We Are Blood and Thunder

January 1, 2020

Gr 8 Up- Furyborn meets Give the Dark My Love in this debut about a quarantined city plagued by immovable storms and pestilence. The birthmark on Lena's face is considered a disfigurement conspicuous enough to have destined her to life as a "cryptling," exiled forever to live in the city crypts alongside people with disabilities...until she is convicted of magecraft and sentenced to death by dog, which she barely escapes before running into Constance. Constance is the duke's daughter, returning after years in exile where she's honed her magecraft, to reclaim her place as heir. However, in her absence, the Justice seized power from the dukedom and is attempting to purge magic from the city to quell the storm. The Justice makes for a one-dimensional villain, but his megalomania adds more immediate stakes to Constance's plot than the ever-present storm. Beyond the city, Lena finds herself thrown headfirst into a world of gods and magic, and struggles to find her identity beyond her status as a "cryptling." The novel's world-building, particularly in the quarantined city, is deeply rooted in ableism-a topic not handled with any particular deftness or care. The cast of characters has a range of skin tones and one gay character is briefly mentioned, but they don't develop to support the plot. Lupo's simplistic writing style could lend itself to striving readers, but the deep paragraphs of exposition lack narrative voice. VERDICT With ableist world-building and underdeveloped characters, this novel is not recommended for general purchase.-Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Library, IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 24, 2020
A quarantined mountain city-state beset by a pestilent storm cloud blames magic for its plight in this YA fantasy debut. Lena, who cares for Ancestors in the city’s crypts is, at 17, convicted and jailed for being a mage; escaping, she seeks a life outside the castle, in a place where magic is revered. Meanwhile, mysterious Constance, daughter to the Duke, returns to the castle to claim her spot as heir and bring an end to the cloud that has been ravaging the area for six years. When the two cross paths in the uninhabitable foothills of Duke’s Forest, neither is privy to the other’s connection to the storm. Constance struggles to find a way to save her home and ascend the throne without revealing her own dealings with magic. Lena, training for control over her own unusual powers, discovers she might be able to help stop the storm cloud—if she wants to save the people who sentenced her to darkness and death. Deftly sweeping between Constance and Lena’s journeys of sacrifice and empowerment, Lupo weaves together a promising tale of magic, mourning, and betrayal, delicately showing how grief can be the most powerful magic of all. Ages 14–up.

December 15, 2019
Grades 9-12 The people of Duke's Forest hate magic, blaming mages for the storm cloud that descended over their land. Pestilence forced the dukedom to quarantine its region from the rest of the continent, and no one has come or gone in years?until two girls cross paths: Lena, on the run after being sentenced to death for being a mage, and Constance, a disciple of the mage temples and heir to the dukedom. Lena manages to escape, finding solace in honing her newfound powers, while Constance struggles to maintain order in Duke's Forest and to find a way to break the storm spell. When their chance encounter turns out to be much more, together they must uncover the heart of the mystery that shrouds the dukedom. Lupo balances a carefully layered plot with modest pacing in a world that gets darker and more sinister as the story progresses. Although the hint of romance seems out of place, a gripping conclusion ultimately makes for an unforgettable fantasy read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)