by Kesia Lupo
Series: We Are Blood and Thunder #1
Published on March 3, 2020 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Format: ARC
Pages: 448
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Lena has never left the sealed-off city she calls home. The treacherous storm cloud surrounding the Duke's Forest prevents most from entering or leaving. But then Lena's deepest secret is revealed--she is a mage. And according to the law, all mages must die. With little other choice, she flees for her life, straight into the treacherous forest.
Constance's family and friends believe her to be dead. She fled the Duke's Forest six years before, and no one believed she'd survive outside the city walls. And even though she isn't sure if she can trust anybody back at court, she's intent on reclaiming her place as the duke's daughter and heir.
Lena and Constance meet for only a moment, but even after their paths diverge, the terrifying storm cloud keep them linked. A dark revelation lies at the heart of their connection--the truth behind who cast the storm cloud's spell. Only the girls can expose this secret and dispel the storm for good. . . but unveiling the truth could cost them everything.
If ever there were a book that just wasn’t for me, it’s We Are Blood and Thunder. It wasn’t a bad book. In fact, I can actually see a lot of people quite enjoying it. But it wasn’t for me. While I was initially intrigued, I quickly lost that feeling the further I read. That small bit of magic that pulls me into a book and makes me fall in love with it just wasn’t there.
In We Are Blood and Thunder, the reader is thrown into the story. A girl running for her life, death at her heels. I really like when stories do this sort of thing because it immediately creates tension and prompts questions that make me want to keep reading. That did happen in this case, but the problem lay with what followed. By the time I got to the second point-of-view character I had even more questions. Again, not a bad thing, except that the story just wasn’t intriguing enough to keep me interested. I never felt that nagging need to continue reading to find out all the answers.
The world building was interesting in this one. It was very simple, which in some moments worked and in others didn’t I kept finding myself wanting just a little bit more. The magic system in place had unique features that I really liked, but even that wasn’t enough to hold my attention.
The best thing about this book, at least about what I read of it, was the characters. I liked how it alternated between Lena and Constance’s points-of-view. They both had unique voices, so it was never confusing going back and forth. But ultimately, their stories weren’t compelling enough and I never connected with either character enough to keep me reading.
Like I said before, We Are Blood and Thunder just wasn’t for me. It was too slow, lacking enough redeeming features to make me want to continue past the half way mark. I’d say that if the synopsis sounds good to you then give it a shot, but go into it knowing that it’s a slow read.
About Katie
I'm a twenty-something aspiring writer who really, really needs to get back to revisions. I've been reviewing books since 2014, and am determined to somehow make stories my day job. I truly think that every book out there contains something good and is meant for somebody.
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