Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Blood Like Fate

Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Blood Like Fate by Liselle Sambury

9 reviews

apoppyinthewind's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'm going with 5 stars because I could not put it down and just really enjoyed coming back into this mystical futuristic world that's so good at blending realistic and dark elements. I said it for the first book and I'll repeat it for the sequel, the author does a great job of creating a world that feels real and magical at the same time.

My favourite aspect of this book has to be the magic and that the author's not afraid to explore the darker aspects of the blood magic, especially given that this is a YA book. I also liked reading how the family and witch community develop in this book, growing from the foundation set in the first book. They still have their issues but there's growth that feels like a natural progression.

Voya is still pretty angsty & self-critical at times but it felt more understandable and relatable this time around given the grief and pressure she is under in the story. She also had some good moments where she stood up for herself which helped I think compared to the first book.

I'm getting a little spoiler-y going forward here --

I was surprised by Eli's reveal and it was nice to be surprised. I expected he was working with Luc but did not expect the truth but once I read and went back to re-read Eli's scenes it was so obvious and well done. I think it was a smart plot device to bring Luc and Voya back into each other's lives without glossing over the incredible trauma they both experienced in the first book.

I knew Johan was up to no good because the foundation for that was set up in the first book but damn, what he did was messed up. I was a little surprised he didn't have more repercussions for what he did but given that dark deeds are somewhat accepted in the blood magic practiced in this world, it wasn't too world-breaking that he would still have some place in the community at the end.

I was also honestly surprised Keis wasn't fully freed from the house as I genuinely expected more of a workaround than giving her access to the internet and an Android avatar. I was kind of hoping she would have been named Matriarch of the Davis family through some deception from April Mae and that might have given her a way to leave. Still, this not happening didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I would recommend checking out this series but you absolutely have to read the first book Blood like Magic to follow what's happening in Blood like Fate.

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jadejade's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I enjoyed this book more than the first, and I was satisfied with the ending of the series. There were a few twists that I had guessed before they were revealed but I didn't unravel the whole mystery of what was going on myself. Everyone's relationship within their family and their community is fundamentally changed by the end. I will point out that the sometimes-hostile family and community dynamics was actually a little triggering for me, so be aware of this if you are sensitive to such topics.

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queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

3.5 ⭐ CW: (provided by the author) gun violence, reference to police violence, discussion of eating disorders, blood/gore/violence, death, discussion of substance use/addiction, mentions of child neglect, sickness/infection

Blood Like Fate by Liselle Sambury is the final installment in the Blood Like Magic duology. Don't let the rating fool you, I did enjoy reading this book, but it had some pacing issues, and I was able to guess the twist not even half way through the book. It was just so painfully obvious.

We pick up with Voya after the events of the last book, heartbroken and grieving. In the first book we see Voya's struggle to make decisions, any decision, and realizes that even not making a decision is a decision. This time she now has to deal with the consequences of her decisions and the fallout therein. Voya is also struggling with being the new Matriarch. She doesn't believe in herself, and neither does her family. They only see her as a kid making all the wrong choices. Even though Luc is one of the reasons her life is a mess, she still pines for him throughout the book (which honestly was really annoying).

One of the things I love about this series is the family dynamics and importance of history and ancestors. Voya's family is large and complicated, and they don't always agree on everything, but when it comes down to it, they love each other and will fight for one another. There is also a major thread about community as extended family, and how pooling their resources makes everyone stronger. I also really appreciate the examination of grief and other mental health issues such as substance use disorder and eating disorders.

Sambury describes her writing as "messy black girls in fantasy situations", and she delivered. Voya is messy AF, and I found myself grumbling at her throughout the book, but I try to remember, she's only 17. She's a great character, and I wouldn't mind seeing how she grows as matriarch as she gets older. It's also nice to read about Canadian-Trinidadian families and other families from the Caribbean. The speculative science in this is so interesting! It's very much science run amuck. The main message is science without ethics is violence.

Check out my review of book one for the representation in the series.

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bookswhitme's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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mitzee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

While magic is an aspect of the book and the characters, the main focus of the story is really personal relationships and solving a mystery. It’s weird to say but really this book has everything: crime/mystery, family relationships, personal growth, magic/fantasy, sci-fi, queer relationships, Black history, trans issues.

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twistykris's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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cakt1991's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Blood Like Magic was a stunning debut, so I had high expectations going into Blood Like Fate. And while I don’t think this book is as strong as its predecessor, it’s nonetheless compelling, and adds to the whole story the duology is telling impeccably well.

The world continues to be well-realized and expansive, and I’ve grown to love the mingling of sci-fi technology and fantastical witchy magic. It felt very grounded in the first one, and continues in a similar vein here.

I continue to love Voya’s growth this time around. She remains flawed, making sometimes fatal mistakes and struggling with tough choices. But she’s always trying to be better, and I love the care she has for her family and coven. And the stakes are higher for her here, as she’s stepping into the role of the family’s Matriarch, and I love seeing her reckoning with all her new responsibilities.

There’s a pretty large cast of characters, and I love how diverse and colorful they are. Each of them feels distinct and is easy to distinguish from the others.

Plot and pacing wise, I feel a tad mixed. It absolutely merits the length it is, although I do feel that initially it is a little slow to start. However, it soon gains momentum, especially when the mystery subplot comes into play to amp up the suspense.

This is a solid conclusion to the duology, and will leave readers who enjoyed book one satisfied. If you enjoy stories that blend sci-fi and fantasy elements, with a generous dose of Black Girl Magic, I recommend checking this duology out!

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donnicakelsey's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

“I was of the “Twilight generation.” Those are the sorts of books I was reading and I was enjoying, but I wasn’t seeing myself in them. Black characters, Black girls, weren’t usually present, and if they were, they were kind of a sassy best friend. They didn’t get a love interest, they didn’t get a lot of character development, and they certainly didn’t get to be the hero. And so I wanted to write a book where that was absolutely the case.” - Liselle Sambury

This is an excellent duology and Blood Like Fate is a fantastic follow-up to the first book. Voya’s growth feels realistic and a true extension of where we left her. Each relationship is very thoughtfully developed. I love the connections to cultivating community and the concept of chosen family. I finished this in one day and was sad to say goodbye to these characters, but the conclusion was very satisfying.

I can’t wait to see what’s next from Liselle.

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starrysteph's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I adore a good duology - and in this case, I thought the sequel was stronger than the first.

This is not your typical chosen one story. Voya is human and makes mistakes; she’s constantly making tough choices and dealing with the messy consequences. Things never just “work out” for her. She’s human and struggling and always working to be a better person and leader for her family.

It was so wonderful to watch Voya’s character development continue here. She’s got new responsibilities and is learning how to handle her new status as the family’s Matriarch. She’s dealing with sacrifice and handling input from a huge family with a huge amount of differing opinions. Voya has a big sense of duty and honors the weight of that.

The writing started off slow (and I think a good 50 pages could have been shaved off here), but by the time things got going it was riveting.

Sambury puts a unique spin on her worldbuilding. I love love love the sci fi and speculative fiction elements woven into fantasy. The integration of tech and magic and how that impacts and divides the characters is fascinating to witness. The magic system is unique & creative as well.

One of the highlights of Blood Like Magic was the focus on family, and this thread continues throughout Blood Like Fate. There were so many thoughtfully developed relationships - between parents and cousins and family you choose and so on - that were realistically difficult yet still optimistic.

The side characters were very fleshed out; I had no trouble remembering names. As in the first book, there’s some great representation here: Ownvoices Black characters (including the main character and her family), a Mexican character, Chinese characters, two major trans characters, a demisexual lesbian supporting character, and probably more that I’m forgetting to add. The book also takes place in Canada!

I enjoyed the mystery element, but the foreshadowing was quite heavy-handed at times. I was surprised that Voya was so oblivious to some pretty bold red flags.

In my review of the first book, I voiced some frustrations around character arcs and consequences of Voya’s decision. I had some similar grievances here; I appreciated that we didn’t have an ending that was wrapped up in a bow, but the antagonist was let off WAY too easily (like, shockingly so) and the side character that bore the brunt of Voya’s decision at the end of Blood Like Magic deserved much better here. It bummed me out.

CW: murder, death, child death, grief, violence, gun violence, transphobia, eating disorder, addiction, domestic abuse, fire, sickness/infection, terminal illness

(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

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