed excellently, and I’m excited to see where the story will go in the next instalment!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for sending me an EArc, all opinions are my own.

This was a "could not put this book down" situation! The tension was awesome! The characters intriging! Great worldbuilding and magic system. Gothic urban romantasy with action and vampires...

Please make the second one soon ...

Overall, I really liked the a fantasy element of this book, especially the involvement of witches, vampires and elementals, and this if often my favourite set up for fantasy characters.

However, I felt there were parts of the book that were too long. I felt like it took me more than 50% of the book to actually get into the story. Whilst I appreciate that it is personal preference at what pace a book moves, this felt too slow for me and might be the case for other readers who like a faster gratifying read. Individually I liked the characters and the fact they are all a bit morally grey, made them feel a little more human. But the romance aspect wasn't for me. It felt rushed, especially considering the book felt long.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review* I need the next book ASAP! While I do think that the world building felt a bit rushed, especially with a unique magic system, the book was well paced and I enjoyed every second of it.

Took a little bit for me to really get into this book, but for the most part it was pretty good! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

This book sucks you in from the very beginning!

This was definitely one of the best reads this year. Although A Dream of Blood and Magic is much less romance focused than I usually go for, I was hooked from the very beginning. This is how you write a great plot driven and real slow burn fantasy/PNR romance!!!

The world building was done perfectly. The way the author incorporated different worlds and timelines was done very seamlessly. No info dumping for sure. The world was beautifully described and I know we’re gonna see much more in the future books.

The characters were extremely well developed. It’s a multi POV and although the focus is on our FMC Avery, all the side characters have depth and you can truly understand their motivations.

The twists and turns just kept coming and I can honestly say it’s been a while since I’ve been so invested in a book!

The tropes include:

✨ witches and vampires

✨ a hundreds years old war

✨ ancient prophecy

✨ slow burn (not yet romance but the tension was sizzling)

✨chosen one