Blood Magic

Not what I was expecting

When Silla Kennicott receives a mysterious book and a note signed by "The Deacon", she is surprised to find the book contains a bunch of magic spells all written in her late father's handwriting. She immediately goes to the cemetery to try out the spell book. She can't help it. This book came from her father, and since her parents both died in an apparent murder/suicide, she needs answers.

When her blood drips onto a dead leaf which slowly springs to life, it's then Silla realizes this book holds some truly amazing secrets. With this revelation comes more questions: who was her dad and what else had he been hiding? The other problem? Nicholas, the boy who just moved in next door, saw her in the cemetery. What all did he see, and more importantly, who will he tell?

Soon, Silla discovers that Nicholas has a few secrets of his own, and with the help of Silla's brother, the three of them attempt to uncover the secrets behind the blood magic inside the book. But there's something else out there that wants the book for its own evil purposes, and it needs Silla's blood to achieve its goal. Before they know it, the three of them are facing off against a decades old evil that is more powerful than anything they could ever imagine.

I REALLY liked this book. Tessa Gratton's writing flows freely, and the story is very engaging and original. The novel is written in first-person POV, alternating between Nicholas and Silla, with journal entries thrown in to give the reader plenty of back story. I'd figured out who the antagonist was way before the reveal, but that didn't ruin the experience for me. My only gripe is that Silla and Nick's instant attraction and resulting relationship felt a little rushed. This wasn't enough to ruin the book for me, though. The story is engaging, well-written and full of surprises. I highly recommend this one.

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended--excellent read!

This book was even better than I had hoped. The twists and turns of the story and the richly broken characters are amazing. The lore behind it is unique and vast..well thought out and planned. This series of books will be most interesting to see the direction it takes next.

I will never look at crows the same way again...

A must read for anyone who is a fan of kissing, magic...writing styles that are a lot like Maggie Stiefvater and Brenna Yovanoff...Ahh the merry fates :)

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Something wickedly delicious this way comes!

Every once in a great while you come across a book that you don't want to end. It may be the depth and quality of the writing; it may be the uniqueness of the plot, or even the way the characters seem to come to life off the page and make you genuinely care for them. Tessa Gratton has accomplished all three with this truly extraordinary story. Silla and Reese Kennicot have recently suffered the tragic loss of both their beloved parents, made more tragic by everyone's belief that her father killed her mother and then himself. Silla had found the bodies, been covered in their blood, and still can't get the memory out of her head. But more tormenting is the conviction that the murder/suicide did not go down as everyone believes. She knew her father's gentleness, his devotion to both his children and his wife; she cannot believe, WILL NOT believe that he was guilty of this atrocity. So when she receives a book from a mysterious friend of her fathers, a book of spells that seems to indicate her father's long interest and practice of some sort of magic, she sees a way of proving her belief to her brother...and everyone else. Enter Nicholas Pardee, a new boy from Chicago who will not only be entering school with her, but who also lives next door and meets her for the first time in the cemetery between their family properties. That she had just succeeded in performing her first instance of blood magic should have frightened him away, but Nicholas knows about magic. It's in his family's blood just as it is in Silla'a, and this dark and curious power will ignite an attraction between them that neither can put out. When it seems that someone else is hunting the book and its powerful spells - and is willing to go through anyone to obtain it - Silla, her brother Reese, and Nicholas will have to unite to protect those they love and solve the mystery of the magic and the deaths of the Kennicots before magic and madness cause more deaths. Darkly intense and full of blood magic that may disturb the more sensitive readers, this book has a truly beautiful romance that I hope continues, and a brother/sister relationship that is enviable and heartbreaking. I rarely give a book 5 stars, but this one deserves that highest of praise.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

WOW....

This book was not what I expected at all I feel like the other was an amateur she rushed along the story line, a lot of parts left the reader confused and this story was just awful. I feel as though she had the right idea for a story line but it was just way to rushed. The main character fell in love in what an hour..... I would not recommend this book to anyone I think the author needs to start fresh and not even finish on with the series.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Omg

I loveeeee this book the person who wrote this needs to write more

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome Book

An amazing read!

Fantastic!!!!

I absolutely fell completely in love with this book. Yeah for some readers it's a bit bloody and maybe a little creepy, but I believe the story played out beautifully. And I loved the story line and the overall concept of the book is awesome. A DEFINITE MUST READ!!!!! :D

Too bloody for me

This book was much too gory for me. I dont like to picture little kittens being slaughtered in detail. I stopped reading it after that. It may not be a bad read for some, but i thought it fair to warn you that this is a pretty disturbing book, and written in detail.

Something new!

Okay so finally something not about werewolves, vampires or angels! I liked this book. Mysterious enough, romantic enough and exciting enough. So I guess in the end it was only really good enough but sometimes you cant even find that in books. Some parts you saw coming and some you didnt which I enjoyed. Overall you who actually are reading this should get this now!

A good, but not great, read.

I was so excited after I read this synopsis. It has everything a girl could want: magic, different perspective, and sweet guy. Well, it lived up to that hype, but it had a couple small drawbacks.

The book has good characters that are very easy to relate to. Each have various depths that I enjoyed learning about. Many of them triumph over challenges they've faced in life. They take the challenges and still manage to strive forward. There was a characteristic that disturbed me though. I understand that for blood magic you need blood. I know there are many ways to retrieve said blood, but this book takes some of them a little over the edge. There were times I was actually uncomfortable reading about it. So if you're squeamish about this topic, this may not be the book for you.

The concept in this book was great and inventive. I loved the different perspective it offered. However, there were incidents and relationships that felt just kind of thrown together. It was like I would be at the end of an event and then suddenly I was thrown a curve ball from left field. This is good when it fits into that event, but most felt oddly out of place. It was like walking and hitting your toe on a rock that is suddenly thrown into your path. While that rock may be interesting, it didn't need to be in your path or at least at that point.

These issues aside, I really did enjoy this book and will definitely read the next one that comes out. Hopefully some of the kinks will be worked out, because I think there is a lot of room for these characters to grow and expand in attributes and plot.

Dont really like the sample

:/

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

What a fantastic, amazing book!

Stunning, paced just right, and vivid-Blood Magic leaves you thinking about it and what will happen next long after the final page. Gratton cast a spell on me from the title. The effect of the four points of view (Nick and Silla, in the present-day; and the two journals of Philip and Josephine Darly) is full-on powerful and jaw-dropping. Masked witches, magic in blood and bones, a longing for immortality, and an intriguing back story. I can't wait for the sequel, and readers will spring for it as well.

This book is so frakkin' great! I <3 it!!!! XD

Great Imaginations Review of Blood Magic

I've had Blood Magic sitting on my TBR shelf for about a month or so and I just recently decided to read it. It wasn't that I didn't want to read it, it's just that I try to keep somewhat of a time order when reading my books and I tend to read books I've had on my shelf longer. Compared to some of the others, Blood Magic hadn't been sitting there that long. But it was really calling to me, so I decided it was time.

Great, Great book. I've been disappointed with a lot of paranormal reads lately, and I was not disappointed with Blood Magic. It was a unique and refreshing take on the young adult paranormal genre. Just like the blurb says, it had all of the blood with none of the vampires. Really, really cool magic ideas and I applaud the author for doing something different. I know it didn't work for every reader, but it worked for me.

I think the book had great atmosphere and I really loved how the author switched viewpoints between Nick and Silla. I also loved the journal entries that came from the past. It did jump around a lot, but I had no issues with it and thought it added to the story. I really loved Nick as a character, but then I am always drawn to sarcastic and cynical people. Silla I liked, but I didn't feel as connected to her as Nick.

And this is where my minor complaints come in. Once again, I'm going to complain about lack of characterization. It's getting to be a habit isn't it? Truthfully,it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the books I have read recently, but I feel like I could have known Silla better. I just felt a lack of emotion from her. There was a lot of telling and not showing when it came to Silla's feelings and motivations. Something bad happened to her and if it had been any other book I would have cried (I am a crybaby), but it didn't move me. I found that strange. And I know this is a minor complaint. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book.

Thank goodness for no cliffhanger ending. I'm really getting sick of those. I don't mind unanswered questions, but at least wrap it up a little bit, ya know?

Anyway, I own this book, and I'm not giving it up, so you know I liked it. This is one series I intend to continue, because I am interested in finding out where the author is going to go with the plot in the next book. I didn't want to put it down. Yesterday I wanted to finish it, so I kept reading until the sun came up. I think a lot of books in the young adult genre are getting cliche and predictable, so it was nice to see something original for a change.

I highly recommend Blood Magic and I do think that most of my blog readers will enjoy it. I am considering it for a future giveaway. 4 stars!

Amazing from page 1!!!

I couldn't put this book down from the very beginning! The story line is enticing and pulls you right in. The relationships and bonds that form are bequtiful. And to top it all off twists and turns that you will never see coming! Absolutely wonderful from title to ending! Already looking forward to book 2!!!!

Amazing debut! A whole new dark world that you will love

I don't even know where to start! AWESOME I is my first thought. Bloodiest book I've ever read is my second thought. But that definitely didn't get in my way of devouring this amazing debut! Tessa Gratton's Blood Magic is so precisely constructed that she's created a whole new dark and magically mysterious world. I just couldn't get enough!

Silla's blood has magic and at first I'm not sure she grasp how powerful she could be. Silla's parents were murdered and everyone blames her father. Silla never thought her dad would hide such an enormous secret, but as she dives deeper into the magic, she discovers that its one big web of danger and mystery. Silla was an awesome heroine-I wish to be like her someday. I enjoyed, to the fullest extent, learning more about the process of blood magic and how the main characters (with no knowledge) taught themselves the magic.

Silla was sad and angry that her town had pegged her father as a muderer. She finds a book with latin words and what seems like spells and when she started the magic she couldn't stop. Silla was strong-willed but gave into the magic, because it was a part of her and flowing through her. She was such a dynamic character. She's troubled and that's to be expected when you lose your parents and find out your blood is meant for magic. Nicholas and Reese (Silla's brother) rounded off the story as great supporting characters. I really enjoyed Reese and how Silla and him grew together through the magic. I was intrigued by all the characters and the history that lies beneath their struggles.

Tessa Gratton knows how to capture exactly how someone would feel in these situations and that grabbed me from the start. I enjoyed her writing style. It was deep and therefore I was able to get into each character's mindset. I really loved that the narration jumped from Silla to Nicholas, as that always keeps the story going and never boring!

The whole book kept me on edge. From 20 pages in I was on the edge of my seat wondering WHAT is going to happen next. The story jumps out and snatches you whole. I'm not sure I need to say anything else. I think you understand how awesome I think this book is!

Overall guys, its a must read! It was a perfect balance of mystery, romance, and magic. I will mention again that it is quite the bloody book, so if you don't like to read about someone sacrificing blood pretty much every chapter, then I would be cautious. It is not terribly graphic, but even I was like *ew* here and there.

Review based on ARC copy

Great book!

I really loved the plot of this book. It was totally engrossing and had a very good history to the whole story. The story line of the book was good. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing the whole story unfold. Even from the very beginning, you can tell right from the start that there is so much more to the writing. The writing of the story flowed beautifully unveiling the great history. I love it when an author can not only bring the book to life by its characters but by the history as well.


The characters of the story were well develop. Each had their own story to tell, their own back round. I really loved learning about the family who is in magic. The reader is immersed in such a great story that it is easy to get into. Another great part of the book is the point of view switches. Now I am a very picky person when it comes to this. But Ms. Gratton did such a wonderfully job giving us point of views not only from the present tense, but from the past as well. I like how she connected everything to now, and really held the reader there. Ms. Gratton had me gasping and holding my heart on my throat!


This book is a great, magical read full of a dark past like no other. The magic in this book is just dripping off the pages with wonderful writing. I can't wait to read the next book! *There was some cursing.

Hmm Should I?

I want to read This Book,And the Ratings are Awesome, Though I wanted to ask. Is it gruesome?

Delightfully dark and cunning - a must read!

BLOOD MAGIC is a beautifully crafted young adult novel that easily stands out from its peers. Told from three points of view, it is equal parts romance (full of young! love/lust!), mystery and horror. It will keep you guessing right up to the very end.

"Unique and enthralling..."

Tessa Graton's young-adult debut is dark, emotional, and full of magic. Told from two different viewpoints, the story was unique and enthralling. The concept of blood, a necessity to all life, being capable of magic has never been so realistic.

When the first pages of Blood Magic are cracked open, we find Druscilla Kennicot sitting across her parents' graves, looking through a spell book that showed up on her doorstep. The sender is a mystery, but he knew her father, which is enough for Silla to burst with curiosity.

Silla finds out her blood is magical - she can perform a variety of spells with a drop (or sometimes more) of blood. But she isn't the only one capable of blood magic, her new neighbor, Nicholas Pardee, has magical blood too. And someone else - someone who's after Silla and her spell book.

So when Silla and Nick and her older brother Reese are being hunted down by a powerful someone, all they can do is wait until the time is right... and attack. But that's when things take a tragic turn, one Silla's not sure she can get over. Not again.

In the emotional sense, I found myself deeply affected, there were parts that brought me so close to tears, it ruined my entire Sunday evening! However, though the plot to Blood Magic was noticeably well-planned, I came across many loopholes where things could have gone very differently. But that doesn't make Tessa Graton's debut any less riveting than it is. And there shouldn't be any reason for you not to pick this book up when it releases on May 24th, 2011.

COVER RATING:

Everything about the cover, from the forest to the crows, is significant to this magnificent debut, you have to read it to know ;)