September’s Witchy Book Club Read: Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
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Written By: Astrid (Events and Bookside Assistant)
One of the most interesting (and unexpected) parts of starting this club has been discovering just how diverse the witchy “genre” is. Because witchcraft is inherently magical, every book we’ve chosen has had a bit of fantasy in it. But the authors we’ve read have been able to draw from such a wide pool of writing styles and traditions—memoir, historical fiction, magical realism, cozy romance, the psychological thriller, and contemporary YA—that we often end up talking about how the magic contributes to the larger story the author wants to tell.
Blood Like Magic is different. It’s an urban fantasy, a genre that starts with secret societies filled with magic and focuses on their interactions with our mundane world. But it leans into the “mundane”: the near past of slave-holding Trinidad and the lives of Voya’s ancestors, Voya’s (bizarre, fraught) romance with Luc, her career aspirations and thoughts about the future. It refuses to let anything be simple or easy, right to the very end. As a Guyanese American, it’s everything I wanted to read as a kid, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you.
Synopsis
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 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.
Reading Schedule
For Saturday, 9/2: pages 1–99 (Chapters 1–7)
For Friday, 9/8: pages 100–190 (Chapters 8–13)
For Saturday, 9/16: pages 191–287 (Chapters 14–21)
For Saturday, 9/23: pages 288–383 (Chapters 22–28)
For Saturday, 9/30: pages 384–484 (Chapters 29–35)
With few exceptions, the WBC meets every Saturday at 1 p.m. Even if you can’t meet with us in person, feel free to join us on Zoom!
If you’d rather read Blood Like Magic alone, each month’s WBC book is 15 percent off if bought in-store.
Any questions? Email us at books@indigobridge.org.
