Blood Magic
Tessa Gratton
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 24, 2011
It starts off simply.
Draw a circle ... place a dead leaf in the center ... sprinkle some salt ... recite a little Latin ... add a drop of blood ...
Maybe that last part isn't exactly simple. Yet somehow it feels right to Silla Kennicott. And nothing in her life has felt remotely right since her parents' horrific deaths. She's willing to do anything to uncover the truth about her family—even try a few spells from the mysterious book that arrived on her doorstep ... and spill some blood.
The book isn't the only recent arrival in Silla's life. There's Nick Pardee, the new guy next door who may have seen Silla casting a spell. She's not sure what he saw and is afraid to find out. But as they spend more time together, Silla realizes this may not be Nick's first encounter with Blood Magic. Brought together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick can't deny their attraction. And they can't ignore the dark presence lurking nearby—waiting to reclaim the book and all its power.
Tessa Gratton's intoxicating first novel will keep pulses racing, minds reeling, and pages turning right up to the very last drop of blood.
Blood Magic was a nice surprise for me. Sure, I've seen the good reviews, but I wasn't expecting to like it so much.
I loved the characters in this book. Silla, Nicholas, even Reese. It's not hard to feel sympathy for each of them, because they've all been through some sort of tragedy. I especially like Silla. I don't know what it is, but she's different from most characters.
The one and only problem I had with this book was the relationship between Silla and Nick. Nick's a sweet guy. Maybe too sweet. He had one conversation with Silla and was already thinking about how much he liked her in the cheesiest way possible. It just wasn't real. The relationship as a whole just wasn't developed enough. It went way too fast.
The whole concept of blood magic is an idea I've yet to see elsewhere. I really enjoyed seeing something new.
The book was filled with twists and turns. Although, there were some things that I did see coming.
Overall, Blood Magic is a unique book. I really enjoyed the ride and can't wait for the next book.
Rating: 4/5
Great review! I've heard so much about this book and I cannot wait to read it. I love your blog too :)
ReplyDeleteI read this one last week and loved it! It had a different feel to it which I liked.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the relationship moving too fast. That's usually something that really bothers me. Surprisingly it didn't bother me as much in this one. My review will go up sometime soon'ish :)