Article contributed by Raathi Chota
Blood Like Magic is a fantasy and sci-fi driven novel focusing on magic and technology and how these two may clash or work together in the future. It also concentrates on family dynamics and the lengths people will go to in order for their loved ones. This is definitely a must read for fantasy lovers looking for something new and binge-worthy, plus fact that this is part of a series makes me only more curious as you can read it as a standalone!
Blood Like Magic follows the story of Voya, who is meant to receive her Calling to become an official witch. Every witch must complete a task given to them from an ancestor and if successful, they’ll receive their gift that will or will not benefit the family. Voya has been dreaming of this moment and is prepared for whatever task will be given to her, that is, until Mama Jova shows up and says she has a month to destroy her first love.
The worldbuilding is fascinating to read and follow throughout the novel. Readers get a sense of the magic system and how gifts are given throughout the family. Gifts benefit the witches not only spiritually, but financially as well, so it’s imperative to receive a useful gift. Everyone is hanging on by a thread, wondering what gift Voya will receive since Mama Jova has drawn her task out so long. It might seem the novel is somewhat dragging given the deadline, but time surely goes fast.
Keis, Voya’s best friend and cousin, has the gift of reading minds but she doesn’t want to rely on it all the time and that’s why she wants to get an internship at NuGene, the biggest tech company citizens rely on nowadays, especially when they release a beta version of matching people up using genetics. Voya is one of the beta testers and is paired with Luc, a sponsored intern.
Voya’s task becomes one step easier as she has found a love interest, but the trouble is falling in love with him and then killing him. Luc isn’t your outgoing, arrogant guy, so it’s up to Voya to break down his walls and get close to him.
Voya is such a caring character who puts her family first. She’s known as the chef in the family and loves to spoil them with treats. It’s very contrasting to see the type of task she receives. According to her Granny, who’s the matriarch of the family, no one has received such a vivid task before. The longer Voya drags out the task, the less hope the rest of the family has in her. They also wonder how she’s actually going to complete the task and get away with murder. The stakes are high because if Voya fails then her baby sister will die and the magic will soon run out in the family.
Ha, no pressure Voya! When she goes to find help from distant relatives, she only finds out more of her family, including how a certain ancestor was wiped from memory and how the family fears the CEO of NuGene. Voya feels the tug at all the connections to her task, but can she achieve everything before time runs out?
This review remains spoiler free, that’s why it isn’t a thorough. Yet I gave enough information to persuade you to add this book to your TBR and read it when it comes out. Hopefully, it will receive the hype it deserves! I enjoyed this book so much. I can picture it as a miniseries or movie franchise one day!
Blood Like Magic is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 15th 2021.
Will you be picking up Blood Like Magic? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.
After years of waiting for her Calling—a trial every witch must pass in order to come into their powers—the one thing Voya Thomas didn’t expect was to fail. When Voya’s ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agrees—and then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic.
Voya is determined to save her family’s magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy—and fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesn’t count on is being paired with the infuriating Luc—how can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her?
With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything.
