Blood Like Magic Duology
Young Adult Urban Fantasy with Sci-Fi Elements
by Liselle Sambury
This is a really engaging urban fantasy, set in a futuristic version of Toronto where technology and genetic engineering have progressed substantially. It doesn’t read like a dystopia or warning on these advancements. Instead, the futuristic setting is treated like interesting world-building, and a way for the author to free herself from the everyday drudgery of current Toronto, if she chooses. It’s a nice balance of accurate Toronto and fantasy Toronto.
The story follows Voya, a young witch, trying to complete her Calling in order to receive her powers. When, at first, she fails, her ancestor gives her a second chance to complete a trial: Voya must destroy her first love. But the consequence of failure this time would mean that every witch in Voya’s family will be stripped of their magic.
The magic system is rooted in family and ancestral magic. There’s a large cast of characters, but each of them feels distinct and memorable. It is YA, and normally I don’t love YA books anymore, but this one felt fresh and not too juvenile. The writing blends different elements of storytelling well. First, there’s the intimate character storytelling—Voya’s connection with her family, friends, and love interest. Next there’s the larger community story—how Voya and her family fit into the community of Black witches in Toronto. All tied together with the larger socio-political commentary—how racial inequality, transgenerational trauma, wage disparity, and social injustice would be felt and experienced in this future version of Toronto. It balances all of this, while never feeling like a heavy or disjointed read.
Why I think you might like the Blood Like Magic Duology:
- The emphasis was on character development and character relationships. The relationships really propelled the plot and the story.
- Magic but not too much magic. I love a world where the magic has limits and where reality plays a part. This one was especially cool though, because there was magic, reality, and futurism. So, when magic couldn’t solve something, maybe technology could!
- Reluctant heroine. Voya really struggles to believe in herself and struggles to make decisions. She has to learn to trust herself as the story progresses, and make others trust her as well.
- Mistakes have consequences. The fallout from book one is felt for a long time in book two and the characters have to find a way to move past it without magically fixing everything.
- Friendship theme. Voya does have a romantic storyline, but she also has strong friendship and family bonds that drive a lot of her decisions.
- Duology! If you, like me, are easily overwhelmed by a trilogy, but you also often want a bit more than one book, then Duologies are the new best thing!