Blood Like Magic

This book has magic, fantasy, sci-fi elements, a black MC who is very insecure but will do anything for her family, diverse side characters, and ethical dilemmas.
It took me quite a lot to read it as it's quite long and a lot happens. It goes too long on describing so that puts the book to a 4.3 for me.
Basically, the main plot is around Voya who is a black Trinidad teenager waiting for her Calling to become a witch. In this world, magic works with Blood and Intent and when a person reaches puberty, which for witches happens later than to other people, they have a quest, a challenge, some choices to make. If they pass they get magic which an ancestor of them gives, if they fail they'll get magicless forever. Voya is soo enclosure at herself and is very sure she won't pass, and well as we say when you are too negative about something, that may as well happen. But her ancestor gives her a second chance, her task is Destroy your first love. Voya has never been in love, and the only one she thinks could be the one she has to kill is Luc an arrogant guy who she got matched within this futuristic program. Not looking great.
Voya was such an interesting character, I loved her. She goes on and on in inner monologs and dialogues with herself, which in times would make me annoyed, but she was nice. She was very determined and never gave up, and tried to see things in new ways.
It's cool as this book has many twists, and isn't the average fantasy book with a quest. This has soo many challenges and dilemmas mentally. Also, the task is completed in a way which I really liked. It's written pretty well, and it touches down a lot of issues, especially regarding racism but also issues trans people face. Yes, this is set in the future, 2050 to be exact and the world is more advanced than ours technologically (while still no apocalyptic robots and hell) but it's very close to ours as people divide themselves.
Basically, it's a pretty well-written book, with good world-building, and likable characters, while not being cliche and stuff. Romance may seem to be the main thing, but trust me, it's way more than that! Things aren't always bad and good, pure or impure, was the main lesson while also learning to do some stuff for yourself too and take a break sometimes (which Voya really needed).
Also, weird but Voya is 16, like me... but I can't see me in her. She's way more mature and brave than me, I'm basically like a child, lol.

DNF at chapter seven


I love the world. The near futuristic elements is great. I love the non binary and trans rep in this as well, I wish more books would do this


But it's slow. Toooooo slow.


I'm bored. Waiting for the action to happen and when it does it goes right back to dragging. I've forced myself to get as far as I can in this and it's not working for me.

“That's the thing about new generations— they change things in ways that the old ones didn't. They add something new and make it their own.”
-Voya's father, Ch 28, pg. 382

Really good book with themes of choices and making hard decisions. There are a lot of good quotes about racism and being black even when that's not the main theme. It's nice to read another book about black witches and an interracial couple without one of them being white for once.

However, this book does suffer from info dumping. The book does this thing where somebody mentions something in dialogue, and Voya goes on the explaining to entire history with that person and then some for several of paragraphs. It really puts a pause on the story for me. Another thing that irked me was her family pressuring to make a decision and not believing in her. Plus, the fake cursing, I hate it when fantasies do this, it never fits naturally.

Overall, this book was really good and the ending was something I didn't expect. I can't wait read the next book and see how Voya handles everything and how her story ends.