Written by Jayse Smith
We Are Blood and Thunder is a newly released YA fantasy by debut author, Kesia Lupo, centred on two female protagonists, Lena and Constance. The contrasts between each of the characters couldn’t be more apparent. One a cryptling, shunned by society because of a deformity and charged with tending to the dead and the other a noble born woman with a dark hidden secret.
This female-led cast stormed its way into my heart, grabbed me and drew me into a dark world of intrigue and mystery. The cloud that hangs above the city of Duke’s Forest is metaphorical as well as physically present as it swirls and causes all who live there to cut themselves off from the rest of the world for fear the cloud would spread.
This cloud brings pestilence, death, and misery for the people of Duke’s Forest. Coupled with the ominous cloud, the towns law-maker and enforcer, the egomaniac Lord Chatham, plays on the towns folks fears and exacerbates the entire situation resulting in a manhunt. This book literally has it all. Magic, mystery, intrigue, action, and adventure.
I read this book as part of a buddy read (we pick a book and read it simultaneously) on Instagram with three of my wonderful #Bookstagram buddies, Nicky @Cre8ive.Nicky, Nikki @NikkiReads and Roz @SeventyEight.Sundays and I asked them for their opinion on the book and their thoughts are below!
Nicky – @cre8ive_nicky
I absolutely loved We Are Blood and Thunder. I couldn’t get enough of the imaginative and enticing writing. I became deeply invested in one of the main characters, Lena, from the first chapter and I spent the rest of the book rooting for her and eager to see what would become of her. I was also heavily interested in what I considered to be Lena opposite, Constance. These were two distinct characters with their own voices who demanded my attention from the first sentence and I was shocked by the ending.
All the characters in this book were crafted beautifully, from the egomaniacal Lord Chatham to the soft-spoken and handsome Emris. I enjoyed the tantalisingly slow details the writer handed the reader.
The mood and energy from the spooky and sickly Duke’s Forest, to the sun drenched and busy streets of the City of Kings were expertly conveyed and I will definitely make the time to read more of Kesia Lupo’s writing. I thought the mix of medieval and steampunk as a world was really inventive, but what I was really intrigued by was The Holy Council of the Nine Gods. It’s an interesting take on a magic system, and I loved that there was a colour assigned to each discipline of magic. I would have loved to spend more time meandering down the streets of The City of Kings and would have really appreciated more chapters spent watching Lena develop her magic.
Most of all I enjoyed the pace of the story. I was constantly curiously about what was going to happen next and at times could not read the next sentence fast enough. I even went as far as lying to my inlaws and telling them I had stomach problems so I could lock myself in their bathroom and finish the book. I have no shame in admitting that I sat in the empty bathtub and finished my book while they continued their BBQ outside – I had to have answers dammit!
I was taken aback by the last two chapters. While I wasn’t happy with how it ended, I appreciated and even applauded that the writer left me with points to argue with my fellow book lovers.
Nikki – @nikkireads
When it comes to fantasy books there’s two things that are always a must for me: the world building has to be amazing and the characters have to be believable. Both of these things Kesia delivered on. If I didn’t already know that this was Kesia’s YA fantasy debut I would never have thought otherwise. The writing style was so beautifully descriptive and the dialogue between characters was so well done. The writing drew me in from the very first page and made for such an enjoyable reading experience.
In this story we were introduced to two kick ass female main characters whose stories were told through their own points of view. I admired the way in which both Constance and Lena’s vulnerability at times was their greatest strength. The magic system was completely original and unlike anything else I’ve ever come across in YA fantasy. The most enjoyable part of this read for me, aside from everything I’ve already mentioned, was the last third of the book. Throughout the whole story the pace always felt relatively fast, but the last third of the book is when everything tied together perfectly. The plot twists were so unexpected and thinking about it now still blows my mind because I didn’t see any of it coming, at all.
We Are Blood and Thunder was a mysterious, adventurous, and magic filled YA fantasy and I gave it 5 stars. I’m so grateful that I was able to buddy read it with some of my fellow bookworms. Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing for sending me an early copy of this book.
Roz – @seventyeight.sundays
I love this book. The world building and magic system are interesting. The mythology is quite complex and well-thought of. I would’ve loved to know more about the gods and the magic system as I feel like there are more to explore.
The characters are fascinating with their secrets and hidden motive. It took a couple of chapters to get used to the alternating POVs between Constance and Lena, plus there are a lot of side characters and it takes a little bit of time to get to know them. Once you’ve got that down, the story’s pacing is quite good. Lena is definitely my favourite between the two. She is slightly insecure, torn between the safety of the past and the potential of the future. I could relate to some of her inner monologues. I also enjoy the unexpected twists and turns. I did guess a couple of them but there were some I didn’t see coming and it is always fun to be surprised.
I would totally recommend the book to lovers of fantasy, fans of lovely strong female characters as well as steampunk enthusiasts. I kind of got a whiff of steampunk vibes there.
A massive thank you to Nicky, Nikki, and Roz for reading this amazing book with me.
We are Blood and Thunder is Kesia Lupo’s debut book and is available now. Thank you so much to Bloomsbury for the advance copies of the book.
We Are Blood and Thunder is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
Have you read We Are Blood and Thunder? Or will you be checking it out? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
In a sealed-off city, it begins with a hunt. A young woman, Lena, running for her life, convicted of being a mage and sentenced to death. Her only way to survive is to trust those she has been brought up to fear – those with magic.
On the other side of the locked gates is a masked lady, Constance, determined to find a way back in. She knows only too well how the people of Duke’s Forest loathe magic. Years ago she escaped before her powers were discovered. But now she won’t hide who she is any longer.
A powerful and terrifying storm cloud unites them. It descends over the dukedom and devastates much in its wake. But this is more than a thunderstorm. This is a spell, and the truth behind why it has been cast is more sinister than anyone can imagine … Only Lena and Constance hold the key to destroying the spell. Though neither of them realise it, they need each other. They are the blood and they have the thunder within.
