Leta’s Book Review: Blood Like Fate by Liselle Sambury

Blood Like Fate by Liselle Sambury

Young Adult Fantasy, 14+

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you to Simon&Schuster Canada for sending me a physical ARC of Blood Like Fate in exchange for an honest review.

I finished Blood Like Fate by Liselle Sambury last night (August 8) in anticipation for today – which is this phenomenal story’s release day! I’m so excited to have the honour of helping promote this novel and the conclusion to this duology.

After completing her Calling in Blood Like Magic, Voya must figure out what her new status within her family means. She is struggling to find her place while trying to keep the family business afloat. But when the entire witch community is threatened, Voya must bring the Matriarchs together to fight for their magic and the lives of their families. Set in 2050 Toronto, Canada, Blood Like Fate continues Voya’s harrowing story of love, deceit, and learning to trust herself despite the threat of failure.

Voya is an immensely relatable and realistic character. Her big success at the end of the first book wasn’t enough to break down the ideas cemented in her mind: that she won’t succeed and shouldn’t be given these new responsibilities. It isn’t helped by her family having all too real feelings of jealousy and mistrust in Voya’s abilities – or so it seems to Voya. She still believes that she won’t be able to save her family or bring her community together. However, she has gone through character development since her story started because she tries to do it anyways. She wouldn’t have actively done that before her Calling. It was realistic and comforting to see a character grow without reaching the end of that growth after one climactic event. People don’t have one moment of growth and reach their fully developed selves after one trial either. It was so reassuring to see Voya go through the same. The events of this second novel are such natural next steps for Voya to take in order to move forward and realize her potential, continuing that growth. I love duologies, because they have this magic to them: they’re the perfect length for a character and world to be introduced, go on an adventure that’s long enough to satisfy most readers, and show a realistic level of growth in both character and world since the plot of one novel can be given more time by spreading it out. Liselle Sambury is a master of this magic.

As I said in my review of the first novel, the world and it’s mix of science-fiction and fantasy is incredible. Reading Blood Like Fate was quick and easy, since I already plainly understood the rules and limitations of Sambury’s 2050 Toronto.

I can’t say too much about the plot without spoiling the first novel, but I will say that it matches and continues onward perfectly. The pacing leads you straight through without too much time spent on one thing or another. And if you find that there seems to be a moment that doesn’t fit, don’t stop reading! It all plays into the endgame, and I promise, it will all come together and make so much sense. Everything written in Blood Like Magic and Blood Like Fate is important. The depth of the world and the care put into creating all of the magnificent characters creates a wonderfully intriguing plot that fully immerses you in its beauty and blood. I’ve fallen in love with this world, and I hope that many others do too. Liselle Sambury, I can’t wait to see what you write next.